CT Texas III

Another epic offline with CT Texas crew and our newest additions pdhall and cartime. Once again, the greatness of the wines was only exceeded by the greatness of the folks around us.

Started the evening with a nice Savennieres and went on to the PC Vertial with a great assortment of cheeses and appetizers. For me the 01 was the class of the bunch. I had the advantage to taste it on Day 3 and it was holding up fantastically. The 01 was the WOTF for me

• 2004 Damien Laureau Savennières Le Bel Ouvrage 90 Points

  France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Savennières

  (11/18/2011)

  Great nose, toffee, caramel, quince, pear, green apple, lemon oil, beeswax. On the palate crisp citrus, pear, peach, mineral. Great moutfeel and balanced acidity on the finish. Nice way to start the night.

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• 1986 Château Pontet-Canet 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  (11/18/2011)

  This wine was in a great spot. Singing nose of tobacco, black fruit, cedar, plum, graphite, currants. On the palate, plum, currants, cedar, spice, tobacco. Finishes with nice balance and bit of tannic grip. Great showing for this bottle

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• 1995 Château Pontet-Canet 88 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  (11/18/2011)

  Funky on the nose, bit of barnyard, black fruit, some floral component, hints of cedar, graphite, and tobacco. On the palate, fruit seems a little hidden, but it has nice currant and plum flavors. Finishes long with quite a bit of grip. I actually think that this might still be a little shut down. Hold and hope.

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• 2000 Château Pontet-Canet 90 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  (11/18/2011)

  Still very young. Great nose, mineral, barnyard, red raspberry, cedar, black currant, hints of tobacco, and nice floral element. On the palate, black raspberry, plum, red currant, cedar, red bell pepper. Finishes with a wall of tannin. Hold for a while. I think that in 10 years this will be something special.

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• 2001 Château Pontet-Canet 93 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  (11/18/2011)

  Great floral nose with blackberry, bell pepper, mint, anise, red currant, tobacco. On the palate, cassis, mint, cedar, tobacco, spice, plum. Finishes with crisp acidity and powerful tannins. I really like the potential of this in the next five years. After re-corking and sitting for two days, this was really singing, giving it a 2 pt bump.

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• 2003 Château Pontet-Canet 91 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  (11/18/2011)

  Poured through Vinturi into a decanter and allowed to breath for one hour. Nose of mocha, plum, black fruit, mint, red currant, black raspberry, anise. On the palate, plum, melted licorice, cassis, raspberry, currant, spicy oak. Finishes with wall of tannin. Great potetial for this.

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• 2004 Château Pontet-Canet 90 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  (11/18/2011)

  Very much like the 01. Nose of florals, mint, black fruit, hints of mocha and tobacco. On the palate, cassis, licorice, cedar, mint, spice. Finishes with a wall of tannins. Needs a lot more time.

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• 2005 Château Pontet-Canet

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  (11/18/2011)

  Poured through vinturi and allowed to decant for one hour. This is definitely shut down hard. Not giving up much on the nose or palate, Everything is walled off by tannins at this point. I believe this will be a great wine someday, but today, I can't even score it.

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• 2006 Château Pontet-Canet 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  (11/18/2011)

  Poured through Vinturi into decanter. Great nose on this one, lots going here, black fruit, tart plum, red currant, florals, anise. On the palate, sweet core of cassis, plum, red currant, licorice, cedar, balanced by tart acidity. If not for the 86, this would have been the WOTF. Drink with a decant or hold.

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Nice meal of small bites and great wines. The seared scallop was divine. The Trimbach as my personal WOTN.

• NV Camille Savès Champagne Grand Cru Brut Rosé 92 Points

  France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru

  (11/18/2011)

  Great explosion of red fruit on the nose, strawberry, red raspberry, sour cherries, toast, citrus. On the palate, nice strawberry and raspberry with toast and fresh citrus. Finishes crisp and long.

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• NV R. & L. Legras Champagne Brut Rosé 89 Points

  France, Champagne

  (11/18/2011)

  Nose of yeast, red raspberry, strawberry, mineral. On the palate, red fruit, hints of citrus, more earthy than fruity. Nice clean finish.

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• 1999 Pascal Doquet Champagne Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Le Mesnil-sur-Oger 91 Points

  France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru

  (11/18/2011)

  Nice fresh young nose, lemon zest, toast, apple, pear, meyer lemon. On the palate, citrus, toast, apple, pear, and a nice mineral streak. Finishes very clean, this would go very well with big rich foods.

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• 2001 Trimbach Pinot Gris Réserve Personnelle 94 Points

  France, Alsace

  (11/18/2011)

  Popped and poured. Great nose of citrus oils, tropical fruit, lychee for days, nice minerals. On the palate, lychee, lemon zest, honeydew melon, and a great saline mineral flavor. Finishes long with juicy acidity. WOTN for me in a big group of heavy hitters.

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• 1997 Marcel Deiss Riesling Altenberg de Bergheim 92 Points

  France, Alsace, Alsace Grand Cru

  (11/18/2011)

  Nice golden color. Nose of kerosene, lemon oil, golden delicious apples, asian pear, dried pineapple, apricot. On the palate, rich and full, with golden apples, yellow pear, apricot, citrus oil. Finishes with tart acidity that balances the sweetness very well. Beautiful stuff.

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• 2008 Jean-Pierre et Jean-Francois Quenard Vin de Savoie Chignin-Bergeron Vieilles Vignes 91 Points

  France, Savoie, Vin de Savoie Chignin-Bergeron

  (11/18/2011)

  Popped and poured. Great aromatics with citrus flowers, spice, melon, lemon oil, white peach. On the palate, citrus oil, melon, apricots, pear, spice. Finishes with nice balance. Great treat to have this, they are nearly impossible to find here.

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• 2009 Jean-Pierre et Jean-Francois Quenard Vin de Savoie Chignin-Bergeron Vieilles Vignes 92 Points

  France, Savoie, Vin de Savoie Chignin-Bergeron

  (11/18/2011)

  Popped and poured. I preferred this slightly to the 08. Nose of lychee, white peaches, white pepper, honeydew melon, citrus flowers, lemon zest. On the palate, lychee, apricot, lemon zest, melon, white pepper and a nice mineral streak. Great bottle.

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• 2005 Bouchard Père et Fils Beaune 1er Cru Clos St. Landry Blanc 90 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Beaune 1er Cru

  (11/18/2011)

  Nice nose of matchstick, wet rock, apple, pear, and toffee. On the palate, apple, pear, stone fruit, citrus, mineral. Nice creamy mouthfeel with a good transition to a clean finish. Very nice.

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• 2005 Albert Morot Beaune 1er Cru Les Aigrots Blanc 89 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Beaune 1er Cru

  (11/21/2011)

  In a night feature some heavy hitters, this wine did not show as well as previous bottles. Still had the signature nose of toffee, white fruits, and minerals. On the palate this felt a little tired with apple, citrus, hints of toffe and mineral. Finish was a bit clipped. It was not terrible, but disappointing after previous bottles

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• 1997 Ravenswood Pickberry 92 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Mountain

  (11/18/2011)

  This was a pop and pour. Nose of dried cherry, plum, tobacco, spice, mocha, bell pepper, leather. On the palate, sour cherry, blackberry, currant, tobacco, sage, leather, plum. Nice dry finish. Outstanding bottle but not quite up to the previous bottles. Based on this showing, I would be drinking these now.

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• 2000 Paolo Bea Montefalco Rosso Riserva Pipparello 92 Points

  Italy, Umbria, Montefalco, Montefalco Rosso

  (11/18/2011)

  Nose of leather, sour cherry, black raspberry, black olive, spice, vanilla. On the palate, sour red fruit, blackberry, tapenade, spice, leather. Finishes long with nice grip. I would love to see this one again in 5 -10 years.

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• 2006 Casanova di Neri Brunello di Montalcino Tenuta Nuova 93 Points

  Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino

  (11/20/2011)

  Opened, recorked, and left for two day. Great impression on the nose, rose petals, sour cherry, leather, tobacco, and big time oak influence. On the palate, sour cherry, leather tobacco, and lots of oak. Nice long finish with sturdy tannins. Hold for quite a while. Is this a 100pt wine? Not to me, I don't think it will make it there. It is however, a great young Brunello and I see lots of room for improvement.

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• 2001 Harlan Estate The Maiden 92 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  (11/18/2011)

  Double decnated. Classic nose of cassis, sour cherry, plum, spice, mint, licorice, vanilla. On the palate, sour cherry, cassis, spice, mint, licorice. espresso. Finishes a little bit hot and has decent length. I really appreciate getting to try this wine.

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• 2005 Château Rieussec Flawed

  France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

  (11/18/2011)

  Utterly and completely corked.

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• 1990 Château Rieussec 93 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

  (11/18/2011)

  Beautiful nose of dried apricot, honey, lemon oil, spice, dried pineapple, mango, orange peel. On the palate, dried pineapple, apricot, honey, spice, orange pell. Finishes long with a great bit acidic lift. Gorgeous, I might be underrating this as it was at the end of a big night.

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Nice sit down in a private room in a 170 year old house. The wines were speical, WOTN for me was the 73 Sterling. It was everything that it could have possibly been, a great bottle.

• 1999 Gosset Champagne Brut Grand Millésime 91 Points

  France, Champagne

  (11/18/2011)

  Expressive nose of white flowers, toast, lemon zest, green apple. On the palate, lemon, toast, apple, honey. Finishes long and clean. Very nice

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• NV Gonet-Médeville Champagne Premier Cru Extra Brut Rosé 91 Points

  France, Champagne, Champagne Premier Cru

  (11/19/2011)

  Great nose of red fruit, peaches, citrus oil and toast. On the palate raspberry, white peach, strawberry, toast. Bone dry on the finish. Very interesting champers.

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• NV Gonet-Médeville Champagne Premier Cru Brut Blanc de Noirs 90 Points

  France, Champagne, Champagne Premier Cru

  (11/19/2011)

  Nose of brioche, white flowers, pear, lemon, pineapple. On the palate, sweeter than expected with pears, meyer lemon, toast, peach. Finishes with nice acidity.

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• 2004 Albert Boxler Riesling Sommerberg Eckberg 92 Points

  France, Alsace, Alsace Grand Cru

  (11/19/2011)

  Nose of white flowers, pineapple, peach pit, mineral, apricot, lemon zest. On the palate, peach, pear, mineral, apricot, honey, smoke. Juicy mouth watering finish. Great stuff.

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• 2008 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos 94 Points

  France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru

  (11/18/2011)

  Blind, I would have never guessed Chablis. Beautiful attack on the nose with peach, pear, apricot, stone fruit, pineapple, mango, and crushed rocks. On the palate really full bodied, peach, pear, green apple, meyer lemon, mineral, and a great saline flavor. Finishes long and juicy. If not for the 73 Sterling, this was WOTN.

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• 2009 Zepaltas Sauvignon Blanc 91 Points

  USA, California, North Coast, Lake County

  (11/19/2011)

  Clean classic Sauv Blanc nose with grapefruit, cut grass, lychee, and pear. On the palate, grapefruit, chives, lychee, kiwi, white peach. Finishes with a laser beam of acidity. Classy stuff. Need to find some for near term drinking.

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• 2008 Enkidu Sauvignon Blanc Kick Ranch 89 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County

  (11/21/2011)

  Nose of citrus, grapefruit, white flowers, chives. On the palate, grapefruit, lychee, chives, peach. Missing the mineral overtones of earlier bottles. Finishes softer than expected, time to drink up.

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• 2005 Didier Dagueneau Pur Sang 94 Points

  France, Loire Valley, Upper Loire, Pouilly-Fumé

  (11/19/2011)

  My first Dagueneau wine and it did not disappoint. Pale color, intoxicating nose of white flowers, grapefuit peel, kiwi, lychee, crushed stone, cut grass. On the palate, creamy with intense flavor of grapefruit, lychee, fresh herbs, peach, citrus. Finishes long and clean with an unbelieveable mineral streak.

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• 2004 Château Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  (11/19/2011)

  Great nose of lemon oil, beeswax, fresh cut hay, chives, lime, grapefruit, white flowers. On the palate, full and richer, with grapefruit, chives, lychee, beeswax, honey, lemon zest, and white peach. Finishes long and clean.

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• 2008 Brewer-Clifton Chardonnay Seasmoke 93 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast, Sta. Rita Hills

  (11/19/2011)

  I was very prepared to not like this so it was a pleasant surprise. Nose of caramel, wet rock, apples, pear, fig. On the palate, apple, pear, peach, star fruit, mineral, anise. Finishes long and clean with a creamy mouthfeel. Great stuff.

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• 2004 Aubert Chardonnay Lauren Estate Vineyard 94 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

  (11/19/2011)

  I had high expectations for this and it did not disappoint, Clean nose, of green apples, pears, star fruit, white flowers. On the palate, apple pie, pears, star fruit, fig, peach. Long finish, not as much oak as expected. Great stuff.

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• 2008 Dascomb Cellars Roussanne 91 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Barbara County

  (11/19/2011)

  Another fantastic white. Nose of lychee, spice, lemon, pineapple, wet rock. On the palate, pinepple, lychee, spice, lemon zest, mineral. Nice finish. Well made wine.

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• 1973 Sterling Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 95 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  (11/19/2011)

  Wow. Great nose of mint, dried cherry, leather, tobacco, red currant, spice. On the palate, red currant, leather, cedar, tobacco, spice, sour cherry mint, red plum. Long finish with completely resolved but present tannins. Great experience, superb bottle. WOW!

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• 1975 Sterling Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 91 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  (11/19/2011)

  Very much alive with a great nose of dried red fruit, tobacco, barnyard, sour cherry. On the palate, leather, dried red fruit, tobacco, bell pepper, mint. Another good old bottle and a great experience.

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• 1976 Freemark Abbey Cabernet Bosché Flawed

  USA, California, Napa Valley, Rutherford

  (11/19/2011)

  Had great color but that was it. Had a oxidized nose that never blew away. This could have been something good a few years ago, but it is definitely gone now.

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• 2005 Sine Qua Non Grenache Atlantis Fe2O3~2a, b & c 94 Points

  USA, California

  (11/19/2011)

  Double decanted and poured. Nose of black fruit, spice, anise, bacon fat, cocoa, blueberry, blackberry, roasted meat, black raspberry, espresso. On the palate, sweet core of blackberry, blueberry, red fruit, espresso, roasted meat, spice. Did not notice the heat on the finish, great balance, great wine, just a notch below the Sterling on this night.

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We left the restaurant to allow the servers to go home for the night. We hung out poolside and downed 70 Taylor 27 Domain Bory Rivesaltes

• 1970 Taylor (Fladgate) Porto Vintage 92 Points

  Portugal, Douro, Porto

  (11/19/2011)

  Nose or raisin, prune, orange peel, dates, figs. On the palate, raisin, fig, dark chocolate, spice. Finishes with nice grip and acidity. Although very good, I was actually a little disappointed.

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• 1927 Domaine Bory Rivesaltes Blanc 91 Points

  France, Languedoc Roussillon, Roussillon, Rivesaltes

  (11/19/2011)

  Golden copper. Nose of walnuts, toffe, smoke, fig, raisin. On the palate, hazelnut, espresso, dried red cherry, fig, walnut. Finishes with surprising acidity. Neat experience.

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Thanks everyone for coming. The friendship and stories were great, especially the angry clown and the Waffle House