Lucky 7 Bottles With the Boys

We dragged out some nice bottles for a tasty dinner. Good times!!!

• 2000 Coche-Dury Meursault - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault
  Bit of oak perceived on the nose, but on the palate a different story was told. A tremendous minerally, flinty, feisty Chardonnay. Great acidity - lemon tart. Very long finish. (93 pts.)
• 2005 Sine Qua Non Grenache Atlantis Fe2O3~2a, b & c - USA, California
  What can I say about this wine? Almost overwhelming. Ripe raspberry, sweet and surmature, not too tannic, good mouthfeel, somehow resists going too far, a big wine, but not gigantic or oversized. (94 pts.)
• 1998 Quilceda Creek Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, Washington
  A little pleasant brett/barnyard starts us off. This is a more elegant wine on this evening. Quite Bordeaux like. Nice earthy and leathery elements go hand in hand with lovely black currant fruit. This wine is young yet, but turning into something lovely. (94 pts.)
• 1996 Dalla Valle Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville
  A nose that announces we are in Napa...and this is Cabernet. Nice classic profile. Some green tobacco leaf and lead pencil, but still good ripeness and cassis that dominates the nose and palate. Good medium-to-full body. Strong tannins. Good weight. This wine matched well with the 1998 Quilceda. (94 pts.)
• 1990 Robert Mondavi Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve - USA, California, Napa Valley
  Green pepper nose. Elegant wine. Fully mature now with a caressing mouthfeel. Silky and very enjoyable. Perfect to enjoy now - no need to hold. (91 pts.)
• 1994 Harlan Estate - USA, California, Napa Valley
  I've had a few vintages of Harlan before, but this was my first encounter with the 1994. This has the family nose (there is a distinct nose on every vintage of this wine I've tried). This shows crushed black fruit. Very intense and very young still! Nobody woud guess that this bottle was 1994. This is a tremendous wine with excellent acids. Near perfect structure and balance. A long-distance runner, this one. (99 pts.)
• 1995 Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select - USA, California, Napa Valley, Stags Leap District
  Rich and gorgeous. This has the best balance of any wine tonight. Really lovely and without fault. This brings in a touch of the Bordeaux elemets as well. Lacks a shade of intensity relative to the '94 Harlan. But this is a relative bargain that has nothing to be ashamed of sitting next to that wine. (98 pts.)