Your Wine Spectator Wine Experience Cheat Sheet!

WINE TALK
1

I went to the zoo, also known at the Wine Spectator Wine Experience last night. Truthfully, it was not too bad. I recommend going to the 5th floor first, followed by the 6th floor. The 5th floor got much warmer later in the evening as it got more crowded, so do the opposite of the herd. I started on the 6th floor, and ended up missing a few gems on the 5th Floor, like 2003 Lafite (which I heard did not show well), and 2006 Sassicaia. I think Opus went quickly as well.

I skipped most of the white wines, all of Champagne and all dessert wines. It is just too much to do in one night. I did get a nasty look from a woman as I spit some wine into a spit bucket. Then she turned to her husband, or pimp, or her “Steve Phillips” (not sure who he was) and said, “Look, that man just spit his wine!”

For ease, I will tell you that, as usual, the lineup was star studded. I tried to talk very little to people, in order to cover as much ground as possible. Since I hate most people, it worked pretty well.

3 categories for you…1) Must tastes (wines I loved) 2) Indifferent (wines that did not suck) 3) Avoids (wines that sucked)…obviously my opinions only, and if you would like more in depth analysis, I can try to provide it, if you contact me…

Must Tastes
2007 Achaval Ferrer Bella Vista
2007 Alto Moncayo
2007 Vieux Telegraphe
2006 Bouchard Beaune Greves Vigne l’Enfant
2006 Canon la Gaffeliere
2005 Carter Merlot Truchard Vyd
2004 Casanova di Neri Brunello Cerretalto
2006 Chryseia
2005 Aldo Conterno Barolo Bussia
2005 DeLille Cabernet Grand Ciel
2006 Dominus
2006 Felsina Fontalloro
2005 Ch LaFleur Petrus
2006 Fontodi Flaccianello
2006 Paul Hobbs Cabernet Beckstoffer To Kalon
2005 Cliff Lede Poetry
2006 Merry Edwards Pinot Noir Coopersmith
2006 Peter Michael Les Pavots
2000 Ch Montrose
2005 Torre Muga
2004 La Nerthe CDP Cuvee Cadettes
2006 Ornellaia
2004 Pacenti Brunello
2007 L’ermita
2006 Petrolo Galatrona
2003 Pride Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve (book says 2005, but I think it was 2003)
2006 Quintessa
2004 Sandrone Barolo Le Vigne
2006 Schrader Cabernet Old Sparky (out of magnum)
2004 Sierra Cantabria El Bosque
2005 Torbreck Run Rig
2006 Two Hands Ares
2004 Vall Llach
2005 Vietti Barolo Lazzarito

Indifferent
2007 AP Vin Pinot Noir Rosellas
2006 Almaviva
2006 Castello di Ama Chianti Bellavista
2006 Angelus
2006 Guado al Tasso
2007 Beaucastel CDP
2005 Bond Vecina
2005 Pio Cesare Barolo
2005 Clarendon Hills Syrah Hickinbotham
2003 Ch Clerc Milon
2006 Craggy Range Sophia
2004 Diamond Creek Volcanic Hill
2006 Drouhin Chassagne Marquis de Laguiche
2006 Ducru Beaucaillou
2005 Elderton Command
2007 Faiveley Latricieres Chambertin
2006 Foley Claret
2006 Fonterutoli Siepi
2006 Fournier Alfa Crux
2004 Fuligni Brunello di Montalcino
2006 Gagliole
2005 Harlan Estate
2004 Heitz Martha’s
2006 Louis Jadot Chassagne Montrachet Morgeot Clos de la Chapelle
2005 Ch Lagrange
2000 Ch Leoville Barton
2007 Loring Pinot Noir Aubaine
2005 Ch Lynch Bages
2004 Masseto
2003 La Mission Haut Brion
2006 Mondavi Cab Reserve
2006 La Mondotte
2004 Ch Pontet Canet
2006 Saffredi
2006 Ramey Cabernet Annum
2005 Shafer Cabernet Hillside Select
2006 Snowden Cabernet Reserve
2006 Tardieu Laurent CDP Speciale
2007 Testamatta
2007 Vision Pinot Noir Coster Vyd

Avoids
2004 Altesino Brunello Montosoli
2006 David Arthur Elevation 1147
2005 Chapoutier Hermitage Sizeranne
2003 Ch Mouton Rothschild
1995 Ch Latour
2006 Dominio del Plata Nosotros
2005 Etude Cabernet Sauvignon
2003 Ch Haut Brion
2006 Mugnier NSG Clos de la Marechale (book says 2007, but I know I tasted 2006)
2004 Gaja Sperss
2006 Termanthia
2006 Penfolds RWT
2006 Ch Pichon Lalande
1989 Ridge Monte Bello
2004 Rosemount Balmoral Syrah
2006 Staglin Cabernet
2006 Tua Rita Guisto di Notri
2004 Valdicava Brunello
2006 Ch Vieux Ch Certan
2004 Yalumba Signature Cab Shiraz

94 wines on the list, by my count, so have a ball!

Some producers had their wine on ice, which turned out to be a very good idea!

2

Great post.

From the cab guy:

Quintessa back on track. SHS is not?. Diamond Creek no surprise. But Staglin? (I have to find my notes on this one).

And I like Prides ‘slip in’ of the '03. Must have tons in the warehouse. Nice.

Thanks

3

I generally like Quintessa and I enjoyed the 2006 last night.

The Staglin was not good at all.

DC, which I never buy, as I find it overpriced and I am generally underwhelmed, showed well last night.

Still not a buyer, though.

Les Pavots was off the hook, as was the Schrader, in terms of Cabs.

4

No surprise there.

5

And Shafer was just okay. Honestly, I could have put it in the avoid column, but I feared a huge backlash from the haters of me here. neener

6

At $190++++ we need another word for hate. It deserved it, so be it. I have not been the biggest fan either.

7

Daniel;

Very good and interesting post.

Surprises; Indifference: the 05 Chat. LaGrange and the 07 Beaucastel CdP. Another poster here gave the 07 CdP a 94? Was it just not showing well or is that your opinion ofthe wine overall? I’ve had the 05 LaGrange twice, and its only problem is it needs about 15 years in the bottle, imo, didyou have other probelms with it?

Avoid; All the 03 1st Growths along with a 95 ! OK, 03 produced a very ripe, un Bdx, vintage, but to avoid? Is there some other feelings playing in the background?

Why did the Staglin suck? To me, Staglin is not a “drink now” cab, so it may not have shown well with other huge fruit forward wines (a problem I have with many blind tastings) but to put Staglin in the sucked category something else must be amiss!

8

Thanks Gordon, obviously, I did a very hurried job here on this tasting, as I hurried through the rooms itself…

Avoids are for one of two reasons…

  1. I did not like it
    or
  2. No reason to taste it

Indifferent

  1. Did not blow me away

Beaucastel was next to VT. VT blew me away. OTOH, I talked with others later that evening that thought the opposite of me. Beaucastel is worth tasting because it is 2007, and as Parker has pointed out, will be unobtainable after his reviews next week neener

Lagrange was probably too young.

1995 Latour was full of brett.

Mouton and HB were very disappinting. LMHB was just okay. Clerc Milon was very good, OTOH.

The Staglin could have been too young (as were many wines last night), nevertheless, i consider myself a decent judge of youthful wines (heck I told everyone and their mother to buy 2004 Uccelliera in February, and I was asked if I had an agenda on the Parker board). I also told everyone 2006 Mouton was a rock star before Parker (I learned that from Jeff Leve). Staglin did not do it for me. Granted, the wine was in my glass for 10 seconds. Nevertheless, there were many other Calif Cabs that I would run to last night, before the Staglin.

There are hundreds of delicious wines there to enjoy, 2003 HB and Mouton are not 2 of them.

Hope this helps!

9

Daniel;

Great Posts! Thanks!

10

Thanks Gordon.

Unfortunately, I had to choose only one night, if I wanted to stay married. It was a tough decision. With two nights, better notes. Nevertheless, if this helps one poor soul, then I have done my charitable deed of the day!

WS puts on a great show, given the parameters.

Two improvements:

Each station needs an ice bucket to chill down wine, as the rooms get warmer.

The rooms should have the airconditioning down to 60 degrees at 2 pm, so when they open the doors at 6:30, it is cold in there.

11

Daniel;

Amen to both of your recommendations there. I was at one several years and would like to add another to the list. The addition of more, along with more easily assessable spit buckets. For whatever reason, this seems ghoulish to many people, but to enjoy so many great wines, spitting is mandatory.

The crowds make the issue difficult but not impossible. I find it more impossible to: hold a wine glass in one hand, a spit glass in another, while trying to keep up with pen and paper for notes, plus the agenda/info sheet crammed in my back pocket. IMO, every booth should have at least one spit bucket, but WS has been reluctant to mandate such.

12

I am going tonight, so thanks for the helpful notes and ideas…

I have gone to the madhouse tastings in NYC, Las Vegas and AC - all our great and have learned my lessons - once you get past the first growths, there are a boatload of awesome wines that i will never be able to afford or taste again…i am always amazed how there are no lines in the italian section

will report back

no d’yquem or cheval blanc?

Scott

13

Scott

I missed a lot of wines, just ran out of time.

They were pouring 2001 Cheval Blanc and 1998 D’Yquem.

1999 Palmer was somewhere. Probably worth seeking out, the wine is delicious.

14

staglin is done by andy erickson now?

15

And…?

16

should have added an “is”

17

ok

18

definitely

19

Dan, if you are dumping any of the 04 Masseto, I would be interested.

20

Otto

It was unfair of me to put down the Masseto that way, but I wanted to emphasize that the 2006 Ornellaia was freakin awesome!

Never miss a chance to taste Masseto.