Oscar night

A few of us gathered at shane's to watch the oscars and have some wine and cheese. since it was a school night, we were keeping it easy on the bottle count. Pinots kind of turned into the theme with three different styles

• 2004 Franz Hirtzberger Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Rotes Tor 90 Points

  Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau

  nose: real bright and aromatic nose of stone fruits, minerals, lemon zest, tart citrus', and a good amount of white peaches. Good depth on the nose with a roundness to the tones
  
  taste: very fresh and tasty lighter feel with medium+ acidity and tones of minerals, tart citrus' and white peaches. Well balanced, but not showing as much on the palate as on the nose
  
  overall: a really good gruner. Has a nice freshness to it that makes it very versatile and also possesses nice depth on both the nose and palate. Some more complexity on the palate would really help this and maybe some more age to smooth it out a bit more as well

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• 2007 Thomas Pinot Noir Dundee Hills 92 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills

  nose: very high toned and extremely fragrant nose of cinnamon spices, red florals, red cherries, fresh picked berries, herbs and a touch of plum tones. Classy and fairly feminine that adds a real charm to the nose
  
  taste: well balanced and lighter feel with good depth and lovely tones of red florals, red cherries, mixed berries, herbs, a bit of earth and some plums. There is also medium/high acidity that is pronounced right now
  
  overall: a young wine, and leatherpalate had said that it spent a good amount of time in the decanter earlier. It seemed like it needed it, and this was a beautiful wine that was just barely showing off what it can do down the road

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• 1998 Domaine / Maison Vincent Girardin Chambertin-Clos de Bèze 93 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru

  nose: intense and powerful nose of dark red cherries, all sorts of spice tones, mixed berries, red florals, sour berries, and bits of hi-toned red fruits. Great depth and showing a modern influence, but not too much
  
  taste: great medium feel with medium/high acidity and deep tones of herbs, dark red cherries, spices, sour berries, red fruits, and earth tones. The acidity is still fairly noticeable and it does feel like its holding back a bit
  
  overall: a great young CdB. Has a real good intensity to it that shines through. A bit modern, but this is not like a california pinot noir and this feels like its just starting to hit its stride. A few more years could really benefit this, but its extremely good to drink now

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• 1991 Faiveley Mazis-Chambertin 94 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru

  nose: pungent and perfumed nose of dark red cherries, mushrooms, warm earth tones, dark florals, and bits of berry tones. Takes a slight bit to unwind in the glass, but then takes on a real lovely and intoxicating sense to it that really wraps you in
  
  taste: a very alluring medium feel with deep tones of dark spices, dark red cherries, berries, earth, and a good bit of mushrooms. There is also a slightly funky flavor on this that is cote-rotieish along with medium+ acidity that still makes itself be known
  
  overall: this is in a great place right now, but there is absolutely zero rush. This took a bit to unwind and was told that this was slow ox'd for several hours before I got there. A real beauty of a wine that captured my imagination

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The great wines made up for a boring oscar night. Lots of great company and laughs along with a lot of good wine, can't wait to do it again