DC Crew Gem Tasting

Ardeo, Washington DC
Tasted Wednesday, December 22, 2010 - Thursday, December 23, 2010 by manonthemoon with 928 views

Introduction

Our second annual Gem tasting for the holidays.

Flight 1 - Bubbles (3 Notes)

Reminded me of the goldilocks story from long ago, the Argyle was "just right" for my palate.
WOF, Argyle

  • 1996 Ployez-Jacquemart Champagne Liesse d'Harbonville 92 Points

    France, Champagne

    (12/22/2010)

    Darkest in color, small fine bubbles.
    Nose of buttered popcorn, a little yeast
    Big palate of lemon cream, buttered brioche, some mouth puckering acidity on the back.
    The dense palate made this wine not seem "clean" on the finish as I would have liked, but the finish is long.
    91-92

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  • 2000 Argyle Extended Tirage Brut 94 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

    (12/22/2010)

    Small fine bubbles.
    Nose of fresh southern buttermilk biscuits, apple, and a little cream.
    Palate had an initial attack of sweet apple cider that turned tart with pie crust, a little cream, and good minerality toward the end.
    Long and nice clean finish, really good balance for my palate.
    93-94

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  • NV Vilmart & Cie Champagne Premier Cru Cuvée Rubis 90 Points

    France, Champagne, Champagne Premier Cru

    (12/22/2010)

    Nice salmon pink color.
    Small fine bubbles.
    Nose of tart strawberry, earth, smoke, with a little floral action.
    Palate of strawberry, earth, herb, and minerality.
    Finish was average in length, but very clean.
    90-91

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Flight 2 - Whites (3 Notes)

Chave showed way too young in my opinion, Michael showed hot, and Mayacamas was my personal favorite.
WOF, Maya

  • 2007 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage Blanc 92 Points

    France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage

    (12/22/2010)

    Dark gold in color.
    Nose was strong with ripe melon, vanilla, a little banana even, with a little spice
    Palate of lemon candy, lanolin, white liorice, and some heat.
    Improved with air and food. This wine probably needs a decade or so to really show its stuff.
    Long finish and a very dense wine, but white rhones never really do it for me, they always seem too hot.
    92

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  • 2005 Peter Michael Chardonnay Ma Belle-Fille 88 Points

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Knights Valley

    (12/22/2010)

    Cloudy pale yellow in color.
    Nose of lemon, vanilla, butter, floral, and oak/smoke.
    Palate of vanilla, lemon cream, a little herb, and oak/heat on the back.
    Never been a Cali Chard fan and this is a classic example why due to the large amount of heat and oak present.
    88

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  • 1999 Mayacamas Vineyards Chardonnay 91 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley, Mt. Veeder

    (12/22/2010)

    Mediium gold in color.
    Nose of lemon, herb, and some triple cream cheese notes.
    Palate was nice with lemon, herb, butter cream, and a little spice on the back.
    The finish was average and the balance was good for my palate.
    My favorite wine of the flight and at 25$ a good qpr.
    90-91

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Flight 3 - Pinot Flight (3 Notes)

The burg had the best nose of any wine at the tasting IMO, but was lacking on the palate. Oregon always seems to be my favorite site for Pinot, Cali not so much.
WOF, Groffier

  • 2008 Brick House Pinot Noir Evelyn's 94 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Ribbon Ridge

    (12/22/2010)

    Nice red pomegranite color.
    Nose of mixed red berries, floral, and asian spice.
    Palate of mixed raspberries, a little orange peel, a little black tea, mineral and asian spice.
    The finish was abover average in length and clean, needs time to show more secondaries IMO.
    93-94

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  • 2001 Domaine Robert Groffier Bonnes Mares 94 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Bonnes Mares Grand Cru

    (12/22/2010)

    Nose of strong red berry fruit, lots of barnyard, meat that was really nice.
    Palate of Sour cherry, a little cranberry, a little mineral and spice.
    The mouthfeel was great and the finish was above average.
    I felt the palate was the downfall of this wine, really great nose and mouthfeel, but not complex enough on the palate to go any higher.
    The wine had the best nose of any wine, probably the reason it was my WOTN.
    93-94

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  • 2001 DuMOL Pinot Noir Russian River Valley 88 Points

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley

    (12/22/2010)

    Nose of rainer cherry candy, a little earth and spice.
    Palate was candied red fruit, a touch of earth, and some spice.
    The finish was average in length and for a cali wine it was somewhat balanced and not completely overdone.
    There is a reason I don't own any cali pinot, I just don't get it.
    88-89

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Flight 4 - Young Bord Flight (3 Notes)

Palmer was disappointing to me, didn't seem to show that much, way too young. Pichon had really nice structure and the Murailles was ready to go.
WOF, Pichon

  • 2001 Château Palmer 90 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

    (12/22/2010)

    Light nose of a little cherry, coffee grinds, a little dried soil.
    Palate of red cherry, leather, and underbrush, with pretty good acidity present.
    Way too young to really enjoy IMO, as this was the weakest of the flight.

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  • 2001 Château Pichon-Longueville Baron 92 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

    (12/22/2010)

    Nose of dark black fruit, meat, graphite.
    Palate of blackberry, cherry, seared meat.
    Really nice structure to this wine, my favorite of the flight.

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  • 2001 Château Les Grandes Murailles 91 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

    (12/22/2010)

    Noticably right bank.
    Nose was my favorite of the fligt with black fruit, tobacco, and some herb/mint going on.
    On the palate there was good black fruit, with mixed cherry, loam soil going on.
    Definatly the most accessible as well.

    Tasted by tooch on 12/22/2010 & rated 91 points: 2nd Annual Gem Dinner (Ardeo - Washington, DC): Thought the nose was just lovely. Wonderful floral nose with some subtle tobacco and cedar notes. Palate was on point and delicate. Good flavors of red florals, mushrooms, cranberry, and tobacco. Drinking well now and a great value buy in Bordeaux. (125 views) - report issue
    Tasted by Faryan on 6/28/2010 & rated 92 points: 2001 Bordeaux (Lavandou): I was quite keen on this wine. It was in a real nice drinking window and developed some nice tertiary aromas of truffle and spice to complement a smooth but not hugely endowed framework of black fruit. A claret drinker’s right banker. It opens nicely out of the gates but can benefit from some air.
    91-92

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Flight 5 - Rhone wine Flight (3 Notes)

2003 is not for me, dried fruit, overoak, extraction, and prunes make my palate cringe in fear, so these two wines suffered. I am not sure if this hurt or helped the Frog in comparision. My wife gave the Frog a 95 and I really enjoyed it, but was afraid the company wasn't up to the task.
WOF, Frog

  • 2003 Domaine Charvin Châteauneuf-du-Pape 90 Points

    France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape

    (12/22/2010)

    Nose of prune, dried cherry, and anise with oak or heat showing.
    Palate of black fruit, prune, some stewed fruit as well, with a little coffee, spice, a little hot as well.
    Confirmed with one attendee who works for the distributor that the bottle isn't flawed, but typical for that vintage of Charvin.
    89-90

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  • 2002 Cayuse Syrah Bionic Frog 94 Points

    USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley

    (12/22/2010)

    Really nice complex nose of blackberry, black cherry, olive, cabbage, bloody meat, and smoke.
    Palate of black cherry, black berries, olive, seaweed, chocolate, a little spice still going on at the end.
    Long finish and exceptional mouthfeel as always and a great balance to this wine as well.
    By far my favorite wine of the flight.
    Tied for my WOTN.
    93-94

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  • 2003 Les Cailloux (Lucien et André Brunel) Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Centenaire 88 Points

    France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape

    (12/22/2010)

    Nose of cherry, black raspberry, bourbonesque note with oak as well.
    Palate of dried fruit, a little cherry, grape fruit rollup, chocolate, oak, and heat showing on the tail.
    Not sure the temp of the wine when tasted but the score is based on what I tasted.
    87-88

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Flight 6 - Aged Flight (3 Notes)

1989 Beau was the most disappointing wine given the hype, must of been flawed was the consensus from people who have had a lot of aged Beau. La Miss was a really nice wine and the Mondavi seemed rather simple to me. Some people loved it, but it wasn't for me.
WOF, La Mission

Flight 7 - Desert Flight (3 Notes)

Palate was pretty fried by this flight, but I really enjoyed the Donnhoff as it was just enough sweetness for my palate. The Roth Lay was excellent as well, but not as good as a previous offering that we shared from this producer.
WOF, Donnhoff

Closing

The food was solid all the way around and helped refresh the palate for the large amount of wine present. Great time to catch up with old friends and new ones as well. Can't wait for next year.

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