Dinner at Brad Andonian's

Bellevue, WA, USA
Tasted Wednesday, December 29, 2004 by Eric with 1,362 views

Introduction

Brad Andonian was kind enough to invite a few folks over for dinner. So myself, Roy Hersh, Jason Goldberger and Michael Gordon arrived to enjoy some wines and a delicious grilled pork tenderloin. Here are some photos of the event.

Flight 1 (1 Note)

We started out with a lovely starter-white while we waited for everyone to arrive.

Flight 2 (3 Notes)

Then we moved onto an eclectic flight of reds while we enjoyed dinner.

  • 1986 Ridge Petite Sirah York Creek 89 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley, Spring Mountain District

    Wow, what a nose of intense barnyard funk that slowly started to show some note of pine resin. The amazing barnyard kept going for hours on this one. On the palate this was deep and black with olive, screaming of Southern France. At first this was a bit astringent and leathery and showed very little fruit, but with a few hours it did open up a bit and get sweeter. That said, even after three hours in the glass this was impressively chewy and still tannic.

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  • 1995 Spottswoode Cabernet Sauvignon 87 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    The nose screams of blackberry and blueberry and with time gains a spicy note of cedar. The palate is a bit simple but nicer with the grilled pork loin. I found this to be a little disappointing.

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  • 2001 Facelli Winery Lemberger 83 Points

    USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Yakima Valley

    The nose is Zin-like with lots of blueberry. On the palate this shows black cherry, tart and somewhat bright.

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Flight 3 (3 Notes)

Then we moved onto the big boys, a great set of three wines which we enjoyed slowly.

  • 1990 Domaine du Pégau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée 96 Points

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

    WOTN. The nose shows iodine, dominant notes of sweet cherry, garrigue, and then some leather and horse. On the palate this screams GRENACHE!, filled with dried herbs and gaining weight and thickness that belies the color of the wine. This bottle, purchased on release and stored well, is still so young, vibrant and tannic, and clearly well stored bottles are still a long way from maturity. Still, this wine delivers such pleasure already.

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  • 2000 Quilceda Creek Cabernet Sauvignon 91 Points

    USA, Washington

    This wine is at a pretty awkward stage right now, but with some patience it still has a lot to offer. A huge nose of blueberry gives way to toasty oak, tar and caramel, still a lot of oak to integrate. On the palate this is initially searing, massive and tannic, a beast, spicy and loaded with oak yet with tons of fruit to absorb it. The seems pretty shut down, but with a lot of coaxing and swirling this does show more depth. I would wait quite a while at this point before opening one of mine.

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  • 1994 Joseph Phelps Insignia 95 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    Oh my, what an expressive nose of chocolate, mint and cassis, gunning on all cylinders. The palate is complex and vibrant with coffee and loads of dark flavors. The finish is still quite youthful with plenty of structure to resolve yet singing and loaded with sweet fruit and vanilla. This was a very nice showing.

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Flight 4 (2 Notes)

Finally with apple pie we finished up with a pair of dessert wines.

Closing

Thanks to Brad and everyone for a very enjoyable evening!

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