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Northwoods New Year 2010
Boulder Junction, Wisconsin
Tasted December 27, 2009 - January 3, 2010 by vanpe003 with 1,042 views
Introduction
Another year in a great tradition of spending New Year's up in Northern Wisconsin with friends. Skiing, hanging out, eating and drinking with the FBM clan. Too many wines to remember them well, so the notes in this batch are a bit suspect in terms of detail. Also don't have any notes for a whole bunch of champagnes that FBM opened up. A shame, as they were all generally quite nice. The wines below were consumed over a week, and with the exception of the 1st flight and the last, I grouped by "type" rather than order of consumption.
Flight 1 - First Night Reds (4 notes)
A pretty remarkable bunch of wines given that they were selected somewhat randomly for the first night in camp. The Benton Lane was a particular surprise, drinking much better now than it did a couple years ago. The Hansel and Tablas Creek were two of the best wines opened all week.
Red
2004 Benton-Lane Pinot Noir
90 points
Probably the best of these I've had. Significantly more depth on the palate. The stems have morphed a bit, giving off notes of pepper on the palate. In retrospect, I wish I would have saved more of these, as this is my last bottle and I think it is at or near it's prime.
Red
2004 Williams Selyem Pinot Noir Russian River Valley
90 points
Initially the same tartness as a prior bottle, but that quickly resolves after about 20 minutes in the glass. Very well balanced for current drinking, but lacks the depth or complexity for a "wow" or a higher score.
Red
2002 Walter Hansel Winery Pinot Noir The Three Rows
94 points
My score can be summed up by two words - mouth feel. Smooth, lush, and thick. At the same time, the flavor profiles are not over-the-top or cloying. Too much going on in the kitchen of our small cabin to make any meaningful comments on the nose. On the palate, relatively dark Pinot fruit, little if any overt acidity. Long finish. At least for me, this wine is at it's apex for current drinking. For my palate and from memory, this is one of the top 10 pinots I've had.
Red
2003 Tablas Creek Esprit de Beaucastel Panoplie
94 points
I can't really speak to the nose on this, as I sit in our small cabin where the aromas from the kitchen overpower everything in their path. However, without any detail, there seems to be a lot coming out from the top of the glass, dark fruits on the nose, just can't pick out individual notes. On the palate, rich and for me a surprise as to it's approachability. There's a bit of a slightly sour lift on the midpalate (Grenache influence?) and fine tannins on a 30 second finish. I only get one bottle of this every year. If I had more, I'd probably opt to hold for 24-36 months.
Flight 2 - Champagnes (7 notes)
Usually the highlight of this New Years tradition, this year was no exception. The Taittinger and Philipponnat were the two best, but most everything was very, very good and in some ways it is a matter of taste to declare a winner. The Scharffenberger was quite nice, and a very good QPR, but did not stand up to the rest of the Champagnes served, whether those listed below or the ones I've omitted.
White - Sparkling
N.V. Bruno Gobillard Champagne Vieilles Vignes Brut
92 points
Another well balanced bottle drinking very well on its own. Lively. I like the relative consistency of this from bottle to bottle.
White - Sparkling
N.V. Scharffenberger Brut
88 points
Medium bodied. Not super complex initially, but develops nicely in the glass. Very nice for the price.
White - Sparkling
N.V. Comte Audoin de Dampierre Champagne Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs
88 points
Pleasant, but lacks balance, length of finish.
White - Sparkling
2002 Marcel Moineaux Champagne Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Brut
No detailed notes on this one. G. opened it up while cooking and raved about it. With a little help from others, she killed it before I got a taste. Seemingly a hit...!
White - Sparkling
N.V. Laurent-Perrier Champagne Grand Siècle Brut
92 points
This drank much younger out of the magnum as compared to prior 750s. Everything seemed to be in place, but seemingly in need of time. No idea on comparative disgorgement dates.
White - Sparkling
1996 Taittinger Champagne Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut
95 points
Fuller bodied than many if not all of the other champagnes opened this week. Finish goes on forever. This is probably the best bottle of this I've had to date. Seems to be entering into its drinking window, unlike prior bottles which seemed good but young.
White - Sparkling
1999 Philipponnat Champagne Brut Clos des Goisses
94 points
No detailed notes, but probably the best bottle of champagne over the week, though both 1996 Taittinger BdB and 2002 Marcel Moineaux Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut Grand Cru were both right there........
Flight 3 - Random Reds (4 notes)
WOTF - Fox Creek.
Red
1999 Fox Creek Shiraz Reserve
92 points
For those that like a largely resolved wine that is nevertheless still youthful, this is drinking very well at present. The palate is an intersting blend of coffee, chocolate and spice all of which carry to a very long finish. Some tannins do come out after some time in the glass. I have yet to try a Fox Creek Reserve I didn't like, especially with a little age on the bottle. Good QPR at $25.
Red
1998 Malvira' Roero Superiore
90 points
This bottle had a very aromatic and enjoyable nose. Maybe slightly less complexity on the palate than last time around. On the other hand, it was G's favorite of the night, and the 1st bottle drained.
Red
2004 Glaymond Wines Grenache Gerhard
88 points
Popped/poured next to another French grenache. Yuck. This didn't compare well at all. More like a thin Shiraz. Much better the second day after it had a chance to round out. Still...this is more like a Shiraz than it is an Old World grenache, so buyer/drinker beware.
Red
2004 Clot de l'Oum Côtes du Roussillon Villages Caramany La Compagnie des Papillons
88 points
Peppery fruit, with a little less depth than I would prefer. Somewhat rustic, country styling. Did not come across to me as "silky", a word I used in a prior note. Good for what it is.
Flight 4 - New Year's Eve Reds (6 notes)
Mostly Cabernets with the exception of the 2002 Jarvis. For me, the Dalla Valle was the WOTF on Day 1. The 2002 Jarvis evolved nicely overnight, and drank quite well the second day.
Red
1991 Fisher Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Coach Insignia
Initially very nice example of aged Cali cab, but seemed to shut down pretty hard after being opened for a couple hours.
Red
1999 Mount Veeder Winery Cabernet Sauvignon
No detailed notes. Recall this being a very nice wine that could probably use a little more time to fully soften and round out rough edges.
Red
1994 Souverain Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley
90 points
Opened a bit thin and funky on the nose initially. After 6-7 hours opened (not decanted), the funk blew off and palate added some weight / elegance. A nice example of what a somewhat "traditional" California wine shows with some age.
Red
2002 Jarvis (California) Winery Lake William
92 points
I thought this was just "ok" on Day 1 (88-90 pts), where it suffered a bit in comparison to some cabs with slightly more age. In comparison, this seemed rather bright and not quite integrated. Day 2 was a different story. This picked up a lot of aromatics on the nose with some interesting florals. On the palate, much more rich and integrated. A nice wine that needs either time or air.
Red
1997 Jarvis (California) Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve
93 points
Not quite as rich or elegant as the 1999 Dalla Valle also served, but the #2 bottle of the 4 that I opened.
Red
1999 Dalla Valle Cabernet Sauvignon
94 points
The best of the reds, at least the ones I brought, for New Years Eve. Fully integrated, great depth of fruit and flavors, no rough edges. Opened for 6 hours prior to consuming.
Flight 5 - Random Whites (2 notes)
I brought a whole bunch of whites up, but we drank scant few of these. Too much Champagne I guess!
White - Off-dry
1990 Schloss Schönborn Riesling Spätlese
One of the last bottles on New Year's Eve, consumed around a camp fire. No detailed notes at all. Struck me as a nicely aged Riesling, but nothing "out of this world". Probably around 90 points, give or take.
White
2005 Domaine Matrot Puligny-Montrachet La Quintessence
91 points
Decanted this time around, with favorable results. The decant served to take the bite out of the acidity and smooth this out on the palate. Otherwise, similar to prior notes.
Flight 6 - Bill's House (2 notes)
Over to the neighbors for a couple glasses of wine out of Bill's northwoods wine glasses (recycled Kraft cheese bottles). It did lend a certain amount of romance re: the Great White North, but probably wasn't the ideal wine experience, particularly as relates to the '93 Penfolds Grange!
Red
2003 Château Olivier
87 points
No detailed notes, but I liked this one more than the other reviewers. Rustic, chewy, seems ready to drink. Out of a Cheeze Whiz jar, which constitutes Bill's wine glass collection up North, this was a pleasant wine on a pleasant evening.
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Comments (1)
Red
1993 Penfolds Grange
No detailed notes. On the palate, seemed to be drinking well within the window, largely resolved tannins, etc.