Dinner at Browntrout

Browntrout - Chicago, IL
Tasted Saturday, May 5, 2012 by tooch with 635 views

Introduction

Met up with Ward, Keith, Mark, Phil and James at Browntrout. They offer free corkage on bottles that are older that 10 years, so that became our theme. The food at Browntrout was great - the wild mushroom risotto, the escargot, and pork porterhouse were especially fantastic!

Flight 1 (9 Notes)

  • 2001 Kistler Chardonnay Hyde Vineyard 90 Points

    USA, California, Napa / Sonoma, Carneros

    Nice nose of seawater, lemon oil, herbs and pear. Palate seemed mature, the acidity was moderate and the flavors were well-knit together. My one gripe would be a somewhat hollow mid-palate. Great lemon and herbal notes to start, and a nice finish of pear and floral notes...just not much happening in between. Yummy stuff.

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  • 1998 Domaine Weinbach Riesling Cuvée Ste. Catherine 88 Points

    France, Alsace

    A very rich expression of riesling. The nose was a tropical fruit melange of peach, mango, and pear. It had a nice floral note on the palate that gave the exuberant tropical fruit a bit of elegance. The palate was a bit rich for me as its acidity was a bit low. Feel like this would have been a bit more balanced at a younger age when the acidity was more intense.

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  • 1989 Sokol Blosser Pinot Noir Redland Cuvée 91 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

    Elegant, pretty, refined all come to mind when thinking about this bottle. It was in impeccable condition having come directly from Sokol's cellars and the cork came out without a hitch. This had cool red fruit, earthy tones, subtle leather and herbs on the nose. The palate was incredibly silky and elegant with surprisingly high acid on the finish. This was the oldest Oregon pinot noir I've had and boy was it good!

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  • 1990 Paul Jaboulet Aîné Crozes-Hermitage Domaine de Thalabert 88 Points

    France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Crozes-Hermitage

    Interesting wine that seemed a bit closed to me. The nose offered up blackberry, roasted herbs, blood and earth notes. Despite the exotic nose, the wine was a bit muted on the palate. Perhaps decanting it would have coaxed some more out of its palate? Towards the end of the night, the palate seemed to open up some and was silky, and elegant.

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  • 1996 Château Cos d'Estournel 93 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe

    Great nose of leather, dried florals, tobacco, red fruit and warm herbs. The palate started off a bit mute, but with air it blossomed! Loved the integration of dusty red fruit, underbrush and leather on the palate. Thought it was a great showing, and another example of a '96 Bordeaux drinking in a great spot.

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  • 2000 Domaine de la Vieille Julienne Châteauneuf-du-Pape 91 Points

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

    Subtle nose with spicy cranberry, sour cherry, underbrush and herbs. The palate was silky and drinking very nicely with a richness and balance that I found appealing. I personally have overlooked the 2000 vintage a bit in the Southern Rhone...bottles like this make me curious about digging deeper.

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  • 1991 Henschke Shiraz Mount Edelstone

    Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Eden Valley

    Cork crumbled and I had to strain the bottle through cheesecloth. Nose seemed a bit off...maybe heat damaged? Hard to tell. The palate was showing better with blackberries, cranberry, plum, and tar. I don't have a lot of experience with older Australian wines, so I'm not sure if this wine performed like it should, or if it was a bit flawed.

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  • 1995 Seavey Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 91 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    Great showing. The nose was woodsy with subtle tobacco, cherry, cranberry and dried florals. Tannins are in a great place - subtly silky and soft. Another example of beautifully aged Napa cabernet.

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  • 2001 Alois Kracher Chardonnay TBA #7 Nouvelle Vague 92 Points

    Austria, Burgenland, Neusiedlersee

    This was a deep shade of amber, I usually don't note color, but this was beautiful. The nose was pure caramel, apple, and candied pear. I've found that one of the best aspects of Kracher wines is the balance of the palate and this was another example of an incredibly rich and incredibly balanced wine. Sizzling acidity on the finish makes this a home run.

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