Rick's 50th birthday notes and my 10,000th post!

Chateau Rick
Tasted Saturday, November 24, 2012 - Tuesday, November 27, 2012 by clayfu with 796 views

Introduction

1) I didn't realize what my post count was until the donor thread came up. I have posted far too much. Around post 7000~ Zhi Hu commented to my wife the number of posts I had made so far. The next two days she complained angrily that I spend more time on this board than talking to her. Hopefully Zhi doesn't throw me under the bus this time.

2) 25+ of Rick M's friends gathered at his house for his 50th birthday last saturday. Him and his wife put out a DELICIOUS spread of Langers. 20+ lbs of Pastrami, double baked rye, cheese, coleslaw, potato salad. Yummmmmy. On top of that we had a ridiculous amount of wines. Rick himself had to have opened 20+ bottles as many of the people were not wine collectors there. He opened quite a few goodies and some of us opened some nice stuff as well to celebrate the old man [snort.gif]. A generous birthday celebration!

Flight 1 - Whites, Burgundy and Cali whites (5 Notes)

Tasted a few white wines throughout the night. Missed the 04 bouchard meursault genevrieres and the 02 Roulot Les Meix Chavaux

  • 2010 Louis Jadot Montrachet

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Montrachet Grand Cru

    (11/27/2012)

    Big dose of sulfur on the nose. Even with it sitting in a decanter for 3 hours the reduction on the nose still stands out. But beneath the so2 is a deep concentrated whiff of peach. The palate on the otherhand is a bit more ready than the nose is as you get a very rich sappy apple and citrus core, but the wine itself isn't terribly exciting as there doesn't seem to be much complexity at the moment nor is there much of a finish. There is a waxy texture to it on the palate that lifts the fruit from the initial attack to the mid palate but it doesn't have enough to get any farther.

    A bit disappointing compared to the Chev that we had a week earlier from 2010 which had far more depth and flavor than this monty.

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  • 1992 J.M. Boillot Bâtard-Montrachet

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru

    (11/27/2012)

    Similar to my previous note from earlier in the year but the wine was far more ready to drink than the prior bottle. Still had great texture and vibrancy and the powerful attack of fruit and mineral was still there. I'd say consume them up as the mid palate is starting to fall off just a touch as the wine takes a small dip from the initial attack to mid palate and then raises back up on the finish.

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  • 2010 Sine Qua Non The Monkey

    USA, California

    (11/27/2012)

    wow absolutely joke of a wine. Fat oaky vanilla with peach and and honey. Sounds like my type of ice cream. The oak is just so obvious on this wine which with the minerality on the finish, gives it this really weird tingling sensation.. almost like Novocaine.

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  • 2008 Aubert Chardonnay Larry Hyde & Sons

    USA, California, Napa / Sonoma, Carneros

    (11/27/2012)

    Finally an Aubert that I thought was more than just ok. Great tension on the palate that helps liven it from being the typical creamy lush Aubert and big dollops of tropical fruit and creme. I read one note that someone complained of too much acid, but I feel that was the saving grace of the wine as without it.. it'd just be big, lush and thick.

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  • 2008 Aubert Chardonnay Ritchie Vineyard

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

    (11/27/2012)

    Ahh back to what I'm used to. The Aubert I hate. Big fat floozy of a wine. Too waxy, too fat, and too creamy. No acidity to balance out the wine. Tons of tropical fruit but it just falls dead on the finish.

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Flight 2 - Pinots (4 Notes)

Not a bad pinot on this flight.

  • 2006 Domaine Dujac Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Aux Malconsorts

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

    (11/27/2012)

    Just a beast of a good wine. Wonderfully balanced from the get go with plenty of acid and fruit that integrates perfectly with the classic dujac stem. Doesn't have the all powerful vosne spice blowing out on the nose, but it's present and mixed well with the red berries. Still has so much time in this wine as the density of the fruit carries so welland it's only beginning to show what it's truly made of.

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  • 2000 Domaine Dujac Charmes-Chambertin

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru

    (11/27/2012)

    When it was first popped open and poured, I took a whiff and it smelled like ripe candied fruit, ala California pinot. On the palate that same sweet fruit permeated throughout. But the wine absolutely transformed within 5 minutes in the glass. Suddenly the acid picked up. the fruit toned down and you get all this wonderful earth and cool fruit stem on the nose and this crunchy red fruit on the palate with sparkling minerality. A touch of iron to give it a bit more complexity on the finish.

    I typically am not a huge fan of their charmes, but this one was delicious.

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  • 1996 Williams Selyem Pinot Noir Hirsch Vineyard

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

    (11/27/2012)

    This wine was stored in perfect condition. Such cool high toned fruit on the palate with a developing earthy nature to mix in with it. Just so wonderfully balanced at this point and there's that touch of grainy tannin on the back end to give it some texture and depth. Very enjoyable wine.

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  • 2006 Friedrich Becker Sankt Paul Spätburgunder Großes Gewächs

    Germany, Pfalz

    (11/27/2012)

    Well put together cool fruit on the initial attack, red crunchy berries. The mid palate falls off a bit as it rings hollow, but the finish picks back up with high acidity and sappy stem on the finish. Decent wine. Since I don't have much experience with German pinots, I'm not sure if the mid palate will ever pick up or it's just a phase right now. Seems to be something that I always get on the Becker pinots, that drop off on the mid palate.

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Flight 3 - Older reds (5 Notes)

Missed out on the 02 Chateau Branaire-Ducru Mag, 05 Karl Lawrence Mag, 62 La mission Haut Brion. Otherwise, enjoyed the wines other than the shut down Mouton

  • 1996 Opus One

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    (11/27/2012)

    I thought it was an enjoyable cabernet with age on it. It showed high doses of cigar and earth on the palate with lingering dark red fruit. The tannins have pretty much fully integrated. Since the fruit seems to be overshadowed at this point by the 2ndary characters, I'd say start drinking them up.

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  • 1996 Dominus Estate Napanook Vineyard

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    (11/27/2012)

    man oh man I love me some dominus. Compared to the 96 Opus which was at the top of the hill looking down, this Dominus still seems to be fresh and young. There is such a deep focused black fruit on the palate with mint and leather layered into the fruit. The texture is cool and fresh and the finish goes on for quite awhile as the brooding structure holds everything in place. Great wine.

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  • 1996 Château Mouton Rothschild

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

    (11/27/2012)

    Don't have much to say about this wine. Tried it when it was opened, tried it 3-4 hours later and it still was pretty much the same. Shut down hard. Not giving much up on the nose or the palate. You do get a sense of the dusty tannins and earth, but everything is still suppressed. If you have a bottle in good shape, I'd say hold it for quite awhile.

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  • 1972 Inglenook Vineyards Petite Sirah

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    (11/27/2012)

    Good looking cork and label. But the wine is far past its prime. Just your typical dead red wine. Oh well!

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  • 1982 Château L'Evangile

    France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol

    (11/27/2012)

    Doesn't seem to be that well stored of a bottle as the fruit was tired and faded and pretty much just dusty tannins and leather spice on the palate now. Tasted like any ol dying pomerol. Really too bad as I was really looking forward to it

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Flight 4 - Look at me ma, I'm drinking Cali cabs (5 Notes)

  • 2005 Harlan Estate

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    (11/27/2012)

    Big, dark, brooding and tannic when the wine was first popped open. Spicy dark fruit on the palate while the tannins create this odd prickly tactile sensation on your tongue. The wine was a gigantic wine, the structure was so dense and solid that I felt like it just bracketed my mouth. I tried it again about 2 hours later and it got really oaky and hot on the palate which was rather disappointing.

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  • 2001 Joseph Phelps Insignia

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    (11/27/2012)

    Sweet ripe red fruit on the palate. Nice weight on the mid palate but still very primary as the only two traits you really get are tannins and rich berries. Still a very burly powerful wine, I'm not exactly sure how it'll develop but one person who had it when it first opened, commented that it was too jammy, but it seemed to have changed into a sleeker ripe fruit after a few hours.

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  • 2003 Sloan

    USA, California, Napa Valley, Rutherford

    (11/27/2012)

    Oddly enough, this wine is almost exactly the same as it was a few years ago when I had it. Still a hot oaky mess. Super green and just not good.

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  • 2004 Schrader Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon RBS Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard

    USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville

    (11/27/2012)

    Whenever I have Schrader I get the same texture sensation that I like in some of the more recent Napa Cabs. It's just so damn silky smooth on the palate. It was combined with ultra ripe red berry fruit, soft tannins with that fruit just carrying deep into the finish.

    Unfortunately the wine took a big turn later on in the night as like the Harlan went into this dumb oaky hot phase. Not sure what to make of it. It was nice on the pop and pour.

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  • 2004 Merus Cabernet Sauvignon

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    (11/27/2012)

    Big boy flavor in this wine. Huge on the palate with just mouth staining purple fruit and chocolate. Classic modern California cab. Really a stark contrast to the rest of the cabs that night as surprisingly, not a single one had that modern chocolate flavor.

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