Wednesday Night at Domaine Wine Storage

Zachys Wine Auctions and Domaine Wine Storage put on quite a show for a Wednesday night. Corks were popping, wine was flowing and conversation was going. There were a lot of magnums at this tasting, which was fun. What a great mix of wines we had, and I would've been happy to sip pretty much any of these wines over the course of an evening.

• 1996 Henriot Champagne Brut Millésimé 91 Points

  France, Champagne

  This is a great way to start off any tasting. Lovely brioche, limestone and melon aromas. Buttered popcorn leads the way on the palate, but the freshness is superb. Wonderful acid and length on the finish. This Champagne could be 10 years from full maturity, but it's drinking so beautifully right now.

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• 2005 Domaine Henri Boillot Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Clos de la Mouchère 93 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru

  Drank from a magnum. Wow, what an impressive Puligny. Rich, tropical aromas, mixed with limestone. Lots of melon and apricot flavors, accented by citrus and wet stones. Round, but the acid and mineral intensity keeps this balanced and delicious. Superb finish. A very good Puligny, but it's still incredibly youthful.

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• 2010 Château Boswell Chardonnay The Voyage 84 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley

  In the midst of a largely Old World tasting, this wine offered a lot of California love. Tropical and toasty aromas. Big-time richness and hazelnut on the palate. The acid keeps it gluggable, but this is not a subtle chardonnay. Yummy, but perhaps a bit overwhelming.

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• 2009 Louis Jadot Volnay 1er Cru Clos des Chênes 89 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay 1er Cru

  A lot of tasters thought this wine was too candied, but I really enjoyed it. Floral on the nose, with pure cranberries and raspberries. Lovely acid and tannic structure makes this surprisginly easy to drink young. Lots of fruit and some cherry cough syrup on the palate. I'm enjoying drinking 09 Beaunes in the near term. Sure this is young, and probably has a lot more complexity to unwrap, but enjoyable.

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• 2009 Hospices de Beaune Volnay 1er Cru Santenots Cuvée Jéhan de Massol Méo-Camuzet 93 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay 1er Cru

  So earthy and meaty. Aromas of flowers, tilled soil and black pepper herbs. The palate is classic Volnay, with meat broth, pepper, firm tannins and acid. This is delicious and herbal now, but it needs a good five years to develop some more complexity. But even now, this wine is phenomenal. Night and day between this and the 2009 Jadot Volnay 1er Cru tasted alongside it.

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• 1995 Domaine Alain Michelot Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Vaucrains 91 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru

  Drank from a magnum. This is such a pretty Nuits St. Georges, at a great spot in its evolution. Savory and mineral aromas accent the sour cherry. Fresh acid and fine-grained tannins on the palate, with a distinct mineral cut to it. The cranberry and white cherry fruit is light and elegant. In a field of largely young Burgundies, I really appreciated the secondary characteristics in this wine.

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• 2005 Bernard Dugat-Py Pommard La Levrière Vieilles Vignes 91 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Pommard

  Still a very primal wine. Dense and dark aromas. On the palate, the tannins are grippy, the acid fresh, and the fruit compact. Plums and charcoal linger, along with a significant amount of oak. Very delicious, but this stuff is built for the long haul. Five more years or a significant decant recommended.

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• 1998 Château Quinault L'Enclos 90 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru

  Drank from a magnum. Aromas of beef broth, pickles, olive tapenade, backed up with plum and fig fruit. Lots of soy sauce mixes with plum fruit and fine-grained tannins. Solid stuff, and the wine evolved a lot over the evening. If I had a stash of this, I'd probably drink them over the next two or three years.

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• 1998 Château Smith Haut Lafitte 89 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  I liked this just a bit less than the 1998 Quinalt L'Enclos at the tasting. Showing nice savory characteristics that back up the plum and cassis. Tannins are very manageable, and the acid is there for balance. Showing some meat and earth, especially on the finish. The oak is really well integrated, perhaps unlike some more recent vintages.

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• 1986 Château Léoville Las Cases 95 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Julien

  Drank from a magnum. In a full line-up of very good bottles, this stood a few steps above the rest. Very complex and nuanced, this really deserves a serious decant and a full day of tasting because it's such a bold and changing wine. Lovely aromas of plums, blackberry, gunflint, wet leaves, forest floor and pickles. Still youthful on the palate, with fine tannins and a good amount of fruit extraction. Complex and evolving flavors of black cherry pits, moss, farm soil, cigar box... it keeps going. A stunning wine that still has more to show in the coming years. 95+

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• 1988 Sean Thackrey Syrah Orion 88 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Drank from a magnum. This wine deserves time alone to fully appreciate the aged nuances. For an aged Cali syrah, it shows a lot of complexity. Earthy, meaty and aged, but still showing dusty tannins. Really unique flavors, but I'd like a bit more fruit from this wine.

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• 1994 Mount Eden Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Old Vine Reserve 92 Points

  USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains

  This is a very pretty, well-aged Cabernet. Aromas of leather, pepper, cassis, roasted plums and hints of tobacco. The palate shows fine tannins, smooth acid, and lots of smoky red and purple fruit. The smokiness of this wine, like a good Scotch, lingers with the fruit on the finish. Very pretty stuff, and it has a good few more years ahead of it, easily.

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• 1995 Bruno Giacosa Barolo 90 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  Classic aromas of mushroom, earth and plums. Complex aromas, they developed a lot over time. The palate is rather smooth, and it's drinking very well right now. Soft acid and tannins allow the plum and tobacco flavors to show through really well. A lot more approachable than I was suspecting.

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• 2003 Celler Vall Llach Priorat IDUS 90 Points

  Spain, Catalunya, Priorat

  The lone Spanish wine in the tasting showed very well. Aromas of leather, roasted plums, blackberries and some smoke. The palate shows fine tannins, decent acid (which was pleasantly surprising), and delicious flavors of black cherry and plum. Bacon and seaweed flavors are mixed in, adding complexity. I had the 2005 of this wine several years ago, and I've really enjoyed both wines. A Priorat that really hits the spot for my palate.

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• 2004 Rhys Pinot Noir Alpine Vineyard 93 Points

  USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains

  With a bunch of solid Burgundies in the tasting, leave it to Rhys to sweep in and seduce me with its 2004 Alpine Vineyard pinot. Medium purple colored. Gorgeous aromas of sweet cherry, licorice, some braised meat, crushed rocks. So pure and full on the palate, but bright with acid and mineral. Lovely black and red fruits, backed up by all sorts of nuanced flavors. Bold, but deserving of serious respect. This still has a long life ahead of it. I'd love to try it again in a few more years. This vineyard is extreme, as the name suggests, and you can taste that radical Santa Cruz aura in this pinot noir.

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