DoubleD1969 generously shared this mystery bottle with attendees at the Central Jersey CT off-line dinner and tasting at Peking Duck House. This was served single blind to start off the evening. at the last event, i was appointed royal taster ex-officio. so, tonite, i stepped up to the challenge of identifying this wine. my first hunch was burgundy but this was eliminated by a sneak peak at the the gold neck foil. that brought us to california. i thought it was an upper tier chardonnay which brought kistler to mind which i know blossoms well with bottle age. with no other guesses from me or others, the bottle was revealed. my first reaction was amazement at the vintage. i don't think i have ever had a california chard that showed this well 11 years past the vintage. in a word, this wine was gorgeous. even ellen, who is usually hard to impress, couldn't hold back her enthusiasm for this wine. perfectly mature. acidity in the background. enveloping aroma. honey, honeysuckle, white peach. smooth finish. delish. thanks, DoubleD and happy birthday.

This was the first of two mags brought to central jersey CT off line at Peking Duckhouse, NYC. We braved the first real chill of winter to attend this event. This bottle had depressed foil and slight label stain. However, cork was at appropriate depth and there were no active signs of seepage. On first pour, there was no sign of oxidation. Color was still vibrant. Yet, the wine seemed tired and/or closed. After being open for awhile, some fruitvstarted to emerge, but nothing of great interest or complexity. The wine did offer some game meat flavors that went well with the cuisine. The leftover wine came home and was poured off to a 750. Served the next night with duck pate. Although slightly oxidized, the wine had actually improved, with more generous fruit showing. In, retrospect, a short decant might have helped get the kinks out.

This was the second of two mags brought to a CT off line at Peking Duckhouse, NYC. This was, by far, the more interesting of the two bottles. This bottle offered more generous fruit in a style typical of CdP. No indication of spoilage or oxidation. Still within optimal drinking window. This bottle deserves the comment that a reputable producer can do wonderful things in a less than stellar vintage. The leftover wine was brought home and poured off to a 750. Served the next night with duck pate. The wine held up well, with only minor deterioration. This was an interesting experience to see what a lighter style CdP has to offer. I am glad to have found this bottle on the dusty shelf of a local retailer who had no idea what it was and was glad to get rid of it at the release price.

Cjsavino and his wife generously shared two bottles of this outstanding wine. Once again, CJ has demonstrated his prowess in picking the best for his cellar. The wine had been opened 5 hours prior to serving and double decanted. Although early in its longevity cycle, exposure to air brought forth some mature qualities. The fruit was generous. The mouth feel was rich and the finish persistant there were energetic bursts of fruit from time to time. The wine continued to evolve all night. This was easily my WOTN. I hope the human anti-aging pill is invented in time for me to visit thus wine again in 10 to 15 years.

brought by DoubleD1969 to central jersey CT off-line dinner and tasting at Peking Duck House. The wine had been decanted for one hour prior to serving. i arrived late, so, by the time i tasted, it may have been open as much as two hours. i notice that most tasters, both professional and layman, indicate that this wine started to come into its own around 2007. i also note that successive professional reviews have shortened longevity estimates over time. lastly, i note that many recent tasters believe that the wine is currently in a transitional or closed phase. things were so hectic and rushed, it was hard to study the wines properly. the wine presented as youthful and vibrant with rich and generous fruit dominated by freshly crushed cherries. tannins were soft. i did not detect much acidity. the wine seems too forward to develop more bold expressiveness as it continues to age. then again, teenagers are so unpredictable. only the future will tell what this wine has in store. thanks to DoubleD for sharing so generously. Hope you have another one for us to try together in ten years.

This wine was generously contributed by noiregonian, a member of the Central Jersey CT off-line tasting group that i am meeting for the first time, and presented at our event hosted by Peking Duck House. Things were a bit hectic and hurried, so i may not have been able to give this wine the attention that it is due. The wine was quite enjoyable. I had not tasted this wine before nor had i done any homework. so, there was no halo effect other than the expectation that it was an oregon pinot selected by a knowledgeable taster. The wine presents as fruit forward with bright ripe cherry as the dominant flavor component. The wine offered substantial mouthfeel. the internet talks about previous vintages having bested romanee conti in a blind tasting held in 2004. i am not sure that this vintage was quite that successful. an interesting experience nevertheless.

d.o.a.
an anonymous attendee (whose CT user ID starts with an N) brought this bottle to Central Jersey CT off-line dinner and tasting at Peking Duck House. unfortunately it was spoiled. the donor told us that he had enjoyed other bottles in the past. pro reviews indicated maturities extending to 2010. however, a magnum should have lived a little longer. so, something else went wrong with this bottle. Also interesting to note that Carter vineyard supplied grapes to both ken wright and domains serene. The domaine serene showed well tonite.

brought by noiregonian to the Central Jersey CT off-line tasting at Peking Duck House. take note that garagiste recommends having this wine with foie gras. too bad we served this bottle after our appetite for food was satiated. i do not have a broad tasting experience with respect to sauternes or barsac. but i will say that this bottle was a treat. the color was golden but a little pale with some transparency at the edge. yet, the nose was generous, offering up honey, apricot and biscuit. upper end sauternes are often too cloying and sticky for my taste. this bottle offered up just enough glycerine to let you know what you were drinking. if i had to compare this with climens, i would say that this wine was more enjoyable. i am scoring conservatively, based on what i tasted tonite. the experts are projecting a long life for this wine. it will probably develop more complexity and deserve more points with time. i note the wide range of retail prices ($32 to $100). i think i would be comfortable enjoying this wine at up to $45. thank you, noiregonian for broadening our horizons with this wine.

brought this to Central Jersey CT off-line dinner and tasting at Peking Duck House. An ode to Ben Feder, co-founder of the vineyard and winery together with his wife who carries on the tradtion. We met Ben in 1980 during one of our trips to the Hudson Valley to visit with family in Elizaville and Rhinebeck. Ben was having success with seyval blanc and we purchased a case of the 1978. ben presented this cassis at the rhinebeck green market in 2005. i selected it for tonite to enjoy on its own and to make a simple kir since i knew that there would be an abundance of champagne at the table. served at the end of the meal. initially on its own. this was a new experience for all of us except champagneinhand. tasted like a york peppermint patty. i mean that in a good way. i was sorry to see that most people put it aside. then we ponied up remaining 1996 dom and poured a splash over for willing takers. most enjoyable and refreshing. a great marriage between the finesse of the dom and the sprightliness of the cassis, neither of which was diminished by the other.