OMG #105

Bubbles/white

• 2008 Veuve Doussot Champagne Ernestine Millesime - France, Champagne
  Pleasant and easy going. Yellow orchard fruit, with some almond. Just enough balancing acidity on the finish. Appears to be very reasonably priced.
• 2012 Château La Louvière Blanc - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
  A bit reductive, with some disjointed oak still. Tasted quite young. Would like to try this again in 3-5 years.
• 2012 Château Montus Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh Sec - France, Southwest France, Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh Sec
  Vibrant, crunchy, very dry finish. I like it a lot!
• 1998 Kistler Chardonnay Durell Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast
  Very soft and flabby, with a lot of oak and spice notes. But it's still sound and drinkable.

Red

• 2004 Loring Wine Company Pinot Noir Durell Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast
  Thin, short, and too hot (15.2% abv)--but redeemed somewhat by pretty berry fruit.
• 2004 Loring Wine Company Pinot Noir Keefer Ranch Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Green Valley of Russian River Valley
  14.4% abv (less than the 15.2% for the 2004 Loring Durell tasted alongside), but this tasted even more hot due to less overall balance.
• 1984 Dunn Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley - USA, California, Napa Valley
  Dark and somber. Majestic mouthfeel, but the vegetal notes were excessive. I imagine this bottle would have drunk better earlier on the aging curve when there would have been more fruit to balance out the greenness. That being said, this is holding up pretty well at 39 years!
• 2001 Bodegas Montecillo Rioja Gran Reserva - Spain, La Rioja, Rioja
  Quite polished, with structure suggesting this is just beginning to enter its drinking window.
• 1996 Domaine du Pégau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
  13.5% abv. Impeccably balanced. Seamless. Very savory and a little wild, while staying grounded in sophisticated fruit. In a great spot, and I sensed it won't be fading anytime soon.
• 1982 Château Latour à Pomerol - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
  12% abv. A lot of smoke on the nose. The palate here is stunning, featuring elegant dark red fruit, subtle tertiary notes of beef stock and shiitake mushroom, and an extremely silky texture. This beauty is at peak.
• 2006 Château Pontet-Canet - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
  Dark and brooding. I sensed this was in an in-between spot where primary fruit is receeding yet tannins haven't budged much. Demands either a ribeye steak or 10 more years.
• 1995 Château Langoa Barton - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
  Modest fruit with astringency and tightness to the tannins that I feel will keep this out of balance for the remainder of its life.
• 1997 Château Léoville Las Cases - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
  Corked (FLAWED)
• 2007 Capezzana Monna Nera Toscana IGT - Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT
  Holding up well. Despite the international grape varieties, showed Tuscan pedigree with some tangy acidity and dusty earth.

Sweet

• 1999 Reif Estate Vidal Icewine - Canada, Ontario, Niagara Peninsula, Niagara River VQA
  Sticky, but showed a very nice interplay between ripe fruit and oxidative notes.
• 2009 Wwe. Dr. H. Thanisch (Erben-Thanisch) Bernkasteler Badstube Riesling Spätlese - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
  Not much in the acidity department and leans heavy, but the sweetness ultimately stays in check and the ripe orchard fruit is very pretty. A style that works well with foie gras, which thankfully was passed to me just after I poured this.
• 2003 Zilliken (Forstmeister Geltz) Saarburger Rausch Riesling Auslese - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
  Sweetness was over the top here, without acidity for balance, making this tough to drink. The vintage won.
• 1994 Dow Porto Vintage - Portugal, Douro, Porto
  I gave this 3 hours of air, which this beast seemed to scoff at and ask why I bothered. This is very serious and structured for its age. Not tasting all that sweet either. Still fantastic with Stichelton cheese, less successful with dark chocolate.