SF wine gathering with Palisades Canyon

The night arrived, not without drama, as our usual wine bar haunt cancelled on us after taking our deposit (they returned it) and we had to scramble to find an alternative in a banquet room of the luxury condo complex where a member of our group and his wife reside. We also lost some of our most esteemed guests shortly before the tasting, due to illnesses and family commitments. But it was still a great group, anchored by core of a group originally formed on Reddit who have generously taken me in, our friends Steve and Felicia from Palisades, some wonderful customers/friends of theirs who we were meeting for the first time, and last but in no way least, CT stalwart Geaux Tigers and Mrs. Geaux, fresh off the plane from the Lone Star State. All this accompanied by sumptuous Middle Eastern Food. What a night!

A strong lineup. I tend to have a preference for still wines over sparklers, but for those feeling otherwise, my scores may seem low.

• 2008 Taittinger Champagne Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut 95 Points

  France, Champagne

  Was interested to try after the somewhat (to me; to others, more than somewhat) disappointing performance of the ‘05 at a cs tasting earlier this year. Medium gold, rich, broad shouldered but with more lift than the earlier vintage. Orchard fruits, chalk, minerality, white tea and a bit of nuttiness. Nice mix of the opulence while holding its frame. Drinking youthfully. Could work well with raw seafood and caviar but also possibly desert. Strong showing and my #2 favorite.

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• 2008 Bollinger Champagne R.D. Extra Brut 94 Points

  France, Champagne

  Even richer than the Comte, with notes of stone and tropical fruits, mixed nuts, brioche, exotic spice. Creamy, but pleasant bitter savoriness and a beam of acidity keep it from tipping over. Solid, youthful showing in this excellent vintage. My third favorite of the bubbles, but I sensed the choice of the group. Generous bring, M, and glad to have tried.

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• 2018 David Leclapart Champagne Premier Cru Cuvée L'Aphrodisiaque 93 Points

  France, Champagne, Champagne Premier Cru

  First time with this bottling, this producer for that matter, and definitely the most distinctive, at least for me, of the bubbles. Briny, rustic (perhaps what the last taster was referring to as its apple cidery notes), funky. Red beries, red apples and an interesting bitter-sweet thing going on. Maybe because it was the second youngest of the bubbles (the guest who brought it brought a ‘21 as well), this seemed the most unsettled. I always qualify my knowledge of bubbles as being below stills, so you can take this was a grain of salt, but this felt like the second act of a five act play, making me wonder where this will end up. High quality, clearly, but different, still not sure if that’s a compliment. If I owned any, I’d let it sleep for a while. 92-93

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• 2021 Emmanuel Brochet Champagne Premier Cru Extra Brut Le Mont Benoit 93 Points

  France, Champagne, Champagne Premier Cru

  Another first time with a producer. Orchard fruits, nuts, brioche, dried flowers. Nice mix of the tart and sweet, good acidity, chalky texture. This was the last of the bubbles I had, and I think my palate was fatiguing from the form, so while I enjoyed it, it didn’t make a super distinctive impression. While it wasn’t obviously tight, its youthfulness, both in a relative and an absolute sense, makes me think that further development is definitely possible. Another bottle I’d be likely to hold a couple-few years if I had. 92-93

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• 2012 Billecart-Salmon Champagne Cuvée Nicolas François 96 Points

  France, Champagne

  The most citrusy of the bunch, with orange peel, lemon-lime and white orchard fruits, yet more brioche and mixed nuts. A note of sea water gives this a pleasant brininess and snaps your palate to attention. My top choice generally—a minority view—and definitely so if someone had snuck in some caviar, oysters or sushi (alas, no) as this is appealingly taut and lithe. Great showing here. 95-96

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Who’d have guessed a white group with a CA chard, with as many Japanese chards as French ones (1 apiece)? Well, that’s why you come to these things, to taste different stuff. On that note, for me, the Prum was one of the most notable, interesting and enjoyable wines of the tasting.

• 2001 Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese Goldkapsel 96 Points

  Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer

  Another first timer, and if not my first TN of a riesling, then pretty damned close. Having cut my teeth some 40 years ago on cheap CA rieslings, this is a varietal I come to with some skepticism, and wines with RS served before desert are always a hard sell for me. But wow, like the white rioja at the Reddit tasting several months ago, this absolutely shone. Bright, sweet oranges, stone fruit, honey, beeswax and jasmine with a pleasant firehose of sulphur and petrol. Just dances off the tongue. And lasts and lasts. If you can ever find someone willing to pay $50 for a popsicle, this might be a great candidate for the base. Fantastic with the Middle Eastern food. My white winner of the night, and I may actually be scoring this low if off dry rieslings are your jam. 25 years old yet with eons to go. Great stuff. Thanks for the inspired, eclectic choice, J. 95-96

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• 2024 Domaine Bless (formerly “Le Reve Winery”) Chardonnay 89 Points

  Japan, Hokkaido

  Another country heard from. I’m always intrigued when a guest at one of the tastings says s/he is bringing a curiosity, and so it was with this, not only my first wine from this producer, not only first wine from this country, but in fact, my first wine from this continent. Conventional is an interesting descriptor, as I’d have had a hard time placing this between old and new world. Apples, a light touch of citrus, moderate oak, some spice. Well-balanced but felt fairly generic. Decent performance if this is a weekday white, but other than the interesting geographic backstory, not much to set it apart. 89+

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• 2023 Domaine Dujac Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru Monts-Luisants Blanc

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru

  Every tasting there seems to be a wine or two that I give short shrift to, and tonight, this was it. Small taste early on revealed apples, tart citrus, minerality and a flinty texture. But I drank this after the ultra-vibrant Prum, and I felt like I didn’t sufficiently appreciate this wine’s subtlety. I had some thoughts about going back toward the end, but at that point, my palate had been pretty much blown out by the big reds, which would have presented its own problems. Reading the professional notes on this, I wish I’d given it closer attention as I think it would have been of interest, but I just didn’t have enough of an opinion, either in the moment or afterwards, to feel it fair to score.

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• 2022 Palisades Canyon Chenin Blanc

  USA, California, Napa Valley, Calistoga

  Generously brought by the producers to our wine gathering. Similar to my TN for the ‘22 cab, I don’t have much to add to my prior TN from 4 months ago for this wine; I guess it would have been surprising if I did, since it was only 4 months and in each case, the wine was prepared by the proprietors. I thought the chenin had a particularly good showing that day, served bracingly cool on a 100 degree day in the proprietors’ lovely garden. The wine wasn’t quite as cool this time, the beautiful garden, and blistering heat, replaced by a pleasant, if more generic banquet room, at the modern luxury high-rise of one of our hosts. Most notable this time vs. last, when we had some light but lovely crudites, was that I was able to pair it with the evening’s Middle Eastern food, and it was a star with that. Steve, one of the proprietors, worked with Graeme to produce this wine with the spec from Felicia, the other proprietor(ess) and Steve’s wife, of a perfect complement, if I’m remembering correctly, baked halibut with leeks. While I haven’t been lucky enough to try that, I do think this would be a wonderful complement to salty/spicy cuisines like Thai or Chinese. 93+ if scoring.

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What can you say about a group that includes 2 vineyard designate Gevreys, a giant, almost fresh out of the bottle Central Coast Rhone and a Gran Riserva 890? That it was pretty frickin’ diverse?!

• 2021 Faethm / Fingers Crossed Syrah Unanswered Prayers 96 Points

  USA, California

  My second bring, and for those who know me, a Central Coast syrah from SQN spawn probably seems about as likely for my Old World-New World palate as a DRC would for my wine budget. Opened 6 hours in advance, and predictably over the top with booziness, oak and sweetness, but certainly the presence of that ultrasweet, pure and concentrated fruit that makes friends and foes of the style insane. 5 hours of air later, this was balancing, then recorked, brought to the meet, and consumed (or not, as this seemed to have one of the largest remainders of the bottles) over another 5 hours. (As an aside, since I was up in Napa the following 2 days, I gave it away, sadly, as I’d have liked to have tasted it on day #2). Tons of pepper, garrigue, smoked meats, figs, truffles to go with the purest blackberry liquer you’re ever likely to get in a bottle of wine. Wonderful savoriness from the 35% whole clusters. Not usually my jam, but always fun to share with friends who love these big wines, even though this group’s collective palate doesn’t seem to run so much in that direction. A bit huge with the Middle Eastern fare, but it had the right notes to work with that. Always a question with these giant wines whether they’ll lose that amazing fruit before they really balance, so I’m not going to proffer much advice on drinking window other than to say that, for my palate, if you’re drinking now, my aeration ablutions seem, if anything, conservative. If you’re in the right headspace, a banger, and if you’re not, a banger of a different sort. 95-96+ for me on this night.

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• 2015 Domaine Fourrier Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Les Goulots Vieille Vigne 94 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru

  Second generous bring from this producer by M after the ‘12 Coumbe. Some of the same notes, perhaps a bit more floral and earthy. Lots of perfume on the nose, but the palate was more subdued, making this the less accessible of the pair at the moment. Nothing but good things ahead here, but IMO, wait 3-5 years to get the most out of this. 93-94+

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• 2012 Domaine Fourrier Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Combe aux Moines Vieille Vigne 96 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru

  My first time with this producer, although I find I like most GCs, even at the village level. This was laser focused, with red berries and cherries, earthy herbality, forest floor, and some char. Really lively acidity gave this wonderful lift and energy, trueing the elements, lengthening and deepening the wine. Most 14 year old CA pinots are beginning to feel tired, but this feels like early drinking window here, with many more years likely at or above this level. Very appreciative of the bring here on this lovely wine. 96+

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• 2005 La Rioja Alta Rioja Gran Reserva 890 'Selección Especial' 96 Points

  Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja

  Once again, only one Spanish wine in the tasting, and like the prior Reddit tasting with the ‘06 Tondonia, it was a banger. I know this producer for its somewhat less expensive 904 and much less expensive Ardanza, both of which are among my favorite Spanish wines (a shorter list, I add, than my faves from here, France, or Italy). This has the traits that often make me not love Tempranillo—dill, vanilla and oak—but in judicious amounts, well-balanced by red fruits, red florals, earthy minerality, leather and tobacco. Doesn’t stint on fruit, but there’s wonderful savoriness and structure to boot. Geaux said he’d struggle to bring something that fit the spec that wasn’t a CA cab, but I’d say he did a killer job here. Best Spanish wine I’ve had this side of the ‘04 VSU. 95-96+

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Well, if this was going to be my last supper, I could have come up with a helluva worse wine list.

• 2004 Abreu Madrona Ranch 100 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  My primary bring, bought from a large cellerage operation a couple of years ago. On the nose and palate, dark, dark, dark notes of dark berries, plums, figs, cassis and currants, earthy herbality, mocha, dried flowers, leather, anise, char and truffles. Deep crimson, very full bodied with tree trunk legs. Huge acidity and tannins, taming with much air and mostly integrating, very hot off the pour, integrating fully after hours of air. Extraordinarily complex, persistent and intense. My first 100 pter from this house, although everything else has been close, this roared out of the bottle, like some vengeful genie, dispersing its enormous elements in all directions, not seeming like a promising candidate to come together anytime in my lifetime. Well, thank you, CTers, for telling me to aerate the dickens out of this, and I’d fortunately left ample time, opening, but not decanting, it at 9:30 and continuing the slow ox until 4:30, recorking it until arrival at 5:30 then leaving it open until finished 2-3 hours later. I think that this started really coming together after about 5 hours, but make no mistake: as compared to wines like the Buccella, this skews far more complex and contemplative than delicious, not that it was any sort of a chore to drink. That it took so long to come together and that it showed no signs of fatigue as we approached the end of the bottle almost 12 hours later (with the bottle recorked for about an hour of that) tells me that this is early drinking window, and I think if some residue had survived, it would have been at least as good on day 2. I don’t specifically recall if I drank this alongside the Middle Eastern fare, but I’m not sure that would have been a great pairing, as this wine seems made for rich red meat, but I must admit, even if that were available, I can’t imagine any pairing being much better than the pleasure of sipping this on its own. This wine is huge, not in the sense of Smith, Bevan, Venge or TRB, but massive in all of its elements, and unlike the evening’s Martha’s and DC RRT, it hardly dances across the tongue. This, in the words of a favorite uncle in another context, grabs you by the lapels—does anyone else remember lapels—and shakes you, and like Loma Prieta, leaves you feeling like you’ve had a bit of an out of body experience even after the imbibing is finished. Flat out memorable and why I drink wine, full stop. Hope the others felt the same. Easy 100 and well on its own on the medal stand for me during an insane 3 days of top tier wine consumption.

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• 1997 Diamond Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Red Rock Terrace 98 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley, Diamond Mountain

  Second DC, after one of our group brought a 1999 VH to the prior Reddit tasting. Very similar experience here, with luscious but restrained mostly dark fruit (cassis, currants, cherry-berries) and a slight red fruit note, florals, baking and other spices and leather. Long, complex, and like the Abreu and Martha’s, contemplative in all the best ways. Only sipped on its own about an hour half into the tasting. Great drinking window, but seems to have plenty of life. More in agreement with the high prices for these wines than the relatively tepid pro and CT reviews. As my economist sis likes to point out, markets work. Usually. In a hotly contested cab division, a close third in a tie with the very different 2005 Eisele, which is damned fine company. 97-98

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• 2005 Araujo Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Eisele Vineyard 98 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Great bring from Geaux from the Lone Star State, from this producer I want to become more familiar with. Rich but savory with structure apparent but balanced and largely integrated. Black currants, cassis and lesser cherry-berry notes, dust, dried spice and flowers, leather and anise. Not as lilting as the Martha’s and DC, less contemplative than the Abreu but more complex and serious than the Buccella, this fits in my sweet spot of mid spectrum cabs, distinctively Napa without losing elegance. Another wine bang on in its window that should have years to go. Didn’t have with food but strikes me as likely to be about as great with red meat as on its own. Must find more from this producer after working down some inventory. Tied with DC for third in the heavyweight cab division.

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• 2014 Dana Estates Cabernet Sauvignon Hershey Vineyard 98 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley, Howell Mountain

  Another great bring from the LSS from Geaux and my first Dana of any vintage of any sort. Pretty classic Howell here, with a fabulous, sexy nose, cassis, black currants and dark cherry-berry, dark earth, minerality, exotic spice and a not displeasing medicinal note. Really complex, persistent and intense. Along with the Abreu, the only cab I went back for a retaste on, and it was even better with more air, so if this has peaked, it’s just at the beginning of its window, but I suspect that there’s incremental upside, however great it is now. Didn’t pair with the Middle Eastern food, but if this pairs well with food—and I’m not sure it wouldn’t be better on its own—then the usual red fare would have been better. Silver medal winner in a close finish in the cab division. Only downside to these bacchnalian events is that it’s sometime hard to appreciate how amazing some of these wines are when everything else is more or less equally extraordinary. Did I tell you I’m a Hegelian in matters of the wine as well pretty much else? And I guess there’s a second downside, too: did I really need to find another $300+ cab to love? 98+

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• 2016 Buccella Cabernet Sauvignon 96 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  My second Buccella, brought by the TX Tiger, who also gave me the first, a ‘12. I loved that, but this one really is the apex of the style, with unmediated cassis, cherries, raspberries, dark chocolate, spice and florals. As Geaux points, any tannins and acidity here have pretty much run for the hills, which dials the exuberance up even if it dials the complexity down, at least relative to the night’s top group of cabs for me, and will probably make it shorter lived, at least at this level, than the other, older wines. Didn’t try to pair with the fare but suspect that this works best as a cocktail wine. Not something I’d crave all the time, but the deliciousness is off the charts here. Chased this 2 days later with a ‘10 Katrina Eileen, which was a couple of steps up the ladder from this excellent quaff. 95-96+

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• 2019 Beringer Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Eighth Maker Mark Beringer 95 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley, Howell Mountain

  Generous bring from rjn. Despite prodigious amounts of pre-tasting air (5 hours?), this felt far from fully unfurled, although there was lovely richness to the dark fruit, mocha, dark soil and spice notes. Of all of the cabs, this felt the furthest away from peak drinking, even if it was far from a chore on this evening. Advise keeping horizontal for 5 years or so, then should have a solid decade of drinking excellence. 95 with lots of upside.

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• 2017 Ovid Red Wine 93 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  I take a back seat to no one not named Peterson with my love for this producer, but at least on this night, this fell below (‘05 and ‘06) and well below (more or less, from top to bottom, ‘’12, ‘10, ‘08, ‘14, ‘09 and ‘11) other vintages I’ve had of this wine. I understand it had lots of air (5 hours), and it wasn’t so much tight as jumbled, with all of the classic Ovid notes of mixed red and black fruit, forest spice, florals, anise, etc. but less delineated, with less depth. Not less than very good in any universe, this suffered mightily, both at the hands of incredibly strong competition and expectations of so many superior Ovid vintages. How much is the vintage and how much the youthfulness? I don’t know, but the ‘12 was, for me, a 99 at a similar point in its life cycle. I have a mag of this—long story there—so I’d have time under any circumstances, but I’d encourage those holding the 750s to still give them at least 3 years before seeing if this has moved to a better place. I’m not usually below consensus on this bottling, but there’s a first for everything. 92-93

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• 2022 Palisades Canyon Cabernet Sauvignon

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Brought to our wine shindig, along with their chenin and petite sirah, by the producer and generously poured for the other guests. In light of all of the available fare and that, confirming my prior TN, I was a buyer of a 3 pack of this, I had only a small taste, but I can confirm that this remains a very open wine, more so than its ‘21 predecessor, and while I think it offers more enjoyment than the ‘21, I suspect it won’t be as long-lived (which isn’t to say to pop your 3 pack as soon as the FedEx truck is out of sight) or offer quite as much upside. Steve was more than game pouring this excellent cab on a night when several local cabs at 2x its price point were open; this more than held its own, but like my comment about a QC I thought was extraordinary on its own which merely seemed excellent when up against a wall of Harlans, Colgins and Abreus, this paled just a bit in this context (I also note, in fairness to the producer, that this is an essentially freshly bottled wine, the others having had up to a couple of decades+ to come to their optimal points). Still, a strong showing by any standard, without even taking price or challenging vintage into account. 95-96+ if scoring.

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• 2020 Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion 96 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  From a mag. I’d never heard of this bottling (what’s that you say, you’re bringing a Haut Brion?), when not one but 2 (!) people said that they were planning on bringing not only the same bottling but the same vintage (One got sick and didn’t make the tasting, so the issue was mooted). Almost shockingly New World for a BDX, this CF-plurality wine (with almost equal bits of CS and merlot) is filled with dark fruit deliciousness, spice florals, leather, and, heaven forbid for a BDX, chocolate. Ripe and juicy, if this wasn’t quite the Buccella, it was closer to that, remarkably, than the Pichon Lalande or the Pontet. Not what I expected, nor what I’d regularly want to look for in a BDX, but I’m mourning neither the style nor the result. Just behind the very different Pichon Lalande for my BDX of the night. 95-96

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• 2005 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande 96 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  Opened about halfway through—the bringer was worried about it getting too much air—when I’d been through most of the carte, so perhaps my palate wasn’t at its sharpest for this, the most subtle and delicate of the cab/LB blend wines. Red and black cherries, cassis, mixed sweet and earthy spice, dried florals. Acidity and tannins medium and integrated. Elegant and balanced. Screams, or more aptly, whispers, BDX in the best of ways. Don’t know what the middling scores are about here; I dug this vintage of this bottling I’ve enjoyed from other years before. Narrow winner of the night in the BDX division, getting the ever so slight edge over the Les Carmes from its typicity. Mid to late drinking window.. 95-96+

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• 2000 Château Pontet-Canet 93 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  Another late open, as the bringer was concerned about this 25 y/o getting too much air. A bit more modern and full bodied than the Pichon Lalande though in no way confusable with the Les Carmes, let alone the Napa entrants, this likewise mixed red and black fruit, damp earth, mixed herbal bouquet and cedar. I *loved* the ‘16 Pontet, but this, the ‘05 and ‘09, all VG+ wines, don’t, for me, get to the same level, with none evincing the open knit structure I liked so much in the more recent edition. The BDX loving caucus on CT will rip me a new one, but I admit to liking Messr. Tesseron’s work on the closer to home climes, even acknowledging the price differential.

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Almost 6(!) hours and way too many pours of wine later, this came to an end, and while, unlike the prior Reddit tasting, not every drop was finished, I understand that the leftovers were put to good use (alas, in this regard, I was off to Napa with the Geauxes the next day, so I couldn’t take any; rats! Not that I suffered with what I drank (see the next Tasting Story!). Will take a while to recover and plan out the next one, but I’m already looking forward to it!