No poker night

The purpose of this event was to play poker, but we ended up sitting around and drinking amazing wines. Not a bad way to go.

• 2006 Pol Roger Champagne Vintage Brut 92 Points

  France, Champagne

  Drank a small glass over an hour. This started out very light and ended up more toasty. There was good energy and lift. This surprisingly held its own against a 2006 Billecart Salmon Nicolas Francois.

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• 2006 Billecart-Salmon Champagne Cuvée Nicolas François Billecart 92 Points

  France, Champagne

  As good as this was, it wasn't as expressive as I would have hoped. Fresh dough, overall light and fresh. It gained some depth with about 1.5 hours of air.

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• 2008 Louis Roederer Champagne Cristal Brut 93 Points

  France, Champagne

  Not nearly as expressive as a bottle we had a year ago, or a 2005 Cristal we had 2 nights ago. A bit shy with really tangy acid. It certainly opened up with time but this bottle drank very young.

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• 1996 Château Margaux 97 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

  The nose on this wine is killer. Pretty red fruit, minerality, savory bell pepper, slight anise and great tertiary notes, with mushroom standing out. Clear wine of the night if you don't count the 2009 Yquem.

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• 1996 Harlan Estate Flawed

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Sadly, sadly, sadly, this was flawed. The palate still had some life but the nose was clearly maderized and it was nowhere close to what it should be.

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• 2003 Château Gruaud Larose 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

  Drank a small glass over 2 hours. This wine is funky and young, clearly Bordeaux. This drank surprisingly well at this age, with cassis, funk, slight bacon and graphite. 92 today with lots of potential.

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• 2018 Impensata Proprietary Red Wine Engelhard Vineyard 92 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley, Calistoga

  A tough note to write, this is a very big flashy Napa cab with blueberry, graphite and vanilla. It would be fun to try in 2028 or later. Today, its kind of a beast.

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• 2012 Roger Sabon Châteauneuf-du-Pape Le Secret des Sabon 93 Points

  France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape

  Decanted about 2 hours. This had a funky nose and a fun, flashy palate. There's a bit of anise, cassis and blackberry liqueur. This reminded me of a Pegau, just a touch smoother. This bottle seemed significantly more complex than one opened 1.5 years ago.

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• 2009 Château d'Yquem 98 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

  Drank a small glass over 45 minutes. Orange marmalade, marshmallow, spice, canteloupe, slight tropical fruit. This is so balanced and elegant, it oozes class.

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