California versus France at Claudio's

Wow, what an evening. We were summoned to Claudio's without any information about the wine, food or theme for the evening. Our normal tasting group of seven was joined by three guests: Daniel Orrison from Blackbird Vineyards and Masonry in Napa, Shane Benson of New York Vintners, and David Noto a friend of Claudio's and the producer of the fine Prosecco we enjoyed. Daniel chose the California wines while Shane did the French. All wines were served blind.

The food and company were amazing and the wines exceptional. Claudio served "lamb three ways" meaning that each of the three main tasting flights were paired with a different lamb dish. It could not have been more perfect.

Votes at the end of the night revealed the Petit Mouton and the Lail John Daniel as winners, but honestly we were splitting hairs as there were so many strong and interesting wines.

We drank this wonderful Prosecco with the following cheeses and hors d'oeuvres: Salame di Felino, Cremeux de Bourgogne, Sottocenere al Tartufo, cave-aged Pyrenees Brebis, cave-aged Selles-sur-Cher, cave-aged Delice de Bourgogne, and Piave Vecchio.

• NV Altaneve Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore 90 Points

  Italy, Veneto, Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG

  Easily the best prosecco I have had and possibly the only one I have truly enjoyed. Beautiful, balanced wine was dry but not austere with a rich, white fruit and crushed seashell flavor profile. Fine bead which flowed gently across the palette. The owner David Noto was present to share this with us.

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Pan seared scallops with lemon-thyme drizzle; bed of summer salad with Dijon vinaigrette.

• 2011 Patrick Piuze Chablis Grand Cru Les Preuses 91 Points

  France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru

  Drinking well despite its youth. Muted but not necessarily tight, mineral driven nose with fall fruits, acetate, and melon. Expands nicely in the mouth to be a medium bodied, refined wine with a medium-plus finish

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• 2010 Lail Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc Georgia 92 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley, Yountville

  Nobody guessed this was Sov Blanc. Large scaled, voluptuous, and oozing with personality, this was one of the surprises of the night. On the nose I got strong coconut, buttered popcorn, lemon peel, and a bouquet of fragrant flowers. Oak fermentation gives this a Kistler-like richness in the mouth and great balance considering its flamboyance. This received a single second place vote.

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Fire-grilled blackcurrant lamb loin, funghi trifolati al tartufo.

• 2008 Blackbird Vineyards Illustration 91 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  I was impressed with both the 2006 and 2008 Blackbird Illustration. I was stumped by this wine, at first guessing it was a fifteen year old California Cab because of the similarities to the 1994 Pride I had a few weeks ago. Blackberries, black licorice, bramble, and some caramel on the nose and palette. The tannins, while on the grittier side, are well concealed such that they seem to have been resolved through years of bottle age, giving it a sense of subtle complexity. The primary shortcoming was in the finish were I got more texture than flavor and was fairly short. Would like to try this again in a few years.
  
  This received a single second place vote.

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• 2006 Blackbird Vineyards Illustration 89 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Well integrated but tight with a velvet texture. Strong green bell pepper on the nose but otherwise not giving much. Seemed a bit thin once it passed the mid-palette resulting in a medium finish. I suspect this is closed and would be interested to retest in a few years. This did not receive any first or second place votes.

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• 1996 Château d'Armailhac 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  The initial strong pencil lead and graphite on the nose gave this away as Pauillac. Also got a full blast of stinky basement which strengthened over the thirty minutes in the glass and which mostly concealed the fruit. The palette was highly mineral driven and the finish fairly long. Nice wine that is squarely in its drinking window. Won this flight and received one first place vote.

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Roast rack of lamb with garlic, rosemary rub, roast baby potatoes with rosemary and sea salt.

• 2005 Château Sociando-Mallet 90 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Haut-Médoc

  Nose of menthol, dusty earthy graphite, and a slight green note. Clearly very young, this modern-styled Medoc is still a bit gritty and closed on the palette. Clearly a lot of upside here with five-plus years

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• 2006 Lail Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon J. Daniel Cuvée 93 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Just like the other Lail wine tonight, this had personality in spades. Flamboyant and almost sweet on the nose, this delivered waves of grape scratch and sniffs, blueberry pie, rhubarb pie, and floral. Great weight in the mouth with tons of flavor and a long, persistent finish. This received four first place votes and was second to the Petit Mouton on the night

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Roast rack of lamb with mujstard and mint sauce. Sauteed baby peas with prosciutto.

• 2007 Château Mouton Rothschild Le Petit Mouton de Mouton Rothschild 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  This showed great and was the WOTN by a narrow margin over the Lail John Daniel. It received three first place votes and three second. Green bell pepper, smokey marshmallow, plums, crushed stone minerality. Nuanced and elegant but still flavorful, the finish was long with a wonderful, even, and flavorful intensity. An old world-styled wine crafted beautifully from high quality material. Someone called it "Brooke Sheilds at 13."

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• 2009 TOR Cabernet Sauvignon Clone 337 Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard 93 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville

  The size and scale of this wine were crazy, possibly bigger than any I have had. Huge and concentrated with jammy black fruit, black current extract, and cola it was like drinking a freight train. The luscious, lightly tannic juice was like thick velvet but seemed over-ripe bordering on roasted and at moments I felt as though my taste buds were being assaulted. Long finish to compliment everything else that was gigantic about this wine. In my opinion it was all too much and, although I can appreciate the extraordinary quality of fruit and craftsmanship, I failed to discern the nuance and complexity which would have helped to balance the muscle.
  
  Points for sheer audacity.
  
  This received one second place vote.

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Amaretto cheesecake with gingersnap crust and topped with amaretto glaze and toasted almonds.

• 2007 R.A. Harrison Family Cellars Nobility Late Harvest 92 Points

  USA, California, North Coast, Napa County

  Reticent on the nose, with some creamy oak, custard, and toasted nutty almond. Comes alive and expands greatly once it hits the palette to become a medium-plus intensity wine with a deep, reasonably long tropical-fruit finish. This received one first place vote and three second place. Compared to great sauternes this seemed solid but not exceptional, however, compared to other California late harvest I thought it was excellent.

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• 2007 Château Doisy-Védrines 90 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

  Very colorful on the nose with a full display of botrytis-infused tropical notes. Pineapple, honey, and brown sugar aromatics jump from the glass but unfortunately only partially followed through on the palette. Not much on the finish. I would give this a few years to see if it puts on some weight. 92-93 for the aromatic display but ultimately drinking fairly average.

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An amazing night with a special thanks to Daniel and Shane.