ORTANIQUE Double Blind Brown Bag Dinner

Attendees: Brian Van Bower, Barry Diamond, Mark Friedman(me), Hue Harriman, Al Heltman, and Pablo Lancella.

• NV Pol Roger Champagne Brut Réserve 90 Points

  France, Champagne

  - Light gold color with small pearls and aromas of grapefruit. It's balanced and has flavours of grapefruit and leesy with a light body. Bright texture with a short finish - Al's Champagne. To me the classic Champagne style. My preferences are Pol and Bollinger.

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• 2009 Abbazia di Novacella (Stiftskellerei Neustift) Kerner 91 Points

  Italy, Trentino-Alto Adige, Alto Adige, Valle Isarco / Eisacktaler

  - Greenish color with medium forming legs and aromas of cut green grass, lemon and geranium. It's in total harmony and has flavours of lemon with a medium body. Bright texture with a medium finish - Barry's mystery White Varietal, Kerner(from Total Wines and More, Aventura). Blind it seemed to me like an Albarino. The first time anyone had experienced this varietal. Gallioni, apparently loves this producer.

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• 2005 Lucien Crochet Sancerre Le Chêne 91 Points

  France, Loire Valley, Upper Loire, Sancerre

  09/07/2011 - 91 points: - Light gold color with medium forming legs and aromas of cut green grass and lemon. It's in total harmony and has flavours of diesel, cut green grass and lemon with a light/medium body. Polished texture with a medium finish - Barry's wine. Blind I thought it a good Dry Austrian Riesling. Surprisingly, I have a cs of the 04(?), of which I have 6 left at IWS. Excellent Sauvignon Blanc.

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• 2007 Domaine Ramonet Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru La Boudriotte 90 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru

  - Yellow color with medium forming legs and aromas of pineapple. It's balanced and has flavours of pineapple and oak with a medium body. Round texture with a medium finish - Brian's wine. Clearly Chardonnay. Lacked the minerality I associate with white burgundy, so I thought it an oaked Cali.

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• 1997 Silvio Grasso Barolo Bricco Luciani 93 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  - Brick color with fast forming legs and aromas of cherry and rose. It's in total harmony and has flavours of bell pepper, strawberry, cherry, licorice anise and dusty with a medium body. Polished texture with a long finish - My wine. Decanted for an hr in am, continued to evolve during tasting. I love Nebbiolo(my wife doesn't!!!), so I brought a wine I would enjoy. Intense wine, gravel notes, great finish. when decanted threw a beautiful fine sediment.

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• 2005 Archery Summit Pinot Noir Arcus Estate 90 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills

  - Violet color with medium forming legs and aromas of cherry and blackberry. It's somewhat balanced and has flavours of cherry, blackberry and mushroom with a full body. Linear texture with a medium finish - Pablo's wine. The Arcus, and the Beaux Freres are style of Oregon Pinot that confounds me. Intense full bodied Pinot's that contrast with fruity New World Pinots. Not Burgundy, Nor fruit driven.

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• 2001 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape 90 Points

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

  - Purple color with slow forming legs and aromas of black olive, eucalyptus, black currant and cloves. It's balanced and has flavours of black olive, blackberry, black currant, licorice anise and cloves with a full body. Round texture with a long finish - Al's wine reprise. Most of us IDed Rhone, Pablo thought Northern, I and a few others thought it clearly CdP. To my mind much better than the bottle we had 7/7. Complex herbs de Provence notes.

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• 2004 Beaux Frères Pinot Noir Beaux Frères Vineyard 90 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Ribbon Ridge

  - Purple color with medium forming legs and aromas of cherry and blackberry. It's balanced and has flavours of cherry, blackberry and mushroom with a full body. Linear texture with a medium finish - Hue's wine(see my comments on the Arcus). I am told you have to treat Beaux Freres like a beat, and wait on it.

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A nice intimate dinner at Ortanique. I hadn't been there in years, and I expected more.