Mpls Wine Club: Highly Rated Rhones: Chave, Guigal, Usseglio + Poyferre & Cos
Shari's house
Tasted Saturday, January 14, 2012 by rocknroller with 631 views
Introduction
This was the year end event featuring some truly oustanding wines. Spain, Bordeaux, Rhone, and Napa were all represented tonight. The wines were paired in a tasting menu with a collage of appetizers including filet of beef with sauteed onions and mushrooms, stuffed portobello mushrooms and a wonderful main course of beef short ribs, root vegetable gratin, bacon and green bean almondine, and followed by a cheese course and then a splendid chocolate bundt cake with cocoa powder. Kudos to all of our wonderful chefs! The food was worthy of the wines tonight.
Flight 1 - Main Event (7 Notes)
Flight 2 - Bonus Dessert Wine (1 Note)
Closing
There were some clear winners tonight for WOTN. 12 people with 3-2-1 points for first through third place.
WOTN was the 2005 Chave Hermitage (3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3,2,2,1=29pts)
2nd place WOTN was the 2001 Usseglio Deux Freres CDP (3,3,3,2,2,2,2,2,2,2,1=24pts)
3rd place WOTN was the 2000 Leoville Poyferre (2,1,1,1,1,=6pts)
2004 Guigal Cote Rotie (2,1,1,1=5pts)
2001 Shafer Hillside Select (3,1,1=4pts)
2000 Resalte Gran Riserva (2,1=3pts)
1988 Cos d'Estournel (0pts)
2000 Bodegas Resalte de Peñafiel Ribera del Duero Gran Resalte 94 Points
Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero
Very dark red color. Decanted for 2 hours. Drank one glass over 3 hours. This has an incredible nose that continued to evolve over the evening. Nose shows florals, tobacco, wood, spice, damp earth, slightly meaty, blackberry, cassis. The palate is consistent with the nose, with medium-full body, dusty tannins, spices, black fruits, and a wonderful, long finish. This wine continues to impress. 94+pts.
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1988 Château Cos d'Estournel 91 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe
Very dark red color, showing no bricking. Decanted for 1.5 hours, drank 2 glassses over 3+hrs. This wine is a bit of an enigma. The nose is almost purely secondary characteristics dominated by earth, graphite, wood, creosote, but does show some floral notes and after abut an hour or more in the glass I found some black fruits showing up distinct cassis. The palate was consistent, medium bodied, wood, mineral, moderately tannic still, but fairly round, medium finish. The fruit is clearly way in the background here. Some thought this was green, I can't say i really thought that. Not the best wine but still very good, yet it really suffered against the other phenoms of the evening.
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2000 Château Léoville Poyferré 94 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
Very dark red-purple color. Decanted for 2.5hrs. Drank 1 glass over 3+hrs. The nose is not fully open, it shows spice, oak, creme de cassis, blackberry, moist earth, graphite, subtle chocolate and about 2 hours in started to show that floral perfume. While the nose was slightly muted, the palate was intense. The palate shows great depth with full body, layers of rich black fruits, graphite, mineral, soft and lush in the mouth. Long finish. As good as this was, i have to say I was a bit disappointed in the overal showing. I predicted this wine and the '05 Chave would battle for WOTN, but I was only half right. This wine is still very young and I fully expect it be considerably better in a few years. I would suggest decanting for at least 4+hours if drinking now.
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2005 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage 97 Points
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
Very dark red color. Decanted for 3.5hrs. Drank 2 glasses over 4 hours. Nose slowly develops into a glorious perfume of flowers, cassis, , blueberry, cedar, pepper, blackberry liqueur, pepper, and plum, and after 2 hours added in this wonderful horsey character. This nose was great, but WOW, the palate is even better. Amazing concentration, the flavors explode on the palate, deep, dark fruits, full body, intense white pepper that coats the most and persists throughout the finish, loads of glycerin, velvety and mouth coating, nice integrated tannins, and a very long 120+ second finish. This wine has impeccaable balance, a glorious nose, power and elegance on the palate. My and group WOTN with 8 of 12 first place votes and 29 total points. 96+ to 97 pts.
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2004 E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Turque 95 Points
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie
Dark red color. Dcanted for 2 hours. Drank 1 glass over 3hrs. The nose shows bright red fruits, red currants and berries, sandalwood, cedar, pepper, smoke, dry herbs, and flowers. The palate, like the color is more medium bodied and elegant in style, the flavors though are rich and the red fruits are lush along with the myriad of wood flavors and pepper that permeate the finish. Very fine tannins. This was quite a contrast to the power of the Chave, but was distint and wonderful itself. My #3 WOTN in a very close race for third.
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2001 Domaine Pierre Usseglio & Fils Châteauneuf-du-Pape Réserve des Deux Frères 96 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Very dark red color. Decanted for 2.5 hours. Drank 1 glass over 3hrs. Wow, what a nose, intense perfume of garrigue, Provencal herbs, kirsch, white pepper, acacia flowers, and ripe red fruits of strawberry and raspberry. The palate has excellent depth with lush red fruits, white pepper, full body but oh so elegant in the mouth. This is seductive and sexy. Very long on the finish. Really impressive and my #2 WOTN and group #2 WOTN with 3 first and 7 second place votes and 24 points.
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2001 Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select 95 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley, Stags Leap District
Very dark red-purple color. 5 hour decant, drank one glass over 1 hour. Nose starts to open after about 20 minutes in the glass showing cedar, dust, blackberry liqueur, graphite, red and black fruits, with floral elements not becoming evident until about 30 minutes or more into the glass. The palate shows immense concentration, layers of lush black and red fruits, cedar, spices. There is power but this has finesse and long layered finish. No heat and nicely integrated tannins. This certainly benefited from a long decant and showed very well. 95+pts.
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