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The Lions Birthday Celebration
Restaurant Carlton, Zürich, Switzerland
Tasted September 8, 2014 by Wine_lvr with 439 views
Introduction
My friend TK and I celebrate our birthdays just a few days apart. So instead of two separate parties we decided to invite our friends, open a few good bottles and celebrate the occasions.
Flight 1 (3 notes)
White
1992 Kistler Chardonnay Kistler Vineyard
95 points
Tasted blind: Golden in color. Nose of vanilla, Rhum-Caramel candy, flowery and buttery notes. Wonderful sweetness and precise acidity. Has some tartiness to it but all is nicely integrated. I did not expect this wine to be 22 years old, it felt like a post-2005 Chardonnay from a top notch producer. Dirnk now without any hurry.
White
2002 Newton Chardonnay Unfiltered
flawed
'Wish I have met you earlier' or a flawed bottle? Reading other CT notes I think the latter.
Brownish gold in color. Malty and ripe notes. Very dry and unbalanced. Not much joy to drink
Brownish gold in color. Malty and ripe notes. Very dry and unbalanced. Not much joy to drink
White
2008 Kistler Chardonnay Vine Hill Vineyard
93 points
Clear and light gold in color. Nose of Vanilla and white flowers, some hints of alcohol showing through. Still quite a bit of acidity but all intermingled with a superb honey like sweetness. Balanced but still much too young. A great Chardonnay. Considering the youthfulness of the 1992 Kistler in the glass next to it I can just imagine how nicely this wine is going to age...
Flight 2 (4 notes)
Flight 3 (4 notes)
Flight 4 (4 notes)
Red
2002 Blank Cabernet Sauvignon
93 points
Tasted blind - Is this a peppermint tea or is it wine? Very unique style!
Clear ruby in color. Nose shows plenty of spearmint, ginger and York chocolate notes. The wine has a nice sweetness and is at the same time elegant. Lot's of fun to drink but the combination of Cherries and Mint make it almost a bit 'artificial'. Overall still a great wine and what I like about it is the distinct style and character. Drink now - 2020
Clear ruby in color. Nose shows plenty of spearmint, ginger and York chocolate notes. The wine has a nice sweetness and is at the same time elegant. Lot's of fun to drink but the combination of Cherries and Mint make it almost a bit 'artificial'. Overall still a great wine and what I like about it is the distinct style and character. Drink now - 2020
Red
1998 Robert Mondavi Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve
93 points
Tasted blind: Dark garnet in color. Nose showed hints of coffee and mint. Nice sweetness, present acidity but nice depth. Overall a classical yet well made wine and a big surprise for this somewhat difficult vintage. Drink now
Red
1997 Robert Mondavi Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve
flawed
Unfortunately a flawed bottle. This one was oxidized and dead...
Red
2001 Blank Cabernet Sauvignon
94 points
Tasted blind: Quite to the contrary of the 2002 Blank this wine was not as unique but at the same time IMHO better. Why? The nose showed the unique minty / gingery notes, but all in a much more toned-down manner than the 2002 (I strongly agree with KING CAB that this wine is very Martha's like). The wine has a great structure, is very nicely balanced and has good power. Still on the young side, decant or be patient for a few more years.
P.S: having had my experience with multiple vintages of Grace Blank and the Grace Family Cab, I slowly get the feeling that the Blank outshines the Estate wine.
P.S: having had my experience with multiple vintages of Grace Blank and the Grace Family Cab, I slowly get the feeling that the Blank outshines the Estate wine.