New Canaan, CT
Tasted Friday, April 19, 2013 by overhill with 588 views
Matt B hosted at his house in New Canaan and it was quite an event. Great food, great wine, and great company. The theme was "2001" and we all brought a bottle from our cellars from that vintage. All tasting was blind and it led to a lively discussion about each of the wines. Before arriving I did a little homework and saw that 2001 was a blockbuster vintage in California, Piedmont, and the Chateauneuf and pretty meager elsewhere. So I was ready to peg everything into one of these regions. Well, it turns out that great producers make great wine regardless of year and we were treated to a wonderful variety. Although my favorite was the Montrose, I couldn't help but notice the uniform superb quality from California in this vintage. Each of the California wines was the best or among the best I have had from each producer.
We were joined by Matt's friends Tom K and David N.
After the initial tasting round, each person voted for their first, second, and third place wines. The dispersion was among the lowest of any of our tastings with each bottle scoring highly and no outliers either down or up. We were splitting hairs to pick favorites.
Thanks again, Matt. it was a wonderful evening.
Assorted cheese and Italian meats. Brie, cranberry, rosemerry & toasted almond puff pastry cups
Wild Mushroom and Pappardelle pasta. Grilled rack of lamb with a tarragon, cognac, dijon mustard sauce. Sauteed spinach, with garlic and Parisian cheese. Roasted finerling potatos
Matt B's wife's cheese cake with macerated strawberries. Excellent.
Thanks again, Matt!
2005 Joh. Jos. Prüm Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Spätlese 90 Points
Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
Slight petrol, apricot, and crushed slate. Good concentration, solid mid palette, and medium finish. JJ Prum seem to consistently deliver balanced, impeccably crafted yet interesting wines and this was no exception.
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2009 Donelan Vénus 86 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County
90% Roussanne, 10% Viognier. White Rhone varietals walk a fine line between uniquely interesting on one hand and weird on the other. This bottle tended more on the weird and blousy side. Maybe the ripeness brought out some of the sweeter and floral aspects of the grapes. Stone fruit, strawberry bubblegum, turnip, sweet floral, and tropical floral were all present. The fruit didn't carry past the mid palette. Short finish.
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