New Year's Eve Redux: Wine Spectator Offline, San Diego
San Diego
Tasted Saturday, January 7, 2012 by Javachip with 930 views
Introduction
Why celebrate New Year's Eve only once a year? It seems so arbitrary. So we rang in 2012 again, and welcomed our wonderful hosts Mr. & Mrs. SD-Wineaux back from their cruise. My new year's resolution of temperance stood no chance tonight, with thirteen bottles of wine (one of them fortified) consumed by ten people. Most red wines were decanted. Rankings are by group vote, and point scores are my own.
Flight 1 (12 Notes)
Closing
It was difficult to rank these wines, as they were uniformly outstanding. Many thanks to Mr. & Mrs. SD-Wineaux for hosting, as they have done so many times. Here's the kind of hosts they are: when Phil's bottle of La Grande Dame ran out before all the guests had tasted it, Mr. & Mrs. SD-Wineaux opened a second bottle from their own cellar, so everyone could share the experience. Beyond that, they must spend days cleaning all the stemware after our extravaganzas. I don't know how, or why, they keep doing it! Cheers until our next New Year's party -- next weekend?
1996 Veuve Clicquot Champagne Brut La Grande Dame 95 Points
France, Champagne
The first bottle, brought by Phil, seemed more mature than expected, with a light honey-golden color, scant ultra-fine bubbles, and evolved notes of pear, apple cider, roasted nuts, and nougat. The second bottle, provided by Mr. & Mrs. SD-Wineaux, seemed more youthful, with a straw color, vigorous fine mousse, and notes of apples, almonds, and fresh croissant. Phil stated that his bottle had not been temperature-controlled (under his bed; I confess to keeping wine under my bed as well) whereas the second bottle had been cellared at 55F. Together, these two examples of this wine ranked FIRST PLACE tonight.
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NV Tarlant Champagne QV Discobitch 91 Points
France, Champagne
Per Racer117, this is a special bottling of declassified 2005 vintage brut. Straw color, vigorous coarse bead, notes of fresh crisp tart apples and bread dough. Outstanding.
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1998 Anderson's Conn Valley Vineyards Éloge 92 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
Decanted at least an hour. Clear medium garnet-blood red. Elegant bouquet of earthy cherries and licorice. Silky, smooth, seamless on the palate. Savory notes of meat and tobacco appearing later. Sophisticated, refined, polished. THIRD PLACE tonight.
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1998 M. Chapoutier Hermitage La Sizeranne 91 Points
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
Clear bright crimson-ruby. Great bouquet of cranberry relish, smoked bacon fat, grilled herbs, oak, and orange peel. Herbal on the palate, smooth, with medium body and finish.
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1937 Château Branaire (Duluc-Ducru)
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
Upper shoulder fill, corroded capsule. Fully saturated cork, but still with tight seal, removed in pieces. Decanted through cheesecloth and served immediately. Faintly hazy, surprisingly dark mahogany-brick-blood red. Initial bouquet of ancient mossy forest floor. Whine-Oh said "clay." On the palate, this was mellow and pleasantly tart with hints of faded red currants. After an hour, the bouquet had freshened and gained complexity, now showing more red currants, mushrooms, cigar box, and roasted nuts. No maderization after 60 minutes. Who knows, it might have perked up even more had we not finished it. We were hoping simply for something drinkable, but were thrilled by something much more than drinkable. SECOND PLACE tonight.
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1997 Elio Altare Barolo 91 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
Clear medium garnet. Notes of licorice, black cherry, charcoal, spice. Seems youthful and tight; needs more time. Outstanding now, with promising potential.
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2001 Domaine du Pégau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée 92 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Heavy sediment in bottle. Clear medium garnet. Outstanding bouquet of crushed red berries, mincemeat, oak, vanilla and cloves. There was also a curious sweet fruity pear character, reminiscent of canned fruit cocktail, not at all unpleasant. Delicious wine.
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1997 d'Arenberg The Ironstone Pressings 90 Points
Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale
Bouquet of smoky, spicy, stewed dark fruit. Cherries, berries, prunes, bacon fat. Over-ripe for some; full-bodied; delicious and not overly alcoholic.
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2007 Grand Rêve Vintners Collaboration Series IV Ciel du Cheval Vineyard 92 Points
USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Red Mountain
60% merlot, 20% cab franc, 18% cab sauv. Clear dark violet-garnet. Sweet bouquet of jammy black cherry pie, plums, licorice, spicy oak, vanilla. Similar on the palate, full-bodied, opulent. Youthful wine, approachable now but also ageworthy. Despite the different blend, this reminds me of Caymus Special Selection or Silver Oak Napa.
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2001 Château Cos d'Estournel 93 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe
Decanted at least one hour. Inky dark crimson-garnet. Aromas and flavors of currants, cherries, river stones, tidal flats, tobacco. Full-bodied, seamless, outstanding now, with potential for gaining more complexity. My #3 tonight.
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1997 Justin Vineyards & Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Obtuse 90 Points
USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
Fortified dessert wine, 100% cabernet sauvignon, 20% alcohol. Sweet, grapey, smooth, not hot or harsh at all. Notes of milk chocolate and nougat. Delicious.
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2007 Domaine Saint-Damien Gigondas La Louisiane
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Gigondas
Opened late in the evening, not included in voting. Clear medium crimson-garnet. Bouquet of rusty iron, charcoal, stewed plums and cherries. Don't remember much else about this wine, and may not have given it a fair chance. Deserves a re-visit in 5 years.
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