Magnum night with the neighbors

Last night, my wife and I were joined by 4 other couple who live on our street. We all went downtown to sit at the chef's table at one of our favorite restaurants. This was a long, slow dinner (over four hours) with lots of small courses. Since there were ten of us, the "theme" of the wines was Magnums. There were also a couple of bottles of SonkinCellars wines that had been opened earlier in the day to fill in some gaps for us.

• NV Philippe Prié Champagne Tradition Brut 89 Points

  France, Champagne

  Good not great. IIRC, 80% pinot and 20% Chardonnay. From Magnum. Light golden in color. Lots of fairly small bubbles. The nose has a lot of toast and a bit of copper. Nice if not great. On the palate, this is a good starter. Some light strawberries with a bit of lemon and smoke. Nothing super special but a fun way to begin the evening and certainly way better than average.

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• 2012 Domaine de la Pépière Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine sur lie 91 Points

  France, Loire Valley, Pays Nantais, Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine sur lie

  Is there a better value in the wine world? I think not. $25 for a MAG. Light golden in color. The nose has sea air and crushed seashells along with a rocky minerality. light to medium bodied. Refreshing. A nice acidity that doesn't overpower the palate which has slight lemony notes with lots of minerality and a slight salinity. Crisp. Nice finish. Perfect early in the meal.

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• 2010 Cantine DEI Vino Nobile di Montepulciano 91 Points

  Italy, Tuscany, Montepulciano, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano

  Of course, still quite young but drinking very well from Magnum. Ruby/purple in color. The nose has cherries and dark cherries with some dustiness and anise. Medium bodied. A nice streak of acidity but by no means strong. Worked with food. Juicy cherries on the palate. Show some complexity. Easily a decade left in this format. Medium tannins. Nice finish.

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• 2011 Bosquet des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Tradition 90 Points

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

  From Magnum, this is young still but a nice showing. The nose has raspberries, some earthy funk, spice and slight floral notes. On the palate, this is not real ripe which works for it especially so young and at dinner. Nice black raspberry fruit. juicy acidity. Some complexity. A few years at least from peak of course, but drinking well today. A nice addition.

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• 2010 Jaffurs Syrah 92 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Barbara County

  From Magnum. The first bottle was corked. BTW, the good people at Jaffurs are already sending out a replacement bottle. Purple in color. What a great nose. This is the base Syrah and it is delicious. Very young but still drinking great. The nose has black raspberries, slight earthiness to it, grilled meats and just a bit of floral notes. Very nice texture. Juicy black raspberry fruit. Some complexity at this point in tight layering. Food friendly. Nice finish. Very pretty wine.

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• 2008 Bodegas y Viñedos San Roman Toro Viña San Román 92 Points

  Spain, Castilla y León, Toro

  From Mag. This was a backup bottle but somehow we needed more wine. Purple in color. The nose is young but nice with dark cherries, cedar and spice. Full bodied. On the palate, dark cherries with some sandalwood. There is a fair amount of oak here, but I am sure with time it will integrate. The acidity helps it work with food though. Nice finish.

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• 2005 Domaine des Baumard Quarts de Chaume Grand Cru 94 Points

  France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Quarts de Chaume Grand Cru

  Screwcapped 750. A nice taste to end the evening. Golden in color. The nose has honey, orange peel and some sea air. On the palate, this is sweet but not overtly. Slightly viscous texture. Nice acidity. Honey and citrus. Long finish. A nice way to finish the evening especially with some buttered popcorn crem brulee.

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We are very lucky to live in such a great neighborhood but even more so with such great neighbors. It was quite a night of over indulgence, but sometimes it is nice to be able to do that even if the next day is a bit slow.