Wine with friends

Seattle, WA, USA
Tasted Saturday, November 27, 2004 by Eric with 1,146 views

Introduction

Tonight I got together with a few friends to uncork some fun bottles. We had no special occasion or particularly good excuse, just a chance to hang out, eat some cheese, chat a bit, and drink some silly wines.

Flight 1 (3 Notes)

We started with a pair of grower champagnes and a gorgeous Kabinett.

Flight 2 (6 Notes)

Next we moved onto the big reds.

  • 1982 Château Léoville Poyferré Flawed

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

    Corked! Too bad, as this bottle was very nice right when we popped the cork, but with air the TCA is unmistakeable.

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  • 1985 Château Léoville Las Cases 94 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

    Oh wow, this was perhaps my wine of the night. The nose shows massive notes of lead pencil and graphite, gaining aromatic complexity with time. Mmmm, the palate is muscular with sweet, black fruit and loads of minerality, so balanced and pure. This finishes out with string notes of graphite and mineral. Throughout this wine exudes the essence of old-world Cabernet and is everything I would want in a classic Claret, gorgeous!

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  • 1987 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon The Montelena Estate 89 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    Hmm, this was a perplexing bottle. The cork was perfect, but the nose was very unusual smelling with a slightly oxidized note. Dill pickle, crushed raspberry, and root beer pour out of the glass. On the palate this was better with cranberry and growing notes of cassis, rich, powerful and tight. Hmm, this was a bit weird, but the wine appeared to be pristine. I debated not giving this a score, but if pressed this is not outstadning wine. I have had other bottles which were much more striking.

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  • 1989 Château Lynch-Bages 93 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

    Mmm, the nose is dense and black with loads of tobacco, such classic Pauillac. The palate is rich, somewhat slutty with caramel, sweet fruit and dusty earth. Wowza, what a fun, knockout of a wine. Still, it doesn't compare fully to the thoroughly classic 1985 Las Cases.

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  • 1992 Dominus Estate Napanook Vineyard 94 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    This was Karl's bottle. When we first opened it, the wine was screaming of Bordeaux, but with air it became a chameleon, showing much more California personality with pure, sweet notes of cassis. The palate is sweet, sappy and giving with loads of cassis, crushed raspberry and ripe fruit. The finish turns back to Bordeaux with a dusty, powerful kick. This is a beautiful wine, and while it lacks the intensity and depth of the 1991 Dominus it shows the impressive run they had in the early 1990's.

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  • 1994 Château Cheval Blanc 90 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

    This was Karl's bottle. At first this smelled purely of espresso and scorchy earth, but with 90 minutes of air it relented. Notes of caramel and still frsh wood wafted among the roasted coffee. On the palate this was delicious, smooth, exotic and spicy.

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Flight 3 (1 Note)

Finally we finished up with an unmistakeable ringer.

  • 1991 Henschke Shiraz Hill of Grace 95 Points

    Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Eden Valley

    This was a ringer to close the evening out. Deep, black, screaming of fruitcake, eucalyptus and mint. The palate is rich and powerful yet with increasing poise as this gets more air. Iodine and mineral interplay nicely with tarry, black fruit. This is both salty and sweet, impeccably balanced, yet lacking a bit in intensity and overall intrigue.
    DAY 2: OK, so after a day of air this really started to open up and shine showing more complexity and an impressive display of texture and vibrancy. I am stunned at just how "light on it's feet" this wine is. Dancing notes of mint and iodine interplay with spicy, peppery Shiraz, showing black fruit and surprisingly nice acidity. This is just so elegant and balance, a stunning wine. Upgrading from 93 to 95. This is clearly a wine to savor very, very slowly!

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