Cult Wines

The theme was cult wines. There were six people in attendance, and there was a spirited discussion about what constitutes a "cult" wine. Everyone agreed that wines such as Screaming Eagle and Harlan Estates were cult wines, but there was no clear agreement as to why. For example, exclusivity does not make a wine a "cult" wine, and there was some debate if exclusivity is even necessary, as with First Growth Bordeaux wines, which are made by the tens of thousands, and smaller wineries that have limited supply, such as many Oregon Pinots. Anyway, while we could not reach a consensus, we did agree the following wines would be featured in the tasting: 2016 Aubert Hyde Vineyard, 1994 Angelus, 2007 Dana Lotus, 2008 Schrader Beckstoffer To-Kalon, 2014 MacDonald Cabernet, and a 2001 Yquem. In addition, we had two starter Champagnes, and another Chardonnay. It was a great tasting and filled with wines that exceeded, met and didn't quite rise to expectations (especially mine!)

Served with Salmon/Avacodo and Yellowtail/Avacodo Sushi, and Broiled Shrimp with Boursin Cheese...

• 2002 Lanson Champagne Gold Label Brut 91 Points

  France, Champagne

  This wine demonstrated why 2002 was a great vintage. The wine was still youthful and crisp, with bread, elderflower and baked apple coming through on the nose, and citrus, yeasty bread and pear dominating the palate. Tiny bubbles were a pleasure to watch and this was an excellent start to an excellent tasting!
  
  While I do not see this wine improving much, I also do not see any reason to rush to drink it! It still has lots of life left in it!

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• 2008 Veuve Clicquot Champagne Brut Rosé Vintage 91 Points

  France, Champagne

  This wine showed well. It is easy to see why everyone loves the 2008 vintage Champagnes! This is drinking extremely young, but still very enjoyable. The nose showed red berries with a slight hint of lilac. On the palate, the wine was crisp, but the fruit balanced out the acidity. Red berries, toast and a hint of cherry were at the forefront, with some minerality and wet stone lurking in the background. This wine should improve and age effortlessly for 5-10 years, and keep for another 10-20 years after that...a medium priced Champagne built for the long haul! Enjoy now or later.

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Served with Ahi Tuna Salad (lettuce, fennel and apple) with a Aji-Orange vinaigrette...

• 2013 Varner Chardonnay Spring Ridge Vineyard Amphitheater Block 92 Points

  USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains

  A very nice, reasonably priced Chardonnay. The wine was singing in the glass with hints of flint and seashell assaulting the nose coupled with sweet oak, and honey lurking in the background. For my palate, this was Burgundian in style, with a nice balance between the fruit and acidity sharing a symbiotic relationship, both complimenting each other. On the palate, notes of crisp green apple, vanilla and a touch of pear, all balanced out by sweet toasted oak. A delight to drink! Went well with the Ahi tuna salad. Drinking well now, and should keep for another 3-5 years.

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• 2016 Aubert Chardonnay Larry Hyde & Sons 95 Points

  USA, California, Napa / Sonoma, Carneros

  What can I say...I love Aubert Chardonnays...I love them young, I love the old, I love them warm, I love them cold! I don't think I have ever had a "bad" Aubert! This wine was no different. It was singing in the glass, and every sip drew you in for another! Although it paired well with an Ahi Tuna Salad, it clearly would have been fine on its own. The nose was complex with the smell of wet stone, stone fruits, and perfumed flowers, which gave way to sandalwood and applewood. On the palate, pear and melon were at the forefront with hints of citrus, peach and cream, and finishing with notes of honey, vanilla and a hint of oak and butterscotch. In a word...Delicious!

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Served with honey walnut salad with a maple vinaigrette; and Basil-Parmesan Crusted Rack of Lamb...

• 1994 Château Angélus 96 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

  This was the consensus WOTN...but how can you go wrong with an aged Bordeaux from such a prestigious chateau? This was my first Angelus, and I was pleasantly surprised. Although I had high expectations, the wine was coming from a less heralded vintage, so my expectations were somewhat tempered. This wine did not disappoint!
  
  The perfumed nose was something I could enjoy all night, and even commented that I understand why the nose on a wine contributes to the overall score. The perfume from the Cab Franc was sweet, intoxicating and was a perfect reminder Springtime, with Lavender, wild-flowers, red fruit and forest coming to mind while enjoying the aromas.On the palate, the wine was balanced and the tannins smooth as silk, there was a nice compliment of fruit (red current and cassis) to complete tertiary flavors of leather, lead and wood. The finish was medium (a longer one would have lifted this wine to perfection - or nearer to perfection!) with notes of stewed plum, prunes and a hint of sweet oak. A pleasure to drink...thank you Kevin!

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Served with Akashi Tenderloin Steak with a Shiitake Mushroom Cream Sauce.....

• 2007 Dana Estates Cabernet Sauvignon Lotus Vineyard 94 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley, St. Helena

  This wine suffered a little from being served after a 1994 Angelus (Merlot and Cab Franc). Of course the nose suffered by comparison, but once I remembered it was a Cali Cab, I got back on track. This was part of trio flight, that included an 08 Schrader Beckstoffer To-Kalon Vineyard and a 14 Macdonald. All three wines still seemed young. The Dana was the most integrated of the three, showed fruit and tertiary flavors and had no heat. I was expecting a hard-hitting wine, but was surprised when this wine showed much more finesse than power. The nose was slightly lacking, but there were aromas of black fruit, blue fruit, chocolate and coffee, with a hint of old leather. On the palate, the tannins were silky smooth and integrated into the wine. The palate did show complexity, with black and blue fruit dominating, then morphing into plum cobler, then dirt and leather, and finishing with a medium-long finish of chocolate covered coffee beans and a slightly, but sweet oakiness. I know this review sounds glowing, but it did not come close to a 96 Harlan Estate, which is my idea of a perfect Cab. I guess at this price point, I was expecting something that could compete with Harlan, and this was lacking. I am hoping it is because of age, and I will save my other bottle for another few years to see if the wine reaches that final level! Still a very good wine, but not yet worth the price. I am hoping it is still evolving, rather than on the decline! 95-96 but closer to 95.

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• 2008 Schrader Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard 93 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville

  This was part of a flight of a trio of cult wines, which also included 07 Dana Lotus and 14 MacDonald. In contrast to the Dana, this wine was all about power. The most fruit-forward of the trio, but no heat. It was a pleasure to drink young, but you could taste the potential as much and the wine. Where I am more unsure about how the Dana will evolve, there is no doubt this wine will improve with additional time in the cellar (I only have 14's in my cellar, and I dreading the wait!). This had plenty of red and black fruit on the nose and palate. The tannins were less resolved in this wine than the other two, but none-the-less not as grippy as I would have expected. I believe the fruit balanced out the tannins, and helped make this very enjoyable. I also thought this wine complimented the food (tenderloin) the best of the three. Although this was my least favorite of the three tonight (even though I did I like it quite a bit!), I also would be most comfortable saying this wine will improve with aging. It has the tannins and fruit for the long haul, IMO. 95 today, but huge upside down the road. If you open a bottle today, you will enjoy the wine, but if you can afford to cellar for 5-10 more years, I think it pay dividends!

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• 2014 MacDonald Cabernet Sauvignon 94 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville

  This wine was part of a trio of cult wines served in a flight (along with 07 Dana Lotus and 08 Schrader Beckstoffer To-Kalon). For me, this was the most surprising of the three wines, not only because I was not familiar with MacDonald wines (I know...shame on me!), but because of its youthfulness. This wine was a 2014, and Joe (who brought the wine) smartly decanted for 8+ hours (all three wines had at least a 2-3 hour decant). This wine was singing immediately! Tannins were well integrated and fruit and some tertiary flavors were present. The wine spent time in oak, but it was far from oaky. The nose was blackberries, cassis and currant, with echos of leather, lead and forest, followed by hints of chocolate and vanilla. I ranked the nose between the Schrader and the Dana. Of the three, I liked this one on the palate the best (at least for that night). It was delightful, with creamy black and red fruits, complimenting earth and lead, with chocolate lurking in the background. The finish was decent (medium +). I could drink this wine now with ease, but I believe it will still get even better. Time will tell! It sure seemed to have the fruit and tannins to age (but tannins were much smoother than the Schrader, which I attribute in part to the long decant). Hopefully, I will get a chance to taste this again down the road! 95 today, with some upside potential!

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Served with Honey-Vanilla Cheesecake...

• 2001 Château d'Yquem 96 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

  The night ended with a wine I was definitely looking forward to tasting....the 2001 Yquem. I have had several vintages of Yquem, and I have also had several stellar 2001 Sauternes/Barsacs, including Climens, Rieussec, and Suduiraut. So needless to say, my expectations were sky high for my first 2001 Yquem. Sad to say I was disappointed (I know, disappointed in a 99 point wine, right??). I was expecting a new benchmark for Sauternes....now it could be my extraordinary high expectations, or it could be it wasn't the bottle, or could just be the wine was over-hyped....regardless, it was a damn good wine! Like all Yquems, it strikes that perfect balance sweetness and acidity, and between power and elegance...the perfect blend. On the nose, you get honeysuckle, poached pear, apricot preserves, lemon creme pie, and a whiff of petrol. On the palate you get layers of creamy cheesecake, pot de creme, stone fruits, pear, melon, Meyers lemon, butterscotch, vanilla and sweet oak, and, as other reviewers have stated, a finish that goes on and on! For comparison, I thought this was better than any of the other 2001 mentioned and was probably only bested by a magnificent 2009 Yquem, which I expect may change with another bottle or more time! We will see...for now, it is close, but not quite, perfect, which was a disappointment.

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Great wines, great food and great friends! What more could anyone expect at a great tasting! Hope you enjoyed reading about it as much as all of us enjoyed participating! Cheers and here's to drinking fine wines!!