Leslie visits Cleveland - Part 1

BBer Leslie G, visited Cleveland on business. We started her visit with a small dinner at our home (8 people). A great way to have some conversation and enjoy some wine.

With Spiced Almonds:

• 2010 Bedrock Wine Co. Albariño Abrente 90 Points

  USA, California, Napa / Sonoma, Carneros

  Better showing than earlier in the summer. Green/gold in color. The nose has lots of minerals, some lime peel and a bit of lemon-lime soda. Silky texture. We drank 2 bottles and they both took some time to open and then sowed a nice complexity. Went well with the spicy almonds.

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With Tandoori Eggplant:

• 2002 Foreau Domaine du Clos Naudin Vouvray Demi-Sec 93 Points

  France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray

  I loved this wine, maybe more than the group. Also went quite well with the Tandori Eggplant. Golden in color. The nose has lots of minerals, crushed shells, apricots and peaches. Viscous. Slightly sweet but good acidity to balance. Palate matches the peaches with lots of layering and depth. Long finish. Delicious.

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With Garden Salad:

• 2006 Rhys Chardonnay Alpine Vineyard 92 Points

  USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains

  Beautiful wine. One of the few Cal Chards I really like. Light golden in color. Showing no age at all. Great nose of lemons peel, some grapefruit, a hint of smokiness, lots of minerals. This is crisp and clean and delicious. There is some oak notes but it adds to the flavors and does not dominate. Great precision. Good acidity. Probably deserved a better pairing than the salad. No hurry on this one.

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With Grilled Vegetable Sandwich and Fingerling Potatoes:

• 1998 Château Léoville Las Cases 93 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Julien

  Slowly aired for around 6 hours. Ruby in color. The nose is nice with cassis, pencil lead and some tobacco. On the palate, this is a very good wine, but not the heights that LLC can reach. It is mature and the fruit is just starting to fade. A lot of complexity here, but it takes concentration to really pick out all the layers. Great match with the food. I did like this more than the crowd.

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• 2001 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon The Montelena Estate 93 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  This was probably the crowds favorite for the night. Slowly aired for about 6 hours. Purple in color, opaque and bright. The nose shows lots of cassis, some dark cherries, some oak. Full bodied. On the palate, this is rich and hedonistic. There is some layering but quite tight. Juicy texture with a long finish. Still getting better but delicious.

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With Cheese Course:

• 1999 E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie Brune et Blonde 90 Points

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie

  Slowly aired for 6 hours. This is a very nice Cote Rotie. Ruby in color. The nose has black and red raspberries, minerals, some bacon fat, and some smoke. Medium bodied. On the palate, this is balanced but restrained compared to most of the wines. A nice acidity works well with the cheese. Hard to compare to the younger Cal Chards, this wine would work better on its own. Not getting any better, I will drink my remaining bottles in the next year and then start on the Ampuis.

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• 2005 Lillian Winery Syrah 93 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Barbara County

  Leslie brought this. Like every other Lillian I have had, this needed some air, more than it got. We popped and poured and I think it needs some time/air to really develop. It was outstanding, but not as accessible as you could feel something underneath, trying to open. I finished the bottle after everyone had gone and it really showed much more. Purple in color. A nose of black raspberries, black pepper, spice and gamey meat. On the palate, gobs of black raspberries and some pepper. Great silky/juicy texture. Long finish. I hope to someday try a bottle of this that is mature.

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• 2007 Saxum Heart Stone Vineyard 97 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles

  Leslie had been talking about Saxum all night, so I went down to the cellar and pooped this. Too young, but Leslie said when it came to wine, she was a cougar ;-). Purple in color, dense and shimmering. On the nose, black raspberries white pepper and smoked meat. Tons of black raspberry fruit, but more light on its feet than the Lillian (Ali vs. Frazier). Great balance. Long finish. Probably the best wine on the table, although the Foreau was so delightful and went so well with the food, I picked that as my WOTN. Of course, the Saxum's best days are still a few years away.

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With Mitchell's Strawberry Cheesecake and Cookies and Cream Ice Creams.

• 2003 Markko Riesling Excelsior 'Champagne' (Sparkling Riesling) 88 Points

  USA, Ohio, Lake Erie

  I decided to open this for a few reasons. One, i knew all our our palates would be shot by now. Two, to open an Ohio wine would be interesting. Three, ice cream is a difficult pairing and this would work well. Golden in color. Nice mousse. Aromas of Vernor's soda. Some minerals. On the palate, this is clean. Not a lot of fruit. Some lemon-lime notes. Mostly minerals. Clean finish. Worked well with the ice cream.

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Always nice to have friends stop by when going thru town.