A few close friends and the spouse of a recently departed wine shop owner celebrated his life with a special dinner at a special local Santa Barbara restaurant with the following wines selected on the premise they would be his preferred choices and a couple of the wines actually came from his cellar:
2002 DOM PERIGNON- I`ve had a few bottles of this over the past couple of months and found some to be right on and others to be subdued, muted and shut down; fortunately, this was a good bottle and really shined with elegance and class; good acidity, creamy, rich, citrusy and balanced throughout this tasty treat; I want more of these in my stash.
2006 DOMAINE LOUIS LATOUR CORTON-CHARLEMAGNE GRAND CRU- some of my wine buddies have been down on this wine and Im not sure why; it
s everything I want out of a grand cru white Burgundy and no premox issues; the typical house style pervades here starting with its yellow/ gold color, pleasant oily texture, buttered apples and pear notes with a touch of lemon/ lime; its nicely integrated now and should hold up for many years to come; simply delightful for me and the others.
2000 DOMAINE BONNEAU DU MARTRAY CORTON-CHARLEMAGNE GRAND CRU- the only dud of the evening; severely oxidized; would have loved to experience what this was crafted to be.
2008 AU BON CLIMAT ISABELLE PINOT NOIR- a rock star as is the winemaker and his daughter who this is named after; stunning; layers of wonderful ripe red and black fruit with some nice spices and a hint of coffee and chocolate; the Isabelle bottlings have always been very good since original release in 94`and this one ranks up there with the best of them.
2008 PRINCE FLORENT DE MARODE CORTON LES BRESSANDES GRAND CRU- this wine just grew and grew on the palate and offered a complete experience from nose through finish; seamless and with perfectly balance, it pleased with fresh strawberry and raspberry fruit and its soft mouthfeel.
1983 CHATEAU LATOUR A POMEROL- we really moved into a new direction here with this Merlot; a different taste profile, but nonetheless, another winner of a wine; I got some violets and wild red berry and cranberry; it`s nicely structured with complexity and depth; still youthful in every way, this is a keeper for the long haul.
1986 CHATEAU PICHON LALANDE- another stellar treat; balance is again prevalent here; it was silky smooth and loaded with spicy cassis and ripe black fruit; this is still in its growing stage and also a high quality wine for the future as it is now.
1985 CHATEAU MOUTON ROTHSCHILD- 80% Cab, 10% Merlot, 8% Cab Franc, 2% Petit Verdot in 90% new oak; this vintage was the first where they vinified the young wines individually and only selected those vats perceived to be grand cru quality; well, they succeeded; my WOTN, this just exuded quality and class; with its velvety texture, it is yet another balanced wine offering generous amounts of red and black cherries; a dollop of cedar, tobacco and leather blends in nicely; this is what I want in s classic Bordeaux; it`s still singing to me and I like the tune.
2001 CHATEAU RAYMON-LAFON SAUTERNES [375]- made of semillon and sauvignon blanc, it`s creamy and rich with honeyed vanilla, peach, apricot and orange; dessert in a glass.
We did it up properly for our beloved friend and the restaurant ambience and private fireplace table for 7, food, service and wines made for a wonderfully complete experience.
Cheers