Wine and Dinner with Brad England and Scott Manlin

I was fortunate to be included in this wine dinner arranged by Brad England and Scott Manlin. Scott brought some of his massive steaks, and Brad opened up his cellar with generosity that is almost unmatchable. The evening began with a trio of wines served with bread and cheese while dinner was prepared. The most notable wine here was the 1990 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche. What an amazing experience.

With dinner we compared the 1989 and 1990 Montrose side-by-side. These were a perfect compliment to the herb (mainly rosemary) crusted steaks. There were five of us (counting Brad's wife), and the vote was split 2-2 (I don't think Brad's wife ever expressed a preference).

After dinner Brad pulled three amazing wines: a 1990 Cheval Blanc, a 1974 Mondavi Reserve, and a 1982 La Mission Haut Brion. These were poured more-or-less straight from the bottle at cellar temperatures and consumed fairly quickly. None of us took tasting notes during the dinner. The focus was more on wine lovers getting together and enjoying some of the best wines the world has to offer. My notes below were created after the fact from memory. I am hoping the other participants will chime in with their thoughts.

• 1990 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche 99 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, La Tâche Grand Cru

  This was the first wine poured after a very short amount of time in the decanter. The color was red with an orange hue, but with no real sign of aging. This wine had an amazing nose. The nose contained darker flavors like earth, mushroom, and herbs. The nose continued to evolve throughout the evening and if I were taking notes at the time I am sure I could have come up with 50 more scents. In the mouth the wine was light, elegant, and powerful. This was a spectacular wine -- what an experience.

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• 1990 Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier Musigny

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Musigny Grand Cru

  I'm pretty sure this is the right wine. Poured straight from the bottle. This wine was a brighter red than the La Tache. The nose was expressive but possessed more red fruit and less dark earthy scents. There was a lot less going on with the nose of this wine as compared to the La Tache. The taste was also fuller bodied but more simple. Mouth coating with a long finish. Overall, a very nice wine, but it really suffered in comparison to the 1990 La Tache.

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• 2000 Domaine Pierre Usseglio & Fils Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée de mon Aïeul

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

  Decanted about 45 minutes and served while we were preparing dinner. This had a dark purple coler and a big nose. The nose was a big barnyard smell with lots of earthly elements. This was both full bodied in the mouth and elegant at the same time. A little jammy and spicy, but also dark and tannic. If this had been tasted blind with the La Tache and the Musigny it would have been hard not to peg it as burgundy. May be the best CNDP I've ever had.

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• 1989 Château Montrose

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Estèphe

  Served side-by-side with the 1990 with dinner. This wine was a very dark red. This had a classic Montrose nose with some horse/brett showing and then dark earthy flavors. In the mouth this was beautifully balanced and powerful with plenty of fruit and a long finish. As compared to the 1990, this was much more structured. The flavors and tastes were fewer, but more powerful. I preferred this over the 1990 on this night.

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• 1990 Château Montrose

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Estèphe

  Served side-by-side with the 1989 with dinner. This wine was dark red, but lighter than the 1989. This had a classic Montrose nose with some horse/brett showing (although not as much as the 1989). The nose was more diffuse with a lot more going on, but nothing quite as specific. In the mouth this seemed slightly lighter, but still balanced and excellent. This was drinking very well, and at least 2 of the 4 participants preferred this wine over the 1989.

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• 1990 Château Cheval Blanc

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru

  Served after dinner (and after five other bottles of wine) with minimal decanting. The color was a brighter red than the preceding wines. The nose was expressive, with flavors of red fruit and white chocolate. In the mouth this was medium bodied, with mild fruit, and a good (not long) finish. Scott thought this bottle was corked. He had had this wine within the last three weeks and indicated that this bottle was very different from what we had. I did not detect any cork, but would have expected more from a 1990 Cheval Blanc. I'll defer to his judgement. Probably an off bottle, but it was a treat to try anyway.

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• 1974 Robert Mondavi Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  A beautiful wine. It was too dark to see if the color showed signs of aging, but who cares. The nose is very expressive with red fruit, herbs, and cedar. In the mouth this is full of fruit (much more fruit than the other wines served this night). It was powerful and balanced with a long finish. This was very impressive. My only complaint would be that it did not show off a unique personality like the other wines tasted this night. Nonetheless a real treat.

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• 1982 Château La Mission Haut-Brion 99 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  Tasted alongside the 1990 Cheval Blanc and 1974 Mondavi Reserve. Poured straight from the bottle. The color looked to be very dark. The nose was amazing with very dark flavors like earth, tobacco, asphalt, and mushrooms. The mouth was concentrated and structured, yet balanced and light. Very little fruit here yet a great taste. The finish lingered a very long time. This was my favorite of this flight, and only challenged by the 1989 Montrose for wine of the the night.

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This was an amazing experience for me. It is not much of an exaggeration to say that these were the eight best wines I have ever tasted in my life. My taste buds were ringing for 24 hours after the event, and even now, four days removed, I can still taste some of the wines -- they were that exceptional. I want to thank Brad and Scott for making the evening so enjoyable.