A small Gathering

slave2thevine's house
Tasted Wednesday, March 11, 2009 by Kirk Grant with 502 views

Introduction

Just a small gathing at my "new" place...

Flight 1 (1 Note)

  • NV Bruno Paillard Chardonnay Champagne Blanc de Blancs Réserve Privée 89 Points

    France, Champagne

    I should start this by saying...I really WANTED to love this. Yet it was missing the delicate and subtle nature that I look for in a blanc de blanc. It was round and rich in the mouth with a good mousse. Lingering notes of baked yellow delicious apples were the dominant flavor profile with a hint of minerality at the tail end of a short-medium length finish.

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Flight 2 (1 Note)

  • 2003 Domaine Jean-Marc / Thomas Bouley Beaune 1er Cru Les Reversées 90 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Beaune 1er Cru

    This was an interesting wine. After 45 minutes in a decanter it was not really showing much in the way of "varietal" specific scents. It was rustic and earthy with a light hint at red fruits but that was it. In the mouth it was similarly coy and not showing much more than non-specific red fruit flavors with a short finish. HOWEVER...when we returned to it 3+ hours later it had blossomed into a lovely wine showing roses, cranberries, wild strawberries, and earth with a silky finish that reminded me of freshly picked raspberries. This wine may still deserve some time in the cellar if you have one. It was my one and only bottle though...

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Flight 3 (1 Note)

  • 2000 Vetus Toro 87 Points

    Spain, Castilla y León, Toro

    This was showing a deep plum at the core leading to a red raspberry at the edge of the rim in the glass. On the nose it was earthy and showing hints of black fruit. Fairly linear and simple, but finding a nice ballance with the tannins and acidity as the years has passed. If you have it...I'd drink it soon.

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Flight 4 (1 Note)

  • 2002 Venus La Universal Montsant Eneas 90 Points

    Spain, Catalunya, Tarragona, Montsant

    Here we go...a very dirty rustic nose that reminds me of the cross between a compost pile and an old sweat stained flannel shirt with an underpinning note of black fruits and tea. I was captivated by the nose of this wine for the first 5 minutes I had it in the glass...it just took some time to wrap my mind around the scents. In the mouth there is good fruit with a soft and supple finish that has come together nicely as this bottle spent some time sideways. Worth the price just to experience it...

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Flight 5 (1 Note)

  • 2000 Famiglia Cotarella Lazio Montiano 91 Points

    Italy, Latium, Lazio

    Showing little to no age in the glass this wine was opaque at the core with a light purple rim at the edge of the glass. On the nose showing slightly smoky and lush scents of black fruits. The acidity and tannins have found a lovely balance with 8 years in the bottle. In the mouth black and blue fruits with a light tone of vanilla lead to a long a supple finish.

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Flight 6 (1 Note)

  • 1997 Chateau Musar 90 Points

    Lebanon, Bekaa Valley

    In the glass this was a pale ruby with little twinge of orange that shows best in the light. There was not the "typical" musar funk on this nose. It was subtle and simple to smell as light hints of red fruits and earth rolled around in the bowl. In the mouth it was light bodied and supple with a little weight gain as it crosses the palate leading to a medium length finish.

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Flight 7 (1 Note)

  • 2001 Teachworth Cabernet Sauvignon Rattlesnake Ridge Vineyard 94 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley, Diamond Mountain

    This was in a far better place than I expected it to be from my memory. It was showing little signs of it's age with just a light hint of ruby at the rim of a purple-black core in the glass. The nose of this wine has actually improved with time sideways...as scents of granite, graphite, earth, and black berries were effortlessly available for all to catch. There was a slight hint of dark chocolate the was emerging at the tail end of my last sniff after almost an hour in the glass as well.

    In the mouth this was exactly what I've come to look for in Teachworth. Elegant and refined if not slightly rustic as hints of earth, blueberries, and cedar showed through on a medium-long 30+ second finish. OUTSTANDING

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Closing

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