Didn’t get any pictures but had a wonderful night with @Anton_D and his childhood buddies down my way for Their annual reunion. I brought a couple of my local Wine friends as well. Lots of great wines were opened, but I think the consensus favorites were a 1990 Silver Oak Bonny’s and 2010 Spottswoode. I suspect all those wines are still sitting on his friends counter, so maybe he can grab a picture and add some color to this all. Wonderful seeing him and his friends again 
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Nice!
The 2018 is good! The 2016 Griffins Lair is probably my favorite Desire Lines wine of all time.
That’s a good one too. Still have a couple of that. This was my last 2018.
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My wife enjoys Petite Sirah so I opened two last night. Carver Sutro are my favorites and this 2012 was 
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Samuel Billaud Chablis 1er Séchet Vielles Vignes 2023
Big sea spray and lemon squeeze up front. Very savory and saline in the midpalate through the lengthy finish. Initially quite focused but fanned out over time. Great texture. Lots to like here, though decidedly less acidity than cooler vintages.
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19’ Carlisle Papera paired with pulled pork. Still zippy and damn tasty. Pulled a 13’ Spottswoode Lyndenhurst, corked. 3rd straight Lyndenhurst bottle I’ve opened that has had cork taint. Other 2 were 16s. Opened another 13’ and letting it warm up on the counter to see if it’s off too.
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Over the past couple nights…
2023 White Walnut Estate Apple Field Vineyard Chardonnay
This is very good, though I think some time in bottle will improve the wine. The wine is quite reductive right now with lots of gunpowder, flint, and steel. The impression overall is similar to Chablis raised in wood (though of course the wine went through malolactic). In addition to reductive tones there are still perfumey florals on the nose. The wine has a light medium body and fairly high acidity. There is some tropical and stone fruit character to the wine but the overall impression is primarily quite chalky and stony, non fruit elements dominate right now.
As with prior tasting, the wine finishes very long with a beautiful toasted hazelnut and almond flavor that is totally unique. So distinctive and intense.
2004 LdH Vina Bosconia
WineBid bottle, this was obviously from a very good cellar as the wine showed absurdly young.
On the nose this almost reminded me of a Ribera wine with its richness, showing chocolate, dark fruit, scorched earth, if you told me blind this was in 80% new French oak I would believe you.
On the palate this showed more balance than the nose suggested, with bright acid that carried black cherry and blackberry fruit as well as the earthy, oaky flavored that followed through from the nose. The wine had a fairly long finish.
As can happen sometimes, I find this bottle sitting awkwardly in the Bosconia/tondonia alleged stylistic inspiration. This was probably the most “youngish Bordeaux” bottle of LdH wine i have ever had. But this is supposed to be the burgundy inspired bottling! Does this suggest that, as with early California wines, the “claret” style was the lighter wine and the “burgundy” the heavier? Curious if anyone knows the deep history on this one.
Anyhow bit of a head scratcher particularly given some of the notes on CT recently suggesting this is declining. Based on this bottle, pretty much polar opposite and if I had the balance of a case I’d be trying to hide it far back in the cellar. In any event I think this will be really good someday. Just not all that outstanding now.
2021 Dom. Ostertag Zellberg Pinot Gris
Spicy florals on the nose, think carnation/geranium, candied ginger, white pepper. On the palate maybe a touch of RS? Moderate acidity, plush texture, moderately long and spicy finish. Carries the stated 14% alc well.
I have ~no experience with non Riesling Alsace wines (and barely any with Alsace Riesling) so this is we pretty much a new experience for me. It was fairly compelling and I went through it at a pretty good clip.
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Mont d’Or & Truffle Party — The Heavy Hitters
The Pairing: Melted Mont d’Or topped with fresh Périgord truffles.
The Wine Lineup:
Henri Germain Meursault 2022: Young but showing immense class. Signature reduction, high-voltage citrus, and a long, precise finish.
Denis Bachelet Côte de Nuits-Villages 2019: The “Gevrey sleeper”. Old-vine concentration with deep red fruit and vine smoke. Total overachiever.
La Rogerie “Bourg/Sud” (Avize GC): 1h slow-ox. Liquid chalk and hot croissant notes. Selosse-level tension.
Paul Gosset “Au Fil du Temps” (Le Printemps): Base 2020. Fresh, floral Mareuil-sur-Aÿ character with a 3g/L dosage.
Paul Gosset “Des Jours et des Muids”: Base 2021. Brut non dosé. Saline and structural with deep reserve wine complexity.
Gaspard Brochet “Lion Tome I” (333.f): High-energy cult juice. Laser acidity and intense mineral drive.
The 2022 Germain was the star for the cheese, but the Bachelet added the necessary earthy backbone for the truffles. Paul Gosset continues to be one of the most exciting values in grower Champagne.
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Back in 08 when the economy was bad I got 4 of these for a great price at a Hall tasting at the old Sigels in Dallas. I had one right away and it did not show well, another about 5 or 6 years later and it was in no mood to be opened, I threw the other two up in the ‘long term experiment box’ I pulled this out the other night and it wasn’t just singing it was belting it out to the back row-holy cow this was amazing. Very very glad I have one left, feel dumb for opening the others way too soon.
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'20 Branella is the first time they bottled with vineyard designates. One of the least ready Pepe MdAs I’ve had- they don’t usually shut down- just evolve differently over time. This one needs serious time. Despite it’s appealing flora essences, it’s rather dense and wound up right now.
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2014 Altesino Brunello Montosoli: gorgeous wine that’s definitely drinking at peak. Wine was singing after 3hr in decanter.
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2015 The Eyrie Vineyards Pinot Gris Original Vines
Our first bottle of this fabled wine. It did not disappoint. Intense. Complex. Balanced. Evolved over an hour plus from oily stone with a hint of fruit , to fruit with a mineral background. Very very nice.
We purchased this bottle in 2018 at the winery in McMinville, Oregon. We were taking our first trip to Oregon, with a few days in the Willamette Valley checking out the wine scene. After a friendly visit at Goodfellow with Marcus and Meaghan, we walked up the street to taste at Eyrie.
A wow wine!
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