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San Diego WineSpectator.com Offline, 10/3/2013
Farm House Cafe, San Diego
Tasted October 3, 2013 by Javachip with 435 views
Introduction
Seven wine drinkers plus seven big red wines equaled seven purple smiles Thursday night. Quote of the evening: "A hint of urine in this wine. Add some barnyard and you've got Port-A-Potty in a bottle." The wines were uniformly superb. Rankings are by group vote; notes and scores are my own.
Flight 1 (7 notes)
Red
1989 Château Léoville Barton
94 points
Decanted two hours. Clear medium garnet-blood red. Wonderful bouquet of creme de cassis, blackberry liqueur, fresh cigars, stony clay, mint and evergreen. Medium body, superb freshness and structure thanks to well-balanced acidity. Quite similar to 1989 Pichon Lalande tasted last month. Only a faint herbal bitterness on the finish kept this from ranking among my top three tonight.
Red
1994 C.V.N.E. (Compañía Vinícola del Norte de España) Rioja Imperial Gran Reserva
94 points
Decanted at least one hour. Clear medium blood-ruby red. Gorgeous bouquet of red roses, red cherries, tar, red plums, tobacco, river marsh, and leather. Voluptuous and caressing on the palate, with soft velvety tannins; wished the finish had lasted longer. ("That's what she said.") Tied for THIRD PLACE tonight.
Red
2004 Claudia Ferrero Brunello di Montalcino
93 points
Not decanted, but allowed to breathe in glass 30 minutes before tasting. Clear deep purple-garnet color. Bouquet of baked cherry tart, stewed rhubarb and prunes, leather, roses, fresh lavender, creosote and graphite. Polished tannins, medium-full body, rich, balanced, elegant, improved with air. Lingering finish. Outstanding.
Red
2009 Force Majeure Collaboration Series II Ciel du Cheval Vineyard
95 points
Not decanted, but allowed to breathe in glass for 30 minutes. Inky purple-black color. Luscious bouquet of fresh crushed boysenberries and plums, with bacon fat, camphor, and grilled herbs. Full body, seamless, rich and generous, with long finish. Improved with air. Would love to re-visit in a few years. My #3 tonight. 98% syrah, 1% roussanne, 1% viognier.
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Red
2002 Château Lascombes
94 points
Not decanted, but allowed to breathe in glass for 30 minutes. Clear inky purple-garnet-black color. Bright fresh bouquet of black and blue fruit, flowers, charcoal, noticeable sweet oak. Full body, rich, generous, great balance, long finish. Tied for THIRD PLACE tonight.
Red
1993 Dunn Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain
95 points
Mid-neck fill. This bottle showed no sign of leakage after years on its side, but after standing upright at cellar temperature for several weeks, strangely developed a drop of damp wine residue emerging from the wax seal. Opened and decanted at 5:30 PM, re-bottled at 6:45 PM, tasted at 8:30 PM. Clear deep garnet-blood red color. Glorious bouquet of red currant and red cherry liqueurs, crushed boysenberries, cloves, eucalyptus, bay leaf, forest floor. Similar on the palate, with full body, great balance, minimal unobtrusive oak, long finish. My #2; group's FIRST PLACE tonight.
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Red
2008 Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select
96 points
Decanted 8 hours. Inky, glass-staining garnet-black color. Lavish bouquet of sweet black currants and cherries, mixed berries, mint, lavender, milk chocolate, sweet oak. Luscious, rich, amazingly concentrated and powerful, yet balanced and fully approachable at this young age. Long finish. My #1; group's SECOND PLACE tonight.
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Closing
It has been said that a traditionally-styled Bordeaux (such as tonight's 1989 Leoville Barton) will often seem austere alongside a hedonistic California cabernet. That won't keep me from collecting and drinking classic Bordeaux. The modern-styled 2002 Lascombes could have passed for New World in a blind tasting. A wonderful evening with great wines, food and friends. Thanks to JulieD for organizing. Cheers until next time!