Dinner with the boys at Club A.

Club A
Tasted Monday, April 20, 2009 by BradKNYC with 423 views

Introduction

Got together with Bill Lawrence, Greg dal Piaz, Asher Rubinstein and Wilfred van Gorp for a nice steak dinner at Club A. I didn't take notes on some of the white Burgs, but here's everything else.

Flight 1 (6 Notes)

  • 2002 Domaine Huet Vouvray Demi-Sec Le Mont

    France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray

    I own a bunch of this amazing elixir and so do a lot of my friends, so there always seems to be one open. I've had this wine three times in the last six weeks and I'm surprised with how open it's still showing as it should normally be pretty closed up by now. Intense, yet with a weightless quality, lightly sweet, yet perfectly balanced by vivacious acidity. Quince, mineral and green almonds dominate at this time. The only thing I've noticed that may hint that it's closing up is that it's not as effusive on the nose as it was a few years ago and it does seem a little tighter on the palate. Just sublime stuff. Solid A.

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  • 1999 Domaine Ponsot Clos de la Roche Vieilles Vignes

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos de la Roche Grand Cru

    Now why can't my friends bring more Burgundy bottles like these to dinner if they want me to enjoy Burgundy instead of the shrill swill I'm normally subjected to? What a beautiful nose! Black and Maraschino cherry heaven! The wine is plush with lovely upfront cherry fruit, some spice and sous bois with just a hint of stemminess. The fruit makes this a lot of fun and the fact that there's nice depth and layering to it is gravy. Solid A-.

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  • 1995 Château Rayas Châteauneuf-du-Pape Reserve

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

    Much heralded as the last great Rayas made by Jacques Renaud, unfortunately this bottle did not live up to the hype. In fact, it was disappointingly ho-hum. There was hope at the onset as it had a beautiful nose of black and red raspberry, spices, black pepper tar and violets. However, while those flavors did carry through somewhat on the palate, they were muted and lackluster. The wine was feminine and elegant texturally, but the acidity was sticking out too much and made the finish a bit too sharp. It wasn't bad, it just wasn't what it should have been, which made the experience disappointing. Solid B+.

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  • 1998 Domaine de la Mordorée Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée de la Reine des Bois

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

    Rich and exuberant aromatically with loads of strawberry jam, pixie stix candy and some baker's spices. On the palate, completely spoofulated and a shadow of what it was on release. It tastes artificially sweet with disjointed oak dominating. With air the fruit disappeared and all that remained was the wood. Now, I guess I knew what I was getting into when I got this bottle on release. After having tried it back then I liked it for its sheer hedonistic quality and brash fruit, even if it wasn't what I look for in Châteauneuf. I figured with a gaudy score from RP to go along with it, why not? I could always flip it. Well, after it was universally panned at the table, I guess I'll have a couple of open spots soon in the Eurocave. C-.

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  • 1994 Ridge Monte Bello

    USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains

    73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 9% Petit Verdot, 3% Cabernet Franc.
    Draper's American oak perfume wafts from the glass with tell-tale coconut and mint aromas along with sweet black fruit and balsam notes. Still could use some more time in the cellar to smooth out a few rough edges and gain more secondary development, but it's a lot of fun to drink right now. There's certainly oak present, but the fruit is sweet and rich enough to balance it out and should eventually fully absorb it. Shows a bit of VA and the finish is a touch short, but this is quite enjoyable and a fine pairing with my ribeye. A-.

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  • 1995 Ridge Monte Bello

    USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains

    69% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot, 10% Petit Verdot, 3% Cabernet Franc.
    Quite different in character than the '94. This one is much more serious and less generous, with higher acid and tannin levels. The fruit is redder, there's some barnyard, earth and brown root spices/sassafras flavors and aromas. A touch drying on the finish. Definitely more cerebral. I would think more time would do it well, but with the finish drying out a little, I'd be a tiny bit concerned, though would want to try another bottle before drawing any conclusions. Fwiw, I preferred the '95 to the '94 on release and in its first few years. A-/B+.

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