Charlie's 65th - Lots of wines!
Charlie's Home
Tasted Sunday, October 16, 2011 by Loren Sonkin with 837 views
Introduction
Yesterday, my friend and BBer invited a bunch of his closest wino friends over to celebrate his turning 65. It was a fun afternoon. I think I tried most of the wines, but not all. Plus, I had to leave and I suspect more bottles were opened after that. All wines were consumed non-blind over the course of an afternoon.
Flight 1 (21 Notes)
Closing
Charlie, may you have many more!
2010 Sineann Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough 91 Points
New Zealand, South Island, Marlborough
Made by Oregon winemaker Peter Rosback in New Zealand. The nose is very typical with tropical fruits, some grassiness but also the slightest nod of cat pee. On the palate, I thought this typical Sauvignon Blanc but others were divided. Very refreshing. Some complexity. Nice start to the afternoon.
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2008 Heitz Cellar Chardonnay 82 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
Not for me, but others might like it more. The nose is oaky with lot fresh cut wood and vanilla. The palate is bitter and warm. Lots of wines like this and it is certainly drinkable, but not in a style that I would.
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2009 Navarro Vineyards Gewürztraminer 88 Points
USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley
Always a classy and solid wine. I would say that I found this vintage lacking compared to some others. It had a Gewurz bitterness that Navarro usually avoids. Other than that, everything is where it should be. Nice lychee nose. Oily texture. Complex fruit.
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2004 Saxum Bone Rock James Berry Vineyard 94 Points
USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
I brought this bottle. Upon opening at my house, there was a lot of fizz but no off scents. I was running late, so I threw it in the Vita-Mix blender for around 10 minutes and let it sit. There was still some fizz. I repeated the process and poured back into the bottle and we drove to the party. The fizz was gone but the question was how had that affected the wine. It seemed those who were looking for a huge wine found it lacking. Others, enjoyed its smoothness and maturity. Split decision. Personally, I really enjoyed it. The wine was open and drinking well. Lots of black raspberries, some bacon fat and grilled meats. It lacked some complexity but overall I have to put this as another good bottle of an 04 after getting rid of the fizz. i have no idea what causes this. It seems more persistent than trapped CO2, but no off flavors of the typical refermentation in bottle. Perhaps there is some other, milder fermentation process happening that is not as harmful. No one mentioned any off flavors.
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2001 Robert Mondavi Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 93 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
This is in a really great spot. Showing some maturity but not near fully mature. I hate to use the word peak, because at this stage, it is more of a preference. I don't know that it gets better, just different. Lots of cassis, slight oak traces still left. Lots of layering that is starting to unwind. Delicious. I was quite impressed.
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2007 Maybach Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Materium 98 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville
This was controversial. It is huge and very ripe. Some said raisiny, which I did not find. The nose has cassis, some oak but not over powering for me, blueberries and a mineral element. Just awesome. On the palate, this is velvety and lush. Lots of fruit, cassis, black raspberries and still some blueberries. Delicious. I loved this wine.
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2007 Domaine Pierre Usseglio & Fils Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée de mon Aïeul 100 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Wow. This is amazing. It is still young, but open and enjoyable. Black and red raspberries, floral notes of violets and lavender, grilled meat and black licorice notes on the nose. Lush, sensual texture. Complex layers on the palate with flavors to match the nose (except the grilled meats). Long finish. This is an amazing wine. The crowd was buzzing about it.
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2001 Domaine Pierre Usseglio & Fils Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée de mon Aïeul 97 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Really interesting to taste side by side with the 07. Obviously much more mature. The nose is more muted. Some also picked up raisins which I did not. Still, cherries, raspberries, some funk. On the palate, this is great. Complex and layered. Good acidity. No oak showing. Plenty of fruit mixed with some earthy and mineral layers. Long finish. A couple of people preferred this (I liked the 07 better), but I would be happy drinking this any day.
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1994 Dominus Estate Napanook Vineyard 93 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
Very nice. For my tastes (at this point), I would wait a few more years on this. It is mature at this point, so why not let it unwind. Nice cassis fruit still there though the nose is more about barnyard/funk and some damp leaves (tobacco?). Complex and layered although slightly thinner than I was expecting. Nice wine and probably one hurt in this setting.
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2004 Sineann Cabernet Sauvignon Block One 95 Points
USA, Washington, Columbia Valley
The grapes come from one of the older sections of the Champoux Vineyard in Washington. This was an awesome bottle of Cab. It is still on the young side, but it has lost its baby fat and exuberance. What is left is cassis, tobacco, black raspberries and just a hint of dust. Layers although a taste later in the night showed much more complexity than when opened. Delicious. I have a lone bottle left, that will wait a few more years at least.
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2007 Drinkward Peschon Cabernet Sauvignon Entre Deux Mères 94 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
There used to be a lot of talk on the BB's about this, but not so much lately. I don't remember if I have ever had any before, but this was excellent. The nose has cassis, blueberries, slightly jammy fruit. On the palate, this is juicy and delicious. Excellent texture. Nice acidity/balance. Really impressive wine.
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2005 Agharta Wines Black Label 88 Points
USA, California, North Coast
This is a nice wine, but not one I particularly "get". I think others liked it more than I. Restrained or elegant. Hard to say. Don't get me wrong, it is a nice wine, but not what I like in my Syrahs. Good black raspberry fruit. Nice acidity. Probably works better at the dinner table than in a mass tasting.
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2002 Clos Mimi Syrah White Hawk Vineyard 92 Points
USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Barbara County
I have not had this in years. It is holding up quite well. Still in the younger phase although some of the exuberant fruit has dropped out. There is still plenty of black raspberries, grilled meats and black pepper on the nose. Great texture. The palate has black raspberries, blue berries and dark cherries with a bit of charcoal underneath. Nice balance. No hurry on this.
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2007 Clos du Mont-Olivet Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Cuvée du Papet 96 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
From Magnum. Another awesome 07 CdP. Lots of black cherries, black and red raspberries, violets and some charcoal. This is not as big as the Mon Aieul but still a big wine. Lush and juicy. Nice acidity too. Plenty of fruit on the palate. Although primary, one senses lots of depth.
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2008 Saxum James Berry Vineyard 96 Points
USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
From Magnum. This was somewhat shut down at first. Revisiting later on, it showed a lot more, but I think it will improve from here as well. Black raspberry, blueberries, black cherries, black pepper and grilled meats on the nose. Big and lush on the palate. Most black raspberry fruit at this point. Some pepper as well. Delicious and big without being heavy.
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2008 Paul Lato Pinot Noir Matinee 92 Points
USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Barbara County
This was much lighter than I expected. I really liked it though. Light ruby in color. The nose was cherries and some funk. On the palate, this is feminine and earthy. Complex. Nice finish.
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2006 Joseph Swan Vineyards Zinfandel Mancini Ranch 91 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
I really Swan Zins. I need to buy them more often. They are more "Bordeaux" styled. Everything in balance. No noticeable alcohol. Nice raspberry and boysenberry flavors. A bit of spice. And, they seem to age out very well. This one was no exception. Nice.
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2008 The Industrial Zinfandel 91 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County
From Mag. This is really nice but there is some heat that is problematic. Very fruit forward; black cherry, raspberry and some pepper. Nice texture. Ont he palate, there is a lot of fruit but it is easy to take. The alcohol seems out of balance at the moment though. I think some air would help this or cellaring. This might be one time that a Mag was not the better format.
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2003 The Standish Wine Company Shiraz The Standish 88 Points
Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley
Inky purple in color. The nose has some nice black raspberries, black peppers and some heat. On the palate, this has a bitterness that is distracting. Also some black raspberry fruit. The heat again shows itself on the finish. I wonder if this was better drunk on release?
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2005 Sine Qua Non Syrah Atlantis Fe2O3~1a, b & c 97 Points
USA, California, Central Coast
This had been open for a while before I got to it. This showed much earthier than I remember it although plenty of black raspberries, blueberries, white pepper and some grilled meats. A delicious wine. Amazingly lush texture.
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1946 Château Villargeil Rivesaltes
France, Languedoc Roussillon, Roussillon, Rivesaltes
A birth year wine for our host. Therefore, too young and a bit immature. Big and Exuberant and well. This is slightly oxidized with some tea notes. Also some forest floor notes. Very pleasant. I don't know how many wines are out there from 1946 that are affordable and drink well. Made for a fun note to the party!
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