Sharon's Birthday (Kapcsandy, Rhys, Huet, Pape Clement, +++)

Last night my wife and I joined our good friends Sharon and Sashi to celebrate Sharon's birthday. I brought the wines. All were popped and poured over the course of dinner at a local restaurant for about 3.5 hours. Slow food, wine and lots of conversation. A great evening.

• 2002 Domaine Huet Vouvray Demi-Sec Clos du Bourg 94 Points

  France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray

  Awesome. Perfect condition. Light golden in color. A nose of orange rinds, some mineral and saline. On the palate, this is layered, complex and delicious. Slightly sweet. Viscous texture. Great balance. So smooth. Long finish. Love this wine. Hard not to chug it.

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• 2009 Rhys Chardonnay Alpine Vineyard 94 Points

  USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains

  My favorite producer of Chardonnay, anywhere. Really light gold with some green glimmers. The nose is deep with lemon custard, slight vanilla, minerals. Full bodied. Rich texture. On the palate, the lemon custard carries thru only there is a great bite of acidity to balance it out. Young, it unwinds in the glass. Long finish. Great with food.

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• 2002 Gérard Raphet Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Lavaux St. Jacques 92 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru

  Really in a nice place. This is, of course, why to cellar wine. Pale ruby in color. The nose is deep, no funk, but cherries, macerated cherries and some damp forest floor notes. Medium bodied. Complex and layered on the palate. Probably at peak for my tastes as I still like some fruit left. Layers of earth, forest floor, and juicy cherries. Nice balance. Nice finish. Great with food. Bought on release.

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• 2008 Epoch Estate Wines Estate Blend 90 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles

  Purple/ruby in color. The nose has raspberries, cherries and black raspberries. Is there Zin in this? The nose has that bramble quality as well. Full bodied. Not complex but lots of tasty fruit. Easy to drink. Red fruits mostly. An earthy undertone.

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• 1998 Château Pape Clément 93 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  I loved this wine, the group, not as much. The nose has lots of funk. Barnyard with cassis and cherries. Very musty and earth. On the palate, this is complex. Everything is integrated and just wonderful layering. Currants and earth and summer barnyard. Great with food. In its prime now IMO.

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• 2008 Kapcsándy Family Winery Estate Cuvée State Lane Vineyard 96 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley, Yountville

  This stood in great contrast to the Pape Clement. Everyone loved it. While this is young, it is not a monster or a fruit bomb. It is elegant and well made. Cassis some coffee and dark chocolate on the nose, slight minty/herbal note. Great rich yet slick texture. On the palate, up front with great juicy fruit. Complex, more from flavor profile than layering. Really easy to drink. Long finish. While this will last for a long time, it is really enjoyable today.

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• 2008 The Central Chardonnay Late Harvest Sierra Madre Vineyard 91 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley

  I would not hold these much longer. It is still good, but I think it might be at peak or slightly past. Hard to say for sure. Deep golden in color. Then nose has oranges, tangerines, and honey. Slightly sweet (just a bit more than the Huet we opened with). Slightly viscous. A bit of a bitter note. Went well with food and is outstanding. Did not improve in the glass. From a 375.

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Sharon, hope you have many more! Have fun in Spain and Germany.