Easter Winetasting Dinner at Ginny's

This was a delightful, casual, winetasting Easter event, with a lot of wine, and some really remarkable bottles. A major highlight was one of our sweeties, a 1990 Stoney Ridge Gewürztraminer Icewine. It tasted like the pure, intense essence of ginger, and we're still talking about it weeks later. Who knew an icewine could age like that? Our Rhonish flight was wonderful overall, and it was nice to check in on the beautiful, infant '06 Saint-Cosme Cote-Rotie, and the nicely maturing '96 Domaine de la Terre Rouge Syrah Pyramid Block. The other major highlight for me was a trio of very old California rarities that Wes Barton brought. The 1941 El Gavilan Casa de Sonoma Cabernet, in particular, surprised us all by how relatively youthful it looked and drank.

Thanks again to Ginny, our host, and everyone, for bringing such tasty food and delicious wines.

• NV Henriot Champagne Brut Souverain 88 Points

  France, Champagne

  Light yellow color; peach and yeasty nose; tart, open stone fruit and mineral palate; medium finish

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• 2008 Downhill Winery Torrontés Silvaspoons Vineyards 88 Points

  USA, California, Central Valley, Alta Mesa

  Pale yellow color; floral, Muscat, white flower, orange blossom nose; tasty, Muscat, orange blossom, lightly oily texture, baked peach, tart nectarine and mineral palate; short-medium finish 88+ pts.

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• 2006 Le Rocher des Violettes Montlouis-sur-Loire Cuvée la Negrette 92 Points

  France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Montlouis-sur-Loire

  Light butter yellow color; lovely tart citrus, lime, mineral and cream nose; tasty, tart lime, mineral and tart green apple palate with good acidity and nervosity; medium finish 92+ pts.

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• 1996 Ridge Chardonnay Santa Cruz Mountains 88 Points

  USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains

  Dark golden yellow color; lanolin, butter and mineral nose; butter, ripe lemon, mango and mineral palate; medium finish 88+ pts.

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• 2005 Vincent Dauvissat (René & Vincent) Chablis 90 Points

  France, Burgundy, Chablis

  Bright canary yellow color; lemon jello, ripe lime nose; creamy, tart lemon, lime and mineral palate with buttery edges; medium finish 90+ pts.

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• 1998 Paul Chapelle & ses Filles Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Champs-Gain 87 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru

  Dark golden yellow color; smoky, hazelnut nose; hazelnut, mineral, oxidized citrus palate; medium finish

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• 2000 Nigl Grüner Veltliner Privat 87 Points

  Austria, Niederösterreich, Kremstal

  Light canary yellow color; herbal, green onion, witch hazel, earthy nose; tart green fruit, herbal, wintergreen, lime cream, mineral palate with low acidity; short finish

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• 1998 M. Chapoutier Hermitage La Sizeranne 93 Points

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage

  Medium dark red violet color; nice plum, roasted plum and black fruit nose; nice, tart plum, tart berry, tar and mineral palate with good acidity; medium finish 93+ pts.

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• 1998 Domaine Brusset Gigondas Les Hauts de Montmirail 92 Points

  France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Gigondas

  Dark cherry red color; earthy sage, roasted plum, tart black fruit nose; tart plum, berry, smoke and mineral palate; short-medium finish 92+ pts.

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• 2006 Saint Cosme Côte-Rôtie 94 Points

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie

  Very dark cherry red color; nice berry, smoke, pepper and blackberry nose; very tasty, blackberry, berry and mineral palate with depth; medium-plus finish 94+ pts.

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• 1996 Domaine de la Terre Rouge Syrah Pyramid Block Sentinel Oak Vineyard 94 Points

  USA, California, Sierra Foothills, California Shenandoah Valley

  Dark cherry red color; cherry, black cherry, plum and clove nose; big, intense, bright, ripe berry, black plum, mulberry and mineral palate, young yet; medium-plus finish (needs 2-3 more years)

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• 2006 Stefania Cabernet Sauvignon Uvas Creek Vineyard 92 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Clara Valley

  Very dark cherry red color; black fruit and carbonic nose; ripe cherry, cassis, berry, anise, blueberry and black fruit palate with sweet tannins; medium-plus finish 92+ pts.

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• 1991 Diamond Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Volcanic Hill 93 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley, Diamond Mountain

  Opaque dark red violet color with cherry meniscus; cassis, menthol, mint and plum nose; smoky, black fruit, berry, tar, mineral and eucalyptus palate; medium finish

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• 2001 Gary Farrell Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma County 91 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County

  Dark red violet color; big cassis, smoke, eucalyptus and mint nose; tart cassis, berry, eucalyptus palate; medium finish

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• 2003 TR Elliott Pinot Noir Queste 87 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley

  Dark red violet color with pale meniscus; big, high pitched, tart cherry, black cherry and baked rhubarb nose; black cherry, black raspberry palate with vanilla oak; short-medium finish

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• NV El Gavilan Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Casa de Sonoma 93 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Valley

  Bricking dark cherry red color; nice mature, berry, black fruit and fig nose; nice tart plum, black fruit, prune, fig and graphite palate, with depth, in remarkably good shape; medium finish

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• 1967 Sebastiani Vineyards & Winery Burgundy Bin 24 Proprietor's Reserve 91 Points

  USA, California, North Coast

  Bricking medium red violet color with pale meniscus; mature, earthy, berry, spicy plum nose; tasty, tart spicy plum, raisin, herbal and black fruit palate; medium finish (drinks fine for first 5-10 minutes)

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• 1970 Inglenook Vineyards Charbono 88 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Medium cherry red color with pale to clear meniscus; bright red fruit, berry and persimmon nose; ripe but thin red fruit, persimmon palate with sweet tannins; short-medium finish

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• 1998 Château de Saint Cosme Gigondas 92 Points

  France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Gigondas

  Medium red violet color with pale meniscus; nice dried cherry, sage, bay laurel and berry nose; mature, tart berry, black fruit, bay laurel, raspberry palate; medium finish 92+ pts.

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• 2005 Audelssa Estate Winery Zephyr Mountain Terraces 91 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Valley

  Dark red violet color with cherry meniscus; spicy berry, boysenberry and ripe plum nose; ripe plum, berry, oak, sweet black fruit and clove palate; medium finish

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• 1999 Chateau Musar 95 Points

  Lebanon, Bekaa Valley

  Dark red violet color with pale meniscus; rich, ripe berry, chocolate, raspberry, smoke and dried berry nose; lovely, dried berry, black fruit, chocolate and plum palate; medium finish

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• 1990 Stoney Ridge Estate Winery Gewürztraminer Icewine 96 Points

  Canada, Ontario, Niagara Peninsula, Niagara Peninsula VQA

  From 375 ml - dark amber orange color; mint and ginger nose; bright, focused, intense, ginger, ginger marmalade and rose petal, balanced palate; medium-plus finish

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• 1985 Inglenook Vineyards Gewürztraminer Late Harvest 89 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  From 375 ml - dark red orange color; tawny, gingerbread nose; gingerbread, smoky, bread pudding palate; short-medium finish

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• 1975 Weingut Baumann Oppenheimer Sackträger Riesling Auslese 89 Points

  Germany, Rheinhessen

  Light medium orange color; musty, orange, tangerine, petrol and varnish nose; tart orange, burnt orange marmalade, mulled apples and dried apricot palate; medium finish 89+ pts.

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