Friday Night Brown Bagger

Once again I was invited to fill in with the Friday brown bag group. Wines arrive in brown bags, placed in random flights and served double blind to the rest of the group. Each flight is tasted, discussed and unveiled before moving on to the next flight. Wines are shown in the order they appeared in the flight.

• 1997 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc Cuvée Roussanne Vieilles Vignes 92 Points

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

  Initial note of acetone blows off to reveal aromas of almond, florals and pear. With extended time in the glass, notes of mineral, beeswax and guava appear. The palate is richly fruited, slightly nutty and maintains nice balance through the finish where it picks up a honeyed apple quality. My guess: Hermitage.
  
  This was a treat, and it's in a terrific spot right now, should hold a while too. Drink 2010-2013+.

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• 2004 Peter Michael Chardonnay Point Rouge 93 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Knights Valley

  Pale yellow color. Aromas of apple, lemon and minerals with a smoky overtone. Develops coconut and floral nuances. Hints of oak on the attack, bolstered by minerals, pear, apple and coconut flavors. Very well balanced. 93-94+ points; damn good. My guess: 2004/2005 Peter Michael.
  
  Drink 2010-2015+.

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• 1996 Joseph Drouhin Corton-Charlemagne 92 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru

  Deep yellow color. Initial notes of acetone, marzipan and orchard fruit, though somewhat reticent. Decent fruit on the palate though; pear and apple. Nice balance, with good underlying acidity. My guess: 1998 Puligny Montrachet. Drink 'em up based on this bottle.

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A quick nonblind pour to finish off a bottle our hosts opened the previous evening.

• 2009 Lewis Cellars Syrah Vin Gris 89 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  A nonblind taste from a bottle Rich had opened the previous evening. Very similar to my previous taste back in May: berry notes dominate, hint of minerality too. Terrific acidity on the palate.

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• 1964 Inglenook Vineyards Pinot Noir

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Dusty ruby color, older wine. A bit funky; tea leaf aromas too...a bit dried out and old. On the palate, flavors of tea leaves, raisins and prunes. Dry and washed out. My guess: old Cab Franc. While long dead, this was interesting from an educational standpoint.

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• 2005 August Briggs Charbono Frediani Vineyard 90 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley, Calistoga

  Opaque inky crimson color. Aromas of incense and blackberry, herbs, and a hnt of earth. Nice balance; flavors of black fruit and tar. This reminded me of a 2003 Clos Fourtet I tasted a couple of weeks eariler, so I guessed 2003 St. Emilion.

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• 2001 Domaine Francois Lamarche Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Suchots 91 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru

  Ruby color, a little age. Cherry and cinnamon notes, moving to rhubarb, then cherry and earth. Well balanced with good acidity. Flavors of cherry and spice, bit of earth. Finishes well. Guessed 1996 Burgundy.

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• 2002 Hartwell Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon 92 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley, Stags Leap District

  Deep color. Aromas of plum, vanilla, chocolate and dark berries; developed a subtle dill/olive note with air. Well-balanced; lush dark fruit flavors. Tannins are a bit austere & dry out on the finish. 92+ pts. Guessed Napa cab.
  
  Hold for a while yet; drink 2014+.

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• 2004 Pride Mountain Vineyards Cabernet Franc 93 Points

  USA, California, North Coast, Napa / Sonoma

  Deep crimson color. Notes of roasted red bell pepper, tobacco, a little funk (maybe a bit of brett?). Flavors of currants and berry, with a nice earthy undertone. 93+ pts. I was sure this was Bordeaux, as was everyone else. Most agreed on Pauillac. The surprise of the night in my book.

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• 2005 Outpost Cabernet Sauvignon 90 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley, Howell Mountain

  Inky opaque color. Notes of licorice, rhubarb, incense, red currant and spice. Cassis and blackberry flavors; large-scaled, almost Petite Sirah-like. Huge amounts of tannin, but there's enough fruit to support them. Develops a subtle dill aroma. Settled on Napa Cab-based blend. 90-91 pts.
  
  Hold this one for a while yet.

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• 2007 Château de Saint Cosme Gigondas Valbelle

  France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Gigondas

  Garnet color. Initial notes of red currants, incense, roasted herbs and licorice. Develops strong rhubarb and dill notes as it sits; the nose almost has a sour smell to it. Decent red fruit on the palate; tannins are robust and turn dry on the finish. Flavors of dark fruit and dill on the finish. Odd. Most of us guessed Cali cab, I think one or two suggested Rhone. No score.
  
  Not sure if this was a bad bottle or if it's in an awkward stage, but I hope my two don't turn out like this one.

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• 2005 Hourglass Cabernet Sauvignon 91 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Inky garnet; opaque. Notes of red currant, vanilla, rhubarb and butter. Tannins are dense and austere. Flavors of blackberry, oak and chocolate. Softens in the glass; black cherry and dark fruit tones. 90-92 pts. Hold until 2014+.

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• 2007 Materra Merlot 89 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley, Oak Knoll District

  Opaque, inky crimson color. A bit reticent at first, opening in the glass to reveal notes of plums and blue fruit with a subtle meaty undertone. Notes of spice and chocolate appear later on. Tannins are dense, slightly chewy; flavors of cherry, black fruit, and herbs turn to red currants, black cherry and spice. Really nice fruit. 89+ pts.
  
  This was one of my bottles, and I decanted it for an hour before I left for the tasting. The cork was pulled again upon my arrival. It had a little over two hours in the open bottle before tasted. Materra is a new project in the Oak Knoll District. Their debut releases are this 2007 Merlot, and a 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon. The winemaking team is Mike Trujillo and Bruce Regalia.

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• 2005 Montevetrano Montevetrano Colli di Salerno IGT

  Italy, Campania, Colli di Salerno IGT

  Opens with a ripe, stewed quality, followed by dark fruit and vanilla aromas. Maybe a bit of brett here too. Red fruit flavors on the palate, but it's quite astringent. No guess.

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• 2006 Beaulieu Vineyard Tapestry Reserve 92 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Deep garnet color. Aromas of herbs and red currants turn to dark fruit- cassis & blackberry. Tangy acidity supports flavors of dark fruit, spice, roasted herbs and black cherry. Very nice finish. Napa cab.
  
  Not sure how long this was decanted prior to the tasting, but it was showing very well. I'd have no reservations opening a few over the short term if I had some.

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• 2007 Materra Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 89 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Nice dark color. Aromas of dark fruit- cassis & blackberry, with a subtle herb quality. Flavors of dark fruit dominate, hint of vanilla on the finish. Dark fruit really shines through, hint of brown sugar too; just slightly hollow in the midpalate but should fill out with age. 89-90 pts.
  
  My other bottle for this tasting. I decanted this for an hour & a half before I left for the tasting. It too had about two hours in the open bottle before it appeared in the flight. Materra is a new project in the Oak Knoll District. Their debut releases are this 2007 Cabernet, and a 2007 Merlot (Oak Knoll AVA). The winemaking team is Mike Trujillo and Bruce Regalia.

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One last blind wine to end the evening.

• 2006 Davis Family Vineyards Syrah Guyzer Block Russian River Valley

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley

  Inky color. Notes of blackberry, brown sugar and meat; subtle vanilla ad black cherry tones. Balanced, with dark fruit, cherry and herb flavors with good underlying acidity. Nice finish.

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Thanks again to R&D for hosting a great tasting!