| | What better reason to get together for an off-line than staying over from a business trip? Perhaps this should have been called the “Atlanta Hub” off-line as the out of town guests greatly outnumbered the locals. Thanks go to wine+art for being the head arm-twister to get this event rolling. The other out-of-town guests included PurpleHaze, just-a-skosh, Festiva, HurrahSyrah and DG. And what a night of generous wine lovers, great food, and superb wines. I can’t recall an off-line that I’ve attended with such an excellent line-up of wines from top to bottom with no clunkers or off-bottles, witnessed by the nearly empty dump bucket. Bone’s wait staff was in good form, made appearances only as needed and allowed us to have a nice, leisurely paced dinner. First Course with Bone’s Chilled Seafood Platter and Champagne The Grande Dame and Dom flight set the bar unfairly high for everything else that followed. Thanks go out to just-a-skosh for claiming she could not risk returning the Dom home. - 1996 Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin Champagne Brut La Grande Dame - France, Champagne
Well appointed nose. Great depth in flavors of predominately nutmeg and mushrooms with hints of citrus along with a full and superb body. The weight, delineation, and complexity of flavors and the mouth coating qualities are reminiscent of a still wine, but the ample acidity and the somewhat heavy handed effervescence bring it all home to the wonderful finish. This can easily be served with much heartier fare than most other champagne. (95 pts.)
- 1996 Moët & Chandon Champagne Cuvée Dom Pérignon - France, Champagne
Bright and floral nose. Light on its feet, this has impeccable delineation of flavors of lightly toasted almond, pear, yeast and light lemon zest with excellent structure and detail punctuated with absolutely the finest effervescence. Crisp acidity throughout with a long and fine finish. (97 pts.)
Second Course with Seared Tuna and Pinot Noir The Le Cadeau’s were supposed to have their own flight, but due to last minute changes, they were left to duke it out with a bruiser. - 2002 Le Cadeau Pinot Noir - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
Decanted 2 hr’s. Similar notes as before of well balanced and elegant dark cherry and asian spices, but I thought the nose was a little more shy this tasting. Paired superbly with the seared Tuna. (91 pts.)
- 2003 Le Cadeau Pinot Noir - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
Decanted 2 hr’s. Like the ’02, my notes are similar as before of dark cherry and cinnamon spice but it has certainly become better integrated than my previous tasting and next to the ’02, the riper fruit is more noticeable. The nose was also a bit shy than from before. (91 pts.)
- 2004 Sea Smoke Pinot Noir Ten - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Rita Hills - Sta. Rita Hills
Bottle decanted 1 hr. A huge, dense, sweet and almost Syrah like nose packed with rich, spicy, red fruit. Powerful dark cherry, light cinnamon infused cassis (in a Pinot Noir!) and vanilla flavors with ample oak and a touch of clove. Good depth with nice complexity, light acidity and a full bodied, silky texture that coats the tongue and remains consistent on the palate leading to a substantial finish. Continued to open up the longer it was in the glass, this should continue to integrate over the next year or two with a long life ahead in the cellar. (94 pts.)
Third Course with Beef or Grilled Platter - 1996 Conterno Fantino Barolo Sorì Ginestra - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
Decanted 1½ hr’s min. Really good nose of cocoa and black fruits, but one that surprisingly did not convey what is expressed on the palate. Flavors appearing from behind the substantial yet supple tannins were deep and mineral driven with blackberry and dark plum dominating. Good acidity with a medium finish, this is still a few years from its prime and has many years left ahead. (93 pts.)
- 1998 Tenuta dell'Ornellaia Bolgheri Superiore Ornellaia - Italy, Tuscany, Bolgheri, Bolgheri Superiore
Decanted 1½ hr’s min. Wonderfully expressive, detailed and floral nose of cassis, red fruits and violet. By far, the best nose of the night. The complex flavors of cassis, raspberry at the core, and hints of chocolate and vanilla are well integrated and pick up additional weight on the mid-palate. Super-fine tannins and light acidity lead to a nice, focused and lingering finish. A terrific wine that’s thoroughly enjoyable now. (96 pts.)
- 1996 Peter Michael Les Pavots - USA, California, Sonoma County, Knights Valley
Decanted 2 hr’s min. A vibrant nose followed by well balanced cassis, black cherry, a touch of graphite and anise spice. Consistent from the start to the finish, the soft, youthful and supple tannins with a mineral underpinning and subtle acidity, seduce the palate. A terrific finish. A beautiful wine and my WOTN (after the Dom of course). I looked around for sloppy seconds on this one, but found none. (96 pts.)
- 2000 Casa Lapostolle Clos Apalta - Chile, Central Valley, Rapel Valley, Colchagua Valley
Bottle decanted 2 hr’s min. Bright, strong and spicy nose with just a hint of tar. Starts a bit blunt on the front of the palate but recovers quickly with blackberry, dark currants, and some mocha with plenty of baking spices kicking in on the back of the palate. Quite a bit of sediment was visible in the shoulder of the bottle. Significant but smooth and pliant tannins along with light acidity yield to the lengthy finish. (93 pts.)
- 2000 Carruades de Lafite - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
Popped and poured. Sweet cassis on the nose. Flavors of dark cassis and blackberry along with some red fruit, a touch of mocha and graphite all elegantly wrapped in a tightly wound frame which continued to open up and evolve in the glass. Prominent and youthful tannins followed by a medium finish. A lovely wine that still needs a few more years of cellar time. (92 pts.)
- 2002 Kilikanoon Shiraz Reserve Greens Vineyard - Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley
Bottle Decanted? Thick, rich nose of dark blueberry, tar and dark spices. Dark, rich and chewy flavors of equal parts blueberry and blackberry along with tar, meat and pepper with oak spice picking up on the finish. Tannins are significant but silky and plush. Has good acidity holding together a consistent palate and leading to a long and powerhouse finish. (94 pts.)
Dessert with Hot chocolate truffle cake - 1959 Antonio Ferrari Solaria Jonica - Italy, Puglia
Decanted 2 ½ hr’s min. Strikes a fascinating balance between a port and Zin and described as Amarone like. Flavors of black berry, chocolate, and raisin with a touch of vanilla in a seamless, silky presentation. An incredibly long, long finish that literally never seemed to stop. Did I mention that it had a really long finish? (96 pts.)
Thanks to everyone for making this a memorable off-line. |
