The Big Sendoff

The last big get together before my move to Norfolk, and it was maybe the best quality lineup we've put together. Not a dog in the bunch, just spectacular wines from Cali and Bdx. A fantastic final tasting in San Antonio, hopefully there will be some reunions in the not too distant future.

• 2010 Antica Terra Roussanne Phantasi 89 Points

  USA, Oregon

  (9/16/2012)

  Served Double blind. I really thought this was a Cali chard (and I wasn't alone, although 2 people nailed the blend). Pale yellow color. Very toasty, almost buttery nose. Viscous in the mouth, with a dense golden fruit profile that really glides over the palate. Slightly heavy and could use a bit more acidity. Toast really dominates the finish. Seems to have plenty of fruit, maybe the oak will integrate with time, though I think the lack of acidity is worrisome. Much better than my 1st bottle which had noticeable heat and was difficult to drink in the Texas summer.

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• 1989 Château Montrose 95 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe

  (9/15/2012)

  Good fill with staining to the top of the cork. Initially very closed but opened over several hours. Nose showing prominent bell pepper, black currants and leather. Palate with well structure and balanced, still showing prominent coarse tannins on the back end. Plenty of darker fruit with a plum and black currant profile. Still coming across as youthful and vibrant. Lengthy finish adding mocha, spice, cedar, black fruit, and wood. A vibrant wine, still young with great complexity, just lacking some of the nuance and polish of the Lynch Bages. A step below a recent ’90 which was much more exotic and flamboyant. I can see the ’96 becoming a similar wine to this (hopefully)

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• 1989 Château Lynch-Bages 96 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  (9/15/2012)

  Just fantastic poise and polish. Expressive nose of coffee, flint, mint, leather and currants. Fantastic freshness on the palate with a dark fruit profile, but still fresh and young, even with a touch of blue fruit, mixed in with leather, cedar and spice. Long finish with some dry tannins still present, adding cedar spice, earth, mineral, coffee and currants. Great polish, poise and balance. Among a short list of the best bdx I’ve ever had. This will drink exceptionally well for the next decade. Followed over several hours without fading.

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• 1995 Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste 93 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  (9/15/2012)

  This was showing very well but somewhat overshadowed but several wines in the lineup. Somewhat closed nose of red fruits with some currants and cassis, flint, bell pepper, and cedar. Palate was well polished and refined—somewhat “narrow” with cassis and cedar and prominent tannins. Lengthy finish of mocha, flint and bright red fruits. Polished and focused, needs quite a bit more time though accessible enough now. 93-94

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• 1995 Château Troplong Mondot Flawed

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

  (9/15/2012)

  low fill for a ’95 with potential seepage, though the cork otherwise looked good. Leather, mocha and mature plum on the nose. Palate had a tinny, metallic edge along with prominent coarse tannins a moderate length finish adding earth and oak. I think this had seen some mild heat damage, otherwise 90-91

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• 1994 Dominus Estate Napanook Vineyard 96 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  (9/15/2012)

  Utterly fantastic wine. Similar in profile to the ’92 but more flamboyant. Nose of min,t currants, and a hint of blood. Red ripe fruit on the palate, with a strong herbal and minty edge, prominent acidity and freshness. Lengthy finish that repeats and really hangs on the palate. Great wine, with fantastic complexity and poise. Just a hair behind the Lynch Bages for WOTN. Has the ripe forward fruit that I associate with good Cali cabs, though restrained and "bdx like".

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• 1984 Messina Hof Wine Masters Blend 89 Points

  USA, Texas

  (9/16/2012)

  An interesting wine. Great showing from grapes in the early days of Texas wines. Unclear blend. Nose of strong mushroom, forest floor, vinyl, and saddle leather. Palate was drier, with mature fruit, leather. Finish with a tinny, metallic note that was slightly clipped. A treat to try and aging much better than expected, though needs to be drunk.

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• 1982 Château Léoville Poyferré 93 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

  (9/15/2012)

  A real pleasure to get a chance to try this wine. Improved with extended air, adding structure and tannins. Leather, mushroom and sweet mature fruit on the nose. Palate showing tertiary mature fruit, with a sweet pipe tobacco component. Moderate finish. Poised and balanced, showing well for the age. A very solid older wine in its peak drinking plateau. Will maintain it's current level of performance for 5-10yrs.

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• 2001 Araujo Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Eisele Vineyard 95 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  (9/16/2012)

  This is a great wine. Big fruit forward nose of black currants, spice an sweet cedar notes. Palate was well polished, with more black fruits, fine polished focused tannins and a tobacco notes that adds a bit of sweetness Lengthy fruit filled finish, but well poised and fresh. This is in an in between stage with ripe forward fruit and tertiary mature notes, but is still a fantastic wine that should continue to improve over the net 5-10yrs. Seamless and polished.

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• 1995 Ridge Monte Bello 94 Points

  USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains

  (9/16/2012)

  Great expressive nose of black fruit, cedar spice, and freshness. Palate showing more black fruits mixed with in cedar spice, moderate tannins, Finishes with sweet pipe tobacco, cedar, and black currants. Has that typical great Santa Cruz Mtns’s fruit profile. Great balance and poise just lacking the complicity of some of the other wines this night. Drinking well now, but may benefit from a few more years. 93-94

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• 1988 Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley 87 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Alexander Valley

  (9/16/2012)

  Served blind – Man, this was hard to nail down. Definitely old and fading. Had a nose of sweet mature fruit, almost stewed, with a vinyl edge to it. Maybe some VA? Palate was sharp and acidic, lacking elegance. Finish was a little metallic, with leather and cedar spice, rather short. This was all over the place without any definition, really coated the mouth and hung there without any energy. I assumed it was an older ripe grape like Zin though the varietal characteristics of Zin were not really there. Old ripe Cab made sense in retrospect. More interesting than enjoyable, this didn’t show well compared to the group.

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• 1994 Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon Special Selection 93 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  (9/16/2012)

  Classic Napa cab profile. Nose was actually slightly shy. Great black currants and sweet cedar on the nose. Palate has a sweet black fruit profile, well balanced and focused, with fine tannins. Moderate length finish, with tobacco leaf, currants, and cedar spice. A delicious pleasant and well made Cali cab. At peak/drinking plateau.

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• 2006 Uccelliera Brunello di Montalcino 92 Points

  Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino

  (9/16/2012)

  Served double blind in a decanter and was told it was a Brunello, which I thought was a joke. Very dark in the glass, almost black. Even after a couple hour decant, this was very closed. I was trying to pin this down as a new world cab but eventually got a little clear red fruit mixed with a strongly toasted nose. Palate showed cassis and licorice, bright and acidic, with very prominent but polished tannins. Moderate length, adding some coffee to the core of red fruits. Modern and highly extracted, with a high quality structure. Forget about this wine for at least 5yrs but probably need 10+.

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• 1993 Robert Mondavi Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 92 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  (9/16/2012)

  Classic Napa cab showing mature black currants and cedar spice. Palate was sharply defined, rather “narrow” on the palate with seemingly high acidity, but still showing lush red fruits. Moderate linear finish with repeating notes. This spread out across with palate with a little air. More subtle, elegant, and nuanced than the ’95, which had more power. Probably on the back end it’s drinking plateau.

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• 1995 Robert Mondavi Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 94 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  (9/16/2012)

  Similar flavor profile to the ’93, but deeper, with more concentrated full fruits and chewy tannins in the background. Black currant, cassis and licorice, with a pipe tobacco sweetness mixed in. Really spreads out horizontally on the palate. Oak is prominent, but mixes in well with the concentrated fruit. This was a delicious well made Napa cab probably near peak. 93-94

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• 1989 Château Rieussec 94 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

  (9/16/2012)

  Not sure I can describe the flavor profile well, but this came across as very youthful. Rich intoxicating nose with boytris, honeysuckle, bit of almonds. Mouthcoating, with a little zip of acidity that keeps it fresh. Very long finish. Seemed well balanced, with a vibrant focused palate that still comes across as light and elegant. Very good.

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• 1994 Taylor (Fladgate) Porto Vintage 91 Points

  Portugal, Douro, Porto

  (9/16/2012)

  This was decanted a couple hours before dinner. A little disappointing, showing quite a bit of heat on the nose. My palate was rather shot by this time, so I don't recall the flavor profile but do recall the texture. Prominent tannins on the palate, with mostly mature fruit, but still very youthful. Finish is very long, with good depth. Maybe just too young?

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