LM Birthday wines at the Palace, SF

With LM, BD, and D. I've rarely had as good a night of wine geekery, friendly mockery, and wandering conversation threads. Manny's tasting menu was interesting without being over-the-top, flavorful while still being eminently wine-friendly.

Escargot amuse
Arepas

A natural, low-SO2 white Vermentino blend from Berkeley brought by BD.

• 2013 Donkey and Goat Sluice Box 87 Points

  USA, California, Sierra Foothills, El Dorado

  Cloudy, hazy, pale straw in the glass. Vocal nose of dried apple, tropical fruit, lime zest, [bitter wood-colored tone - musty, slate? chalk?, something I couldn’t settle on a descriptor for]. I didn’t pick up any evidence of oak. In the mouth, maybe a hint of RS (or that could be just fruit and alcohol), medium body, medium alcohol, medium acid with a tart malic finish, light bitterness. I might have liked a touch more acid, but overall I found it expressive, interesting, and delicious.
  Between 8.5 and 9
  
  Winery is in Berkeley.
  48% Vermentino
  31% Marsanne
  13% Grenache Blanc
  9% Picpoul
  
  50% of the wine was skin fermented for 7 days.
  Minimum effective SO2 was used.
  13.2% alc.

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Foie gras with dates, curried broccoli and deconstructed arepa fritter
Asparagus salad
Steak with purple potato

• 1975 Château Léoville Barton

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

  First time I’ve encountered Bdx of this age - many thanks to LM for sharing this special bottle!
  
  In the glass, medium garnet (I didn’t get a good read on the bricking in the light). On the nose, my initial impression was of acetaldehyde, lean sharp green pyrazine (St. Julien, vineyards are 72% cab, 20% merlot, 8% cab franc), undertone of brett, and a glimmer of savory, distant fruit. Over time it opened up, but seemed fleeting. I needed to listen carefully and use some imagination to reconstruct it, but it had so many interesting things to say. I wish I were alone with it in a quiet well-lit room, free of other distractions.
  
  On the palate my first impression was one of austerity and leanness. At first (and especially after the young Vermentino blend), I thought “This is like slightly bretty, oxidative, tart, tannic water". But then I seemed to get past the initial front and found it polished, refined, and expressive - intriguing and beguiling, even. I was struck by the many tertiary aromas that presented themselves, slippery and enmeshed. I definitely felt a lack of context to really understand this, but it was easy to be drawn in. TS Eliot’s quip about great art being easy to recognize, difficult to understand comes to mind.
  
  No score, as I have no previous context. I’ve been curious about older Bdx for a long time - it was awesome to be able to taste this.

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• 1995 Château Pavie Macquin 93 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

  Bottle 61910855 from my cellar.
  Medium garnet in the glass, this had a beautiful nose of sweet tobacco, brown liquorice in the sun, light tones of stewed savory bell pepper, concentrated notes of black raspberry liqueur, and an underlying tamari savoriness (very light, not at the level that I get on Musar). It’s the next day and I’m still getting flashbacks.
  In the mouth it felt a bit short. Medium body, medium alcohol, medium acid, definitely plusher than Leoville Barton (both due to youth and probably because this is Right Bank / merlot based vs. Left Bank / cab based). Think a light fur coat. The finish is mostly acid and tannins though. Mostly I smelled this.
  
  LM and BD shared their experience and put this wine into context: This is a solid example but will get better in 5-10 years. Still a bit young to their taste.
  
  Score: Between 9 and 9.5. Despite the promise of improving with age, I was so stoked on this that I will probably drink my other bottle soon-ish. As in tonight. As in I might be drinking it right now.
  
  Vineyard: 80% merlot, 18% cab franc, 2% cab

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• 2011 Alta Maria Pinot Noir 85 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley

  Medium-pale ruby in the glass, my initial impressions of the nose were “reductive, elegant pinot.” It reminded me of a tasting I did at Vin, Vino, Wine in Palo Alto of several New Zealand Pinots. In the mouth, medium body, med+ alcohol, medium-high acid, low+tannins, and blatant wood. Well done, and in any other context it probably wouldn’t seem woody, but it did seem a bit out of place after the two older Clarets. Still, it seems like a well put-together wine.
  
  (side note on order: LM suggested that maybe youth should precede age. Sure, older wines are lighter, but if you aren’t rushed, your palate will adjust. By contrast, it’s hard to go from subtle complexity and tertiary notes to bold, clearly-delineated flavors without them seeming just a bit garish by comparison).
  
  12.7%
  
  Around 8.5

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• 1975 Château Siran Flawed

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

  Corked :(

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Wow. Just wow.
There was a dessert served somewhere in here that I don't remember. The Suduiraut blew it out of the water.

• 1975 Château Suduiraut 93 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

  Deep copper, with a reddish hue. Clear, star bright (strong acidity?).
  This nose is rockin’! - Several different types of beeswax, saffron, icy pear, all intertwined in a dead-sexy polish. In the mouth it is medium-bodied, medium+ sweetness, medium alcohol, and strong, clean acid. It all balanced out perfectly. Extending a point about Sauternes and acid and aging that LM made, it really seems like the heart of this wine is acidity, and point of the sugar is to support that beautiful, crystalline acidity. 40 years old and shows no signs of slowing down or tiring - it seems like this wine could go on forever. I think my notes say (and I could be misreading) - “drinking burnished gold in a field in sunshine” - whatever that means.
  
  Score: Between 9 and 9.5

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My favorite quote of the night, from someone who shall not be named, speaking about a wine that also shall remain nameless: "The wine isn't trying too hard to impress - it's not dressed up and polished. It’s like the clothes come off immediately, but then you realize you’re having a fantastic conversation."