Chicago, IL
Tasted Thursday, October 17, 2019 by peeks13 with 580 views
Binnys big tasting of the year. All wines were very good so the baseline, except where noted, should be they all showed very well. Tough to taste all 50 wines in only 2 hours and ponder and write great notes so I've tiered the wines in descending order as to how they were showing with virtually no decant and without regard to QPR. Can't really score these based on the small pours and lack of food pairing. The four nebbiolos weren't properly decanted and were closed...what a shame to waste some great bottles. I missed out on the 2014 d'Yquem as it was gobbled up early.
These would score in the mid/high 90s.
Also showed excellent. Splitting hairs from 1st flight and to each his own.
Wines 18-23 for me but many would put these in their top 10.
These I would characterize as in the 91-93 range but with potential to evolve much better with time. I mean, how are you going to know what a '12 BdM Riserva and '09 Pauillac will taste like at their peak?
Many of these could have been in a higher Tier (and still may) but something held them back. Sometimes you can't pinpoint exactly what but your gut tells you so.
Nothing wrong with these but they didn't measure up tonight.
The staff didn't decant any of these four bottles beyond popping the cork an hour early. What a waste of $570 worth of Piedmont that I was looking forward to enjoying. I'm sure they have 4 decanters laying around they could have put to good use.
A fantastic tasting that had me and my friend grinning all night. Trying to rank these was very tough to do and it gives me a new appreciation for those who do this for a living. I can't imagine how you get an accurate profile from spitting at these tastings and on top of that, sampling 100, 200+ at one sitting. It also illuminates the small difference there may be for a 92 wine vs a 94 wine, both possibly fantastic, but blindly choosing the higher rated would be a disservice to the other.
2016 Joseph Phelps Insignia 95 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
Back to back showing a touch better than the Caymus SS.
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2016 Tenuta dell'Ornellaia Bolgheri Superiore Ornellaia
Italy, Tuscany, Bolgheri, Bolgheri Superiore
Beautiful complexity.
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2015 Beaulieu Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Georges de Latour Private Reserve
USA, California, Napa Valley
Caught it right at the end of the bottle and it was Wow. The $110 price makes it very attractive.
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2016 Louis Jadot Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Estournelles-St.-Jacques
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru
Best Burgundy here and that's a compliment. Great nose and finish.
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2015 Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon Special Selection
USA, California, Napa Valley
Just a kiss of oak (restrained), good concentration and a very nice finish.
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2009 La Rioja Alta Rioja Gran Reserva 904
Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja
Just a touch of stewed tomatoes - in a great Brunello type of way. The $60 price makes it even more of a reason to seek it out.
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2016 Hourglass Cabernet Sauvignon Blueline
USA, California, Napa Valley
Clove. Spices. Finish.
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2009 Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Martha's Vineyard
USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville
Expressive nose, perfume. Delicate but excellent. Reminds me of Dominus and this can last another 10 years.
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