Trip to Boston

We were in boston for my brother's graduation ceremony and decided to stick around and meet some wine geeks, it was a true pleasure to hang out with the Boston crowd - amazingly generous and fun people!!

Chinatown and the Ducks that kept on coming

Guys - WOW was this fun or what!! Not to mention that out of this incredible amount of wine - mot was finished - due to the fact that we were there for quite a few hours! the food was excellent and the company even better. Red of the night was 97 Fantino, the white was the Baumard and the Foreau took the dessert flight. amazing stuff! thanks again for letting me crash!

• N.V. Krug Champagne Brut Grande Cuvée - France, Champagne (6/8/2008)
  rich nose, toasty, ripe lemony custard, apples, good iddle - with weight and creamy texture. long finish. i am not a champagne person but this is excellent stuff (91 pts.)
• 1997 Kientzler Riesling Osterberg - France, Alsace, Alsace Grand Cru (6/8/2008)
  citrus, light, decent but not impressive middle. nice finish. light and balanced wine with a lot of resfreshing pleasure but not much nuance. (88 pts.)
• 1994 Schloss Schönborn Hochheimer Domdechaney Riesling Spätlese - Germany, Rheingau (6/8/2008)
  diesel notes at first, red berries, masculine, rich middle but with great acidity. excellent. ripe long finish. true reingau (91 pts.)
• 2005 François Chidaine Vouvray Sec Les Argiles - France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray (6/8/2008)
  this is a baby with a lot of potential. the score reflects current state - but i think it can easily go to 91-92.
  floral, fresh wine, with a lot of rich fruit in the middle, citrus and spices dominate, very young with a bitter touch on the finish. needs to come together. (89 pts.)
• 1997 Domaine des Baumard Savennières Trie Spéciale - France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Savennières (6/8/2008)
  this is STILL young IMO. asparagus/brussel sprouts on the nose, with some sweat. very complex middle changing with every sip. going from the tropical to the lilacs and spices. excellent!! (92 pts.)
• 2006 Joh. Jos. Prüm Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Auslese - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer (6/8/2008)
  painfully young and thus not the white wine of the night... but give it time!the gorgonzola nose blew off to reveal a ripe flowral and fruit melange, orange blossoms and muscat grapes mixing with minerals and spices. rich, mouthfilling, complex... aahh... this is MOSEL (93 pts.)
• 2006 Nomadic Wines Pinot Noir Amber Ridge Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley (6/8/2008)
  great to have Damon on hand while tasting these. light, juniper berries and spices, soe cherry on the nose and ore in the middle, feels like a rrv pinot, good acidity. excellent first effort. (89 pts.)
• 2004 Siduri Pinot Noir Pisoni Vineyard - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands (6/8/2008)
  completly out of place this night, like a syropy syrah, this was almoust not drinkable along with the other wines and the food. ripe, sugary-sweet, full powered... but lacking the balance of the finesse of pinot, nor possesing the rustic appeal of syrah. cant blame it too much but not my cup of anything. (87 pts.)
• 1999 Havens Wine Cellars Syrah Hudson Vineyard - USA, California, Napa / Sonoma, Carneros (6/8/2008)
  floral notes, very ripe and rather young tasting. rich wine, not my style but well made. (89 pts.)
• 1998 Le Vieux Donjon Châteauneuf-du-Pape - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape (6/8/2008)
  classic, ripe red fruit in perfect balance, refreshing acidity through the middle, some tannins still there to keep the long finish fun, perfect food wine as well as quite complex offering some early notes of leather and bramble. excelent (92 pts.)
• 1998 Clos du Mont-Olivet Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Cuvée du Papet - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape (6/8/2008)
  this was showing younger, oak still there, ripe, rich notes of black fruit and spices, mazing middle -with weight and yet great balance, long finish, WOW.. (93 pts.)
• 2001 i Clivi Galea Rosso - Italy, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Friuli Colli Orientali (6/8/2008)
  QPR alert as well. feels like a loir? earthy, lots of mineral, long finish, light bodied merlot... very interesting wine. (90 pts.)
• 1995 Pertimali (Livio Sassetti) Brunello di Montalcino - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino (6/8/2008)
  sweet cherries, leather, very strongly built, still rather tannic but good middle. lots of spices and sour cherry in the middle. an excellent showing for this wine. YUM (91 pts.)
• 1995 Roagna Barolo La Rocca e La Pira - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo (6/8/2008)
  old fashioned barolo, leather, mushrooms, some tobacco, ripe cherries and good acid in the middle, touch rustic. trully a pleasure. (91 pts.)
• 1997 Alessandro e Gian Natale Fantino Barolo Bussia Vigna dei Dardi - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo (6/8/2008)
  excellent showing for this wine, mushroos and perhaps truffles, ripe cherry, young still, rich fruit in the middle - quite complex, good finish. a blend of old and new here - and i think with a bit more time it will show even more complexity. (91 pts.)
• 2004 Mas Jullien Coteaux du Languedoc Les états d'âme du Mas Jullien - France, Languedoc Roussillon, Languedoc, Coteaux du Languedoc (6/8/2008)
  earthy. mineraly, loir meets rhone, good rustic fruit, excellent qpr potential. great find! (90 pts.)
• 1995 Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese Goldkapsel - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer (6/8/2008)
  baby. yup. dont touch. flowers, fruit cocktail, will not be as amazing as the '06s or someof the other great years but this needs time to come togehter and lose some more fat. but it is a prum - and all the great floral and fruit qualities of mosel are there. (92 pts.)
• 1995 Müller-Catoir Mußbacher Eselshaut Rieslaner Auslese - Germany, Pfalz (6/8/2008)
  dark gold color, ripe apricots, good cleansing acidity, delicious but not very complex. more tropical fruit then apple. excellent varietally correct dessert wine, but not stunning. (91 pts.)
• 2001 Château Doisy-Daëne - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Barsac (6/8/2008)
  bit young, rough with oak profile - vanilla and coconut, apricots layers, bitter touch on finish, perhaps needs time? (89 pts.)
• 2003 Foreau Domaine du Clos Naudin Vouvray Moelleux Réserve - France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray (6/8/2008)
  another baby, but what a wine! rich notes of apricot and mango and pineapple, middle is both fruity and glassy, loooong finish, tons of minerality hiding beneath. excellent (93 pts.)
• 2001 Feudi di San Gregorio Privilegio - Italy, Campania, Irpinia (6/8/2008)
  spicy, quite unique, notes of hay, honey and apricot, rich middle, silky, excellent length (92 pts.)

The other side of town :)

Karl - huge thanks for the ride! and it was a trully fun time - not to mention that '76!!! WOW.
ost of the wines showed well - and Ron came up with a few surprizes. great night.

• 1994 Stellenzicht Syrah - South Africa, Coastal Region, Stellenbosch (6/8/2008)
  from a specially bottled cuvee. earthy, minty, lots of acidity, ripe black berries, serious profile and very young tasting. excellent. (92 pts.)
• 1993 Roagna Barbaresco Riserva - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco (6/8/2008)
  wow what a showing! earthy, floral, tobacco notes, plum? cherries, excellent acidity, long finish with some tannin. trully outstanding. (93 pts.)
• 1996 Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco Riserva Pora - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco (6/8/2008)
  rather closed at the start, needs time. heavier and more rustic than the roagna, oak, candied cherry, mouth-puckering tannins. (90 pts.)
• 1990 Ravenswood Zinfandel Dickerson - USA, California, Napa Valley (6/8/2008)
  high acidity, good ripe fruit, touch of herms and some bacon, lush finish. i wouldnt hold on to it much longer but an excellent and well aged zin. (91 pts.)
• 1976 E. Guigal Hermitage - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage (6/8/2008)
  perfect looking bottle - almoust too perfect! what a wine! tertiary and secondary characteristics, asian spices, still rich ripe core of fruit, lovely acidity - fresh and with a long finish of spices and sweet red berries. touch of leather/tobacco notes as well... YUM... (94 pts.)
• 1993 Roagna Barolo Riserva La Rocca e La Pira - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo (6/8/2008)
  sour cherry, less ready than the barbaresco, serios middle, ripe cherries along with tobacco and leather. long finish with great tannic touch. very good.
  
  day 2: soy sauce leather, violets, cherry, less tannic but also less power. dry finish. (92 pts.)
• 2006 Holdredge Gewürztraminer Late Harvest - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley (6/8/2008)
  apricots, apples and pears, some but not a lot of the lychee notes, alc sticks out a bit, fun light wine (88 pts.)
• 1994 Trimbach Gewurztraminer Sélection de Grains Nobles - France, Alsace (6/8/2008)
  sadly flawed, seeming oxydised or somehow impared. (FLAWED)

Dinner with Doug

:) its fun to go away and still have dinner with hometown friends. great night and great company - and oh yeah - wines didnt suck either!

• 1990 Schloss Schönborn Domdechaney Stein Stielweg (DSS) Riesling Spätlese - Germany, Rheingau (6/8/2008)
  honey, violets, apples, good acidity but a bit lacking in the middle. good length - middle has the fruit but not the zing. (90 pts.)
• 1990 Karthäuserhof Eitelsbacher Karthäuserhofberg Riesling Auslese - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer (6/8/2008)
  lighter color than the spatlese, tropical fruit on the nose, more bright acidity, floral, middle has lots of green aplle and pears, wild strawberry with time, great tarness on the finish. excellent (92 pts.)
• 1996 Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac (6/8/2008)
  cassis, touch lactic, black berries, ripe, good middle, very drinkable - food wine. but stil true bdx - with a button-down shirt but perhaps no tie. well balanced if a bit structured. (91 pts.)
• 1998 Domaine / Maison Vincent Girardin Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Amoureuses - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru (6/8/2008)
  mushrooms, red berries, cherry, cigar, vanilla (oak?) rich middle, good fruit, but the nose is the winner in the wine. very complex. (94 pts.)
• 1998 Château Coutet Barsac - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Barsac (6/8/2008)
  apricots, coconut, sraw(hay?) honey, light middle, touch bitter on the finish. very nice dessert wine. fully mature (from .375) (89 pts.)

thanks guys - it was trully a HUGE pleasure to share some wines with you!