100 Point (Parker or other) Wine Dinner Organized by Steve for 6 "Wine Guys"
The Prime Rib, Philadelphia
Tasted August 2, 2017 by oldwines with 898 views
Introduction
Steve, who I met through this august website last year, organized a wine dinner in Philadelphia at The Prime Rib Restaurant for some friends who share my addiction for wine. Each was instructed to bring a wine from their cellar that had scored 100 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (or other notable reviewer). Now, anyone who has read my tasting notes will understand that my style preferences are most often quite different from Mr. Parker's but I find it hard to turn down any opportunity to sample some of the great wines of the world, so I fell into line. The restaurant proved to be a very appropriate setting with some great food, courteous, quick service and a friendly owner who knows one or more of the attendees and whom I insisted have the last drops of the 1990 Chateau Margaux as he left for the evening. As one might expect there were additional bottles brought, such that we had the pleasure to drink a total of 12 different wines over the space of 4-5 hours that were all stellar. On an evening like this sometimes the scores may suffer some "range widening" due to the tough comparisons and natural inclination to rank them relative to each other. My ratings are listed as I tasted them tonight as objectively as possible but many could possibly score higher if not being drunk along side such robust competition.
Flight 1 - Warm-ups and First Course (3 notes)
As participants arrived we had the pleasure to drink 2 white wines: 1981 López de Heredia Viña Tondonia Gran Reserva Blanco and 2014 Paul Hobbs Cuvée Augustina Richard Dinner Vineyard Chardonnay. As the last guest arrived and we started on the first course he added a 2006 Vincent Girardin Meursault 1er Cru Les Genevrières to the mix. Food for the course included a sampling of a nicely spiced fried soft shell crab with beurre blanc and some tuna tartare for each of us. I ranked the Hobbs first due to its wonderful balance and great acidity over the Girardin Meursault which was also great but perhaps due to age was a little lacking the acidity and didn't quite have the length of finish of the Californian. The Tondonia was showing surprisingly well for a 36 year old white wine but actually perhaps still too young to fully appreciate its complexities. With that we were "off to the races" with all reds in the next course being the original, primary focus.
White
1981 R. López de Heredia Rioja Blanco Gran Reserva Viña Tondonia
Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja
Before leaving Central NJ for Philadelphia I decanted this at about 1:30pm and gave it some air, tasting it to be sure it was actually drinkable then after and hour in the refrigerator put it back in the clean bottle to bring to the 100 point wine dinner. On first, smell and taste this was all lemon, almost like sipping lemon juice it was so high in acidity. By the time we started drinking it shortly after 6pm it had settled down but only partially. It was still dominated by the lemon and as I endeavored to get it there in good condition, it was initially too cold to get all the flavors out of it. After warming in the glass it was better and began to unfold its layers. The color was bright medium yellow with just a tinge of gold on the edge. The nose was ever so slightly oxidized without being bad at all. Lemon, dominated the nose and palate with a very bright/high acid mouth feel but it did show some caramel and honey notes in the mid palate and the finish had some herbal (lemongrass?) and slightly medicinal layers on the moderately long finish. No one else at the table had tasted this before and I think it was a good introduction to a long lived Spanish white wine to those present.
White
2014 Paul Hobbs Chardonnay Cuvée Agustina Richard Dinner Vineyard
USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Mountain
This was popped and poured shortly after Garth's arrival at the event. Enjoyed pre-dinner and with the second course. I had never had this cuvèe before and was struck by its more Burgundian nature. It is bright yellow with just a tinge of a green hue. The nose is elegant and subtle with green apple, green melon and lemon curd, only a slight hint of toasty oak. Extremely well balanced with plenty of acidity and yet creamy and rich in texture. Flavors are layered and complex with green apple, Asian pear, vanilla, honeysuckle and some nuttiness on the evolved and moderately long finish. An impressive wine that should gain complexity for onward to a decade in my view.
White
2006 Domaine / Maison Vincent Girardin Meursault 1er Cru Les Genevrières
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault 1er Cru
Popped and poured to drink with our first course...went particularly well I thought with the spicy soft shell crab as a nice rich counterbalance to the spice. Rich, medium to dark golden yellow color. Nose is very creamy and full of citrus, like meyer lemon, and tangerine and a moderate amount of oak/smoke. Flavor is rich, honeyed and creamy showing a lot of lemon curd on the finish, but I didn't notice a lot of minerality. This had low to moderate acidity and seems to be at the tail end of its peak drinking window though clearly able to have a graceful decline over the next several years in a good cellar.
Flight 2 - The Steaks for Second Course - What else? (6 notes)
Everyone ordered steaks as expected and all were cooked to perfection. In age order (which approximated the drinking order with the notable exception of the 2009 Ch. Leoville Poyferrè which at least some of us had with the tuna tartare from the last course just to see...it worked fine, especially with the sesame oil) They were:
2013 Paul Hobbs Beckstoffer To-Kalon Cabernet Sauvignon
2010 Valicava Modanna del Piano Brunello di Montalcino Riserva
2009 Ch. Leoville Poyferrè
2009 Ch. Montrose
2003 Hewitt Vineyards Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
1990 Ch. Margaux
In my view they ranked as follows:
Margaux
Hewitt
Montrose
Valdicava
Poyferrè
Hobbs
But, all were wonderful in their own right and given that at least one of us felt exactly the opposite of me, I would say that both my admitted preference for old over young and "old-world styled" over "new world cult styled" wines is clearly reflected in my view of the wines overall.
Red
1990 Château Margaux
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
Decanted at 1:30pm left to breathe for an hour then put back in the bottle for trip to Philadelphia for dinner at 6pm whereupon it was again decanted and drunk from about 8:30-10pm. Wine is a youthful dark, slightly translucent garnet with no sign of age on the rim. upon opening there was a lot of pleasant brett/barnyard that stayed with the wine as a gentle overtone through the last drop. I could have just smelled this wine all for hours with the earthy tones accompanied by cassis, graphite, black plum and fresh picked mushrooms. There is plenty of acidity and modest, mostly integrated tannin. The flavor profile was gravelly, earthy mushroom, black currant/cassis and ripe plum. Very layered and long with a leathery finish. This was clearly the best bottle of this I have had, now the 3rd of 6 originally purchased on release and kept in my cellar exclusively. A real Wow! wine among great wines this evening. My favorite red tonight and also seemed to be red WOTN for 4 of the other 5 at the table.
Red
2009 Château Léoville Poyferré
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
Decanted at the restaurant about 2 hours before drinking, this was better the more air it got. Dark garnet purple color with a nose that was slightly reticent but showed vanilla, floral, herbal and dark fruit notes on the nose. The texture was a little lighter in the mouth than I expected with good acidity and flavors of lavender, violets, blackberry and black plum. I thought the finish was a bit shorter than some others tonight. My sense is that this wine is a bit "shut down" right now and should be held for at least another 4-5 years at which point I will guess it will be weightier and richer. Great, nevertheless and it was interesting paired with the tuna tartare having an interesting dance with the sesame oil in my mouth.
Red
2013 Paul Hobbs Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard
USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville
I know at least one other attendee felt otherwise, but this seems like infanticide to me. This is an extremely powerful wine that will need at least a decade to fully evolve. It was double decanted 2 hours before dinner. The color is a deep grapey, purple garnet. High tannin, medium acidity and 14.7% ABV (not as high as I might have guessed given the vintage). The alcohol was noticeable on the nose initially but seemed to blow off after a few minutes in the glass. Other elements in the nose were graphite, vanilla and violets. On the palate, once you got past the tannin, there was black plum, blackberry, black raspberry and some wet stones. I thought the nose was better than the palate. The finish was a bit short and a little flat. I think this will be better down the road, though great with a fatty steak to balance out the tannins.
Red
2003 Hewitt Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
USA, California, Napa Valley, Rutherford
This is certainly a very powerful wine but having more than a decade in bottle has balanced it out and made it quite enjoyable. My first from this producer. Decanted at the restaurant upon arrival and run through a venturi a couple times, then drunk over the next 2 hours. The color is a deep, dark, rich garnet with a huge nose of minerals, earthy spices, herbs and black fruit. On the palate I found it significantly smother than the younger wines though clearly still a brute. On the palate I tasted earthy sage, blackberry, plum and graphite. On the moderately long finish I really enjoyed the lavender and black cherry. Complex, balanced and masculine, this, even at auction, is a relative bargain if you can ensure the provenance. My second favorite among the second course red wines with plenty of life left in a good cellar.
Red
2009 Château Montrose
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe
Decanted for about 2 hours before drinking, this was deep dark garnet colored with a nice earthy nose with black fruit and spice. The palate was rich and while tannic, was starting to integrate and I thought well controlled and not overly "grippy". The flavor profile was dark, black cherry, anise, forest floor, mushroom and graphite with a moderately long finish. Delicious with the steaks, but still a baby in my mind that should improve over the next decade and a half.
Red
2010 Valdicava Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Madonna del Piano
Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
Opened 2 hours before drinking at the restaurant. The wine is deep dark garnet, almost opaque. The nose is smooth and rich with vanilla, black fruit and some earthiness. It is very smooth, almost surprisingly so for such a young Brunello. Very modern styled to me. Plenty of oak and vanilla on the palate along with black raspberry and black cherry. Low tannin and low to moderate acidity. I don't think this will last as long as most of the other wines tonight and it is certainly hard for a Sangiovese to stand up to some of the other Cab brutes we drank this evening. Having had some other vintages of this wine though, I found this bottle a slight disappointment.
Flight 3 - Dessert (3 notes)
Dessert was a mixed plate of crème brûlée, chocolate mousse and berries with fresh whipped cream. If you ask me and for at least 3 of the group that I know I discussed this with, the dessert wines stole the show! They were:
1997 Château D'Yquem
1976 Weingut Schneider Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Beerenauslese
1963 Warre's Vintage Porto
The d'Yquem was drinking like perfection and garnered my first ever 100 point score followed closely by the 54 year old Warre's Port (my favorite vintage and one of my favorite Ports of all time) and surprisingly good (as I opened it, the cork was wet and slipping out and then broke, so I feared total oxidation) 40+ year old Beerenauslese.
White - Sweet/Dessert
1976 Weingut Schneider Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Beerenauslese
Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
From 375ml bottle, the cork was wet and slippery coming out and then broke off near the end, so I feared total oxidation before tasting this after decanting at 2pm, then replacing in the bottle and traveling to Philadelphia for dinner. The nose was slightly oxidized but that seemed to blow off in the glass shortly after pouring. The wine was a deep copper/apricot color. The nose and palate seemed to reflect that with Huge grilled apricot flavor, honey and caramelized sugar. This was unctuous in your mouth and yet still showing some brightness of flavor. The finish was extremely long. I have been waiting for probably 30 years to have this wine as it was one of my first purchases of a Beerenauslese from a friend's cellar in the mid-1980's. It was worth the wait. Extraordinary!
White - Sweet/Dessert
1997 Château d'Yquem
France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
On this evening this wine was perfect. I can't imagine how it could be improved upon. Decanted a couple hours before drinking from 750ml bottle. The color was a burnt apricot. The nose was effusive with honey and intense grilled peach. Huge acidity and an incredibly rich, unctuous, decadent mouth feel. The grilled peach flavor was strikingly strong and enjoyable accompanied by roasted almond and caramelized sugar/honey. Gloriously long on the finish with a touch of roasted hazelnut rather than almond as it faded away after more than a minute. WOW!
Red - Fortified
1963 Warre Porto Vintage
Portugal, Douro, Porto
This has always been one of my favorite Ports and it surely did not disappoint tonight! It had been probably a decade since I last had it and this bottle was the best I think I have had. It was perfectly mature though not close to being on the decline. The color was translucent ruby with brick on the edge and tinged throughout. The nose was cardamom, chocolate, cherry and kirsch with layers and layers of flavors including the aforementioned as well as Indian spices, and licorice on an extremely long finish. Close to perfection here for me!
Closing
As I think about the evening, it reminds me that the idea of a perfect wine is a fleeting and personal one. So many ephemeral things go into the perception of perfection in wine...the other wines being tasted, the natural bottle variation, how many wines you have tasted/drunk in the same sitting, the food it is served with, the company you are keeping, the environment in all respects...sometimes there is the perfect combination of setting (after all doesn't everything taste better overlooking the sea with someone you love, for example), the perfect group of friends or family gathered, a particularly well matured or pristine bottle and the result can be magical. The 100 point numerical rating system is certainly not perfect! If I could decree it, I would probably have only 4 or 5 rankings. but the 100 point system is useful for relative comparison at a given moment in time if that is something of value to those looking at a tasting note or series thereof. I tend not to fight it and have nearly always included a score which is admittedly, for everyone a subjective exercise reflecting our personal tastes. There is no real right or wrong and quibbling over points seems nonsensical.
Many thanks to Steve for organizing the event at the restaurant and to Steve and my new friends for sharing some of the most prized wines in your collections. It was a wonderful evening!
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