Fourth of July Weekend

Rocknroller's (Kevin & Vicki's Place)
Tasted Saturday, July 6, 2019 by rocknroller with 225 views

Introduction

We had a big cozy group of 14 for what turned out to be a really nice evening. Thanks everyone for sharing some excellent wine and food. A Special thank you to Tracy for that splendid blueberry lemon cake. Wow.

Flight 1 - Sparklers (2 Notes)

Flight 2 - Vouvray (1 Note)

  • 2015 Domaine Huet Vouvray Demi-Sec Le Haut-Lieu 92 Points

    France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray

    Light gold color. 2 oz pour over 30 minutes. Love these Huet's. This bottle in particular has so much going on, rich and complex with ever evolving layers coming forward. A rich golden fruit nose with a tropical edge, very wooly, butterbraid, fuzzy minerality, chamomile, mulled spices, great minerality. Love it. 92+ to 93pts.

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Flight 3 - Chablis (3 Notes)

  • 2008 Jean et Sébastien Dauvissat Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons Vieilles Vignes 92 Points

    France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru

    Light medium gold color. 2 oz pour. We've had a number of these over the last few years and they never disappoint. Always a bit atypical for traditional Chablis as these carry more oak and a more full bodied style that crosses more into white burg territory. That's not a bad thing, just a difference. This bottle was one of the best I've had; smokey, hazelnut, toasty oak, lemon, very vibrant on the nose with seashells and saline. The palate delivers all of that and more with a full bodied and slightly oily texture where the lemon, brine and minerality comes through with toasted oak on the finish. This also had an interesting savory thing, almost like a bit of summer sausage - different, but good. Glad to see I have one of these still lurking. 92+pts.

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  • 2012 Vincent Dauvissat (René & Vincent) Chablis 1er Cru La Forest 94 Points

    France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru

    Pale straw color. 2+ oz pour. Geez, this was a laser beam of precision and focus. Classic Dauvissat with a brilliant mineral drive nose and palate, bright marine aromas and flavor, lemon, gorgeous purity, truly intense and very long. This is a looker. Thanks Gary! My and group #2 WOTN.

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  • 2010 Maison Albert Bichot Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos Domaine Long-Depaquit 90 Points

    France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru

    Light-medium gold color. 2 oz pour. I was kind of curious as to what this would be like. Fairly lean on the palate, surely Chablis with citrus, notable limestone minerality, a finessed wine. Maybe showing some age with a hint of oxidative character, but still merits 90 points for me. Would not peg this for Les Clos.

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Flight 4 - Chards (2 Notes)

  • 2009 Rhys Chardonnay Alpine Vineyard 93 Points

    USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains

    Light gold color. 2 oz pour. Great bottle, pineapple, lemon, tangerine, tropical edge, caramelized sugar, lightly toasted oak. The palate is quite lively, very lemony, Meyer lemon and tangerine, lime, good minerality and acids, clean and fresh with a dusting of toasted French oak on the saline infused finish. Excellent. 93 to 93+pts.

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  • 2013 Leeuwin Estate Chardonnay Art Series 93 Points

    Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River

    Light gold color. 2 oz pour. Tart, dried herbs, citrus, saline, mineral, long and energetic. Always enjoy these; tonight I might have preferred the '09 Rhys by a tad. 92+ to 93pts.

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Flight 5 - '04 CDP (2 Notes)

  • 2004 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape 93 Points

    France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape

    Dark red color. One hour decant. 2 oz pour over 45 minutes or so; drank side by side with a '04 Clos des Papes. This took a bit to come out of its shell, but once it did, this was a gem. Black cherry and wild raspberries on the nose with amazing spices, plum and star anise. The palate is medium full bodied with wild berries and dark cherry, cedarbox, more great spice notes and round tannins. While more youthful than the Clos des Papes, this is still in a good window for drinking. Lots of life here yet.

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  • 2004 Clos des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape 95 Points

    France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape

    Dark red colot. PNP, 2+ oz pour over 45 minutes next to an '04 Beaucastel. I was kind of surprised when I saw I hadn't had this for almost two and a half years. My last bottle was a bit of a quagmire, not so this time. Back in glorious form, this bottle was a stunner. Everything was going on and firing on all cylinders from the get go. FAbulous nose, great perfume of funk, damp earth, red fruits, cherry, garrigue, and floral notes. The palate is quite lively and bright with both red fruits and black fruits, Provencal spices and dired herbs, garrigue, dried flfowers, silky texture and very fine tannins. The red berries, spice and earth really shine on what is a very long finish. A total head turner, my and group WOTN.

    Dark red color. One hour decant. 2 oz pour over 45 minutes or so; drank side by side with a '04 Clos des Papes. This took a bit to come out of its shell, but once it did, this was a gem. Black cherry and wild raspberries on the nose with amazing spices, plum and star anise. The palate is medium full bodied with wild berries and dark cherry, cedarbox, more great spice notes and round tannins. While more youthful than the Clos des Papes, this is still in a good window for drinking. Lots of life here yet. (

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Flight 6 - Cabs and Bordeaux (3 Notes)

  • 2003 Château Branaire-Ducru 92 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

    Very dark red/purple color. PNP, 2 oz pour. Lots of dark fruits, graphite on the palate, dusty tanins. A little reticent on the nose though it opens up more, the palate is good to go, really pretty fruits in an evenhanded style.

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  • 2005 Anderson's Conn Valley Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Reserve 90 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    Very dark red/purple color. Decanted for 2 hours. 2 oz pour over 40 minutes plus. Tart cherry and black currants, comes off a bit flat and disjointed, showing alcohol on the finish with more blackberry liqueur to tthe palate. Dense, tart dark fruits. I'm a big fan of ACV and this was one of the wines I was most looking forward to, but it was nowhere near what I expected from it. I'm wondering if the air was an issue. 89-90pts.

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  • 2014 Louis M. Martini Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 91 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    Very dark red color. One hour decant; 2 oz pour. Been a while since I've a Martini Napa Cab. This was a really well made wine and a good example of what Martini does. Pretty much textbook Napa Cabernet Sauvingon. Great fruit, ripe black currants, dense and full bodied, creme de cassis, youthful but polished tannins and some new oak and spice. Very good and will get better. 90+ to 91pts.

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Flight 7 - Dessert (2 Notes)

  • 1988 Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey 95 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

    Medium plus youthful gold color. 2 oz pour. This was just lovely. Matt's bottle bought on release and stored since. You gotta love it when a wine you've nutured and mused about for all these years really knocks your socks off. A sublime wine with a mix of freshness and maturity with honey, orange marmalade, orange blossom, tangerine, creme brulee, peach, with refined spice notes, minerality and great lift. This is a sweet spot for this wine. It screams of balance and finesse; not too sweet, not too unctuous, just the right acidity and body. Thanks for sharing this with us Matt, loved it. My and group #2 WOTN.

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  • 1996 Zind-Humbrecht Pinot Gris Rotenberg Vendange Tardive 92 Points

    France, Alsace

    Dark golden color. Drank a 2 oz pour over 30 minutes. Drank this after the '88 Lafaurie which was the right call. This was quite good too, but more one dimensional and a lot sweeeter and more unctuous. Super ripe fruits, ripe apricot nose and palate, baked apples, full bodied and sweet. 91+ to 92pts.

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Closing

WOTN:
#1 '04 Clos des Papes
#2 '88 Lafaurie Peyraguey
#3 '13 Leeuwin Chardonnay Artist Series

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