Celebrating Good Health

Some time ago, a good friend of ours from the blind tasting group was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He and his spouse kept the news to thenselves as he fought it and underwent treatment. He remained positive throughout and even began planning a celebratory dinner around the time he began the treatment. At his recent follow up with his doctors, he learned that the long-term prognosis was excellent and he appears to be cancer free. He will have to monitor his health closely from here forward, but it was time to schedule the celebratory dinner. A few weeks before the dinner, one of the attendees suffered a heart attack. Luckily, he recognized what was happening and immediately called for help and he is close to an excellent hospital. Those factors combined to allow him to come through relatively unscathed. We assumed we wouldn't see him at this dinner though, being so soon removed from a potentially life-altering event, but he had been released from the hospital and back to work after just a few days and was feeling very well and so he attended, and limited himself to the few ounces of wine his doctors allowed him.

So the format for this event was quite fun. Roughly a week before the event, our hosts sent out the wine list. We would taste the reds in one single blind flight, and try to figure out which was which. We were asked to bring eight stems and bottles of red wine for dinner following the tasting. Our hosts provided the warm ups, flight of 2012s, and the d'Yquem and port.

Enjoyed nonblind with D's delightful from-scratch gougères.

• NV Ruinart Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut 93 Points

  France, Champagne

  Lot LAJTC. Rich and heady bouquet of roasted apple, vanilla custard, toasted marshmallow and lemon curd. Abundant orchard fruit on the palate, along with marshmallow and custard. Hint of chalky/mineral in the finish.

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• 2013 Peter Michael Chardonnay Ma Belle-Fille 95 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Knights Valley

  Aromas of apple, vanilla, coconut, honeysuckle, almond and minerals. Bright flavors of apple and lemon, along with toasty oak and mineral. Long finish. The MBF is usually my least favorite of the PM chardonnays but this 2013 is flat out gorgeous. 95+ pts, and I believe everyone preferred it to the Lewis.

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• 2014 Lewis Cellars Chardonnay Reserve 92 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Opens with a heavy toasted quality, followed by apple and a hint of banana. Nice chardonnay fruit on the palate; develops a tropical edge and ends with a nice bit of toast.

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Single blind, shown in the order tasted, A to H.

• 2012 Revana Cabernet Sauvignon 94 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley, St. Helena

  Single blind. Opens with loads of black raspberry, cherry and chocolate. Has a bit of a liqueur-like sweet alcohol quality in the bouquet. Flavors of vanilla and black fruit with a long finish. A candied red fruit aroma emerges, along with a raspberry liqueur quality. This is nicely balanced, ending with dark fruit that lingers on the finish. 94-95 pts.
  
  My #3, Domino's #6
  Group #6, 47 pts

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• 2012 Barbour Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon 91 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley, St. Helena

  Single blind. Aromas of chocolate, currants, black fruit and cedar. A little thin on the palate, with a sharper more pronounced oakiness. Spice and dark fruit on the finish. Develops nice herbal and earthy clay notes. Remains a bit thin and is slightly angular.
  
  My #5, Domino's #2
  Group #1, 25 pts

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• 2012 Herb Lamb Cabernet Sauvignon HL 88 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Single blind. A touch sour and vegetal, with red fruit underneath. Better on the palate though, with red berry fruit and spice notes. Still a bit boring by comparison. Sour cherry and red berry fruit as it opens.
  
  My #8, Domino's #8
  Group #8, 57 pts

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• 2012 Araujo Estate Altagracia 93 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Single blind. Cedar, black fruit, cassis, spice, pepper and plum liqueur aromas. Medium-bodied, with nice dark fruit and turning red through the finish. As it sits, it develops a nice herbal note. On the palate it gains weight as it opens too, shows nice balance and depth. 93+ pts.
  
  My #4, Domino's #3
  Group #5, 43 pts

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• 2012 Gandona Cabernet Sauvignon Encosta 96 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley, St. Helena

  Single blind. Dark color. Mixed red and black fruit aromas, with a slight sour note, along with plum, berry and just a bit of alcoholic heat. Flavors of chocolate and dark fruit. This has an interesting ferrous/iron note that I really like. Long and balanced across the palate. Develops lovely floral and herbal overtones. Long finish; balanced.
  
  My #1, Domino's #1
  Group #3, 35 pts

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• 2012 Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon Special Selection 90 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Single blind. Opens with notes of plummy dark fruit, vanilla, cedar, earth and spice. Some heat too. Syrupy dark fruit on the palate with a sweet candied finish. As it sits the bouquet turns to vanilla extract, brown sugar and plummy dark fruit. Tannins are fine, showing much of the vanilla extract and brown sugar on the palate, remaining dark and syrupy sweet. This has to be the Caymus SS.
  
  Excellent in this style, and I can see why this has fans, but it's not something I'd want more than a glass of.
  
  My #7, Domino's #5
  Group #4, 42 pts

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• 2012 Peter Michael Au Paradis 94 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville

  Single blind. Opens with a wonderful herbal green quality, with abundant dark fruit underneath. Firm and full on the palate, with cassis, dark berry, sweet vanilla and a long finish. Almost an unripe sauvignon-like capsicum quality here, but I think it's more that this has a lot of franc blended in. Mixed fruit and herb on the palate, balanced and long. Excellent. 94-95 pts. I initially thought this was the Au Paradis but changed my guess...should have stuck with my gut.
  
  My #2, Domino's #4
  Group #2, 28 pts

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• 2012 Seavey Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 91 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Single blind. Notes of clay and red berry fruit, turning dark as it sits. A touch hot at first. Black fruit, vanilla, and red plum liqueur on the palate. Develops a nice herbal undertone. Balanced, with nice tannins.
  
  My #6, Domino's #7
  Group #7, 47 pts

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Nonblind, with a terrific beef stew, fitting for a chilly fall evening. For dessert, D made a terrific spiced cake roll featuring the flavors and spices of the season.

• 1997 Robert Mondavi Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 87 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Popped and poured. Has a slight bouillon note in the bouquet, along with red berry fruit underneath. Better on the palate than the nose suggests, with cherry, cedar and red berry fruit. Fully-integrated. Drink 'em up, as I think these are heading downhill.

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• 2010 Domaine Joseph Voillot Volnay 1er Cru Champans 85 Points

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

  Courtesy of J&P. Cherry and stone notes; simple. Balanced, with nice cherry fruit, mineral and acid. Balanced, but one-dimensional.

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• 2001 Copain Zinfandel Arrowhead Mountain 60 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County

  Courtesy of Doc. Awful, though not unexpectedly so...I've had this quite a few times over the years and only once did it show well. A stewed red fruit note quickly gives way to a dominant aroma of nori. On the palate this is sour and acidic. Just awful.

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• 2012 Château Pape Clément 93 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  This was decanted for two and a half hours, bottled for travel and then left uncorked to breath for a couple of hours before it was poured with dinner. Notes of iron and dark fruit with a nice tobacco undertone. The palate mirrors the bouquet. Long finish. Wonderful. 93-94 pts. Drink from 2028+.

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• 2012 Outpost Cabernet Sauvignon True Vineyard 93 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley, Howell Mountain

  Courtesy of R&R. Inky dark color, opaque to the meniscus. Aromas of cassis and dark fruit, licorice and vanilla. The palate follows the bouquet. Lengthy finish that has a slight hint of pepper. Excellent. 93+ pts.

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• 1999 Château d'Yquem 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

  From 750ml. Tropical fruit, honey and marmalade. Medium weight on the palate, with pineapple, tropical fruit, honey and apricot. A hint of botrytis spice in the finish.

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• 1991 Graham Porto Vintage 93 Points

  Portugal, Douro, Porto

  From 750ml. Aromas of chocolate and red berry fruit. Red and black fruit, plum and spice in the finish. Wonderful. The more I try from Graham, the more I find that I enjoy the house style. Plenty of time here, but beginning to enter a nice window.

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So tonight ended up as a celebration of the health and good fortune for two friends. As R toasted his recovery and J's good luck with his heart, he noted very appropriately that life is made better with family, friends and loved ones and should be cherished, and how fortunate that we all are to enjoy great wine with those who enhance our lives. Cheers.