France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Pale yellow color. Rich nose of pineapple. Tastes of apples, caramel, pear and pineapple with a nice depth of fruit. Nice balance and acidity. Long powerful with good complexity. Brought by Mark. 13.5% alcohol.
Tasted double blind. Straw yellow in color. Restrained tropical fruit nose that became more expressive as it warmed in the glass. Tastes of pear, apple, cat pee and mushroom. Nicely balanced with very good mid palate depth and complexity. Well integrated oak. My guess was white Burgundy from the Les Clos vineyard in Chablis but I originally thought it was from 2001 thinking it was older due how well the oak was integrated. A fantastic wine. Brought by Jeff. 13% alcohol.
Intoxicating perfumed dark berry nose. This wine would be 99 points for me if I were rating it purely on the bouquet. Tastes of black cherry, raspberry, earth, anise, white pepper, charred French oak and leather. Incredibly well balanced with gorgeous acidity. Long elegant finish that lasts for over a minute. An absolutely wonderful showing tonight. My contribution for the night. 13% alcohol.
Tasted double blind. Deep ruby in color. Black fruit and tobacco nose. Tastes of blackberry, tobacco, leather and anise. Rich and monolithic especially following the 1999 Guigal Chateau d'Ampuis Cote Rotie. Well balanced. Rich finish. A well made wine that is lacking in complexity with no hard edges. Simple, easy drinking wine. My original guess was a new world style Syrah from Washington State. My first wine from Morocco. I liked this more than the others in the group. Brought and imported from Paris by Mark. A fun wine thrown in to see if we were all full of crap. 13% alcohol.
Tasted double blind. Bright red fruit on the nose. Tastes of cherry, coffee and earth. Well balanced. Full bodied. There is some age on the fruit. Nice acidity with good integration of the oak and tannin. Soft layered finish. Nice. My guess was a 1997 Napa Cabernet Sauvignon blend but I missed guessing the producer thinking it was Opus or BV Tapestry. Once revealed, I remembered this wine showing much better in the past. Drink now, its not going to improve with anymore bottle age. Brought by Tom. 14.5% alcohol.
USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
Tasted double blind. Dark berry nose with exotic wood. Tastes of blackberry, liquorice, sage, caramel, spice, cinnamon and black pepper. Bright fruit with a complex and layered finish. I couldn't guess the varietal but no one else could either. Impressive. I remember liking this producer the last time I tried it as well. Definitely worth seeking out. Brought by Scott. 14.3% alcohol.
Tasted double blind. Blackberry, pencil lead, blackcurrant and anise on the palate. Beautiful balance. Full bodied. Classical old world style. Complex with a nice elegance on the finish. My guess was a Bordeaux blend from Pauillac. Wow was I ever wrong. Looking back the American oak should have tipped me off. Impressive as always. Why don't I buy more Whitehall Lane? Brought by Josh.
Tasted double blind. Grapey nose. Tastes of blackberry and blackcurrant with loads of charred oak. Overbearing and alcoholic. Acidic. My guess was a Paso Robles Syrah blend but couldn't guess the producer or year. I was really surprised when this was revealed. I've had this wine several times in the past and this is not representative. Most definitely off. Rating withheld. Brought by Mark. 16.1% alcohol.
USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
Tasted double blind. Caramel, blueberry and boysenberry with good French oak treatment. Rich and extracted. A big wine that is somewhat well balanced with good acidity. Powerful finish but lacking the complexity of some of the other wines tonight. A touch candied and flat. My guess was domestic Syrah but wasn't able to pinpoint it further. This is a good wine but not for the money IMO. I really enjoyed this wine several times in the past but not so much tonight. If you listen real closely you'll be able to hear me jumping off the DuMol bandwagon. I haven't been very moved by these wines of late. Brought by Mattias.
Tasted double blind and very fast as I had to leave. My brief notes show notes of blackberry, caramel and blackcurrant. Good balance and acidity. Some elegance on the finish. My guess was a left bank Bordeaux blend. Brought by Mattias.
2006 Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc La Crau 92 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Pale yellow color. Rich nose of pineapple. Tastes of apples, caramel, pear and pineapple with a nice depth of fruit. Nice balance and acidity. Long powerful with good complexity. Brought by Mark. 13.5% alcohol.
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2005 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos 94 Points
France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru
Tasted double blind. Straw yellow in color. Restrained tropical fruit nose that became more expressive as it warmed in the glass. Tastes of pear, apple, cat pee and mushroom. Nicely balanced with very good mid palate depth and complexity. Well integrated oak. My guess was white Burgundy from the Les Clos vineyard in Chablis but I originally thought it was from 2001 thinking it was older due how well the oak was integrated. A fantastic wine. Brought by Jeff. 13% alcohol.
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1999 E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie Château d'Ampuis 95 Points
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie
Intoxicating perfumed dark berry nose. This wine would be 99 points for me if I were rating it purely on the bouquet. Tastes of black cherry, raspberry, earth, anise, white pepper, charred French oak and leather. Incredibly well balanced with gorgeous acidity. Long elegant finish that lasts for over a minute. An absolutely wonderful showing tonight. My contribution for the night. 13% alcohol.
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2005 Domaine des Ouleb Thaleb Syrah Tandem 87 Points
Morocco, Rabat/Casablanca, Zenata
Tasted double blind. Deep ruby in color. Black fruit and tobacco nose. Tastes of blackberry, tobacco, leather and anise. Rich and monolithic especially following the 1999 Guigal Chateau d'Ampuis Cote Rotie. Well balanced. Rich finish. A well made wine that is lacking in complexity with no hard edges. Simple, easy drinking wine. My original guess was a new world style Syrah from Washington State. My first wine from Morocco. I liked this more than the others in the group. Brought and imported from Paris by Mark. A fun wine thrown in to see if we were all full of crap. 13% alcohol.
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1997 Merryvale Profile 92 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
Tasted double blind. Bright red fruit on the nose. Tastes of cherry, coffee and earth. Well balanced. Full bodied. There is some age on the fruit. Nice acidity with good integration of the oak and tannin. Soft layered finish. Nice. My guess was a 1997 Napa Cabernet Sauvignon blend but I missed guessing the producer thinking it was Opus or BV Tapestry. Once revealed, I remembered this wine showing much better in the past. Drink now, its not going to improve with anymore bottle age. Brought by Tom. 14.5% alcohol.
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2004 Chasseur Pinot Noir Sylvia's 93 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
Tasted double blind. Dark berry nose with exotic wood. Tastes of blackberry, liquorice, sage, caramel, spice, cinnamon and black pepper. Bright fruit with a complex and layered finish. I couldn't guess the varietal but no one else could either. Impressive. I remember liking this producer the last time I tried it as well. Definitely worth seeking out. Brought by Scott. 14.3% alcohol.
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1997 Whitehall Lane Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 95 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
Tasted double blind. Blackberry, pencil lead, blackcurrant and anise on the palate. Beautiful balance. Full bodied. Classical old world style. Complex with a nice elegance on the finish. My guess was a Bordeaux blend from Pauillac. Wow was I ever wrong. Looking back the American oak should have tipped me off. Impressive as always. Why don't I buy more Whitehall Lane? Brought by Josh.
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2005 Saxum Bone Rock James Berry Vineyard
USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
Tasted double blind. Grapey nose. Tastes of blackberry and blackcurrant with loads of charred oak. Overbearing and alcoholic. Acidic. My guess was a Paso Robles Syrah blend but couldn't guess the producer or year. I was really surprised when this was revealed. I've had this wine several times in the past and this is not representative. Most definitely off. Rating withheld. Brought by Mark. 16.1% alcohol.
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2000 DuMOL Syrah Eddie's Patch 89 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
Tasted double blind. Caramel, blueberry and boysenberry with good French oak treatment. Rich and extracted. A big wine that is somewhat well balanced with good acidity. Powerful finish but lacking the complexity of some of the other wines tonight. A touch candied and flat. My guess was domestic Syrah but wasn't able to pinpoint it further. This is a good wine but not for the money IMO. I really enjoyed this wine several times in the past but not so much tonight. If you listen real closely you'll be able to hear me jumping off the DuMol bandwagon. I haven't been very moved by these wines of late. Brought by Mattias.
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1995 Château Langoa Barton 89 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Julien
Tasted double blind and very fast as I had to leave. My brief notes show notes of blackberry, caramel and blackcurrant. Good balance and acidity. Some elegance on the finish. My guess was a left bank Bordeaux blend. Brought by Mattias.
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