Westchester Wine School - Premium Wine Tasting

The final tasting of the WWS Fall season, and a great way to end the year. Some excellent wines!

• 2002 Ruinart Champagne Dom Ruinart Blanc de Blancs 93 Points

  France, Champagne

  Drank at WWS tasting for end of Fall season. (Disgorged 3/2012)Pale straw color, nose of crisp apples. Sharp acidity, a bit toasty, elegant tiny bubbles. Great concentration of fruit, and wonderful complexity. Creamy, with quite nice minerality, and a bit on the briny side. Very chablis-like. A wonderful bottle of bubbly. First time I've had but will definitely revisit.

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• 2007 Domaine Marquis d'Angerville Volnay 1er Cru Clos des Ducs 92 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay 1er Cru

  Drank at WWS tasting. Pale red color, a bit of browning at the edges. Generous nose with floral accents, sweet fruit and some smoke. Lots of red fruit (cherries & raspberries), fairly firm, none-intrusive tannins, nice softness. Good length, some mustiness at the back end. Enjoyed the smoky quality of this wine

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• 2008 Domaine Trapet Latricières-Chambertin 93 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Latricières-Chambertin Grand Cru

  Drank at WWS tasting. Fairly dark ruby color, some browning. Reticent nose showing some feint floral notes. Sufficient level of dark red fruit here, soft tannins, but lots of earth & barnyard. Soft, fairly sweet finish with good length. Much more in the earth than fruit family. A bit musty too. Very nice wine that improved in the glass in every way. Enjoyable wine that has a nice future ahead

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• 2005 Château Valandraud 94 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

  Drank at WWS tasting. Dark, plummy in color. Lovely nose of chocolate, sweet plums & coffee that grew ever more intense in the glass. Lots of plums & other dark fruit here, still quite tannic, but soft and chalky. Very round, sexy wine on the fairly opulent side. Also a bit hot, but all elements nicely integrated making for a deliciously complex, interesting pour. Very enjoyable and still a long way to go.

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• 2005 Château Lynch-Bages 91 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  Drank at WWS tasting to close out the Fall season. Drank with a 1996 LB from my cellar. Dark ruby color. Nose pretty much closed--perhaps some coffee/espresso. Very tight, firm tannins, dark fruit, some lead pencil, some espresso. Clearly a fine, well-structured wine, but very much in its dumb phase presently. Very hard to draw much out of this wine, either due to its youth, its brief time in the decanter, or a combo of both, especially when compared to the excellent, quite lovely 1996. I wouldn't touch this wine again for at least 5 years.

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• 1996 Château Lynch-Bages 95 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  Drank at WWS tasting. Decanted for 90 minutes, and drank side by side with a 2005 (that was not ready). Dark color, a bit of orange at the rim, medium bodied. Very expressive nose of dark fruit, tar, tobacco, green pepper. On the palate, plenty of fruit, still some tannins but mostly resolved, lots of dark fruit, lead pencil, cassis, tar, tobacco. A mile long! Wonderful, classic bordeaux with great concentration, length, & power. If one were to quibble, one could argue that it perhaps lacks some depth at the back end, but that's really pushing it. A great wine in a great place right now. Easily voted the WOTN. Glad I have a few more in the cellar.

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• 2010 Clos des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape 90 Points

  France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape

  Drank at WWS tasting. Deep garnet color. Very fragrant nose of sweet red fruit, roses and white pepper. Big, round, rich & sexy. Overly extracted though not particularly oaky. On the hot side, fairly lush & powerful. Way too young, and very modern style. This is very much a Parker-style wine; not for me, though no doubt many would love it as it is clearly a well-made wine (and I've loved past vintages).

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• 1999 E. Guigal Châteauneuf-du-Pape 91 Points

  France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape

  Drank at WWS tasting. Medium red color, with some browning at the edges. Very generous nose of earth, mushrooms & other tertiary aromas. Though i couldn't find much fruit on the nose, there was sufficient red fruit on the palate. Tannins mostly resolved. Some spice & decent length. Nice wine, though nothing particularly memorable here (tho I did love the nose)>

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• 2006 Castello Banfi Brunello di Montalcino Poggio alle Mura 89 Points

  Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino

  Drank at WWS tasting. Dark red color, no bricking. Some fruit and earthy notes on the nose. Modern style wine, fairly extracted with sweet red cherries. A bit on the thin side, too hot, and too extracted. Not for me

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• 2008 Antinori Tignanello 92 Points

  Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT

  Drank at WWS tasting opposite a 1998 Tign. Dark red color, nose a bit on the tight side, with wood, some leather and some vanilla. Sweet red fruit, tightly structured, very concentrated with very long, firm tannins & slate. Good complexity here, with power and concentration. Just a bit young to open right now, but a solid wine with a bright future. Much better than the 98 in my opinion.

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• 1998 Antinori Tignanello 90 Points

  Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT

  Drank at WWS tasting vs a 2008 version. Pale red with some bricking. Lots going on in the nose: Earth, barnyard, green peppers (a bit vegetal). Mostly tertiary elements, with fruit somewhat faded. A bit on the thin side and lacking balance. Still plenty of tannins but doesn't have the fruit to balance the wine. Mostly tertiary in style now, lots of sediment. Drink up

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• 2001 La Rioja Alta Rioja Gran Reserva 904 92 Points

  Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja

  Drank at WWS tasting. Exuberant bright red in color. Nose of sweet red fruit and some wood. Lots of fruit (strawberries) on the palate, and the oak is not quite as integrated as I would have preferred. Lots of earth too, tobacco, some meat, good acidity, showing great balance. A very enjoyable wine, showing wonderful complexity that has aged quite well, and is drinking really well right now. Best value of this tasting hands down!

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• 1996 Château d'Yquem 95 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

  Drank at WWS premium wine tasting. Golden color, but not particular dark yet. Nose of apricots, some pineapple & honey. Good sweetness, but not at all cloying. Nicely balanced with good acidity level. Apricots, honey, beeswax, & marmalade. Also somewhat of a musty, earthy quality too. Very subtle, elegant wine with great complexity. Still a baby, but drinking very well. Great way to end a great tasting (especially when matched with a fine Stilton). Good stuff!

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