Dinner

The Palace, Mission, SF
Tasted Sunday, January 18, 2015 - Monday, January 19, 2015 by aagrawal with 381 views

Introduction

A nice dinner at the Palace with some close friends and excellent wines.

Flight 1 - Whites (1 Note)

A new producer for me, and it was a pretty good blend of the Alsace and German Riesling style. Off-dry but rich and oily.

Flight 2 - Reds (5 Notes)

So many excellent wines here, but I think the Diamond Creek and the L'Eglise Clinet were the winners here. The Arlaud was excellent as well, but very young and needs a decade. The seavey was a small taste from a nearby generous table.

  • 2005 Domaine Arlaud Morey St. Denis 1er Cru Les Ruchots 92 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Morey St. Denis 1er Cru

    (1/19/2015)

    Very nice nose with strawberry, roses, a bit of stems, slight smoke; palate is fresh, light bodied, good red fruit; medium finish. Very nice solid burgundy, needs time. 91-93

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  • 1986 Château L'Eglise-Clinet 93 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol

    (1/19/2015)

    Nose is superb with intoxicating complexity, brambles, red fruit, green, forest floor; palate is full bodied, still pretty good fruit, tannins still present and slightly awkward but very nice; medium finish. Exquisite nose and worth it on that alone, but lacks the silky smoothness of a classic Pomerol. 92-93
    Day 2: Nose is just as good. Very nice with little drop-off.

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  • 1981 Diamond Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Red Rock Terrace 95 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley, Diamond Mountain

    (1/19/2015)

    Wonderful nose with minerality and still great blackcurrant fruit; palate is full bodied, very nice ripe blackberry and blackcurrant fruit; medium-long finish. This is a superb, classical california cabernet. A superb wine. 94-96

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  • 1978 Freemark Abbey Cabernet Sauvignon 84 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    (1/19/2015)

    Older nose with cherry fruit, slightly oxidized; palate is a bit thin and losing fruit but decent to drink. Past its prime. 82-86

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  • 1998 Seavey Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 92 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    (1/19/2015)

    Blackcurrant, blueberry, very nice; palate has very nice structured tannins; medium finish. Very solid wine. 92+

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Flight 3 - Sweets (2 Notes)

The Weimer was interesting, but ultimately the Rieussec was better balanced and had more complexity and at a better price. Of note, this had more of a nose when I initially opened it at home before the dinner, though whether that was because I was fresher or because the wine was fresher is unclear. Either way, excellent wine.

  • 2009 Hermann J. Wiemer Riesling Noble Select Josef Vineyard 91 Points

    USA, New York, Finger Lakes, Seneca Lake

    (1/19/2015)

    Orange, passion fruit, some interesting spice; palate is very dense, oranges, very nice acid; finish is clean and long. Very nice, blend of icewine concentration with some botrytis flavors. 90-91

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  • 1988 Château Rieussec 93 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

    (1/18/2015)

    Golden-orange, lighter color than expected for its age; nose has some remarkable complexity with overarching minerality, apricot, marzipan, slight earl grey tea; palate is full bodied and rich but with excellent freshness and acidity, mild fruits throughout well integrated that persist throughout the palate, slight powdered sugar; finish is medium length, orange. Overall this is an excellent top-tier sauternes at an early mature stage but still with many years to go. The strength is definitely the nose with is deep, complex, and has unique character (which sauternes don't often get until they attain 15-20 years or older), and the palate is very balanced and pleasurable but lacks the same complexity. So close to being a 95+ point wine based on the nose, but the palate holds it back to 92-93. Still excellent.

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