Saturday Tasting Group

Knightsbridge Wine Shop (Northbrook, IL)
Tasted Saturday, June 5, 2010 by beezer6 with 700 views

Introduction

My contribution was the 2003 Insignia

Flight 1 (12 Notes)

2006 Levy & McClellan Red 88 Points

USA, California, Napa Valley

Ok. This is a hard tasting note to write. I'm not sure if this was an off bottle? But the other gents in the tasting group says that this is consistent with other '06 L&M's they've tried before.
Really bright cranberry, strawberry, stewed red peppers and tomato aromas. An underlying plush headiness, but just not there.
Kinda boring nose and the palate is super thin and hollow. Very short finish. Tart and acidic this wine just didn't do it for me AT ALL...and everyone in the group agreed.
This was barely drinking like a $40 bottle let alone a $400 bottle! Again, this is my first Levy & McClellan, and I hope to try another bottle soon whether this vintage or another...but at this point, I'm not sold.

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2003 Joseph Phelps Insignia 95 Points

USA, California, Napa Valley

This wine has really blossomed into a winner.
Nice cherries, raspberries, other medium light red fruit. Some pretty red flowers - rose petals. Light spice characteristics, but just pure clean fruit all the way through. Consistent with past tasting notes, the bottling is really feminine in style with no rough edges whatsoever.
A long round finish. Screams culty California Cabernet blend. Smooth sweet tannins, with everything in harmony.
Really nice grip on the back end. A complete wine.

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1996 Emmanuel Rouget Echezeaux 91 Points

France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Echezeaux Grand Cru

Tasted side by side with the 96' DRC Echezeaux - the DRC took the cake by 4 points.
Bright ruby red color - slightly cloudy. Not a lot of fruit up front. Some unique nutty qualities.
A little musty oxidation, but enjoyable. There's some light peppery, gravely notes as well. Classic aged Burgundy bottling.
Elegant overall. Light weight and showing cool baking spice on the back end of the palate. Low tannins, moderate acidity and moderate low alcohol.
Really nice - time to drink up.

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1996 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Echezeaux 94 Points

France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Echezeaux Grand Cru

A classically styled aged DRC (according to the group). A lot more going on than the '96 Rouget Echezeaux.
More extraction as a whole. Some light smoked deli meat action. Showing very well - improved quite a bit with some air in the bottle.
Round, earthy, shroomy. Good spice. Really complex while remaining lighter bodied.
Marmalade and tangerine notes coupled with really really light anise. Excellent finish. Layeres of light fruit, earth and spice. Hints of floral activity on the back end.

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1995 Opus One 94 Points

USA, California, Napa Valley

A few in the group danced around an aged Opus. Nice dark liqueured fruit - but totally in check.
Dark cherry, light spice. Pretty earth components. Really nice age on the wine at this time.
Super elegant sporting well polished leather, spice box, menthol and a touch of fresh pine needles.
Excellent well endowed finish with well integrated tannins, alcohol and acidity. Should age another 7-10 years with ease - if not more.
I can see how the Opus' in the 90's were where it was at. This was and should be superb for quite some time.

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1999 Castello dei Rampolla d'Alceo 93 Points

Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT

My first sampling of this Super Tuscan. A lovely wine of exquisite fruit and winemaking. Rusty dark red cherries with really nice acidity.
Leather saddle, a plum with some red dust sprinkled atop. A wine that shows truly elegant and well produced fruit qualities. Midpalate fills in well with some mocha.
Good grip with some unique woody red rocky action - reminds me of the dust that blows off the red rocks in Sedona, AZ. A bit of brown (not black) tarryness - unique resinated wood.
An astounding wine. Not totally Intriguing and a recommendation in my book in this price range. I think current releases are within reason when compared to this excellent vintage.
Everyone really enjoyed this wine.

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2005 Aubert Lucia Abreu Vineyard 92 Points

USA, California, Napa Valley, Howell Mountain

I really enjoyed this wine. Not everyone at the table agreed - which I understood. It's very big and full of highly extracted dark rich weighty fruit.
Super dark purple/black color - totally opaque at center. Dark liqueured fruit. Blackberries, dark cherry, purple Jolly Rancher. Candied furit witih some nice milk chocolate, rhubarb and a touch of dark spice.
Sweet tannins and a nice finish. Solid mid palate with a good weighty feel. Some anise qualities on the back end. A blockbuster of a wine. Masculine. I really enjoyed it. Glad I have a bottle of my own.

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1994 Château Lafleur 93 Points

France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol

Unique is what would describe how this wine was showing. A little musty but really nice and musty.
Medium red spice and fruit. A little bit of red brick action. Really light mocha with some residual smokiness on the back end of the nose.
Palate is light and showing quite well. Some fig newton coming through as well. A little bit of drying grip on the finish. A feminine styled wine.

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2000 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Meursault Désirée 94 Points

France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault

It's always nice to have a great white amongst all of the usual reds around the table.
Decanted for 60 minutes. Color is medium day bright gold color. Modern styling - a big Burgundy. Really ripe styling.
Lemon oil, fatty butteryness with some light roasted nuts on top of a caramel apple - but a yellow apple. Elegant.
The nose shows gobs of candied yellow and green fruit throughout. Full of life and spunk.
Carrying over to the palate the gravel almost lends a waxy feel on the tongue. Some white peppery peaches come through as well.
Just awesome fruit. Really really young at this stage. Long life ahead.
A really cool and yummy wine to drink. Any one would enjoy this juice.

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2002 Domaine du Clos de Tart Clos de Tart 95 Points

France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos de Tart Grand Cru

One of the best Burgs I've ever tasted. Modern styling (not all agreed). A big Burgundy with really ripe fruit.
Spicy and full of complete harmonious shrooms, damp earth floor, yummy strawberries, cranberries and pomagranite.
Cloves, figs and some star anise. Long finish etched with great acidity and alcohol.
Sweet ripe tannins are more noticeable than one would see out of a Pinot Noir - but I love it.
Bravo.

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1996 Domaine Ponsot Clos de la Roche Vieilles Vignes 87 Points

France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos de la Roche Grand Cru

Wasn't sure about this controversial producer who, from vintage to vintage, produces wine all across the board in terms of style.
Super stinky feet and cheese play. Thin, weedy and acidic. Stemmy. Dry weeds. Almost unpleasant funk. Smelly. Some intrigue in terms of its eccentric offering of wet doggy, mossy, shroom.

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2005 Lucie & Auguste Lignier Clos de la Roche 94 Points

France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos de la Roche Grand Cru

Really tight and young. Popping and pouring probably didn't help.
Dark fruit. Cloudy ruby red color. Some rubber notes along with brambleberries, light earthyness some stemmy action I really enjoy.
Almost briary in a really fresh sea breeze sort of way. Good acid. Really excellent menthol and twiggy components as well.
Excellent wine. Lots of potential to be a profound bottling in a decade.

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