Dinner
Tim and Elliott's Place, San Francisco
Tasted Friday, June 2, 2017 - Saturday, June 3, 2017 by aagrawal with 233 views
Introduction
A very interesting lineup. The 2008 Roederer was showing really well, and I think it is a value play to keep in the cellar for 5 years or so. The Kalin cellars was an awesome sauternes-like blend that I enjoyed drinking and sharing.
NV Nyetimber Classic Cuvée 88 Points
United Kingdom, England, Sussex, West Sussex
(6/3/2017)
Nice nose with some yeast, brioche, almonds but without being oxidative; palate is richer styled, full bodied, medium acid, flavors are more present at first and then fade a bit through the midpalate; medium finish. Nicely built but a step below champagne at champagne pricing. 88
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2008 Louis Roederer Champagne Vintage Brut 91 Points
France, Champagne
(6/3/2017)
Deep lemon-yellow; aromatic nose with tons of lees, brioche, a bit coiled; palate is rich, full bodied, high acid, slight combination of tartness and very slight bitterness that adds complexity; finish is medium-plus. This is quite good in a richer but balanced champagne style, but also seems very youthful and a bit coiled/youthful. Worth aging a few for 5-10 years. 91++
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2014 Grover Zampa Viognier La Réserve 75 Points
India, Bangalore, Nandi Hills
(6/3/2017)
Moderately aromatic, lemon peel, creamy nose; palate is full bodied, ripe fruit but also somewhat reticent, high alcohol, unbalanced heat; short finish. I'm not a fan of viognier in general, and this isn't a particularly good example, though it's not a half-bad Indian wine. 75
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1995 Seavey Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 92 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
(6/2/2017)
Coravin 6/2/17: I Coravined a glass to compare to the remains of my last Coravined bottle. This new bottle is fresher, no off notes, tons more fruit than the last. Still some green notes, yes, but that is expected for this wine. Better than before, but not at the heights of my bottles from a few years ago. Drink up in the next few years. 92
6/3/17: Finished the bottle. Tons of savory component (tomato, bell pepper), but still good deep black fruit that is ripe and seems californian. Some brett that is unusual in California. Still ~92 today.
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1989 Kalin Cellars Cuvée d'Or 90 Points
USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Livermore Valley
(6/3/2017)
From a 375, cork soaked through but removed easily with a Durand. Reportedly a botrytis-affected semillon-sauvignon blanc blend, but before trying I wasn't even sure whether it was dry or sweet. Color is a deep orange-copper; highly aromatic, very reminiscent of a sauternes with dried apricot, some baking spice, some copper minerality; palate is full bodied, still sweet, orange peel, orange citrus fruit, acidity is medium to medium-plus, fruit fades through the midpalate; finish is medium length. This is easily the closest that a California wine has ever come to a sauternes, and at the $20-25/half price point, it competes with value sauternes like Doisy Daene and Doisy Vedrines. Nice balance of sweetness and acidity, lacking any major flaws (only just the faintest hint of copper that tells me it may be on the tail end of its maturity curve), and just enough complexity to compete with lower-end classified sauternes. 90-91, but that somewhat underestimates how nice of a pleasant surprise this wine was.
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