Chicago Berserkerfest Dinner

Blue Star Bistro - Chicago IL
Tasted Friday, May 17, 2013 by Burgundy Al with 831 views

Introduction

While I'm not active on the Wine Berserker board, several of my friends were going to attend some of the wine events so I knew they would be some good wine. Night 1.

Flight 1 - First Flight: SQN Whites (3 Notes)

  • 2008 Sine Qua Non Kolibri 90 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Barbara County

    Floral and perfumed start. Big and fat ultra-ripe fruit flavors, making the palate slightly less exciting than the nose. Powerful with good concentration. Most tasters' Wine of the Flight, myself included, although most others enjoyed this more than I did tonight.

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  • 2009 Sine Qua Non On The Lam 87 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Barbara County

    Again ultra-ripe fruit dominates, giving it a certain degree of enticing charm, but also seemingly top heavy.

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  • 2010 Sine Qua Non The Monkey 86 Points

    USA, California

    I almost always find SQN whites better after a year+ in cellar. This came across tonight as really over-the-top and slightly unbalanced, despite clearly exceptional fruit quality and concentration. Better in 2014-2015 I imagine.

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Flight 2 - Some early bonus wines from around the room (5 Notes)

  • 1955 Cappellano Barolo

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

    More earth than anything else, supported with elegant hints of licorice, black pepper and spice as well as subtle floral notes. Slightly simpler flavors but still charming.

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  • 1964 Fontanafredda Barolo 91 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

    Aromas of black tea, anise, rose petal and lots of mushroom. Lingering red fruit hints came through on palate as well with good intensity and balance.

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  • 2002 Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Clavoillon 91 Points

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

    Floral and spice driven start with lush fruit. More compact flavors with good density, perhaps just backward or slightly shut down right now. A wine I'd rather assess and enjoy over several hours vs. tonight's several minutes.

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  • 2009 Aubert Chardonnay Larry Hyde & Sons 94 Points

    USA, California, Napa / Sonoma, Carneros

    Lots of charming sweet spice to start with some baking notes working well with ripe apple and pear aromas. same lush, ripe orchard fruit on palate. Large scaled, powerful and long, if not incredibly elegant today. I expect this will continue to improve and develop some nuance over the next few years.

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  • 2011 Yvon Métras Fleurie 90 Points

    France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Fleurie

    Black and red fruit on nose and palate, slightly sweet and ripe, good textures and overall balance. Impressive wine, I wouldn't have thought this Gamay if tasted blind in this accelerated dinner format.

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Flight 3 - Mostly SQN Grenache (4 Notes)

  • 2000 Sine Qua Non Incognito 90 Points

    USA, California

    I haven't had this wine in several years, and while certainly still enjoyable, (this bottle at least) is playing the back nine. Slightly earthy flavors with lots of cherry having ever-so-slightly tart character on nose and palate. Less interesting after a few hours in glass.

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  • 2004 Sine Qua Non Into the Dark 93 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast

    Massive, dense and powerful with huge black fruit that seems to have lost some of the spice and charm I recall from a few years back. Lots of pleasure, just not lots of nuance tonight.

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  • 2005 Sine Qua Non Grenache Atlantis Fe2O3~2a, b & c 96 Points

    USA, California

    Huge spice, black pepper, licorice, dried herbs with blackberry and black cherry aromas. Flavors gravitate a bit towards plum with same great spice start-to-finish. Great concentration, intensity and balance. This wine has never disappointed.

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  • 2006 Sine Qua Non Grenache Raven Series 92 Points

    USA, California

    Precocious and incredibly primary, this really comes across needing more time in the cellar. Accessible but slightly heavy today. Dense and somewhat brooding. Long finish shows good balance which gives me confidence this will emerge in a nicer place in another year or three.

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Flight 4 - Mostly SQN Syrah (4 Notes)

  • 2003 Sine Qua Non Syrah Papa 96 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast

    A wine I enjoyed considerably at release, less so the last time I tasted in 2010, now back to old form! Lots of hug black fruit with great spice, dark chocolate and espresso. Very good balance, length and concentration, without any sense of over-ripe fruit or excess heat.

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  • 2004 Sine Qua Non Syrah Poker Face 95 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast

    One slight notch below Papa for me tonight, this has great black fruit, charming spice and textures, everything in good balance.

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  • 2008 Sine Qua Non Syrah B 20 91 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast

    Lush fruit, still coming across as a bit of a sledgehammer today, this needs more cellar time to integrate better and find harmony. Plum, blackberry start-to-finish, slightly jammy today.

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  • 2007 Saxum James Berry Vineyard 82 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles

    We had two bottles of this in two separate flights. Both were similar, the first (82 points) slightly better the the second (79 points). Lots of over-ripe black fruit, to me coming across out of balance. Too much chocolate, too much heat, not enough interesting textures.

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Flight 5 - Some Rhone Varietal odds and ends (3 Notes)

  • 2004 Colgin Syrah IX Estate

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    Started with really good spice, lots of black fruit with red cherry hints. Well textured and structured as well. Fruit seemed to lose steam with more time in glass.

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  • 2005 Saxum James Berry Vineyard 87 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles

    Black fruit with some good freshness and spice. Certainly stronger and more balanced than the same wine form the 2007 vintage also served tonight, but still slightly too ultra ripe for me.

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  • 2006 Alban Vineyards Syrah Seymour's Vineyard 89 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast, Edna Valley

    Fat and hedonistic wine, well made and powerful with good balance. I just found a slightly chemical character that was difficult to get past.

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Flight 6 - A few more bottles from around the room (4 Notes)

  • 1985 Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco Gallina di Neive 93 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco

    Floral with hints of anise and a very good combination of red fruit and evolved mushroomy aromas. Almost identical on the palate with a delicacy and elegance, moderate length.

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  • 2007 Domaine de Montille Pommard 1er Cru Les Rugiens 83 Points

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

    Lean red fruit coming across on palate with nice spice support. More firm and tannic on palate, slightly backward and angular. Certainly shows more Pommard character than 2007 character. Not as forward and accessible as most 2007s.

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  • 2002 E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Turque 90 Points

    France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie

    Very charming spice driven start with nice, fresh black fruit. Aromatic start is today more exciting than the flavors, which are very good, just slightly simple, but everything is in very good balance. This is probably going to reach its peak drinking window in the next few years.

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  • 2009 Sine Qua Non Syrah The Thrill of... 97 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast

    Huge black fruit with slight liqueur hints. Great spice. Everything in balance from start-to-finish. What a difference a year makes! I find these SQNs usually seem less integrated from the first year after release, which was the case when I tried this wine last summer. Today... sensational.

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Flight 7 - Some sweet wine (5 Notes)

Flight 8 - Afterparty at Casa Weber (3 Notes)

  • 1976 R. López de Heredia Rioja Gran Reserva Viña Bosconia 93 Points

    Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja

    Popped and poured, served blind. Lots of mushroom aromas with dried tart cherry. Similar on palate with a bit of fig as well. Very fine tannins, very charming structure. Wonderful once again.

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  • 1971 Jaffelin Clos de la Roche 85 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos de la Roche Grand Cru

    Popped and poured late in the evening. All earth and mushroom, some spice hints as well aromatically. Similar on palate, moderate density, finesse or nuance.

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  • 1998 Penfolds Cabernet Sauvignon Bin 707 93 Points

    Australia, South Australia

    Black plum aromas with meaty spice, some nice black pepper, vanilla and chocolate. Still fresh flavors, very good balance and textures, very elegant with a long finish. Prob still getting better. Popped and poured.

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