Some great wine for the end of 2013

Our home
Tasted Wednesday, January 1, 2014 by Loren Sonkin with 521 views

Introduction

As my wife and I finished out the new year we had friends over to celebrate. They all love wine, but are not collectors, geeks, etc. In my best Stephen Pohlman impression, however, they are drinkers. ;-) So, I decided that it meant going deep. It didn't matter that they didn't recognize the labels, I knew they would appreciate the wine in the bottle. And they did!

Flight 1 (14 Notes)

1988 Krug Champagne Vintage Brut 96 Points

France, Champagne

Beautiful way to end the year. Golden in color. Lots of small bubbles. The nose is great with baking bread and slight ginger notes. Smooth and full and round. Finish is amazing. Lasts forever. Awesome.

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NV Champagne Lallier Champagne Grand Cru Grande Réserve 93 Points

France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru

Love this wine. Maybe no better Champagne for the money. No, it not Krug, but it is also under $40. Golden in color. Green apples and minerals on the nose. Clean and lean and delicious to drink. Nice finish. Really nice.

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2002 Domaine Huet Vouvray Demi-Sec Le Mont 92 Points

France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray

Always a bit nerve racking opening these any more, but this was in great shape. The cork slid out very easily with the bottom quarter soaked. Golden in color. The nose was tight at first but opened thru the course of t he evening. Oranges, slight honey, quince, a bit of caramel. On the palate, slightly sweet. Layered complexity. Medium viscosity. Delicious. Long finish. Perhaps just the slightest bit of oxidation but for a n 11 year old white, not out of the realm. Nice showing.

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2009 Rhys Chardonnay Santa Cruz Mountains 91 Points

USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains

This is their basic Chard, only made in this vintage IIRC. Very nice and still very young. Nice minerality on the nose with some lemon curd. Medium bodied. Still young, but starting to show some complexity. Always a crowd pleaser especially for people who don't drink Chardonnay.

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2010 SonkinCellars Persona

USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Barbara County

In a nice place. Took a couple of hours to open and continued to open all night. Starting to develop some tertiary complexity. Held it own in a nice line-up.

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2009 Kapcsándy Family Winery Endre 93 Points

USA, California, Napa Valley, Yountville

Best showing yet that I can remember for this wine. Purple in color. The nose is explosive, something I don't remember from prior bottles. Cassis, leather, slight mint, dark cherries. Deep. On the palate, this is complex and shows some development. Full-bodied with a velvety texture. Nice finish. I think these will need more time than I thought.

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2010 Saxum Terry Hoage Vineyard 98 Points

USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles

Wow. I think everyone who had this stopped in there tracks and asked what it was. Including me. This was way more than I expected. The nose is deep with black raspberries, boysenberries, plums, old leather, dusty attic and a dried floral note. Complex. Lush. So smooth. Soft with no heat. Long finish. More than a few people went back for more. The first bottle drained.

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2002 Sine Qua Non Syrah Just For the Love of It 100 Points

USA, California, Central Coast

My favorite SQN and still is. Amazing wine. Light on its feet but huge. Purple in color. The nose has black raspberries, black pepper, iodine and leather. Full bodied yet slick texture. Still youthful. I can still recall people saying these would never age. BS. This has years, left in it. At ten, it is not at peak. It just keep unwinding in the glass. From the days when I could buy this at retail here.

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2006 Jaffurs Syrah Verna's 96 Points

USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Barbara County

My neighbors are big Jaffurs fans. They asked me how come it always tastes better at my house. I answered that there's are always the current vintage. This wine is not yet at peak but keep improving. Last night's bottle was spectacular. The nose is deep with black raspberries, slight funk, leather, black pepper and slight bacon fat. Great texture. Young and bright on the palate. Lots of black raspberry fruit. Layered complexity. Coming after the other great Syrahs it really held its own and then some. These are not yet at peak.

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2009 Sine Qua Non Syrah The Thrill of... 98 Points

USA, California, Central Coast

Very impressive wine. Still very young. My second time trying this wine and it still needs time. Better on the palate as the nose is tighter (compared to the Saxum or JFTLOI). That is nit picking as this is amazing. Black raspberries, slight black licorice, slight earthy leather quality. Great juicy texture. Long finish.

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2002 Paloma Merlot 95 Points

USA, California, Napa Valley, Spring Mountain District

Wow, another wine that far exceeded expectations. The nose is great with dark cherries, dust, cocoa, dark chocolate. IIRC, this was a vintage that didn't sell after the hype of 2001 WSWOTY. It seems much more backward than that wine but may out live it if this bottle is representative. Just starting to unwind and show real complexity. Lush and rich and very Californian, it is drinking beautifully.

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1998 Château Lafite Rothschild 97 Points

France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

This really needs more time. Still a great wine today but another decade will take it further. The nose has cassis, cigar, pencil lead, smoke. It took some time in a decanter to open up. Full bodied although not massive. It continues to unwind and develop in the glass. The last glass was the best. Smooth. finish lasts forever. Still, I would hold these.

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2009 Sineann Pinot Noir Resonance Vineyard 92 Points

USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Yamhill-Carlton

Opened late and really never fully opened. Two thirds of the bottle left, so will revisit later today. After some serious Syrahs and Blends, this was a bit lighter. It seemed to have very pure cherry fruit. Nice development and complexity. Long finish.

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2001 Château d'Yquem 100 Points

France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

What more could be said about this wine. It may be the single best wine I have had in my lifetime. Only my third time trying it, this bottle was slow-oxed for 24 hours. The nose is ethereal with honey, tropical fruit, Crème Brule. It gets better on the palate with layered complexity and richness. The finish is amazing. I can still taste it. One of the great wines and still decades from peak. Wow.

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