Scholium Dinner

Ripple - Cleveland Park, Washington, D.C.
Tasted Thursday, August 4, 2011 by tooch with 1,219 views

Introduction

After opening some Scholium Project wines with some friends, I posted my lukewarm notes to the Wine Berserker forum. Not long after I received an email from winemaker Abe Schoener asking if I'd be interested in hosting another dinner with him! Fast-forward a couple weeks, and I'm sitting next to Abe in DC tasting a large selection of his wines!

Big thanks to the staff at Ripple for great service, Tim O'Rourke for helping arrange the reservation, and, of course, thanks to Abe for flying in for this very fun evening!

Flight 1 - Champagne Flight (2 Notes)

Flight 2 - Scholium White Flight 1 (2 Notes)

  • 2009 Scholium Project Marcher Sûr la Lune Reserve Bokisch Ranches

    USA, California, Central Valley, Lodi

    Like the last time I had this, the nose has tones of bananas, herbs and fresh flowers. And again, like last time, the nose had a lot of heat. The palate is massive with dense floral tones, citrus, and subtle honeycomb. Finish was long a bit hot for me.

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  • 2009 Scholium Project Naucratis Lost Slough Vineyards 87 Points

    USA, California, Central Valley, Clarksburg

    Interesting nose of banana peel, fresh herbs, and lemon salt. Alcohol creeps into the nose, and is noticeable on the palate. Fruit is very pure and rich. I'd like to let this rest with the hope that the heat will diminish with some age.

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Flight 3 - Scholium White Flight 2 (2 Notes)

Flight 4 - Scholium Red Flight 1 (2 Notes)

  • 2005 Scholium Project Satrapies of the East

    USA, California

    While drinking this with Abe, he spent a good deal of time describing this wines story and the role that winemaking had in the final product. I'm happy he did, because when I first smelled the nose I was sure that it was heat damaged. Abe said that reduction was a natural part of this wine, and not a flaw. Good to know. The nose had stewed warm dark fruits; plums, blackberries, and blueberries. There was also a warm charcoal note too. The palate was far more to my liking with spicy red and dark fruits with a nice floral component. Very nice acidity on the finish too.

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  • 2005 Scholium Project Babylon Tenbrink Vineyards

    USA, California

    Another one of Abe's red's with what I perceive to be reduction on the nose. A beast of a wine with dense purple and black fruit with hearty tannin. The finish has some acidity (as is the case with most of Abe's wines), which is a must with a wine this big and hefty.

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Flight 5 - Scholium Red Flight 2 (2 Notes)

  • 2007 Scholium Project Bricco Babelico Tenbrink Vineyards

    USA, California

    Dense black fruit on the nose with an obvious mint component that seemed to be more fitting of a cabernet. The palate has lots of blueberry, blackberry jam, and warm spices. Alcohol spiked a bit on the palate for me - should be a bit hit with california petite sirah lovers.

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  • 2009 Scholium Project Chuey

    USA, California, North Coast

    From barrel sample. Had very nice dark fruit and subtle mint on the nose with undertones of smoke and lavender. Has nice weight, but also good deal of elegance. Enjoyed this stylish cabernet very much.

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Flight 6 - Champagne Interlude (1 Note)

  • 2004 Vilmart & Cie Champagne Premier Cru Grand Cellier d'Or 90 Points

    France, Champagne, Champagne Premier Cru

    Compared to a couple 1996 champagnes that were opened before this, it was clear that this bottle was a youngster! Far more taut on the palate, this had vibrant lemon tones with delicate brioche and yeast tones. I thought that this would benefit from another 5 years or so.

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Flight 7 - Grab Bag Flight (4 Notes)

  • 2005 Ferrando Carema Black Label (Etichetta Nera) 91 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Northern Piedmont, Carema

    From beginning to end, this wine reminded me of roasting dark fruit over a campfire. A lot of times this would be a negative - but I found this one to be quite nice! The body of the wine was relatively lithe, yet packed a serious punch of dark fruit, earthen undertones with a smokey haze.

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  • 2004 Scholium Project Scythia Donati Vineyards 93 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast, San Benito County

    Really glad this bottle made the trip with Abe to DC. Incredibly complex nose of smokey meats, black fruit and dusty red fruit. I caught an interesting saline component on the nose that reminded me of tidal pools - part sea water, part sea shell, part wet stone. Usually I associate these tones with Burgundian or Alsatian wines, so it was awesome seeing it here too! The palate was rocky and bloody with layers of dark fruit, and soil. Awesome stuff.

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  • 2004 Domaine Gauby Côtes du Roussillon Villages Muntada 88 Points

    France, Languedoc Roussillon, Roussillon, Côtes du Roussillon Villages

    Bold and fruited with smokey minerals on the nose. The palate was driven by blackberry compote, charcoal, and roasted herbs. Thought the acidity was nice on the finish, too.

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  • 2009 Russiz Superiore Collio Sauvignon 91 Points

    Italy, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Collio

    Incredibly fresh on the palate with lots of acid, grass, and grapefruit. This had some noticeable weight too with really nice herbal tones throughout.

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Flight 8 - Desert (4 Notes)

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