Open THAT Bottle - Special Edition
Joe's Bistro
Tasted April 13, 2023 by I'd Rather Be Drinking Wine with 127 views
Introduction
This was a special edition of Open THAT Bottle. It started out a while back when we were all talking about special wines and I mentioned I would like to open a Salon, which none of us had ever tasted. One member of the group, who shall remain anonymous (but it wasn't Joe nor I), thought we should do a special Open THAT Bottle tasting where I would bring a Salon, Joe would host and our anonymous person would bring a 1994 Harlan. Well, just being one member of the group, who was I to argue!?!
Needless to say, this was an epic gathering of three of us, where I actually replaced two of my benchmark wines! The 2006 Salon replaced the 2008 Cristal as my benchmark Champagne, and the 1994 Harlan replaced the 1996 Harlan as my benchmark red! An awesome tasting with generous pours, great food, and of course great company made this a memorable and epic get-together! Hope you enjoy the notes even remotely as much as I enjoyed the wines!
Flight 1 - Starter Wine with apps (1 note)
Nose showed straw and minerals with some sea breeze and saline, along with hints of tropical fruit. Palate was laser focused and refreshing with lots of slate, some brioche/bread yeast and tart green apple. Nice wine and very enjoyable! Easy 93+ for my palate!
Flight 2 - Salon with Shrimp & Creamed Corn (1 note)
Nose showed some lemon peel, sea shell, animal musk (weird, but accurate) and baked brioche. Palate was steely, with lots of very creamy mousse and straw, coupled with poached pear and hints of baking spice.
For me, this was all about the mouthfeel...don't misunderstand me, nose and palate offered everything one would expect from a Grand Cru Champagne, but the mouthfeel really separated this Champagne for other top end Champagnes I have tasted. 98+ and a new benchmark for me! (Previous benchmark was 2008 Cristal)
Flight 3 - The Reds! With Hanger Steak cooked to perfection! (2 notes)
Nose shows lots of earth, dark fruit, lilac and cedar notes. Palate is compelling with plenty of earth, dark fruit, tobacco and leather, with some red fruit, spice and birch on the finish. A delightful wine that paired quite well with grilled hanger steak! 94+ easily!
OK....so when one member of our party said he was planning on opening a 1994 Harlan, I was like Pavlov's dog, just automatically started to salivate! I was extremely excited because (1) I had never had one and (2) my niece's birth year is 1994 and consequently I have had lots of 1994 wines from California, and have been impressed by all of them! My last 1996 Harlan seemed like it had lost a step, and I was slightly worried this would be even further behind. However, this wine proved there are still great bottles out there, so I am now chalking my 96 Harlan to bottle variation!
OK....the nuts and bolts! Nose was very perfumed (think Margaux) with purple flowers, red and dark fruit, sweet tobacco leaf and new leather with a tinge of spice. Palate was awesome with a typical Harlan silky mouthfeel, and exuding pure elegance on the tongue with dark fruit, think creme de cassis, intertwined with juicy plum, some earthy notes, some old leather and lots of sweet tobacco. Finish was long and elegant and slightly creamy, which I enjoyed immensely. 98+ (my highest score for a red wine) and a new benchmark for me! Wish I had a few of these in my cellar! Thanks Dan!
Flight 4 - Yquem with a fantastic dessert! (1 note)
Wine sucked but dessert was great!
Closing
Alas, all good stories must come to end! It saddens me to put this book down, but I look forward to the next one! Until then, Cheers and good health to all!