January 2006 Methuselah Party

As usual, a variety of wines were tasted double blind. All participants brought anything they thought might be interesting, and obscured their origin before entering the house. A variety of finger foods was prepared for paring.

• 2005 Mt. Difficulty Riesling Medium Target Gully Central Otago 94 Points

  New Zealand, South Island, Otago, Central Otago

  I love this stuff. This has more limey-citrusy notes than any Reisling I've ever tasted. Brilliant clarity with a pale color, but strong aroma of honeysuckle and citrus. Beautiful acids. Paired with shrimp and scallop cakes with a lime cream sauce -- nice!

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• 2003 Vin du Lac Pinot Gris 74 Points

  USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Lake Chelan

  This was simply some alcohol and a bit of grape flavor mixed in some water as far as I could tell. Not so bad that you wanted to spit it out, but one sip was enough.

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• 1988 Château Latour Grand Vin 88 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  Beautiful deep dark cherry color. Amazing nose - I could have just smelled this wine for hours and been very happy. There were strong pencil-lead/cedar aromas with hints of mint. A very complex bouquet. But tasting it, there was a touch of tartness that surprised me. It was classic Pauillac with all kinds of nice tannins and just screamed to be paired with some lamb or beef. The finish was disappointing, especially compared to the initial nose. The finish was shorter than expected and didn't really open up into anything interesting.
  
  Needs 2-3 hours to open up. Paired nicedly with a Jarlsburg cheese.

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• 2004 Glaetzer Godolphin 95 Points

  Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley

  Wow, this is amazing stuff. Opens with a beautiful big, complex nose full of spice and dark fruits. And what a beautiful wine to taste - lush hits of chocolate, flowers, and of course oak. It is extremely well balanced and integrated, none of the complex flavors hit you hard, they all work together in beautiful harmony. This is the best wine I've tasted in quite a while. I tasted it at a party and must get some of my own. Paired amazingly well with an Oregon blue cheese.

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• 2001 Antinori Tignanello 92 Points

  Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT

  Brilliant dark apple skin colors. Spicey oak on the complex nose. A beautifully balanced wine with hints of dark cherries and anise. In a blind tasting, even a novice like I was able to identify this as a classic Italian Super Tuscan. Paired beautifully with goat cheese & sun-dried tomato on garlic toasts. Needs plenty of time to open up - tasted much better 2 hours after opening.

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• 2002 Clos Mogador Priorat 85 Points

  Spain, Catalunya, Priorat

  Not the clearest wine, a touch of cloudyness in the dark brick color. Slightly tart when first tasting, a bit heavy on the acids. Not as well balanced as expected. The heavy acids in the wine paired well with walnut/cheese canapés. Maybe needs more time for the wine to become better integrated?

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• 2003 L'Ecole No. 41 Apogée Pepper Bridge Vineyard 93 Points

  USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley

  A beautiful wine with fruit-forward round flavors. Tasted towards the end of a long flight of wines and unfortunately didn't get many details. Need to try again.

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• 2001 Camaraderie Cellars Grace 94 Points

  USA, Washington, Columbia Valley

  Wow, amazingly great wine. Beautiful aroma with a hint of menthol. Strong blackberry flavors in a very full bodied, very well balanced classic bordeaux style blend. For $18, this is a steal. It held its own when tasted next to an '88 Latour.

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• 2003 Vin du Lac Cabernet Franc Red 93 Points

  USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Yakima Valley

  Surprisingly nice stuff. Strong hits of vanilla and leather. Unfortunately this was the last wine tasted in a flight of 9 so I was a bit tasted out. But it was good. Was surprisingly competitive with the '88 Latour earlier in this tasting.

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• NV Yalumba Antique Rare Tawny 50 Years Museum Reserve 92 Points

  Australia, New South Wales

  As always, a very nice caremelly, tawyny -- Classic Aussie sticky. Paired with poached pears with creme fraiche and hazelnuts, not a perfect match, but not bad. Would have been better if the pears had more robust flavor.

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Lots of fun this month. When we enjoy every wine as much as we did tonight, it's very hard to be objective after about the sixth wine.