Wine Dinner

Bella Trattoria, San Francisco
Tasted Friday, October 24, 2014 - Sunday, October 26, 2014 by aagrawal with 457 views

Introduction

A wonderful biannual dinner with friends who love sauternes.

Flight 1 - White (1 Note)

A rare treat, the Dauvissat was showing incredibly well. Balanced, enjoyable, fruity, this was everything I wanted in a Chablis and one of the highlights of the evening.

Flight 2 - Reds (3 Notes)

I brought the 1995 Dunn and didn't realize that it was slightly corked. It was exceptional nonetheless. The 2001 Dunn is excellent as well, though noticeably younger and a bit riper than the 1995 (which I will try again at some point soon). The Bond was a very good supple wine, though made in a more modern style with riper fruit.

  • 1995 Dunn Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain 93 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley, Howell Mountain

    (10/24/2014)

    The wax capsule was an absolute pain to get off and the cork disintegrated into a million pieces. Color is deep ruby with just a bit of bricking; nose is elegant, moderately intense but very complex with well integrated black fruit combined with very subtle mint, leafy underbrush, some green fruit like asparagus; palate is full bodied, rich black fruits throughout, tannins build through the midpalate and give a bit of grip but very balanced, fabulous acidity throughout so the wine always feels light on its feet; finish is medium length and fades just a touch. This is a recognizably californian but traditionally styled and very balanced cabernet made to be complex instead of dense, feels like it is in early maturity with plenty of time ahead. Not meant to be a blockbuster, just a solid well-made cabernet. This reminds me a bit of a 1995 Mouton that I have had in the past with its elegance and particular fruit + green profile. 92-94.
    Update: At dinner, after a friend pointed it out, this has just the slightest bit of TCA. This is remarkable that it still has so much flavor, density, and interest despite a bit of TCA, and it speaks to the quality of the underlying wine. Keeping my rating intact, though future bottles may be even better.
    Day 3: the fruit has receded a bit and the TCA comes across as slightly more prominent, but I'm still struck by how enjoyable this wine is. I'm looking forward to trying another bottle in the next year.

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  • 2001 Dunn Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain 93 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley, Howell Mountain

    (10/24/2014)

    Younger, slightly more reticent nose, deeper black fruit, purer blackberry fruit, slight mint; palate is full bodied, good tannin, youthful. Very nice with a lot of aging potential. A bit riper in style than the 1995, though still traditionally-styled. 93++

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  • 2009 BOND Melbury 92 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    (10/24/2014)

    Deep ripe blueberry fruit; palate is full bodied, ripe, modern style, very well balanced, young. Medium finish. Very nice. 92+

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Flight 3 - Yquem mini-vertical (3 Notes)

Lessons:
1) The 1995 was the best of the three, easily. The most well balanced, fresh, great acidity, some of the best complexity, and a long life ahead. The 1998 is a value Yquem which is enjoyable but nothing profound. The 2011 is impossible to evaluate at this young age. It seems excellently balanced and will likely turn into something very good. I would love to try the 2011 again in 2016+.
2) Halves are a wonderful size.
3) Wait 15 years before seriously trying an Yquem.
4) At least two of these wines had interesting grapefruit notes comparable to Fargues. Also, the style was strongly reminiscent of Fargues.
5) There was supposedly a stylistic shift in 2005 from the more rich and unctuous Yquem to a lighter less barrel-aged Yquem (2 years instead of 3). This is the first post-style shift Yquem that I've tried (the 2011), and it's hard to know what conclusions to draw. In one respect, the style of the 1995 and 1998 is much more my preference and I think a big part of what makes Yquem what it is (the richness but freshness), and the 2011 seems to head too far into the minerality spectrum of a good Barsac. But it may also be too early to evaluate, so judgements will need to wait until it has some age on it.

  • 2011 Château d'Yquem 94 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

    (10/24/2014)

    From a half. Orange, citrus, grapefruit, kumquat, complex, intense; palate is full bodied, rich, but fresh, tropical fruit, apricot, incredibly young; finish is long. Very difficult to assess, but has all the components and is very nice. 93++
    On retaste 30 min later, the nose had developed substantial spiciness and great botrytis.
    Day 6: Light yellow-golden color; incredible freshness with citrus fruit, grapefruit, some vanilla; palate is full bodied, has great lightness but also fabulous density of fruit, explosive flavors, still citrus fruit; finish is long. This is a fabulous sauternes, but is it many times better than other top chateaux? Not right now, but maybe someday. Try another half in two decades. Still 93++
    Update: Every once in a while, I'll sniff this wine and the nose will just be haunting, just a wonderful combination of spice, fruit, and depth. I'm really curious about how this turns out... it could be superb, but it's just really difficult to tell. Maybe some glimpses of brilliance... 93-97++
    Day 7: Similar in style to above notes, but this keeps generating more and more complexity over time. Almost a floral and honeysuckle component to the nose now, but still plenty of fresh fruit. Palate is youthful but has impeccable balance, maybe even becoming slightly richer than when first opened (very promising, as that was the biggest style shift from more aged yquem). 94-97++ today.

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  • 1995 Château d'Yquem 95 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

    (10/24/2014)

    From a 375. Fresher, lighter styled nose, caramel; palate is full bodied but light on its feet, minerally, persistent through the palate, grapefruit on the palate, tangy citrus; finish is long. Exceptional sauternes and a very good Yquem, lacking only the extra level of complexity and length of the best vintages. An Yquem that would pair fabulously with a wide variety of food. Still many years ahead of it. 93-95. 94
    Day 6: More of a golden-coppery tone; nose has great subtle complexity with fantastic depth of caramel, rich fruits; palate has persistent fruit, rich and flavorful but light and refreshing. Fantastic, and probably the best balanced out of the 95, 98, and 11 served together. A real treat, and a nice one to have in the cellar for the next few decades. 94-95+
    Day 7: Similar to yesterday. One point of clarification: despite describing this wine as lighter and more minerally, that is only in comparison to the '98. It is still an opulent (but balanced) rich wine with excellent acidity, still very much in the classic Yquem style. This is still a youngster with much life ahead and a lot of potential development. 94-95, maybe 95 today.

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  • 1998 Château d'Yquem 91 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

    (10/24/2014)

    From a half. Moderate intensity nose with more mature characteristics, slight minerality, coppery; palate is rich, unctuous, rich, losing a bit of its sweetness so is balanced in a food way, a little short on the palate; medium length finish. Very nice, entering maturity, but a little short for an Yquem. 91-92
    Day 6: Deep golden color; nose similar to above with mature notes, minerality, copper, a bit of botrytis spice; palate is dense, unctuous, but still has great acidity and is refreshing, and again lacking just a bit of length. Still 90-92, which is a very good sauternes but a middling Yquem.
    Day 7: Unchanged and holding up well. Despite the early hints of mature notes, still a teenager and has a lot of development ahead. Will be interesting to see where this goes.

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Flight 4 - Bonus wine (1 Note)

An interesting off-theme dessert wine. I didn't try it the night of the dinner since I didn't want to distract from Yquem, but Geary kindly let me take it home and try it later. Interesting to try, and I can see the potential if it was a higher quality wine. As someone who hasn't tried much Italian dessert wine, this makes me interested in Amarone or other sweeter wines that may be in a similar style but better complexity.

  • 2004 Bonny Doon Vineyard Recioto of Barbera 85 Points

    USA, California

    (10/26/2014)

    500mL. Day 2 after opened. Deep purple color, cannot see through, no bricking; nose of plums, blueberry fruit, slight VA; palate is sweet, full bodied, has some jammy blackberry and blueberry fruit that fade quickly through the midpalate, slight tannic bite in the midpalate; finish is short. I didn't try this the night it was opened since I didn't want to focus on anything but the Yquem horizontal, and this would have stuck out a bit. On a different day, the style is interesting, almost like a lighter more acidic port, but the quality overall is average (short palate, short finish, simple jammy fruit flavors). Drink up now. 85-86

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Closing

Always a wonderful dinner with wonderful friends. And plenty of sauternes.

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