Just to add my impressions…
N.V. Varnier-Fanniere Champagne Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Brut. We started off with this grower Champagne disgorged 6/6/09. It offers up fine aromas of lemon/lime, baked apple, ginger ale, smoke and creamy chalk that are crisp but elegant. In the mouth, it has a creamy mousse feel, and a notable apple-oriented profile to it. There are some sour-fruited notes running underneath that provide some tang as it flows into the gentle finish that has an airy quality to it.
2001 Daniel Rion et Fils Echezeaux Grand Cru. I like the nose on this wine, which features aromas of balsa wood, leather, spiced cherries, sous bois, dried pine straws, birch beer and rhubarb. In the mouth, it has some similar flavor elements like rhubarb, spiced black cherry and dark earth. However, texturally and body-wise, I find this wine severely wanting right now. It seems watered-down and thin to my taste, with a sour acidity running through it. The finish also seems somewhat metallic in nature. It is disappointing for a producer I normally enjoy.
2007 Maison Albert Bichot Beaune Clos de l’Ermitage. This wine has a tight, berry-laden and dried flower perfume to it that is light and youthfully restrained right now. In the mouth, it has good grip but is otherwise crisp with crunchy acidity and minerality. It is on the lighter-bodied side, with the flavors largely on the surface right now. It is linear and needs a few years to flesh out and expand more across the palate.
2004 Hartley-Ostini Hitching Post Pinot Noir St. Rita’s Earth Santa Rita Hills. The nose on this wine is absolutely redolent of buffalo wing sauce. It is a fascinating element that a number of people picked up on the moment it was mentioned. Beyond that, it also shows off strong aromas of crushed raspberries and creamed cherries in an overtly open, plush and velvety package that also has hints of candy cigarettes, earth and fireplace ash. In the mouth, it is smooth and lithely-textured, with a cohesive feel and plenty of body and flesh. It is very spicy, with a ton of creamy cherry fruit and cocoa powder flavors. The finish is not especially long and at times there is a bit of lifted heat, but the rest of this works together real well.
2001 Paul Hobbs Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley. This wine has a really lovely nose of sweet creosote, silky black fruit, mace, cedar wood and classy dark earth that seem really slinky and pure. In the mouth, it has a satiny texture that shows off the classy and rich black fruit to good effect. There is a definite sweetness to the fruit and it just cascades effortlessly across the palate like liquid velvet. It does tighten up a bit on the back end, but is otherwise polished and smooth flowing. My WOTN.
1998 Chateau Larmande St. Emilion. The nose here feels sort of meaty, with aromas of plums, blueberries, black earth, rawhide leather, fruit cake and cigar ash leading the way. It is medium to full-bodied in the mouth, with a blend of black and blue fruits, chalky extract and plenty of softly rounded tannins. It is fairly rich and expansive through the middle, but it turns drier and more acidic toward the finish, which has some smoke and charcoal notes hanging around. The tannins also grow with time, and it seems like a wine that will be drinking better 3 or 4 years from now.
2003 Chateau Pipeau St. Emilion. Aromas of rawhide leather, red currants, tobacco leaf and stony earth have good oomph to them. The wine is cool-fruited in the mouth, with flavors of black currant and chalky black beans. The acidity has an astringent edge to it and the wine finishes very chalky and dry. It definitely needs time for the palate to catch up to the aromatics.
2007 Sakonnet Vineyards Vidal Blanc Winterwine Southeast New England. The final wine of the evening sports a nose of rosewater, orange blossom, crunchy crème brulee topping, creamsicle and steeped lemon. It is quite sugary in the mouth, with a sweetness level that is pretty intense. Flavors of roses, honey, orange marmalade and sweet tangy citrus are a bit cloying, but there is a top-note of acidity that tempers that just a bit. It is nice enough, but nothing particularly special.
-Michael