Lots of great wines with friends

On Friday, our friend Tom, invited us to join he and his wife and two other couple for dinner downtown. The impetus was that our friends, Paul and Jane, were in town picking up their daughter from Oberlin. We had the chef's table and told them to just bring us food. 4 hours later, we left stuffed, a bit inebriated but it was well worth the effort. Another great night of conversation, food and wine.

A starter:

• 2002 Dom Pérignon Champagne 96 Points

  France, Champagne

  (12/19/2015)

  Amazing how they make so many bottles of this great consistency. Regular bottling. Light gold in color. Lots of tiny bubbles. On the nose, slight toast, some honey, some mango and some ginger. Warm and fuzzy. Just smells good. On the palate, smooth. Great cut. Nice pears and ginger. Long, long finish. Still drinking quite youthfully. Lots of depth. A beautiful wine.

  Post a Comment / 5 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue

White flight:

• 2012 Sine Qua Non In the Abstract 90 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast

  (12/19/2015)

  Golden in color. When this was poured the oak on the nose was quite intense. Fresh cut lumber, butterscotch, vanilla and some grapefruit. Too much for me. On the palate, it was much better. Full bodied. Grapefruits, and butterscotch. With air, it greatly improved on the nose and the palate. Still, while I enjoyed it, its not really a style of white that I like. I am sure others like it more.

  Post a Comment / 2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2011 Arterberry Maresh Chardonnay Maresh Vineyard 94 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills

  (12/19/2015)

  Loved this wine. I think it benefited (for me) being in a flight next to the SQN. This seemed so much racier and crisp. Light gold/green in color. The nose has a green apple thing going on. In the vein of a Chablis but a bit rounder. Nice backbone of acidity. Juicy deliciousness on the palate. Red apples with just a touch of vanilla. Long finish. Very food friendly. Wonderful wine.

  Post a Comment / 5 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue

Grenache flight:

• 2010 Herman Story Grenache On The Road 96 Points

  USA, California

  (12/19/2015)

  Wow. This blew all of us away. This was way above expectations. Not sure if we got a good bottle or what, but wow. Ruby/purple in color. The nose has raspberries, black raspberries, spice, slight coffee and black cherries. Great texture. Supple and juicy. Great acidity. On the palate, dark cherries, deep, and complex. The layers unwind in the glass. Great finish. No heat. I can't remember having this before, but never had a Story wine that I recall being this good. At least among the guys at the table, we all agreed, this rocked and was a bit better than a 2010 SQN Grenache it was served along side with.

  Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2010 Sine Qua Non Grenache Five Shooter 96 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast

  (12/19/2015)

  Another great showing for this wine. The nose has dark cherries, raspberries, spice and chocolate. This is a big wine but handles it reasonably deftly. Lots of black cherries on the palate with some dark chocolate.Also some black licorice. Nice acidity. Finishes very smooth. Still just a baby, I would give it some air.

  Post a Comment / 5 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue

Barolo flight:

• 1996 Bruno Giacosa Barolo Villero di Castiglione Falletto 96 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  (12/19/2015)

  This was opened 24 hours ahead, then decanted 6 hours ahead, then decanted back into the bottle 2 hours before drinking. It needed every bit of that. Ruby in color. The nose has cherries, slight dried cherries, roses and dusty leather. On the palate, layers of complexity. Firm tannins. Cherries and dried dusty leaves. Great acidity. Wonderful match with a couple of pastas, especially a chestnut pasta. Nice finish. As good as I think this wine can be. Decades left and I think enough fruit to last out the tannins.

  Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 1999 Roberto Voerzio Barolo Brunate 96 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  (12/19/2015)

  Opened 24 hours in advance, decanted 6 hours ahead, decanted back into the bottle 2 hours before serving. It needed every bit of the air. Purple/ruby in color. The nose has dark cherries, tar, roses, truffles and slight mint notes. Much bigger and fruitier than the Giacosa next to it. There is a lot of structure on this wine, but with the stuffing and depth to handle it. Cherries and dark cherries. Even with all that air, it took some swirling to get it to unwind in the glass, but it did. Nice acidity. Worked great with the pasta course. Decades left.

  Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue

Cabernet Flight 1:

• 2009 Maybach Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Materium 97 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville

  (12/19/2015)

  I just love Maybach. One of my favorite wines. Purple in color. The nose has cassis, graphite, slight licorice notes. Wonderful texture. Lots of depth. On the palate, cassis and licorice. Long finish. Great balance. Not a bombastic wine, its big, but there is a certain elegance here that is very appreciated.

  Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2007 Cliff Lede Cabernet Sauvignon Poetry 93 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley, Stags Leap District

  (12/19/2015)

  Great wine. Purple/ruby in color. Great nose with cassis, dark cherries, slight leather, cedar and a bit of floral notes. On the palate, this is big. Slightly juicy. Cassis and cherries with some vanilla notes. Plenty of firm tannins. This still needs some time IMO to unwind, but it is showing some complexity in the glass. Long finish.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2004 Wagner Cabernet Sauvignon 87 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Alexander Valley

  (12/19/2015)

  My first time trying this wine. It good, but on the table, it did not hold up as well IMO. Purple/ruby in color. The nose has cassis, bell pepper, slight fresh cut lumber notes. With air, the green streak becomes more pronounced. On the palate, black cherries and bell peppers. A bit of drying tannins. Drink up based on this bottle.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

Cabernet flight 2:

• 2010 Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select 99 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley, Stags Leap District

  (12/19/2015)

  OMG. Wow. What can you say. This was popped and allowed to breathe for about 1.5 hours. It needed at least 10 IMO and would have probably merited a higher score. Inky purple in color. The nose is amazing. Cassis, pencil lead, slight floral notes, coffee and cedar. Amazing velvety texture. Pinpoint balance. Delicious and deep. Tightly layered as it unwinds in the glass. Juicy black currant and blueberry fruit. Slight coffee. Long finish. Decades left, but I would wait at least a few more years before opening.

  Post a Comment / 6 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2005 Futo Oakville 95 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville

  (12/20/2015)

  This is improving. My last bottle though. Later vintages seem to be better. Purple in color. The nose is cassis, blueberries, pencil lead and slight cigar box. On the palate, lovely texture. Cassis and blueberries. Still pretty young drinking. Seems to have added a lot of complexity since release. Nice balance. I wish I held my bottles.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2009 Futo Oakville 97 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville

  (12/20/2015)

  Definitely a step up from the 05. Cassis, blueberries, tobacco, floral notes and pencil lead on the nose. Great texture. Velvety yet great acidity. The palate has tightly layered complexity. It unwinds in the glass. Explosive fruit on the palate; blueberries and cassis. Firm tannins. Long finish. Beautiful wine that I think will continue to improve from here.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

Syrah flight:

• 2008 Cayuse Syrah Cailloux Vineyard 93 Points

  USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley

  (12/20/2015)

  Purple in color, some ruby. The nose has black cherries, charred wood, and spice. On the palate, this has nice black cherry fruit. Some complexity. Some black raspberries. Good acidity. Long finish. Great wine but over shadowed in this flight.

  Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2008 Next of Kyn No~2 Cumulus Vineyard 94 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast

  (12/20/2015)

  Inky purple in color. The nose is gorgeous with black raspberries, violets, black pepper and spice. Complex and amazing. Not as good on the palate at this point but still outstanding. Whereas the nose is a precision instrument, the palate is a sledgehammer. That's exaggerating, of course. Tons of black raspberries, thick tannins, good acidity but a fair amount of oak remains. Nice finish. Curious here this goes from here. I think there is more than enough fruit to outlast the oak, so i would hold these for now and wait.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2010 Saxum Bone Rock James Berry Vineyard 97 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles

  (12/20/2015)

  After 15 wines, this really woke up my palate and took it to another level for this flight. Inky purple in color. The nose has black raspberries, black cherries, spice, white pepper, slightly grilled meats and hints of violets. Great texture. Big but with finesse. No sign of heat. Tons of fruit; black and red on the palate. Depth. Manageable tannins. Long finish. While there is so much here, it deftly avoids being clumsy or overbearing. Great wine with a long life ahead.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

Saturday morning was a bit slow, but it was great. Thanks to Tom and Kathy, Paul and Jane, and George and Sherri. Jane and I had a great time.