Aureole with Peter Michael, CC, DP, Caymus, Sloan, Colgin and more

This was a great dinner at Aureole. The room is beautiful, but not stuffy, very comfortable. Great food and service. I hope to write up more on that later. Thanks to Cindy for getting us together. Loads of good wine on the table. I'd certainly be interested in having the PM, DP, Caymus and Colgin again and the Pride, at $45 according to WSP, is a steal.

• 2005 Peter Michael Sauvignon Blanc L'Apres-Midi

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Knights Valley

  Lovely wine. Pale yellow and slightly cloudy. Nice acidity, but less than those that I've had from other producers in 2008. Light tropical flavors, citrus and a tiny, tiny bit of pleasant sweetness on the finish, which is short. I thoroughly enjoyed this.

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• 1969 Louis Latour Corton-Charlemagne

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru

  I brought this to the dinner, but it was past its prime. :( It was "sip-able" for the experience of trying to imagine what it was like earlier in its life, but it was not actually enjoyable. It was oxidized with loads of nuttiness and sherry notes on both the nose and the palate. Medium finish. Note: I had the 1973 in July and it was fantastic.

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• 1995 Moët & Chandon Champagne Cuvée Dom Pérignon

  France, Champagne

  Thank heaven for back up bottles! This was fantastic. Light bread-y notes, citrus (lemon, predominately), great mouthfeel. I had this twice in July, and liked it, but in the company of other big Champagnes and it didn't stand up as well to them. On its own this night, it was a star. Very nice.

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• 1975 Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon Special Selection

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Great bottle of wine. Very hard to believe this is 30+ years old. Fresh and brimming with dark, sweet fruits. Great acidity and totally in balance. I think this has years to go.

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• 1997 Argiano Solengo Toscana IGT

  Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT

  Dry tannins, dark fruit, some raspberry, something slightly bitter on the entry. While I'm not a huge fan of supertuscans anyway, this was just fine, but not great. The Tiganello was better.

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• 1997 Antinori Tignanello

  Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT

  There was a bit of funk on the nose, dry tannins, dark fruit. I preferred this over the Solengo in that it was better integrated and had much better mouthfeel, but not my style.

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• 2000 Colgin Cabernet Sauvignon Tychson Hill Vineyard

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  I generally stay away from the 2000 vintage of cabs and I've never had a Colgin. However, this was a find. Excellent wine. Mint and dark fruit (cherries), toasted oak. I really liked it. Decanted all day.

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• 2003 Sloan

  USA, California, Napa Valley, Rutherford

  This was okay, but not great. It was splash decanted 3x. Still tight at that point and showed some oak and dark molasses in addition to very loads of sweet dark fruit. After some time in the glass, it produced some anise. Not a lot of balance. Just big.

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• NV Pride Mountain Vineyards Mistelle de Viognier

  USA, California, Sonoma County

  I loved this wine. I enjoy sweet wines that aren't too sweet and this was perfect for my palate. Light with sweet peaches, balanced acidity, smooth, creamy mouthfeel, nose with a hint of petrol. Fairly short finish. Absolutely delightful.

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