Annual Tasting Group Holiday Party

Porter Creek, Mpls, MN
Tasted Saturday, December 21, 2013 by rocknroller with 675 views

Introduction

This was the annual holiday tasting party. We had two tables of 12 people and good time was had by all.

Flight 1 - Table 1 Whites (4 Notes)

  • NV Vilmart & Cie Champagne Premier Cru Grande Réserve 90 Points

    France, Champagne, Champagne Premier Cru

    Light gold color. Drank 1 glass over 20 minutes. Really nice stuff for their entry level bottling. Shows pear, apple, mild yeast, and mild floral qualities. The palate is fresh and lively, pear, light citrus, mild to moderate yeast, fine chalky minerality, medium plus finish. 90+pts.

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  • NV Delamotte Champagne Brut 89 Points

    France, Champagne

    Drank 1 glass over 20 minutes. This was a bit more subdued, subtle citrus on the nose, minerals, yeast. The palate is a bit fuller bodied and chalkier, citrus, mineral, yeast. Medium finish. 89-89+pts.

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  • 2008 Arcadian Chardonnay Sleepy Hollow Vineyard Flawed

    USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands

    corked

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  • 2007 Brewer-Clifton Chardonnay Rancho Santa Rosa 93 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast, Sta. Rita Hills

    Light gold color. Drank 1+ glass over 45 minutes. The nose offers up some lovely tropical fruits, pineapple, mango, peach, orange zest, white florals, and crème brule. The palate was medium-full bodied, citrus, toast, dry earth, nice minerality, orange peel, lemon meringue, pineapple. Lovely balance and a long finish; this just kept getting better. I've always been a fan of Brewer-Clifton wines, they never seem to disappoint. 93+pts.

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Flight 2 - Table 1 Reds (11 Notes)

  • 2006 Domaine Heresztyn/Heresztyn-Mazzini Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Les Corbeaux 91 Points

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

    Medium-dark red color. PNP, drank 1 glass over 60 minutes. Very nice mineral nose with dark cherry, berries, violets, metals, mushroom. The palate had good texture, medium plus body, dark cherry, minerals, floral, mushroom, medium acid and medium plus finish. I thought this was quite good.

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  • 1997 La Serena Brunello di Montalcino Flawed

    Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino

    There is corked, and then there is corked... either way it blows, but man, this was really corked. Too bad, I was looking forward to trying it.

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  • 1996 Château Rauzan-Ségla 94 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

    Very dark red color, no bricking. Slo-O for 4 hours and decanted for about 1 hr before decanting back into the bottle. Drank 1 glass over 90 minutes. This had a wow nose that I found blossomed after 15 minutes and continued to evolve. Classic Margaux perfume of leather, sandalwood, violets, earth, cedarbox, truffle, dark fruits of cassis and cherry. The palate was elegant with ample texture and dark fruits of cassis, cherry and raspberry, leather, earth, graphite, and spice. Medium-full bodied, feminine, complex, balanced, and an enchanting long finish. Another example of why I love this vintage in Bordeaux.

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  • 1996 Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste 92 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

    Very dark purple-red color. Short decant, I believe about 30-45 minutes. Drank 1 glass over 90 minutes. Another really nice nose with funk, earth, dark fruits, cassis, blackberry, pencil lead, licorice, and oak. The palate had full body, earthy, loamy, black fruits, pencil lead, structured and more masculine, dusty, licorice, and oak, medium plus finish.

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  • 2007 Dehlinger Claret 89 Points

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley

    Very dark red color. Drank a tasting pour over 30 minutes. Dark fruits, cassis, some black cherry, a touch green on the palate, full bodied, spicy, average finish.

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  • 2003 Quilceda Creek Red Wine Columbia Valley

    USA, Washington, Columbia Valley

    Very dark, purple-red color. Followed 1 glass over 60 minutes. Even though this is not the flagship wine, I have to admit I expected more from a somewhat iconic producer with 10 years of bottle age. The fruit seemed to have faded and left us with a lot of oak, wood spice, and alcohol, that I had a hard time with. I have to hope and believe that this would have been better 3 or 4 years ago. Based on other's recent tasting notes, it appears this is not likely a bottle variation issue. Score withheld, disappointing.

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  • 2005 Quilceda Creek Red Wine Columbia Valley 87 Points

    USA, Washington, Columbia Valley

    Very dark purple-red color. Followed 1 glass over 60 minutes. This shows more promise than the '03 with some big black fruits and some intensity on the palate. What scares me is that the balance is nowhere to be found with oodles of sharp oak and the alcohol showing through. If this does what the '03 did, and the fruit fades, then I don't know what kind of longevity this can have or whether there is a chance this will resolve and integrate. Apparently it's not my style.

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  • 2003 Versant Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon 87 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    Very dark purple-red color. Followed 1 glass over 30 minutes. I have to agree with galewskj's comments on this wine. I wrote down two words: obnoxious, alcohol. Another over-priced Napa disappointment.

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  • 2007 Karl Lawrence Cabernet Sauvignon 90 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    Purple color. 2hr decant. Drank 1 glass over 60 min. This started off pretty oaky and introverted on the nose. This really started to unwind towards the latter part of an hour showing some really nice crème de cassis fruit along with blueberry and blackberries that overcame the oak shroud. Nice velvety texture. This is very young, but has the indications of becoming a very pleasurable wine in a couple more years. Hold or heavily decant. 90(+)pts .

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  • 2007 Errazuriz Don Maximiano Founder's Reserve 91 Points

    Chile, Aconcagua Valley

    Purple-red color. Drank 1 glass over 45 minutes. This was very nice, savory notes, funky, blackberry, herbal with touches of green (not too distracting - and I'm pretty sensitive). Good depth, nicely balanced, medium plus finish. Well made. 91+pts.

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  • 1985 Churchill/Graham Porto Vintage 89 Points

    Portugal, Douro, Porto

    Nice, with blackberries, plum, dried earth, a touch of raisin, modest heat. 89+pts.

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Flight 3 - Table 2 Wines (10 Notes)

  • 2011 Liquid Farm Chardonnay White Hill 91 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast, Sta. Rita Hills

    Medium gold color. Drank 1 glass over 15+ minutes. Nose has mineral, lemon, white peach, citrus, minimal oak. The palate is medium-full bodied, lemon, citrus, peach, mineral, fairly elegant, medium acid, medium plus finish. I thought this was quite good and didn't really show much oak. 91+pts.

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  • 2010 Joseph Drouhin / Drouhin-Vaudon Chablis 1er Cru 88 Points

    France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru

    Tasting pour. Pale straw color. Citrus, grapefruit, some minerality. Palate is grapefruit, lemon, light mineral, medium body, average finish.

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  • 2009 Saint Cosme Condrieu 93 Points

    France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Condrieu

    Had a small pour of this literal honey of a wine. Second time tasting this and as good or even better. Very inviting nose with very earthy aromas, minerals, honeyed butter, apple, citrus, apricot, a touch floral. The palate follows with full body, lemon, pear, apricot, apple, honey butter, minerals, with a kiss of oak, crisp acidity, and a long finish. Still showing wonderfully. 92+ to 93pts.

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  • 2012 Elysian Prosecco di Valdobbiadene Brut Millesimato 87 Points

    Italy, Veneto, Prosecco di Valdobbiadene

    Nose has apple, palate is apple, a bit floral, light, sweet, very effervescent, simple, comes off sweet for a brut. Good for Prosecco, but there are too many other quality options in domestic sparklers at that price point, not to mention cherry picking Champagne for just a bit more If you are a Prosecco fan, then this probably a must try. 87(+?).

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  • 2004 Gaston Chiquet Champagne Special Club Brut Vauzelle 91 Points

    France, Champagne

    Tasting pour. Very nice, lemon nose, very pure, floral. The palate also shows impressive purity, lemon curd, subtle honey, crisp minerals, light body. Good finish. 91+(+)pts.

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  • 1998 Clos du Mont-Olivet Châteauneuf-du-Pape 90 Points

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

    Small pour. Nose is herbal, garrigue, cherry. The palate offers sour cherry, spice, oak, licorice, medium body and finish.

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  • 2003 Bernard Levet Côte-Rôtie La Chavaroche / La Péroline Flawed

    France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie

    I thought the nose on this pretty nice, but the palate definitely seemed off and at least mildly corked.

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  • 1988 Robert Mondavi Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 90 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    Very dark red color. Drank 1 glass from magnum over 30+ minutes. Maybe I'm a sucker for old school wines that are fully mature and classy. The nose was certainly old world and could pass for Bordeaux, funky, earthy, perfumed with leather and potpourri with some dark red fruit in the background. The palate was medium bodied, earth, cigar, saddle leather, dark red fruits. The mid palate is a bit thin, but it makes up for it in complexity and finesse. Tannins are resolved and it finishes medium. Very good nose, a fun and enjoyable wine. Drink up. 89-90pts.

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  • 2008 Williams Selyem Pinot Noir Westside Road Neighbors 91 Points

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley

    Tasting pour. Pretty clearly Cali, but not over the top, a touch on the sweeter side, a bit syrupy, berry, strawberry, nose and palate, very fruity, some tartness balances out the sweet fruits. Medium body and a nice finish.

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  • 2009 Inwood Estates Cornelious 85 Points

    USA, Texas, Texas High Plains

    Small tasting pour. Had some decent red fruits, but over the top oak, heat, and spice.

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