Cheers to the Record Snowfall

23.2" of snow falling in Philadelphia scuttled other plans and called for an impromptu wine tasting in the 'hood... we raided the cellars and brought out some nice stuff that we were all eager to try.

A white Rhone -- still an area I am unfamiliar with. I should have brought an SQN white for comparison, but alas, this wasn't planned in advance!

• 2005 Domaine Georges Vernay Condrieu Les Chaillées de l'Enfer 91 Points

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Condrieu

  really lovely nose of honeydew, marmalade, quince, and apricot. palate continues to show the melon, with a nice, medium(+) body. the nose by itself makes this wine excellent, but the palate couldn't keep up with it and then there is some heat on an otherwise pleasant finish.

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The mishmash we had pulled happened to include three White burgs, so we put them next... The Coton Charlie shined above the others (my WOTN and I believe the group's as well), but the Leflaive also showed quite nicely.

• 1997 Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Folatières 91 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru

  this showed really nicely -- the nose showed quitre a bit of oak, with med(+) toast. also some nice crisp asian pear notes. buttery med(+) bodied palate shows underripe fruit with some green notes coming through the creamy mouthfeel. really nice white pepper notes behind the fruit and oak play well. med(+) sweet finish.

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• 1995 Louis Jadot Chevalier-Montrachet Les Demoiselles Domaine des Héritiers Louis Jadot

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru

  Not going to give this a number... I need to try more aged White Burgs side-by-side to know if this was again flawed, or I just don't know what I should be looking for. There is an offputting attack on the nose, with oxidized aromas. behind that is apricot and honey. The palate is significantly more pleasant, showing toffee, ginger, quince, and the apricot and honey from the nose. nice finish.

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• 2005 Bouchard Père et Fils Corton-Charlemagne Domaine 95 Points

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

  really oaky on the nose -- can barely smell anything around the oak. An initial sip is a revelation, with flavors exploding across the palate. Green apple, butter, mineral, clove, and a hint of tropical fruit. The best part of this is the fresh acidity that makes this a joy to drink. A lovely finish that shows freshly, without any heat. An outstanding wine, and a shame I only had one bottle!

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This had been a late scratch from a Pinot tasting two weeks back, so it was on hand and ready to go.

• 2006 Auteur Pinot Noir Sonoma Stage Vineyard 92 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

  the nose shows some heat. nice raspberry and tobacco aromas jump from the glass. the medium(-) bodied palate takes these and also adds in sour cherry and black pepper notes. lots of red berry fruit on this. With some air the sour cherry comes through even more. med(+) acid level and a med finish. Nice wine

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My first Carlisle, and I had just bought some extra 06 Lillian so I could try one soon... I am VERY glad to have many more resting in California and will continue to seek out more of these outstanding wines.

• 2007 Carlisle Syrah Russian River Valley 91 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley

  It was quite a shift going from pinot to this. plum, chocolate, sweet black fruit -- a blackberry liqueur or pie filling. medium finish. A great value at $20 price point.

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• 2007 Scholium Project Gardens of Babylon 89 Points

  USA, California

  very fruity, with blackberry and plum liqueur -- very sweet fruit. medium(+) tannins are a bit out of sync with the wine right now. The best description of this wine I could come up with was "slutty" -- it was extremely forward and the sweetness was overpowering.

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• 2006 Lillian Winery Syrah 94 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Barbara County

  lots of black fruit, sitting on top of some meat and saltiness. the best part of this wine is the really lovely mint note on the nose and early in the palate -- it just makes this so light and feminine, even when there is such a powerful wine underneath. The interplay is remarkable. Long finish. I may have been conservative in scoring this. It developed nicely on day 2.

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My brother had also brought a Carlisle that he had recently bought -- a Zin, which fit in nicely to this grab bag tasting

• 2007 Carlisle Zinfandel Carlisle Vineyard 90 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley

  very fruity, with lots of plum and boysenberry. jammy fruit, but also somewhat restrained and not overly sweet. medium(-) finish is a little disappointing.

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How could we end a wintery night with anything other than a vintage port -- I went young, as I hadn't advance decanted anything or even stood a bottle up. The Warre's fit the bill nicely.

• 2003 Warre Porto Vintage 92 Points

  Portugal, Douro, Porto

  Extremely concentrated black fruit on the palate. Plum, cherry, nutmeg. medium(+) finish is nice and sweet and leaves you with the warming feeling you expect from port.

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Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!