Collectable Wine Night

A high end wine night and dinner with my wine group. We met in a NYC Italian Steakhouse on a Saturday night. They provided us with 2 decanters and an ice bucket for the champagne. The reds were all opened an hour before dinner and poured over 90 minutes after they were opened. The one red we didn't decant, we poured into the glasses early and let it sit in the glass for about 30 minutes.

We started with a bottle of the 2006 Pol Roger Cuvee Sir Winston Churchill.

• 2006 Pol Roger Champagne Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill 95 Points

  France, Champagne

  The last of 4 bottles I purchased and I'm sad to see them all gone, as loved each bottle. As soon as the bottle was open a heady yeasty bread aroma was evident. Just a glorious champagne. A long finish and great golden color.

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We had in order, the Lail J. Daniel Cuvee, the Realm Absurd, and the M. Etain. The Realm and M. Etain were decanted. For dinner we had a Porterhouse for 4, split 5 ways. Along with various sides.

• 2010 Lail Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon J. Daniel Cuvée 96 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Almost 4 years since my last bottle and time has been very good to it! It was opened for an hour, but not decanted. We then poured it into glasses for 30 minutes before drinking. The overwhelming WOTN for my group. We all loved it! Full bodied, long finish and a nice mix of spice and fruit.

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• 2013 Realm Cellars The Absurd 93 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  One of three collectable reds I had with my wine group. Can you be disappointed in a wine you rate 93 points? Yes you can, when it cost over $300 for the bottle and the WA gives it 100 points. Reading the WA review, I always felt that the reviewer felt self-pressure to rate it this high. It is a nice wine, but really no better than many wines that cost under $150. It really paled in comparison to the 2 other reds we had alongside it.

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• 2013 Scarecrow Monsieur Étain 95 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley, Rutherford

  My first of 3 bottles that I purchased upon release. This was decanted for over an hour before pouring. I shared this with my wine group alongside 2 other collectable reds and it was the group's 2nd favorite wine. Not quite full bodied with a long finish, and a great nose.

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A great time was had by all. The WOTN was a unanimous pick, the 2010 Lail Vineyards J. Daniel Cuvee. As the release price was the least expensive of the three reds, and it was the least well known (by name and reputation) of the 3 reds it was also the biggest surprise of the night.