SOBER (fka TWITS) Tasting
Mark's house
Tasted October 25, 2006 by trankin with 801 views
Introduction
Outfitted with our new official name, Mark put together a great next tasting. The first flight was blind, and the 2 Haut Brions were blind as well, the rest was open label.
Flight 1 - A starter (1 note)
Wonderful bubbly to start.
Flight 2 - Blind Flight (3 notes)
This flight was served double blind. From the tops of the bottles, it was clear these were old wines, but other than that it was anyone's guess. We quickly agreed on northern Rhone, and John nailed both Hermitage and 1983.
Red
1983 Delas Frères Hermitage Marquise de la Tourette
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
Nose of lovely dark, mossy, earthy notes, with some black olive. On the palate, this is a wonderfully elegant wine. Lovely red cherries with only the slightest acidity to the fruit. Gorgeously balanced. Notes of charred wood and smoked meat. Just gorgeous. Easy WOTF.
Red
1983 Paul Jaboulet Aîné Hermitage La Chapelle
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
Nose of purple fruits, but a touch angular and not in any way sweet. On the palate, still a bit angular and somewhat tannic. Notes of black pepper, blackberries, and a bit of prune. Very nice wine.
Red
1983 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
Serious roasted meat on the nose, along with a touch of barnyard. Andrew thought a touch of VA but I didn't really get it. On the palate, the fruit is very mature witha touch of leather and a bit of sous-bois. Some gravelly notes. Notably more mature than the others in this flight.
Flight 3 - 1996 Bordeaux, open label (3 notes)
To me, the Pape & the LB were in a different league than the P-C, although they were all very nice. I definitely liked the Pape tonight better than the Leoville, but the Leoville Barton really appears to have it all and I suspect it'll be the better wine in the long run.
Red
1996 Château Pape Clément
France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
Nose of barnyard and leather. On the palate, this is a lovely balanced wine with great fruit, elegant tannins, and good acids. Blackberry and spice notes (cinnamon), along with some barnyard notes. Really beauitful. My WOTF. Drinking by far the best of the flight currently although the Leoville Barton might give it a run for the money in a few years.
Red
1996 Château Pontet-Canet
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
On the nose, a little white pepper, some purple fruit, and a bit of tobacco. On the palate, hefty yet elegant tannins, some good fruit. Didn't seem "whole" to me at first, but started to come together after 30 mins or so.
Red
1996 Château Léoville Barton
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
Nose of leather, earth, and gravel. Great texture on the palate. Good tannins which are currently a touch too prevalent. Big, thick, structured fruit. Big oak balanced with lovely fruit. Definitely seems like it's all there and in good balance, but clearly needs time. May be the best of the flight in the fullness of time, but the Pape Clement was drinking better tonight.
Flight 4 - Sandrone flight, open label (3 notes)
A vintage comparison. To me, the 96 was a great wine, the others I'm not so sure about. Actually I'm pretty sure the 97 is not a great wine, and the 98 I'm not so sure of. It's entirely possible the 98 is still in an awkward phase and will begin to strut its stuff in a few more years. We'll see...
Red
1996 Luciano Sandrone Barolo Cannubi Boschis
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
Loads of cedar on the nose. On the palate, gorgeous fruit in a nice, rounded style. Big acids, great maraschino noes. Rounded out nicely without being round. (if that makes sense) Very very nice wine that should be great in another 5-10 years. Easily WOTF for me.
Red
1997 Luciano Sandrone Barolo Cannubi Boschis
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
Nose of eucalyptus and cedar. Much more ready to go than the 96, with only a little acid and reasonably integrated tannins. Round, with very little secondary flavors, but drinking well. Not sure how this will do with time.
Red
1998 Luciano Sandrone Barolo Cannubi Boschis
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
Nose of cedar with a touch of soy. Shockingly round on the palate, with lots of tender fruit and not alot of tannins or acids. Really fills out nicely, but has a short finish. Difficult to judge this.
Flight 5 - 2 Blind Wines (2 notes)
These were served separately, and probably 30 minutes apart. I embarassed myself just dandily on the 96 by guessing an 01 Priorat or other Spanish. I definitely got bordeaux initially on the nose, but it was so big and young, my mind went elsewhere.
I did a little less damage to myself on the 71, although I was thinking 86 and didn't (although should have) get Graves which this so clearly was. Regardless, it was just an awesome wine.
Red
1996 Château Haut-Brion
France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
tasted blind. Tarry oak on the nose. On the palate, this is a gorgeous wine, but still tightly wound. Oaky, tarry, really great fruit. Guessed hot vintage. Clearly needs time.
Red
1971 Château Haut-Brion
France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
WOW! Nose of leather and lovely fruit - really enjoyable to sniff. This is very close to a 100pt nose. Gorgeous fruit and wonderfully elegant on the palate, and a finish that is just gorgeous and goes on & on. Tasted so much younger than it is. Just wonderful. Easy WOTN.
Flight 6 - A little something to end the night with (1 note)
A lovely, lovely port to end th evening.
Red - Fortified
1965 Delaforce Porto Colheita
Portugal, Douro, Porto
Massive caramel on the nose, with nuts and sasafras. Just a touch hot on the nose. On the palate, this is well-balanced and nutty with caramel and butter notes. Gorgeous.
Closing
Yet another awesome tasting!
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