Dinner with Craig, Chris, and Steve

We decided to meet at my house for some great wine instead of hitting a local restaurant like we usually do. We arranged for a variety of interesting wines, and I put together some fairly simple food to pair as well as possible. In attendance were Steve Sigmond and his wife Jenny, Craig Vanderah, Chris Larson, and my wife Desiree. Unfortunately Brad England and Jeff Samuelson couldn't make it.

I've got to say this was a very fun night. Everyone was very relaxed, the conversation was free flowing and interesting, and the food and wines all showed pretty well. You know you are having a great night when you shake off a corked 1982 Leoville Barton like nothing happened.

Served with salmon rillettes, buttermilk crackers, and two cheeses. I was looking forward to trying the Bonneau du Martray. I lost out on the 1999 version of this wine on Winebid on Sunday night, and was wondering if I should keep looking for it. Based on this tasting, I think it is worth seeking out, but I probably won't break the bank trying to get it. The Calera pinot really surprised me. I have not had many California pinots, and the ones I have had are more fruit driven with less funkiness than I require. I have started to investigate the Calera mailing list. If their other wines are as good as this I should get some for the cellar.

• 2004 J.M. Boillot Rully 1er Cru La Pucelle Blanc 88 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte Chalonnaise, Rully 1er Cru

  Pale yellow color. The nose is a very expressive blend of lemon with floral notes and some minerality. Pleasant in an obvious and simple way. On the palate this was light bodied with decent fruit and plenty of acidity to keep things lively. A very nice way to start the night.

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• 2000 Bonneau du Martray Corton-Charlemagne

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru

  I was anxious to try this. The wine is a beautiful medium yellow color. The nose is extremely closed. Fruit and mineral arepresent, but you really have to work the glass to experience them. On the palate this is medium to full bodied. The flavors are very compact and the wine is well structured and balanced. The flavors are more honey and butterscotch with a good minerality. Nice finish. I'm not sure how to rate this. It is not showing much today but the raw material is there to be very exciting with additional bottle age. I will be interested to taste this in the future. Rated 90 to 95 for now.

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• 2002 Calera Pinot Noir Mills Vineyard 93 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast, Mount Harlan

  Dark ruby red color. I don't drink much California Pinot Noir, and was surprised by the deep red color. The nose was everything you could hope for with cherry, strawberry, earth, and a n endearing fungal note. Just great. In the mouth this is well balanced with some tannin present. The fruit is concentrated, and secondary flavors follow through to the taste. A cola note emerges in the long finish. I found this wine very exciting and immediately began investigating getting on Calera's mailing list. Desiree's WOTN.

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I found this flight thrilling. Much of this is emotional. Both bottles came from my cellar and were sort of orphans. I bought the 1994 from a local shop at a reasonable price within the past year or so, and I got the 1985 through Winebid mostly as an interesting way to fill in a case for shipping. I had low expectations for these because of their history and because Vieux Telegraph that I have tasted since the 1998 vintage has never showed well. These bottles gave me much hope for the 1998 through 2001 vintages resting quietly in the cellar.

These were served with an interesting terrine of lentils, white beans, and smokey bacon complimented by a shallot vinegarette with cherry tomatoes and chopped egg whites. The terrine paired well and the vinegarette detracted a bit, but overall an interesting pairing.

• 1985 Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe Châteauneuf-du-Pape 94 Points

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

  The color is a healthy brownish-red that is consistent with other recently opened CdP of this age. The nose is intense and expressive from the moment the bottle was opened -- giving a complex blend of dark cherry, garrigue/dried herbs, floral notes, and a mild mushroom. This intriguing complexity carries through to the palate. The flavors are augmented towards kirsch/sour cherries. The wine is balanced and smooth. Nice finish. Excellent.

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• 1994 Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe Châteauneuf-du-Pape 93 Points

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

  May not have been a perfect bottle, as there was a streak of wine up the cork that could indicate heating. However, the wine tasted great so there is no way to know for sure. Tasted side-by-side with the 1985. These two wines were extremely similar despite the fact that the 94 is nine years younger. A great nose with dark cherry, dried herbs, floral notes, and mushroom. Maybe a bit fresher/younger smelling than the 1985. On the palate this has more concentrated fruit than the 1985, but also shows a slight roasted fruit character. This is balanced and smooth and has a nice lingering finish. On this night I slightly prefered the 1985.

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The much anticipated match-up between the 1982 and the 1990 was ruined by a corked bottle. This was very disappointing, but the 1990 was great and we had plenty of wine since everyone brought a second bottle to sneak into the tasting. Served with Steaks a la Manlin and pasta of braised garlic and balsamic vinegar. A great food pairing for the Barton.

• 1982 Château Léoville Barton Flawed

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

  Corked.

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• 1990 Château Léoville Barton 95 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

  Dark red/black color. The nose is a stern and brooding blend of dark fruit, ceder, and an undelineated smoke/tobacco/earth. Primordial, but promising. The main thing you notice while tasting is the structure. This is extremly concentrated but compact on the palate. The taste is mainly blue/black fruit with a ton of minerality. The finish is tannic, concentrated, and lingering. Too bad the 1982 was corked, as it would have been very enlightening to try these side-by-side. I gave this 95 points, but I suspect it has the potential to exceed this given enough time. Buy up.

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This was served after the Chocolate Bouchons and before the coffee. Having a full 750ml bottle to split six ways was a real treat.

• 2003 Château Suduiraut 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

  An awesome way to finish the night. Thanks Steve. A huge nose giving apricot, honey, lavendar, eucalyptus, mint, and lots and more. On the palate this is thick and luxurious. Just barely balanced -- could use a little more acidity, but didn't taste cloying in any way. Long, long finish. I didn't clean the glasses until 24 hours later, and the smell in the empty glasses was still intense. More of a brute force and straight-forward stickie than say d'Yquem, but excellent. Desiree really like this.

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I choose not to name a WOTN. Each of the wines was thrilling in its own way and the evening was so relaxed and enjoyable that I am going to just savor the memories. Thanks to Craig, Chris, Steve, and Jennie for making this such a wonderful evening.