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Chicago Wine Flock...Hezi's Late 90s Trip Around the World
Hezi's - HP,IL
Tasted October 28, 2014 by Burgundy Al with 713 views
Flight 1 (13 notes)
White
2007 Paul Hobbs Chardonnay Ulises Valdez Vineyard
88 points
Tasted double blind. Clearly New World Chardonnay that most of us thought from Sonoma. Ripe pear and peach aromas and flavors with plenty of pronounced new oak and some baking spice hints. Lots of heat on finish that bothered me more than most other tasters tonight.
White
2003 Kistler Chardonnay McCrea Vineyard
flawed
Tasted double blind. A very odd bottle. First there seemed to be some spritz I would expect from secondary fermentation in bottle. Furthermore the wine was mostly stripped of any interesting (or uninteresting) aromas, then very flat on palate with a bitter note. I thought this was also slightly corked.
Red
1995 Coldstream Hills Pinot Noir Reserve
90 points
Tasted double blind. Seemed very much like old Pinot Noir to me, with lots of earth and mature red cherry aromas and flavors, all nicely textured. This would have been my WOTN but I don't think it was made under pristine conditions, coming across as slightly murky in both color and finish.
Red
1995 Tenuta Caparzo Brunello di Montalcino Riserva
88 points
Tasted double blind. Blackberry and some black cherry aromas. Lighter styled fruit flavors with good spice but just moderate depth or nuance. I don't think anybody correctly identified the grape or appellation of origin. Group liked this more than I did tonight.
Red
1995 Azienda Bricco Rocche (Ceretto) Barolo Brunate
86 points
Tasted double blind. Lighter styled red fruit aromas with faint spice. Red cherry again on palate that was just moderately appealing tonight with too much pronounced acidity for the level of fruit. Didn't come across as particularly "Piedmont" to me, but with hindsight these are wines that require prolonged cellar time.
Red
1995 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon The Montelena Estate
88 points
Tasted double blind. Good black fruit aromas and flavors with moderate complexity, coming across clearly as New World Cabernet to me tonight. One of the few wines where i was somewhat correct tonight.
Red
1995 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou
91 points
Tasted double blind. Large black fruit aromas and flavors, coming across as firm and slightly backward on both nose and palate. Firm tannins reduced the pleasure this wine provided tonight, this was one of the few bottles tonight that would clearly benefit from more time in the cellar. I liked this more than most in the group tonight.
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Red
1996 Antinori Solaia
91 points
Tasted double blind. This was quite a surprise, given the vintage. Very dense, powerful and meaty black fruit aromas and flavors. Clearly lots of new oak, but everything was in harmony tonight, providing a nice sense of elegance. Kept getting better over the course of 3 hours in glass.
Red
1999 Noon Shiraz Reserve
81 points
Tasted double blind. Extreme ripeness, beyond the point of anything positive. Clearly modern styled, but i thought it Grenache. Way too much heat on finish.
Red
1999 Château Pavie
93 points
Tasted double blind. Blackberry and some plum aromas, then the same flavors profile with very balanced new oak spice in support. Layers of complex, slightly mature flavors. My WOTN, the group's 2nd favorite. This is a wine I have really enjoyed since release, even though older (non-Perse) Pavie was rarely interesting and I have found Pavie from the early 2000s forward to be too fat and extreme.
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Red
1995 Pahlmeyer Proprietary Red
92 points
Tasted double blind. Spice driven start with some baking spice, eucalyptus and licorice. Clearly a New World wine that seemed all/mostly Cabernet to me, but good restraint and nuance. My 2nd favorite wine tonight, the group's favorite.
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White - Sweet/Dessert
1971 Balthasar Ress Hattenheimer Nußbrunnen Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese
90 points
Tasted double blind. Very dark color. Seemed like German Riesling to me, so I guess I was correct at least once tonight. Some marzipan and dried apricot. Some thought it a little too opulent or acidic, but I thought those characteristics added to this wine's charm.