Annual Caroling & Chili Party
R&D’s
Tasted Saturday, December 14, 2024 by AllRed with 84 views
Introduction
The annual caroling event hosted by R&D-, and it’s the event that really gets us into the holiday spirit each year. The group grazes on various hors d’oeuvres and sips through the lineup before heading to the piano to warm up the vocal chords prior to going out caroling in the neighborhood. Those of us who are not gifted singers stay behind and mind the chili. A casual walk around tasting format, with many guests also contributing bottles.
NV Bernard Remy Champagne Grand Cru 87 Points
France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru
Casual tasting, brief note. Creamy, with apple and almond notes. Short mousse and medium bead. Green apple and vanilla cream flavors. Short and simple. (R&D)
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NV Bernard Remy Champagne Brut Rosé 88 Points
France, Champagne
Casual tasting, brief note. Red berry and orchard fruit notes on the nose and palate. Medium mousse and bead. (R&D)
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2023 Spottswoode Sauvignon Blanc 89 Points
USA, California, North Coast
Casual tasting, brief note. Pale color. Grapefruit and grass qualities dominate. A bit straightforward and as a few other attendees noted, somewhat atypical for this bottling.
Looking back at my own notes over the years, I am almost always underwhelmed by this sauv blanc relative to the critics and community at large (which usually holds true for the cabernets as well). (R&D)
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2023 Afterwords Wines Preface Rosé 90 Points
USA, California
Casual tasting, brief note. Pale color. Consistently a nice little bottle with carnation or floral elements mixed with berry fruit. Medium acidity; easy to enjoy. (R&D)
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1996 Ravenswood Zinfandel Sonoma County 77 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County
One of our contributions to the lineup, a magnum from last year’s library release. Good color with age appropriate bricking. Notes of red zin fruit and spice but also a bit of raisin and bouillon as well. Darker fruit profile on the palate with plenty of peppery spice as well, but also a fair amount of raisin too, which I find distracting. Drinkable, average at best. There are no such things as great wines, only great bottles, and this particular bottle was long in the tooth. This had been double decanted off its sediment a bit less than an hour before service and remained consistent over the course of the event- about 4-5 hours.
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2016 Château de la Gardine Châteauneuf-du-Pape 93 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Casual tasting, brief note. Red berry fruit with hints of plum, raspberry, earth and garrigue. Medium-bodied with bright, youthful red fruit and garrigue flavors. Another excellent wine from this vintage. (R&D)
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2016 Ridge Lytton Springs
USA, California, Sonoma County, Dry Creek Valley
Casual tasting, brief note. Nothing but raisin and bouillon cube on both the nose and palate, which is also quite sour. Undrinkable. This vintage has always shown the raisiny qualities and I think they just pushed it too far. (R&D)
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2016 Carlisle Zinfandel Mancini Ranch 88 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
Casual tasting, brief note. Notes of raisin, plum and pepper. Easily the best of the zins this evening, yet even this one is a touch too raisined for my liking. Plum, spice and dark zin fruit with raisin in the finish. Not as enjoyable as a bottle earlier in the year. (R&D)
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2014 Robert Mondavi Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 90 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
Magnum, double decanted off its sediment roughly two hours before service. Notes of plum, chocolate and dark fruit. Medium-bodied with some tannin to integrate, along with flavors of currants, leather, chocolate and plum. In a nice place, if a touch young in this format.
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2011 Lewis Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 92 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
Casual tasting, brief note. Magnum, opened about an hour & change before service. Deep color. Notes of vanilla, cassis and dark cabernet fruit. Full-bodied, with abundant black and blue fruit, vanilla and mocha on the palate. There's oak, but plenty of fruit to carry it. The vintage conditions certainly help this seem softer than Lewis cabs usually are, and it's drinking nicely, albeit on the young side. Very nice. 92-93 pts. (R&R)
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2016 Château Fombrauge Flawed
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru
Casual tasting, brief note. Corked. (R&D)
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2016 Château La Confession 93 Points
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru
Casual tasting, brief note. Dark plummy fruit with nice ripeness, with subtle earth and dried herb undertones. Medium tannins, somewhat plush. Dark fruit palate. Excellent. Yet another ‘16 that is drinking surprisingly well at this early stage. (R&D)
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2006 Spottswoode Cabernet Sauvignon Estate 94 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley, St. Helena
Casual tasting, brief note. Magnum. Plum and dark cabernet fruit with hints of chocolate and sage. Plum and blackberry with mocha and subtle spice notes in the finish. Good length and balance. (R&D)
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2018 Turnbull Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 90 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
Casual tasting, brief note. Dark and youthful, with plum, cassis and chocolate qualities on the nose and palate. Firm but fine tannins with a good finish. (R&D)
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2019 Vincent Arroyo Petite Sirah
USA, California, Napa Valley
Casual tasting, brief note. A sentimental favorite as we visited Arroyo on our honeymoon- great people and excellent wines. This was as expected- opaque and bursting with loads of bright blackberry fruit, but also youthfully firm. An excellent, though obviously quite young, petite. (R&D)
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1997 Taylor (Fladgate) Porto Vintage 94 Points
Portugal, Douro, Porto
Casual tasting, brief note. From magnum, double decanted two days before service. Dark color and incredibly youthful, even with the two day head start. Notes of blackberry, anise, blueberry and black raspberry. Deep and powerful, with an abundance of black fruit, along with cherry, kirsch and licorice flavors. Long finish. One of my favorites this evening. 94-95 pts. (J2)
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2019 Lewis Cellars Chardonnay Barcaglia Lane 92 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
Casual tasting, brief note. Typical Lewis chard with plenty of toasty oak along with lemon, pear, tangerine and banana. Full-bodied and toasty, with tropical fruit and coconut on the palate. Very nice in this style, and quite young. I would give this 2-3 years to soften and integrate the wood- there's plenty of fruit to carry it. 92+ pts. (R&D)
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1977 Dow Porto Vintage 94 Points
Portugal, Douro, Porto
Casual tasting, brief note. Magnum. Deep, youthful color in this format. Currants, black cherry, licorice and kirsch notes. Full-bodied with medium tannins and flavors of ripe plum and kirsch. Hints of spice in the finish. Will seemingly last forever in this format. (R&D)
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2003 Château Suduiraut 93 Points
France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
Casual tasting, brief note. Deep color for being relatively young, but many '03s have developed this way. Notes of apricot syrup, acacia and honey with terrific tropical fruit overtones. Rich texture with wonderful stone fruit and tropical elements on the palate with just enough acidity to avoid any cloying sweetness. (R&D)
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