Two Bottle Vertical at the Lake
Bob and Anita's Place on Lake Wylie
Tasted August 24, 2013 by TastesGoodToMe with 609 views
Introduction
Bob and Anita's turn to host. Bob chose the Vertical Theme. Didn't matter if years were far apart of close together. Just had to bring two different bottles of same wine.
Flight 1 - Cruise Around the Lake (2 notes)
To start off the evening, we took a cruise on Lake Wylie. Anita made shrimp cocktail and fruit skewers with mint (the mint was a nice touch)
Bob chose two excellent Chardonnays from Sonoma to wet our whistles and to get the evening off on the right foot. Great start to the evening.
White
2007 Suacci Carciere Wines Chardonnay Heintz Vineyard
USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast
Bob shared that the Heintz vineyard, located towards the Sonoma Coast, although still in the RRV ava, is a highly sought after vineyard known for producing some excellent grapes/wines. In fact, Robert Parker called it "one of the great grand cru Chardonnay sites in California" I think without exception everyone liked the '07 a little better than the '06. To me, it had a rounder mouthfeel and a citrus component that just made this bottle a little more interesting.
Flight 2 - Appetizers on the back porch (2 notes)
When we returned, after Bob showed us his morotcycle, we had appetizers on the back porch. We started with the Dunn as we thought it would flow a little better having this wine early - as opposed to after something bigger
Red
1987 Dunn Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain
USA, California, Napa Valley, Howell Mountain
Tom shared an 87 with me a couple of months ago. Did not know he had another hanging out in his cellar. This one was not as good to me as last time - could be that it was due to being able to compare to the '99 at the same time. Considerable browning - especially compared to the '99 which showed little if any. Had that earthy funky nose (not Bret - but just that musty old wine smell) that let you know this was an old wine from the first whiff. I got cherry and all red berry notes. Lynn (and then Tom for the rest of his glass) got a lot of cedar. The group all shared what we were doing back in 1987 which was cool.
Red
1999 Dunn Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain
USA, California, Napa Valley, Howell Mountain
This is in a great drinking window now IMO. We all got a lot of leather (Bob jokingly commented that he specifically got notes of "Argentinian Saddle Leather" whatever the hell that is!) This was better to me than the '87. Had more life, fruits not faded as much and did not have the funky old earth component. Blueberry and cherry with a little minerality. Medium.
Flight 3 (2 notes)
As we were finishing the appetizers and with the salads we all had the Martin Estate brought by Lynn and me.
Red
2008 Martin Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Collector's Reserve Rutherford
USA, California, Napa Valley, Rutherford
Upon first whiff and taste, you would have thought the '07 was going to the better wine of the two. That changed quickly though upon vigorous swirling in the glass and a good "chewing" of the wine. This wine gives you the impression that there is a blockbuster wine within, but still lurking in the background as it is still too young and too shy to show its full power (or at least that is my hope). Blackberries, currant and nice tannins. Medium plus finish.
Flight 4 - Main Course (3 notes)
For the main course, Bob, who is amassing a very nice collection of Chateau de Beaucastle, thought this wine would pair wonderfully with the grilled Lamb. And boy did it. Spectacular dinner and wine!
Following dinner, we vacillated between opening a Port or a bottle of Sherwin "Cellar Scraps". Both Bob and Tom are huge fans of the Scraps. Being Lynn and I had never had them, we opted for the Sherwin. No we are hooked too.
Following the Cellar Scraps, our driver showed to up to take Lynn and me home. Tom and Sue stayed the night. Wonder if any more bottles were consumed...?
Red
2008 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
This paired wonderfully with Lamb as it had a meaty, gamey quality to me on the nose. Raspberry and dark cherry flavors on the tongue with a little anise. Nice long finish. This was my runner up for wotn.
Red
2006 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Drinking really well but plenty of time left. Had this along with an '08 and they both had a great finish that sold me from the first sip. Red fruits, leather, spice. Interestingly, as I got to the bottom of my glass I got a nice butterscotch component.
Red
N.V. Sherwin Family Vineyards Cellar Scraps #6
USA, California, Napa Valley, Spring Mountain District
WOW! My first taste of the "cellar scraps". You know what they say, "one man's trash (scraps) is another man's treasure". What a treasure this wine was. BIG in every way. Dark black fruits, chocolate with a long finish. And such a unique bottle. This was such a pleasant surprise to me and my WOTN.
Closing
Wonderful evening! Can't wait until we do it again.
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