Wines over Labor day Weekend
Tasted Saturday, September 5, 2015 - Tuesday, September 8, 2015 by Loren Sonkin with 358 views
Introduction
Drank a bunch of good wines this weekend. My notes on our Saturday afternoon Rhone tasting are posted separately.
Flight 1 - At the Trout Club (6 Notes)
Dinner with a few friends. The first wines were outside along the river with cigars.
The last two were with dinner.
Flight 2 - At Blossom Music Center (4 Notes)
Watching the Cleveland Orchestra outside at Blossom, a hillside amphitheater just outside Cleveland on a hot but beautiful evening.
Flight 3 - At home (1 Note)
Watching OSU vs. Va Tech football.
Closing
A good weekend.
2010 Domaine du Pégau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée 94 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
(9/5/2015)
This will still improve by a few points I think. Purple in color. The nose is pretty classic if concentrated and tight. Boysenberries, garrique, violets and spice. Great texture. On the palate, this is delicious. Very tightly packed. With coaxing, it unwinds a bit in the glass. Black raspberries, slight earthiness. This is clean (often an issue with Pegau). Worked well with some rich soft French cheese.
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2003 Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Crau 93 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
(9/5/2015)
This has certainly improved with some age. I am surprised. It is not about roasted fruits, but I suspect the vines simply shut down in 03 heat. What is left is a beautiful and elegant CdP. I double checked to make sure I brought the right vintage. Ruby/purple in color. The nose has raspberries and cherries and spice. On the palate, medium bodied with nice red fruit. A softness that is enticing. A nice layering of complexity. Really in a great spot right now.
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2006 Firriato Terre Siciliane Santagostino Rosso Baglio Soria 88 Points
Italy, Sicily, Terre Siciliane
(9/5/2015)
Interesting bottle of wine. Ruby/purple in color. The nose has dark cherries and coffee and some vanilla. Medium bodied. A bit flabby. Nice dark cherry fruit on the palate. Not sure where this goes from here. It is good, if not great.
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2012 Thorn-Clarke Shiraz Shotfire (Ridge) 91 Points
Australia, South Australia, Barossa
(9/5/2015)
This is really nice and at under $20, there is a lot of value here. Purple in color. The nose has black raspberries, black pepper and cedar. Juicy texture. ice black raspberry fruit with firm tannins on the palate. Nice finish. The bottle had been open a while and I found this less jammy than a freshly opened bottle a few weeks ago.
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2006 Gianni Gagliardo Barolo 92 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
(9/5/2015)
A producer I don't think I have had before. Ruby in color, this was opened and allowed to breather for 2.5 hours before pouring. The nose is very feminine with cherries, and bit of dried flowers and slight tar. Soft and accessible at this point. It is a very pretty wine with a nice complexity. Worked great with food. Excellent showing.
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2000 Château Brane-Cantenac 93 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
(9/5/2015)
Decanted for sediment and served. Finally, a nice bottle of B2K, bought on release and cellared and this was mature. In fact, I would say at peak, so if you have any, while no hurry, pop a cork. Ruby/purple in color. The nose is great with cherries, cassis, tobacco and ever so slight duty spice box. On the palate, medium to full bodied. Soft texture. Layers of cassis, cherries, damp earthiness and a bit of forest floor. Nice finish. great with food.
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