Dinner for a friends birthday

Tasted Sunday, April 20, 2014 by Griffeyfan04 with 286 views

Introduction

Had a dinner for a friends birthday with the wife and our birthday girl has really been wanting to get into some merlot wines so I brought a few and grabbed a couple of bottles of bubbles at the restaurant to start and end the night over the course of 6 hours. An old world merlot blend and a new world merlot to give us some contrasting takes on the grape. Both were very good in their own way. But the Pol Roger Champagne actually stole the show and it was our first bottle. Truly a wake up call for me on how good Champagne can really be!!

Flight 1 (4 Notes)

  • 1999 Pol Roger Champagne Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill 98 Points

    France, Champagne

    No formal notes but certainly the most profound Champagne I have encountered. Loads of honey, pineapple, beautiful floral aromas and the mineral slate quality that went with a great mouthful with a finish that lasted for 45 seconds. Truly an awesome wine.

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  • 1995 Vieux Château Certan 96 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol

    A wonderful bottle of 1995 Pomerol that was hitting on all cylinders. As much as some say 1995 vintage was harsh I think if you go to Pomerol or anything with a heavy dose of merlot it really seems to meld together and keep it smooth. The cab franc really sang to you on the nose but on the palate the merlot came together beautifully. Some floral coming out on the mouth as well. This wine seemed to be right at the beginning of its peak of balance. The tannins were barely there and gave good grip with a slight dryness but you could drink this all night as it is not thick or rich just pretty and finesse with a good mouthfeel. Drink now aor over the next 10-15 years

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  • 2010 Pride Mountain Vineyards Merlot 94 Points

    USA, California, North Coast, Napa / Sonoma

    This wine was opened for a few hours before we drank it and it worked perfectly. Loads of blueberry, boysenberry and pue crust on the palate with a nice touch of toasty vanilla oak in the background. This was definetly new world but it is not a surprise if you know what it is. A smooth and lush finish with tannins that gripped but weren't rough at all. I am glad I drank this now as it seemed really tasty for a young merlot.

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  • NV Françoise Bedel Champagne Entre Ciel et Terre 90 Points

    France, Champagne

    A nice way to finish the night. Nothing amazing but consistent with other notes on this one. A friend brought it and it was nice

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