The trip started in the most right and terrific of ways with a visit with my very good friend, Berto Dorta. It is always a pleasure to pass time with him and Julie, and this time we were over at his friends’ Mark and Terri’s for a grand sirloin-and-appys cookout to watch the Tyson-Paul fight card. As always, Berto was extremely generous in opening stuff
2005 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne
It’s been a little while since I last had this and it’s come along beautifully. Absolutely silky smooth and has nice brioche components to slightly sweet lemony base. A curl of gingerbread comes up for me later, but it’s all about the texture and flow, which are sublime. Popped and poured, you’re in the wheelhouse already IMHO
2022 Elena Walch Beyond the Clouds
This was my contrib, as I’ve not yet had this uber-cuvee of chard of hers. I liked how nervy it was—in this case ginger root was a component for me and it had an on-the-edge-of-too-much bitter tilt in the midpalate. Went between meyer lemon and key lime for me. Food definitely helped balance this out. I have a couple more at home and will look to leave them for another year or two.
2005 Clarendon Hills Astralis
We both wanted to check in on this, so Berto pulled one. I’ve had very limited experience with the wine, but this tracks along what I’ve experienced–that in their youth, they are super-concentrated and you need a fork to eat it with, and as they age, they trade viscosity for velvet. That was the case here, with just a touch of eucalypt around rich purple and black fruit aromatics. Berto and I discussed blinding this in a Bordeaux flight and, while there’s a sweetish component, it could stand as e.g. St. Emilion. The real interesting part is that when it matched with the sirloin, the black cherry and plum fruit exploded on the palate. A great wine to try and enjoy. Guessed 14.5% and that’s what’s listed
2019 SQN Distenta Syrah
This was my ask of Berto this time. It’s a full and rich version, lots of plum, cocoa and cherry notes, with dashes of loam here and there. We both agreed, though, that it didn’t have the kind of character or intensity of the Astralis. Good, but not superlative.
Huge love to you, my brother. It was another great, if too-short visit
Kwa Heri
Mike