New Year's Eve at Seaside, OR

Tasted Friday, December 29, 2006 - Monday, January 1, 2007 by last chance with 642 views

Introduction

Went to Seaside, OR with friends for New Year's Eve. We brought along a lot of wine with us to send the year out in style.

Flight 1 - Day 1 (4 Notes)

  • 2003 Darioush Shiraz 90 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    (12/29/2006)

    Mocha, currant and some blackberry flavors coming out after a while. This wine really smoothed out with 30 minutes of air time. Good finish.

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  • 1995 Hedges Family Estate Cabernet-Merlot 85 Points

    USA, Washington

    (12/29/2006)

    Old & dying. This wine's better days are long gone. It's fading fast. Really not much left to analyze. It did get marginally better with some air time, but it quickly plateaued and began to show browning on the edges.

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  • 2002 Chappellet Cabernet Sauvignon Signature 87 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    (12/29/2006)

    Color was a little light. Medium bodied wine. Nose of blackberry and something earthlike that we couldn't pin down. Flavors of blackberry, cherry, mocha and some spice. Mouthfeel was pretty light, and the finish was short.

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  • 1999 Matthews Red Wine 90 Points

    USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Yakima Valley

    (12/29/2006)

    This still has a lot of life left in it. Good dark fruit flavors, and an improving mouthfeel. Love this wine.

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Flight 2 - Day 2 (5 Notes)

  • 2003 Cakebread Cellars Chardonnay Reserve 92 Points

    USA, California, Napa / Sonoma, Carneros

    (12/30/2006)

    Big, buttery and oaky. Just like remembered and enjoyed. It was even better when no one misplaces their purse...

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  • 2003 Page Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Limited Edition 90 Points

    USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Red Mountain

    (12/30/2006)

    Seemed much lighter this time than previous tastings, though it was not sour at all like it was at the release party. Red licorice nose, a lot of dark fruit flavors, and a nice finish. This wine is very approachable now.

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  • 2002 Dominus Napanook Red 90 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    (12/30/2006)

    This time I got mostly currant flavors. Still had the same great mouthfeel, and only took about 20 minutes to open up. Really great value.

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  • 2003 Baer Winery Ursa 90 Points

    USA, Washington, Columbia Valley

    (12/30/2006)

    Good dark fruit flavors, and much bigger than I remembered. I have always thought I liked the Arctos much more than Ursa, but this tasting will make me rethink that.

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  • 2003 Robert Karl Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon 91 Points

    USA, Washington, Columbia Valley

    (12/30/2006)

    This was a very fruity cab. It was a little light in color, but turned out to be suprisingly substantial. This was definately a crowd pleaser. None of the bell pepper flavors that were mentioned in the WS review were present in this bottle. None at all - only fruit. There is no way that this wine deserves an 82 score like WS gave it. That's just plain wrong.

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Flight 3 - Day 3 (7 Notes)

  • 2002 St. Clement Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain 91 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley, Howell Mountain

    (12/31/2006)

    Very nice plum and blackberry flavors. That distinctive Howell Mountain earthy flavor was there, and I picked it in a blind tasting. Got the year and the wine wrong, but nailed Howell Mountain. I enjoyed this wine very much, and I usually do not care a whole lot for Howell Mountain wines. Also had the Nickel & Nickel Vogt cab from Howell this evening and liked that as well. Maybe I need to revisit some of the other Howell Mountain wineries.

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  • 2001 Leonetti Cellar Merlot Columbia Valley 93 Points

    USA, Washington, Columbia Valley

    (12/31/2006)

    My first Leonetti Merlot. Nose of oak and dark fruits. Big flavors of currants, blackberries, and some earthiness. Great velvety mouthfeel, and a pretty good finish. Really enjoyed this wine. This one was right up there with the merlots from Lewis and Paloma.

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  • 2003 Boudreaux Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon 91 Points

    USA, Washington

    (12/31/2006)

    Drank this right after a 2001 Leonetti Merlot. We knew there was Leonetti fruit in here, but it's hard to beat a Leonetti Merlot. This seemed even lighter in the middle than it did before. But there is still some greatness in this bottle. Wish we hadn't consumed all 3 we had so early, but it was hard to hold off.

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  • 2001 Nickel & Nickel Cabernet Sauvignon Vogt Vineyard 89 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley, Howell Mountain

    (12/31/2006)

    Barnyard nose that turned to earth and something like cedar. Earthy flavors with dark fruits in there as well. One of the more enjoyable Howell Mountain wines that I have had - but that distinctive earth flavor was still present.

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  • 2000 Clos Pegase Cabernet Sauvignon Hommage 92 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    (12/31/2006)

    Didn't seem like quite the blockbuster it did back in April, but this wine was in some serious company on this evening. Very nice cherry and currant flavors with a great mouthfeel. Great memories of our first Napa trip too.

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  • 2003 DeLille Cellars Chaleur Estate 90 Points

    USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Red Mountain

    (12/31/2006)

    On opening there were candied plum flavors that turned to dark fruits with some earth. Very smooth mouthfeel and a long finish. It was New Year's Eve, and this bottle didn't stand a chance to be left alone to really open up, but it was much more enjoyable than the 2001 vintage that I had previously had.

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  • NV Gruet Winery Brut 84 Points

    USA, New Mexico

    (12/31/2006)

    Little bit too sharp and acidic to be really enjoyable, but not too bad.

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Closing

A great send off to 2006, and the start of a very happy new year!

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