A group of us descended onto Capital Seafood in Monterey Park, CA with the lure of freshly roasted suckling pig and 12 pounds of lobster. The group has a wide assortment of palates so we had a nice variety of wine. What really stood out were how awful the red burgundy was. Everything else was tasting pretty good but the red burgs just left awful flavors in the mouth. If M. Diline was at this dinner he’d tell us TOLD YOU SO. 
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WOTN for me was a tie between the 05 Pride Reserve Claret and 96 GPL out of Mag. Followed shortly by the Pernot and Roulot.
Whites
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2004 Aubert Chardonnay Lauren Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast (8/25/2012)
note is pretty much the same as when I had it in 2010. Age has not made it any better
With every Aubert I drink, i just get loads and loads of pineapple and other indescribable tropical fruits, this was no exception. But for me, more often than not, Aubert is too big , too round and too oily. It’s not flabby but it’s certainly fat with noticeable alcohol and oak on it. Some 05’s I’ve had didn’t have the alcohol/oak so the fattiness of the wine didn’t deter from the wine but this was just too much of that harsh oak on the back end
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2002 Domaine Marc Morey & Fils Bâtard-Montrachet - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru (8/25/2012)
Not surprised that there is pretty pre-mox going on in this wine. There was hope on the initial attack with rich apple and pear but once it hits the mid palate and finish it drops off into premox hell. As time went on more and more caramel and hazelnut. -
2002 Sine Qua Non Whisperin’ E - USA, California, Central Coast (8/25/2012)
really pretty nose of rich honeysuckle and stone fruit with a dash of violet. On the palate initially there was zero fruit but after about 30 minutes the palate suddenly exploded with intense lemon and pineapple fruit with an oily texture that just flowed right down the palate. Finally a good SQN white that didn’t taste like oak and vanilla fruit! -
2004 Domaine Guy Roulot Meursault Les Meix Chavaux - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault (8/25/2012)
While missing a bit of depth on the mid palate the initial attack was filled with very precise sparkling citrus and tropical fruit with a very uplifting finish with loads of bright acidity. Probably use another 2-3 years to reach the peak. -
2008 Etienne Sauzet Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Perrières - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru (8/25/2012)
Why is there so much oak on this wine. Second time I’ve had it (last time was a little over a year ago) and it was still just as oaky. Lots of bright tropical fruit on the front but it just gets overwhelmed on the finish by oak. I do not care at all for Sauzet, all the 07/08’s i’ve had have been oak bombs (as much as Burgundy can have an oakbomb) -
2008 Paul Pernot et ses Fils Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru (8/25/2012)
I think there is so much “bang for your buck” with Paul Pernot. The texture on this wine is beautiful and silky and while the peach and honey flavors are light on the palate they balance well with the cool acid that runs through the backbone. There is a sense that there is a deep concentration of flavor in the wine right now but it needs a lot of time to open up but right now it’s tasting very good and I think as the flavors amplify and come out of the shell it’s only going to get bet.
Reds
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2005 Pride Mountain Vineyards Reserve Claret - USA, California, Napa Valley (8/25/2012)
It’s big and rich but it has balance. The fruit is powerful but it’s not over ripe but straightforward and textured. There is a growing flavor of tobacco on the backend that’s still subdued and light but hopefully it’ll develop over time Still has a brutish tannic structure but it holds the fruit in place. Really enjoyed it. -
1989 Château Beychevelle - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien (8/25/2012)
Elegant texture on the initial hit to the palate, mostly 2ndary currently with tobacco, cedar, mint and hefty mouth dry tannin on the finish as the fruit seems to have faded a bit to the wayside. Soft floral nose and very perfumed. -
1996 Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac (8/25/2012)
Out of magnum. I’m pretty enamored by the 96 vintage of bordeaux. It was one of the first vintages I ever had and it really stuck to me. This wine was no exception. Lots of fresh blue fruit pouring out of the glass on the nose with a touch of leather. On the palate there was a sweet concentration of dusty strawberry and graphite enveloped by a firm tannic structure. Still a bit brutish on the palate right now but it’ll resolve with time. Since I’m not typically a bordeaux drinker, I don’t have the adjectives in my head to describe this wine properly, but it was really good and I enjoyed it a lot. -
2002 Moillard Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Aux Malconsorts - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru (8/25/2012)
Nothing makes me happier than the fact that Dujac is now farming the same exact area because it’s a shame how bad this malconsort is. Just really dry under ripe tannins overwhelm the palate on this wine. There’s hint of fruit but the finish was so bitter , on the positive side the awful finish was short. -
2005 Louis Latour Marsannay - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Marsannay (8/25/2012)
awful awful wine. Blinded. Just tasted of leather and strong oak with barely any fruit left on the palate. -
2009 Scott Paul Cellars Pinot Noir La Paulee - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills (8/25/2012)
Juicy fruit, it’s gonna move you. The palate was a shock on how sweet and juicy the strawberry and cherry fruit was on this wine. Very high tension on the fruit and precise… just a bit too much of it. Give it some time to tone down
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