10 of us met for dinner and had a couple of wines, 24 to be exact, this week at a local restaurant and were joined by our good and wine passionate friend, Mike Smith of Myraid, Quivet, 12 C and others. The wines were:
2002 CRISTAL- Having quite a bit of this bubbly recently, I can say it repeatedly has been showing well and is such a delight in its infancy. This one was served too chilled and its essence was muted somewhat until it warmed up and then the power and finesse took over. Complex, full bodied with great length [and in this case, a palate cleanser for the next wine which was slightly oxidized although some felt it was completely oxidized].
1988 HEIDSIECK & MONOPOLE DIAMANT ROSE- "slightly oxidized with the light sherry, nutty notes and browning rose color; still to me, there was underlying pinot noir fruit and it still possessed a lot of effervescence. I had more Cristal.
2001 DONHOFF OBERHAUSER LIESTENBERG RIESLING KABINETT- really atypical, weird coconut flavor; consensus was that it was old and cooked possibly from storage issues although the one who brought it disputed this, but did agree, it was not good.
2004 FONTAINE- GAGNARD BATARD MONTRACHET- a liittle toast and skunkiness in the nose; smooth and buttery, it
delivered some apple/ citrus notes and overall was a pleasant Batard.
2003 RAMONET BATARD MONTRACHET- lots of minerals and minty and Eucalyptus in this silky, good wine shining really well now.
2007 ALEX GaMBAL PULIGNY MONRACHET- sort of a musty, earthy note that is characteristic of some more generic white Burgs that`s different and yet OK; lots of ripe fruit and good acidity.
2008 MELVIILLE CLONE 828 PINOT NOIR- ESTATE CLONAL SERIES- a big pinot; very fruit forward from the outset on, viscous and mouth filling, kind of fades out in its youth; needs to integrate.
2007 EVENING LAND SEVEN SPRINGS VINEYARD- " LA SOURCE"- I liked this pinot; very fruit forward, smooth and good through the long finish.
2003 ARMAND ROUSSEAU LAVIEAUX ST. LAVAUX ST. JACQUES 1ER CRU- some toastiness in the nose with coffee and mocha and a silky, smooth palate feel with red and dark fruit; not fully integrated yet.
1995 HAEGLIN- JAYER CLOS DE VOUGEOT- showing some age; dry, bing cherries fading out in a hurry with a tannic finish. May have been a good wine some time ago.
2000 HUBERT LIGNIER CLOS DE LA ROCHE- my WOTN; great balance and wonderful complexity; a little pepper and spice; very easy and approachable; rich and magnificently finished now even though I expect it to shine for years down the road. The 1990 of this wine was one of my favorites of all time red Burgs.
2003 SANDRONE LE VIGNE BAROLO- a really wonderful Barolo with a lot of ripe, lush black cherry fruit and a lot of depth and complexity to hold ones interest throughout the night.
1996 ALDO CONTERNO BAROLO- a village Barolo, it came off somewhat dry and astringent then evolved into a decent red fruity wine that is on the down side and showing its age.
2008 MYRAID VINEYARD GEORGES NAPA- recently bottled as are the rest of the 08` from tis producer; tough vintage and this one shines early on; I loved it!; a little talc and oaky vanilla not yet integrated made from 100% new good French oak; some dark red fruit and a lot of wine on the palate throughout the experience. Watch this one.
2008 MYRIAD KENEFICK RANCH- great early on; a big statement of quality cab; lots of ripe fruit and heavily extracted; needs years to evolve.
2008 12 C RUTHERFORD NAPA- another fine effort from Mike in a tough vintage; shows promise of being a decent drink once matured and integrated; very youthful.
2008 MYRIAD RUTHERFORD NAPA- another fine effort and tasty wine which needs a lot of time; up forward oak; good mouthfeel and acidity; should evolve into a gem.
2008 MYRIAD BECKSTOFFER DR. CRANE VINEYARD- again, a lot of talc and oak first and foremost; not yet integrated; has the backbone to be something good;
2008 MYRIAD SPRING MOUNTAIN RANCH- similar notes as the Beckstoffer; these are really fine cabs made in the best of the most challenging conditions; time will tell; I am investing in them after this experience.
2008 QUIVET CELLARS SPRING MOUNTAIN DISTRICT- I loved this one in its infancy; more dark and red fruit with a lot of oak and talc and some spice.
2007 CARTER CELLARS BECKSTOFFER TO KALON in 375 ml x 2- a very serious wine that is easy and drinkable now; some mint and Eucalyptus that is more intense than any Silver Oak I`ve tasted; for those of you that know that component from yesteryear;
2006 CARTER CELLARS COLISEUM BLOCK- very smooth after a first impression of a lot of tannins which dissipated after time and allowed the fruit to come through; still finishes somewhat astringent.
2007 CARTER HOSSFELD COLISEUM- very fruity, full bodied with good length; a very fine wine; at this point, I could still distinguish between some wines and the others; this one shined.
2005 ABREU THOREVILOS- [sp?]- not good; some coconut green notes wit hover ripe tomatoes and veggies???
Cheers
