New Year's Eve

The R's were over for our traditional New Year's get together and we raided the cellar. Choices were made on the fly, so there was no decanting done. We did allow the reds to aerate in the bottle for varying periods of time. Since David and I did most of the drinking in bottle aeration gave us a reason to pace ourselves. Also allowed us to see how the wines evolved over time.

• 2005 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape 94 Points

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

  (1/1/2009)

  Bottle # 1 -- New Year's Eve. Popped and poured. COLOR: Deep, clear ruby or garnet. NOSE: Blackberries, some faint floral notes. Very subtle, not much there. Perhaps it would open up with decanting. TASTE: Sweet, smooth, very well balanced tannins. Light in the nouth. Long, long finish. OVERALL: This was a very enjoyable wine. I think it terrific now and will only get better with age. Although decanting might open the nose, I love the way this tasted from the bottle. (5+12+18+9)

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• 2007 Weingut Josef Leitz Rüdesheimer Drachenstein Riesling Dragonstone 90 Points

  Germany, Rheingau

  (1/1/2009)

  Bottle #2 -- New Year's Eve. COLOR: Very pale shade of straw. Some tiny bubbles along the sides of the glass. NOSE: Lemon-lime, floral. Trace minerality. TASTE: Very sweet and fruity, but not cloying. Well balanced. The hint of minerality is still present, but slightly more than it was on the nose. The bubbles give it a little tickle. OVERALL: Easy drinking. Light. Went well with cheese (Swiss) and crackers. Disappeared way too quickly. (3+13+17+7)

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• 2005 Domaine Paul Autard Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée La Cote Ronde 91 Points

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

  (1/1/2009)

  Bottle #3 -- New Year's Eve. Should have decanted given prior notes and the way it developed over the few hours it was open, but it was spur of the moment and so popped and poured. COLOR: Deep, rich purple. Somewhat cloudy for a CdP in my experience, but not necessarily a detraction. NOSE: Wow! Pretty much what everyone has said below. Incredible, sweet black cherries (like you would find on top of ice cream) and floral notes on opening that evolved to cranberry sauce (the good stuff -- from the can), plums, soil, and figs. It changed constantly and was almost port-like for a while. TASTE: Tannic, but well balanced. Slight funkiness as grafstrb mentions and a sharp, mineral finish all of which keeps this wine interesting. OVERALL: Fantastic wine. Very interesting and not your typical CdP. Definitely needs decanting now. I am glad I have two more bottles. This wine should age very well. Probably good with duck or game -- or soft or semi-soft cheeses. (4/5+14/15+16/20+7/10)

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• NV Castell Sant Antoni Cava Brut Nature Gran Reserva 86 Points

  Spain, Cava

  (1/1/2009)

  Bottle #4 -- New Year's Eve. I am not a big fan of sparkling wines, but I have had many a cheap glass at functions, parties, weddings, etc. As sparkling wines go, this was pretty good. Pale golden yellow. Small to medium sized bubbles. Citrus and ginger on the nose. It was extremely dry, as advertised, but well balanced. Despite the dryness, there was still some fruit on the palate. The acidity was moderate and there were mineral notes on the finish. I would drink it again. (3+11+15+7)

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• NV Taylor (Fladgate) Porto 20 Year Old Tawny 91 Points

  Portugal, Douro, Porto

  (1/1/2009)

  Bottle #5 -- New Year's Eve. Not much that I can remember except enjoying this immensely. (I might have enjoyed anything immensely at this point, though.) So, no score yet. I will update this next time I hit the bottle...

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Beaucastel was the clear favorite. I can't wait to drink that wine again. I was saving the Dragonstone for VCTE III, but I would have been drinking it alone. Much more fun to share. The Paul Autard was promising, but we probably would have enjoyed it more after a brief decant...next year.