Wine Berserkers Dinner

A gathering of wine berserkers brings together some tasty wines and tasty food.

• 2007 E. Guigal Condrieu La Doriane 92 Points

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Condrieu

  Clear light golden color. A really great floral nose with a bit of honeysuckle. Palate shows some tropical fruits and a touch of oak with a bit of a stony finish. Very nice.

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• 2007 Scholium Project The Prince In His Caves Farina

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Mountain

  I don't get the big scores that people are giving this wine. To me it's just weird and I don't even think that I can fairly score it as it just sits in a class all by itself (for better or worse, try it yourself and decide). The color is a cloudy orange-yellow. I do like the massive fuzzy peach and apricot notes on the nose but that's where it ends. The flavors are just not nearly as exciting and there really didn't seem to be much there that resembled either the varietal (sav blanc) or the big explosive nose.

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• 2003 Tardieu-Laurent Hermitage Blanc 92 Points

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage

  My first Hermitage Blanc. A blend of Marsanne and Roussanne. Slight hint of tropical citrus on the nose mixed with a bit of an oaky note. Loved the texture of this wine as it had a nice bit of an oak influence and a slight creaminess to it that was very subtle but made it quite interesting. It's just slightly sweet on the palate; perhaps "mildly off-dry" would be a better descriptor. On the finish it reminded me of melted marshmallows, which I wasn't expecting but enjoyed quite a lot.

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• 2006 Hartwell Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Reserve 90 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley, Stags Leap District

  Dark violet red color. Ripe fruit, well rounded with a very smooth texture. Oak is dominating right now but it's not overly harsh in any way and in fact it is currently giving the wine a nice vanilla / coconut edge. Enjoyed this quite a bit.

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• 2004 David Arthur Cabernet Sauvignon Elevation 1147 90 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  I won't say that this is, by any means, a bad or unappealing bottle of wine. In fact it was quite tasty, showing lots of ripe fruit (bordering on jammy) and oak with a backbone of chewy tannins. However, I was largely unimpressed with it given the price of the bottle and the seemingly endless number of $100+ bottles of Napa Cabernet Sauvignon that it has to compete with.

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• 2000 Château Cos d'Estournel 94 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe

  My previous note on this bottle was supposed to be an instruction to myself to hold this last bottle for at least another 5 years. Way to pay attention to your notes Rob! <doh!> Fortunately, this was an immensely pleasing wine experience. The wine itself showed a nice mix of cassis and earth and has a ways to go before it develops that wonderful St Estephe funk that I love in the older Cos d'Estournel. Wonderful palate texture, good fruit and a great finish.

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• 1999 Harlan Estate 92 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  What can you say about Harlan that hasn't been said a million times? Pricey? Absolutely. Tasty? Certainly. Tasty enough to be this pricey? umm.. no. Decanted for about an hour or two beforehand. Shows nice ripe fruit and oak with some jammy notes. Well rounded and complete with a good finish. Unfortunately, you could write the same note for quite a few CA cabs which are quite a bit cheaper. It was nice to have the experience of the wine but for my Harlan fix, I'll stick with The Maiden.

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• 1986 Joseph Phelps Cabernet Sauvignon Backus Vineyard 95 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville

  A fabulous wine and one of my favorites of the night. Very little hint of age in the color and a nice nose of black currants, earthy leather and a bit of spice. Strong and vibrant on the palate with great depth and balance and a slight minty note on the finish. Awesome wine.

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• 1978 Villa Mt. Eden Cabernet Sauvignon Grand Reserve

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Tasted from a magnum that was stained with a massive amount of sediment. Lots of earth and old leather here mixed with fruit that is fading slightly but still present and lively on this night. Finish is neat and smooth with any bit of tannin now well resolved. This wine brings memories of a bottle of 1978 Chateau Palmer I had a few years ago so I guess that's a good thing as that was one of my favorite older wines in recent memory.

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• 1975 Robert Mondavi Winery Pinot Noir Reserve

  USA, California, Napa / Sonoma, Carneros

  Tasted completely blind and I was challenged to guess what it was. All I could tell from the faded color was that it was at least 25-30 years old. From the nose, I knew it wasn't Cabernet Sauvignon or a Cabernet Sauvignon based blend but that's about as far as I got. Once I saw that it was the 1975 Mondavi Pinot Noir, I was really surprised that it was showing this well after 34 years. Lots of old leather and earth and still retaining a good amount of acidity and fruit. Obviously this bottle had been very well cared for during that time and the wine actually improved and held up for the duration of the evening (or at least until the bottle was empty). I personally don't have enough experience with wines this old to fairly score them but the experience of the bottle was quite memorable for me considering the history it holds and recent passing of Mr Mondavi.

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