Central Texas Offline in Fredericksburg, TX
LilacWine's house in Fredericksburg, TX
Tasted Saturday, April 22, 2006 by wineismylife with 1,063 views
Introduction
Several Texans from across the state plus three out of state wine lovers all gathered in Fredericksburg, TX for a night of good old Texas BBQ and way too much wine! 28 bottles spread across 11 wine lovers made for a very interesting evening. Start time was 6PM but several of us started a little early!
Flight 1 (28 Notes)
Closing
By the time it was all said and done we finally called it quits around 2-3AM the next morning. Many thanks to seanr7 for bringing the Habanos. Too bad I missed out smoking mine. I guess that leaves one extra for LilacWine!
Thank you to everbody that participated for making this a wonderful evening.
2003 Ramey Chardonnay Hyde Vineyard 94 Points
USA, California, Napa / Sonoma, Carneros
WIML94,WA94,NOWS
Tasted April 22, 2006 at LilacWine’s house in Fredericksburg, TX. Opened and served immediately in a Spiegelau Authentis Weiss Wein glass. Yellow color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Nose of lemon oil, vanilla, yellow apple and pear. Flavors of pear, yellow apple and peach. Should drink well over the next 4-5 years. Based on an estimated price of $44.00 per 750ml I’d say the value is excellent.
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2004 Crocker & Starr Sauvignon Blanc 92 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
WIML92,NOWA,WS94
Tasted April 22, 2006 at LilacWine’s house in Fredericksburg, TX. Opened and served immediately in a Spiegelau Authentis Weiss Wein glass. Dark straw color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Notes of lychee, ligonberry and passion fruit. Flavors of passion fruit and lychees dominate. Drink in 2006. Same rating as the last tasting note. Based on a my purchase price of $22.09 per 750ml I’d say the value is excellent.
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2002 Neal Family Vineyards Chardonnay 90 Points
USA, California, Napa / Sonoma, Carneros
WIML90,NOWA,NOWS
Tasted April 22, 2006 at LilacWine’s house in Fredericksburg, TX. Opened and served immediately in a Spiegelau Authentis Weiss Wein glass. Light yellow color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Nose of crisp, yellow apple slices, pears and lemon. Flavors of pear, vanilla and apples. Remarkably similar nose and palate to t he 2003 Ramey Hyde tasted earlier although not quite as complex in my opinion. Recommend drinking 2006, maybe 2007. Based on an estimated price of $22.00 per 750ml I’d say the value is excellent.
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2005 Kosta Browne Pinot Noir Rosé 91 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
WIML91,NOWA,NOWS
Tasted April 22, 2006 at LilacWine’s house in Fredericksburg, TX. Opened and served immediately in a Spiegelau Authentis Weiss Wein glass. Dark rose petal color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Nose of strawberries, raspberries and a fresh flower component. Flavors fo strawberry and raspberry, quite pleasing to the palate. Excellent example of what rose is all about. Very quaffable. Drink in 2006. Based on the $18.00 purchase price per 750ml I’d consider the value to be between excellent and outstanding.
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NV Piper Sonoma Brut 85 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County
WIML85,NOWA,~WS85
Tasted April 22, 2006 at LilacWine’s house in Fredericksburg, TX. Opened and served immediately in a Spiegelau Authentis Weiss Wein glass. Light straw color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Simple nose of apples and pears. Little cherry zest on the palate with some basic apples, pears and citrus fruits. Drink now. Based on an estimated price of $11.00 per 750ml I’d say the value is acceptable.
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2004 Littorai Pinot Noir Les Larmes 89 Points
USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley
WIML89,NOWA,NOWS
Tasted April 22, 2006 at LilacWine’s house in Fredericksburg, TX. Opened and served immediately in a Spiegelau Authentis Balloon Magnum glass. Dark raspberry color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Nose of black cherries and saddle soap. Closed palate at the moment giving away just a little cherry and raspberry. Hold for at least 1 more year before tasting again to see if this opens up more and quite likely improves a bit with some more time in the bottle. Based on an estimated price of $38.00 per bottle I’d say the value is bordering between acceptable and agreeable at the present moment.
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2003 Kosta Browne Pinot Noir Kanzler Vineyard 94 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast
WIML94,NOWA,WS96
Tasted April 22, 2006 at LilacWine’s house in Fredericksburg, TX. Opened and served immediately in a Spiegelau Authentis Balloon Magnum glass. Purple color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Nose of plum, black cherry and spice box. Flavors of black berries, red licorice and raspberries. Simply delicious. Can be drank now but I’m going to hold my next bottle until 2009 and see what happens. I’m betting some pretty serious stuff. At the $48.00 a bottle release price from the winery the value is bordering be excellent and outstanding.
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2003 Ken Brown Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills 90 Points
USA, California, Central Coast, Sta. Rita Hills
WIML90,NOWA,NOWS
Tasted April 22, 2006 at LilacWine’s house in Fredericksburg, TX. Opened and served immediately in a Spiegelau Authenthis Balloon Magnum glass. Garnet color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Nose of black cherries, a touch of saddle soap and a little leather. Flavors of black cherries, red cherries and red berries. Drink over the next couple of years. Based on an estimated price of $30.00 per 750ml bottle I’d say the value is recommended.
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2002 Schrader Cellars Zinfandel Vieux-Os Ira Carter 92 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
WIML92,WA87,WS88
Tasted April 22, 2006 at LilacWine’s house in Fredericksburg, TX. Opened and served immediately in a Spiegelau Authentis Magnum glass. Dark ruby color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Nose of leather, black berries and huckleberry. Flavors of black cherries, orange spice and red berries. Drink over the next 2-3 years. Based on an estimated price of $45.00 a bottle I’d say the value is agreeable.
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2004 Carlisle Zinfandel Pietro's Ranch 89 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
WIML89,WA92-94,NOWS
Tasted April 22, 2006 at LilacWine’s house in Fredericksburg, TX. Opened and served immediately in a Spiegelau Authentis Magnum glass. Dark crimson color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Nose of smoke, black pepper and crushed blueberries. Flavors of raspberry, cherry and some red currants. Doesn’t seem quite together yet. Likely needs more time in the bottle to resolve itself so I’d hold for 2 more years before re-evaluating at that time. At the original purchase price from the winery of $28.50 per bottle I’d say the value is acceptable at the moment, could be agreeable with more time in bottle. Rating is based on current tasting, not potential.
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1997 Nickel & Nickel Cabernet Sauvignon Stelling 91 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville
WIML91,NOWA,WS92
Tasted April 22, 2006 at LilacWine’s house in Fredericksburg, TX. Opened and served immediately in a Spiegelay Authentis Magnum glass. Dark garnet color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Nose of black pepper, black currants, a touch of floral and a bit of sandlewood. Flavors of black berries, black cherries and plum. Drink between now and 2008 in my opinion. I don’t know release pricing or current pricing for that matter but estimating this wine cost close to $90.00 a bottle I would say the value is bordering between unacceptable and acceptable.
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2003 Outpost Zinfandel Howell Mountain 91 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley, Howell Mountain
WIML91,NOWA,NOWS
Tasted April 22, 2006 at LilacWine’s house in Fredericksburg, TX. Opened and served immediately in a Spiegelau Authentis Magnum glass. Dark garnet color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Nose of dark fruits, mocha, oligberry, herbs du provence and some smoky mesquite wood. Flavors of melted licorice, once again a medley of dark fruits and black currants. I’d recommend holding you next bottle until sometime in 2007. It needs more time in the bottle in my opinion and should last for years. At the original winery price of $42.00 a bottle I’d say the value is between acceptable and agreeable.
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1999 Justin Vineyards & Winery Isosceles 91 Points
USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
WIML91,WA90,WS92
Tasted April 22, 2006 at LilacWine’s house in Fredericksburg, TX. Opened and served immediately in a Spiegelau Authentis Magnum glass. Dark garnet color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Nose of crushed dark fruits, black currants, black berries but what seemed like a smidge of a medicinal smell (not really offputting). Flavors fo plums, black currants, black beries and a touch of caramel to liven things up a bit. I doubt it’ll improve much, if any, but definitely in no danger of falling apart for another 6-10 years in my book. Increasing my previous rating by 2 points. At a purchase price between $45.00 and $50.00 a bottle I’d say the value is certainly agreeable, perhaps recommended.
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2002 Igneous Cabernet Sauvignon 92 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
WIML92,NOWA,NOWS
Tasted April 22, 2006 at LilacWine’s house in Fredericksburg, TX. Opened and served immediately in a Spiegelau Authentis Magnum glass. Dark crimson color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Nose of dried herbs, cassis and plums. Flavors of black currants, plum, mocha and a smidge of blueberry. Interesting wine that I’d like opportunity to revisit in better tasting conditions. Can be drank now with at least an hour in the decanter to jump start things. Should hold well if not improve for at least another 5-7 years. At an estimated price of close to $85.00 per bottle I’d say the value is acceptable, could be agreeable with improvement.
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1998 Neal Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon 89 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
WIML89,NOWA,NOWS
Tasted April 22, 2006 at LilacWine’s house in Fredericksburg, TX. Opened and served after approximately one hour in the decanter in a Spiegelau Authentis Magnum glass. Dark garnet color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Nose of currants, plums and some shoe leather. Flavors of cassis, blackberry and maybe some boysenberry. An interesting wine that seems ready to drink now but I can’t quite bring myself to break the 90 point barrier ratings wise. I’m guessing original pricing was close to current pricing of $45.00 a bottle since Mark doesn’t seem to raise his prices (kudos to Mark!) so I’d say based on that the value is acceptable.
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1997 Cooper Garrod Cabernet Sauvignon George's Vineyard 86 Points
USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains
WIML85-87,NOWA,NOWS
Tasted April 22, 2006 at LilacWine’s house in Fredericksburg, TX. Opened and served immediately in a Spiegelau Authentis Magnum glass. Purple color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Slightly closed or possibly worse dying nose with some notes of kirsch, leather and stewed fruits. Primal flavors of cherry, earth, “wood” and bitters. Sadly to say I’m thinking this wine at most deserves something in the 85-87 point range. Based on a price I’m thinking was close to $30.00 a bottle I’d say this wine is unacceptable, mostly based on the poor showing.
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2000 E. Guigal Châteauneuf-du-Pape Flawed
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
WIMLNR,WA92,WS88
Tasted April 22, 2006 at LilacWine’s house in Fredericksburg, TX. Opened and served immediately in a Spiegelau Authentis Magnum glass. Garnet color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Nose was almost amarone like with some kirsch, licorice and stewed prunes. Nose pretty much carried through to the palate with some black licorice, black currants and kirsch. This is not what I was expecting. Without knowing anything about this bottle I’d suspect it got cooked somewhere along the way before purchase. I’m withholding a rating or recommendation.
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1996 Podere Poggio Scalette Il Carbonaione Alta Valle della Greve IGT 91 Points
Italy, Tuscany, Alta Valle della Greve IGT
WIML91,WA92,WS91
Tasted April 22, 2006 at LilacWine’s house in Fredericksburg, TX. Opened and served immediately in a Spiegelau Authentis Mag num glass. Dark garnet color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Nose of dare I say it kirsch, leather and blackberries. Flavors of mixed cherries, blackberries and a splash of mocha as well. One of my favorites from Italy I’d say it is good but not as good as some others I’ve had before. Still worthy of a 91 point rating in my book. I doubt this wine will improve but it’ll likely hold for at least 3 more years, maybe 4-5 if you want to push the envelope. Assuming the acquisition price is somewhere in the $45.00 a bottle range I’d say the value is acceptable.
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2003 Switchback Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon Peterson Family Vineyard 95 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
WIML95,WA94,NOWS
Tastec April 22, 2006 at LilacWine’s house in Fredericksburg, TX. Opened and decanted at least 4-5 hours before serving in a Spigelau Authentis Magnum glass. Dark garnet color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Nose of melted licorice, cassis, black currants and a bit of smokiness. Flavors of black currants and black cherries at first with some secondary flavors anise and plums. I’m willing to better Wine Advocates rating by a point, I think it’ll be that good with a lot more time in bottle. Personally I’ll be opening my first bottle of this in 2011 and carefully dole them out every couple of years thereafter. Even at an original release price of $72.00 per bottle I consider this wine to be an outstanding value.
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2003 Elyse Zinfandel Korte Ranch 88 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
WIML88,NOWA,NOWS
Tasted April 22, 2006 at LilacWine’s house in Fredericksburg, TX. Opened and served immediately in a Spigelau Authentis Magnum glass. Dark purple to almost crimson color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Nose of red currants, red licorice and black cherries. Flavors of black cherries and big, bold jammy red fruits. Drink over the short term. Based on what I’m guessing is a $25.00 a bottle price I’d say the value is agreeable.
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1971 Domaine des Baumard Quarts de Chaume Grand Cru 90 Points
France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Quarts de Chaume Grand Cru
WIML90,WA90,WS94
Tasted April 22, 2006 at LilacWine’s house in Fredericksburg, TX. Opened and served immediately in a Spigelau Authentis Magnum glass. Dark yellow color in the glass with almost amber shades, still fairly clear. First hit on the nose is diesel followed by some orange then some dried apricot and then some pear notes. Flavors of orange, some mineral and some dried yellow fruits. Quite interesting but I have to say it could have shown better. I’d drink now if not already. No value recommendation considering current pricing.
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2003 Turley Zinfandel Mead Ranch 90 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley, Atlas Peak
WIML90,WA90-92,NOWS
Tasted April 22, 2006 at LilacWine’s house in Fredericksburg, TX. Opened and served hours later in a Spiegelau Authentis Magnum glass. Dark garnet color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Nose of black licorice, smoke, herbs, pepper and currants. Flavors of red currants, raspberry jam and pepper. Drink over the next 4-5 years. Based on an estimated price of $35.00 a bottle I’d say the value is between agreeable and recommended.
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2002 Martinelli Zinfandel Giuseppe & Luisa 92 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
WIML92,WA94,WS90
Tasted April 22, 2006 at LilacWine’s house in Fredericksburg, TX. Opened and served hours later in a Spiegelau Authentis Magnum glass. Garnet color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Nose of coffee, fennel, raspberry and red cherry. Flavors of raspberry, Bing cherry and red licorice. Drink over the next 3-4 years. Based on an estimated $36.00 a bottle price I’d say the value is recommended.
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2003 Saxum Bone Rock James Berry Vineyard 92 Points
USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
WIML92,WA95,NOWS
Tasted April 22, 2006 at LilacWine’s house in Fredericksburg, TX. Opened and served hours later in a Spiegelau Authentis Magnum glass. Dark purple color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Nose of mocha, expresso, blackberries and melted licorice. Flavors of black cherries, black currants and spice box. A big bold wine, not exactly my favorite style, still well done all things considered. I have not clue about pricing on this wine but based on this tasting and a previous tasting of a previous vintage of this wine I’d definitely say it is worth exploring at a minimum.
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2002 Viña Cobos Malbec Bramare Marchiori Vineyard 90 Points
Argentina, Mendoza, Lujan de Cuyo
WIML90,NOWA,WS93
Tasted April 22, 2006 at LilacWine’s house in Fredericksburg, TX. Opened and served hours later in a Spiegelau Authentis Magnum glass. Dark purple color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Nose of asphalt, anise and sandlewood. Flavors of black cherries, red berries and coffee. Drink now with about an hour in the decanter. Based on a price of $30.00 a bottle the value is recommended.
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2000 Blackjack Ranch Syrah Maximus Blackjack Ranch Vineyard
USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Barbara County
WIMLNR,WA93,NOWS
Tasted April 22, 2006 at LilacWine’s house in Fredericksburg, TX. Opened and served hours later in a Spiegelau Authentis Magnum glass. Plum color in the glass, slightly brownish hue. Nose of bell pepper, fertilizer an briar patch. Flavors of raspberry, strawberry, dill and cherry. Assuming this wine didn’t die a fast death by the time I got to it then it’s a mid-80’s kind of wine. I’d recommend popping a bottle now yourself and taste at opening, 30 minutes later, 1 hour later, etc… No value recommendation.
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2000 Dutch Henry Winery Zinfandel 87 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley, Rutherford
WIML87,NOWA,WS86
Tasted April 22, 2006 at LilacWine’s house in Fredericksburg, TX. Opened and served hours later in a Spiegelau Authentis Magnum glass. Light plum color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Nose of red currants, red berries and stewed prunes. Flavors of raspberry, mint and red cherry. If you haven’t already consumed this wine do so soon and simply pop and pour. I don’t know pricing on this wine but I own the Reserve from the same vintage at $50.00 a bottle direct from the winery so I’m guessing the value for the regular bottling is cautiously acceptable.
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2002 Barossa Valley Estate Shiraz E & E Black Pepper 95 Points
Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley
WIML95,NOWA,WS97
Tasted April 22, 2006 at LilacWine’s house in Fredericksburg, TX. Opened and served hours later in a Spiegelau Authentis Magnum glass. Purple color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Nose of roasted coffee, chocolate, black berries and plums. Flavors of black cherries, plums, black currants and pepper. Considering how long after this bottle was opened it was tasted and that it was likely opened at least five years too early FOR A FIRST TASTING I’m betting this will be an excellent wine in due time. Rating reflects that. Hold for at least five years before visiting again. Considering this could be an excellent wine some day at a price of around $70.00 a bottle I’d consider the value to be somewhere between highly recommended and excellent.
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