Hawks Win!

This was a small and fun gathering to watch game 6 of the stanley cup and watch the hawks bring home the cup for the first time in 49 years. We made sure to bring a bunch of fun wines and I made sure to bring some bubbly as well.

• 2003 Le Cadeau Pinot Noir 90 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

  nose: a bit brutish with tones of smoke, dark plums, black cherries, herbs, and bits of dark red fruits. Has the intensity of the hot vintage as well as a brawny side to it as well
  
  taste: balanced and richer tones of smoke, mineral rich earth tones, black cherries, herbs and dark red fruits. Slightly larger in scale, but the tannins are well in balance
  
  overall: comes off as in a good place. This didn't get as much air as I would've liked but it showed fairly well under the conditions. Has a darker edge to tones on both the nose and palate

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• 2006 Le Cadeau Pinot Noir Côte Est 90 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

  nose: very rich and masculine with bigger tones of dark red cherries, plums, spice tones, and red fruits. Nice depth and shows off the vintage with it being more on the rich and powerful side
  
  taste: fuller bodied with big fruit and tones of dark red cherries, plums, spices, and a good amount of rich red berry tones. No real tannins on it and the acidity is on the lower side right now
  
  overall: A larger pinot that has very good fruit, but is almost a bit lacking behind the power of it. There is good depth on both the nose and palate and the fruit isn't too over the top, but the ripeness and power makes it a bit too larger scaled

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• 2006 Ken Wright Pinot Noir Shea Vineyard 85 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Yamhill-Carlton

  nose: bit, chunky, and monolithic with big tones of dark red cherries, dark red fruits, as well as bits of spices. Almost gloppy, but still very big and uninteresting
  
  taste: big and monolithic with rich tones of dark red cherries, dark red fruits, and bits of spices. A bit hollow on the mid palate as well
  
  overall: A fairly boring and big pinot. Not sure where it could go as there really isn't much acid or tannin and the wine just has big and rich fruit. Its a solid pinot, but one has to really like this style and really want it

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• 2002 Vérité La Muse 93 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County

  nose: very aromatic nose that takes a bit to unwind with beautiful tones of red fruits, red cherries, herbs, cedar, red and black currants, and some bits of spice tones. Great depth with a lot of class and complexity
  
  taste: great and sexy medium/full feel with good tannins and polished tones of red fruits, spices, red currants, red cherries, herbs and a touch of cedar tones. Very smooth and plush with the tannins still showing off a bit of youth
  
  overall: with more time this seems like it could be a real stunner. A lot of class and sexiness to it that makes you want to drink more, but right now was still a bit rough around the edges and seems like it just needed to balance out a bit

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• NV Michel Arnould & Fils Champagne Grand Cru Brut Réserve 91 Points

  France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru

  nose: well balanced and pungent nose of bread, citrus tones, white fruits, minerals and bits of white florals. Very good depth with a classy sense to it
  
  taste: polished and silky medium feel with medium+ acidity and tasty tones of white florals, minerals, bread and citrus tones. The acidity is more on the refreshing side, but is noticeable
  
  overall: This continues to be a quality bubbly for a great price. Nice and classy with excellent tones on both the nose and palate and good acidity that compliments the feel

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• 1997 Sequoia Grove Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford Bench Reserve 92 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley, Rutherford

  nose: extremely well balanced with real good depth and polished tones of red currants, dark red cherries, dust tones, cedar, leather and bits of tobacco. It took a slight bit of air to get going, but when it did it also revealed some good depth as well to round out the nose
  
  taste: Full bodied with good supporting tannins, but polished and showing its evolution with balanced and tasty tones of red currants, dark red cherries, cedar, tobacco and bits of dust and red fruits. There is a very good red fruit base to this and the tannins are still showing themselves, but aren't too much in the way either
  
  overall: this was from magnum and it was popped right after the hawks won the stanley cup. This was showing great and had a ton of life left in it, but was drinking in a great place. Well balanced with a good core of red fruit on both the nose and palate

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A really fun night. I'm not the biggest hockey fan in the world, but there was a bunch of good wine to drink with friends and a whole lot of fun all the way around