Thanksgiving 2007

Thanksgiving dinner, Chateau De Massive Stearns, Hong Kong. Guests included Cali friends, De Floods & De Woods, the Stearns, and Brother Charles. 7 Pax, enjoying friends, family and wine. We opened and tasted 6 bottles of various countries, grapes, vintages and price points, all blind, two tasting rounds then the skirts were lifted. These notes were blind, first and second round.

Riley’s Shiraz 01
Big, yummy a little sweet. Smooth. Licorice Heavy alch. Pepper, OK.

Almva 00 Napa
Wow. Beautiful Boudreaux nose giving way to jammy fruit forward blackberry, woody, coco. Smooth. WOTN

• 2002 Aramis Syrah The Governor 92 Points

  Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale

  Complex nose. Dart fruit, anise liquorices. Has legs and knows how to use them. big. Dry choc bitter finish, sweet, syrup, super. Deep fruit, great finish. Dark berries.

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• 1999 Dominus Estate

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Strong alch nose, corky, earthy. Bitter, harsh and sour. Strong tannins give way to hints of blackberry, strong pepper. Needs time, or just bad bottle?
  Can't rate it, very off.

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• 2001 Kunde Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma Valley 89 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Valley

  Nice nose. Dry leather, with latent fruit. A bit dry, almost bitter. With clean finish, well balanced. Tannin out of balance, or just young? Good value.

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• 2000 Elderton Shiraz Single Vineyard Command 89 Points

  Australia, South Australia, Barossa

  Fruit forward, strong finish. Extracted, dark coco fruit, big alch, strong tannins, 10+ years left. Long finish. Blackberry.

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• 2003 Marchesi de' Frescobaldi Chianti Rùfina Nipozzano Riserva 91 Points

  Italy, Tuscany, Chianti, Chianti Rùfina

  Musty, dry basement nose with smooth clean good finish. Middle fruit deep back of thought finish. Fruity, big bold, better with time in glass. Berry.

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.I put in a couple of ringers, the dominus and elderton, the Dominus had a bad showing. All the wines suffered from lack of time to open, most especially the big wines, like the Command and possibly the Dom, but the AMLVA was a star, WOTN by a mile. It was in a class by itself that night.

The food paired well, not perfect and that certainly favored the ALMVA, a lighter Bordeaux blend, and explains the Nippozano a great food wine. This was a great time for all, and gave some Cali friends and expanded look at wines, who are California focused and got a look, blind across the world of grape.