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Sushi and vino

Sai Cafe, Chicago, IL

Tasted April 8, 2011 by KeithAkers with 527 views

Introduction

This was a free for all with wines being opened. The main thing was to bring something that would go with sushi. We had to have a few reds for the sake of it

Flight 1 (9 notes)

White - Sparkling
1998 L. Aubry Fils Champagne Premier Cru Aubry de Humbert France, Champagne, Champagne Premier Cru
91 points
nose: balanced and beautiful nose of bread tones, orange slices, mineral tones, all sorts of nutty tones and loads of citrus tones. excellent depth with rounder tones the nose as well

taste: silky medium feel with medium acidity with rounded and polished tones of marmalade, lots of citrus tones, nutty tones, warm breads and a lot of mineral tones

overall: this was a really good bubbly. Seemed to be more in the mature mode than I would expect from a 98. Still, this was well balanced and very aromatic right away. I would've loved to have had a full bottle of this in front of me
White - Sparkling
1998 Moët & Chandon Champagne Cuvée Dom Pérignon France, Champagne
89 points
nose: very leesy nose with a lot of power behind it and tones of apple cider, tropical citrus', minerals and a good amount of bread tones

taste: fuller bodied with medium+ acidity and very good tones of red apples, tropical citrus', minerals, wet stones, and some bits of warm bread

overall: this may be in a bit of a dumb phase. Wasn't showing too much complexity nor depth but came across more as a very good NV
White - Off-dry
2001 Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
93 points
nose: dense and complex nose filled with tones of tropical citrus, papaya, loads of mineral tones, green apples and layers of pears. Great depth to go with the complexity but the nose wasn't fully screaming yet

taste: extremely well balanced medium feel with medium+ acidity and delicious tones of papaya, green apples, pears, white fruits and a good amount of mineral tones as well. The acidity is still quite noticeable and still shows off the youth

overall: this is starting to get into that real good mode. Well balanced on both the nose and palate with good depth as well. While extremely good, there is a lot more that this wine can offer with time
White
2006 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru
90 points
nose: somewhat forward and fatter nose of melons, tropical citrus', pears, minerals, and some bits of grapefruits. Nice balance, but lacking some depth

taste: fatter and medium/full body with medium acidity and tones of melons, tropical citrus', crushed rocks and pears. Balanced, but lacking a bit on the mid-palate and seems slightly flabby

overall: This was a nice wine, but it was a bit too forward on both the nose and palate. It was lacking some depth that I would expect from a grand cru
White
2004 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis 1er Cru Fourchaume France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru
92 points
nose: crisp and steely nose filled with all sorts of mineral tones, crushed rocks, green apples, gun flint, pears and bits of citrus tones. Good depth with real precision behind the nose

taste: medium bodied, but on the lighter side, along with racy medium/high acidity. Steely and focused tones of crushed rocks, loads of minerals, green apples, and bits of pear tones all balance well together

overall: this is still very young. The acidity is very pronounced, though it played in well with the food. Great balance and very steely on both the nose and palate with very good depth as well
White - Off-dry
1994 Zilliken (Forstmeister Geltz) Saarburger Rausch Riesling Spätlese Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
94 points
nose: extremely aromatic and deep with tones of petrol, granny smith apples, pears, papaya, fig tones and a good amount of peaches as well. The tones jumped out of the glass with great balance as well

taste: deep and layered medium feel with medium/high acidity and plush tones of petrol, granny smith apples, pears, dried figs, and lots of peaches. Very suave and complete on the palate with a great mid-palate and finish as well

overall: This was great. So well balanced with great depth and layers of tones on both the nose and palate. The acidity was still a bit pronounced but it wasn't overwhelming at all. This doesn't seem like it's going anywhere for a long time
White
2004 Rhys Chardonnay Santa Cruz Mountains USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains
93 points
nose: absolutely no mistaking this for not being a cali chard with rich and layered tones of butter, marmalade, citrus tones, bits of roasted nuts and toast tones. Very well balanced and melded together on the nose

taste: full bodied with excellent depth and a real plush feel with tones of hot butter, marmalade, oranges, roasted nuts, and toast tones. Well layered and balanced on the palate with good medium acidity backing it up

overall: this was great stuff. Well balanced and rich without being overdone. Quintessentially californian but showing off the positive side of cali chard. Full bodied and deep on both the nose and palate, this was showing great
Red
2002 Nicolas Potel Pommard 1er Cru Les Pèzerolles France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Pommard 1er Cru
88 points
nose: rich and on the sappy side with tones of dark red fruits, red florals, berries, earth and oak tones as well. The oak is interfering a bit right now

taste: medium/full bodied with chewy tannins and medium acidity with rich tones of dark red fruits, berries, earth tones, and some oak on the back end as well

overall: there's still some real baby fat on this right now. Still shows the sappiness that I've been getting from 02s. This could still use some more time to shed the baby fat and hopefully absorb the oak
Red
2006 Cayuse Syrah Cailloux Vineyard USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley
91 points
nose: bit and rich nose with tones of red fruits, mineral rich earth, dark berries and black fruits. This was pretty tight and though it was showing good depth, the tones weren't really jumping

taste: full bodied and rich with taught and chewy tannins that do overwhelm a bit. Well balanced while being on the forward side with real good depth and tones of red fruits, mineral rich earth, and lots of dark berries

overall: this was popped and poured, it did need a long decant. This does feel like it can go a while and is would pretty tight right now. This can definitely be a rock star with more age to it

Closing

A real fun night. Lots of old face and a few new faces that were great to meet. Lots of great wine too on the whole and a whole lot of great food to boot

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