Dinner at Brad Andonian's

Served with grilled pork tenderloin. Here are some photos of the event.

• 1986 Ridge Petite Sirah York Creek 85 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley, Spring Mountain District

  Michael and Eric like this wine better than I did. I, however, enjoyed the opportunity to try such a rare wine. The nose had me convinced that it was Old World. It sure seemed like a CdR with a few years age. I found animal fur, funk, and chalk. The palate showed cherry candy and chalk. With air it picked up some deeper, darker elements.

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• 1995 Spottswoode Cabernet Sauvignon 89 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  The nose showed blackberry jam, chocolate, and cedar. The palate showed espresso bean, pepper, and other spices. I enjoyed this wine, but I found it a bit simple and boring.

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• 2001 Facelli Winery Lemberger 89 Points

  USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Yakima Valley

  I am surprised how much I liked this wine. It had a Zin like nose with a bit more structure on the palate. It had some Ridge Zin elements to it. The nose showed some citric elements and plenty of juicy red fruits. The palate had black cherry and good grip and depth. The fruit, however, mostly stayed on the front of my mouth.

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• 1990 Domaine du Pégau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée 94 Points

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

  This wine is so closed and young. I let this wine sit for over an hour in my glass, and it really improved. With this coaxing it finally gave up super-sweet cherry, bandaid, and horse. The palate was awesome with more sweet cherry, spice, dried herbs, and plenty of tannic structure. I love this, but it really needs time. I can't imagine this not being a 96-98 point wine in a decade. I wish had a case of this in the cellar.

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• 2000 Quilceda Creek Cabernet Sauvignon 92 Points

  USA, Washington

  I had planned on opening one of these this weekend to check on its progression. Since I was headed to a tasting with a group with plenty of experience with this wine, I decided to bring it to this tasting. The nose shows the blueberry hallmark (I continue to find the 00 dominated by blueberry). I also find some charred oak on the nose. The palate is thick and lush with strong chalky tannins and loads of fruit. The wood is really strong at this time. Overall I find this wine to be a bit awkward at this moment. I think this wine will get lost in time. The 98, 99, 01, and 02 will always be far better.

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• 1994 Joseph Phelps Insignia 95 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Why doesn't Eric bring good wines? :) The definition of an awesome Cal cab. The shows is the essence of chocolate. The palate is wonderfully plush with sweet blackberry and a seamless mouthfeel. It is still so young, and after 2 hours of air it is just beginning to show what its got. The only negative is a slight touch of heat on the palate. With time this will even be better.

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Thank you to Brad for a fun evening.