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Another Great Luis Tasting!

Cahill Bistro

Tasted May 4, 2023 by I'd Rather Be Drinking Wine with 148 views

Introduction

Another great tasting set up by my friend Luis! This time, he picked a new restaurant, Cahill Bistro. Food and service were excellent! Of course, besides good food, there were good friends and good wines! I love these events, as it is an excuse to get out and open some nice bottles of wine!

Flight 1 - Champagne (1 note)

White - Sparkling
N.V. Robert Moncuit Champagne Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Brut France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru
91 points
Nice serviceable Champagne. Tart, yeasty and loads of limestone and tart green apple, with plenty of saline/minerality. Fairly focused, with good acid. Good, but not great....but reasonably priced. 90 to 91 points for me.
1 person found this helpful Comment

Flight 2 - White Wines (3 notes)

White
2015 Do Ferreiro Albariño Rías Baixas Cepas Vellas Spain, Galicia, Rías Baixas
92 points
A very nice wine! Quite tropical, with loads of tropical fruit, white flowers and a hint of spice, coupled with slate and minerality. A lighter style wine that would be a good summer sipper. Delicious and a solid 92 for my palate.
1 person found this helpful Comment
White
2012 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Bougros France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru
92 points
Nice Chablis. Full of saline and slate with some lemon peel, cutting acidity and a layer of creamy, baked apple and integrated toasty oak. Very nice! 92+ and in a good place!
1 person found this helpful Comment
White
2013 Alexana Chardonnay Signature USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
93 points
This has come a long way and is peaking now, at least for my palate. Rich, creamy mouthfeel that just seduces you from the start! Lots of creamy pear and notes of apple and butterscotch, also hints of tropical fruit and chalk. An excellent Oregon Chardonnay in a great place....drink up! Easy 93!
1 person found this helpful Comment

Flight 3 - Merlot (2 notes)

Red
2012 O'Shaughnessy Merlot Howell Mountain USA, California, Napa Valley, Howell Mountain
94 points
2 hour decant and 3 hours slo-O. Drinking quite well! Lots of cream of cherry with milk chocolate, hints of bramble. This is drinking quite well, and one of my favorites of the night. Perfect treatment, which also speaks to the fact that no hurry opening this wine, but if properly decanted, will reward now. Drink or hold. A very good value, IMO. 93+ to 94.
1 person found this helpful Comment
Red
2006 Kapcsándy Family Winery Roberta's Reserve State Lane Vineyard USA, California, Napa Valley, Yountville
94 points
My first Kapcsandy, and what a very nice merlot! This was PnP, and definitely would have benefited from a decant (I would guess 2 hours or more). Even on the PnP, this wine showed an elegant fruit profile featuring lots of sweet and tart cherry, with hints of cedar and spice. 93+ to 94 on the PnP, and the potential for higher with a decant or more time.
1 person found this helpful Comment

Flight 4 - Outliers (3 notes)

Red
2009 Bodegas Alto Moncayo Garnacha Campo de Borja Spain, Aragón, Campo de Borja
93 points
Very nice wine. Opened at table, and received about 60 minutes of Slo-O. Wine showed flavors of red and dark cherries, prunes and some Kirsch, along with some earth, some leather and some tar and anise, with hints of orange peel, vanilla and baking spice. Very nice Grenache...I will need to look for some recent releases of this....seems very reasonably priced on release. Not the 100 Parker gave it, but still a very nice wine in a good place with fruit and tertiary flavors fairly balanced 93 to 93+ for me.

Notes sound like it is better young.....I will seek one out to taste young, but I like it the way it is now, so I should look to get a few bottles and experiment!
1 person found this helpful Comment
Red
2007 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
92 points
This was a PnP. I believe this wine would have benefited from a decant. 2007 is a bit perplexing to me...big fruit, big alcohol from a hot summer. I think the alcohol will calm down more and the fruit and some tertiary goodness are on the horizon (at least that is my hope)....However, not sure what to think after tasting this....Yes fruit is definitely there, but so is some heat from the alcohol....the question is which will calm down more, if at all? Will the heat/alcohol become more pervasive or will the heat subside with time? Stay tuned to the bat...errr...wine channel!

OK....enough fun, down to brass tacks on the wine. Big fruit, some roasted meat and some spice, with an earthiness and leathery layer lurking under the fruit and alcohol. My best advice....a 2-3 hour decant and serve with food if drinking now, or hold (like I will) and pray the wine gods look favorably on you! 92 today....??? tomorrow...but fingers crossed!
4 people found this helpful Comment
Red
2009 Paolo Bea Montefalco Sagrantino Secco Pagliaro Italy, Umbria, Montefalco, Montefalco Sagrantino
94 points
Was not familiar with this wine or producer, but what a pleasant surprise! A very nice, elegant wine! I believe it was PnP, but not 100% sure about that treatment. The wine was sweet and tart at the same time. Plenty of red fruit, but some dark fruit (blackberry or elderberry) as well, coupled with earth, tobacco and hints of spice, with dusty tannins and nice acidity. Delicious! 93+ to 94 points....another stellar wine!
3 people found this helpful Comments (1)

Flight 5 - Syrah (3 notes)

Red
2012 McPrice Myers Beautiful Earth USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
92 points
Not sure of treatment, suspect PnP. This wine is a GSM blend with about 75% Syrah. A very nice wine and drinking quite well! Nice red and black fruit with a gaminess (in a good way), some bramble and hints of leather and spice. Not shy, but not too big either. This wine begs for roasted meat! A nice wine in a nice place! Plenty of fruit, tannins are smooth. A very nice wine and a solid 92 for me!
1 person found this helpful Comment
Red
2009 Lillian Winery Syrah USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Barbara County
92 points
45 minute decant. This style is right in my wheelhouse! These wines are more about decadent fruit than tertiary or secondary flavors, although they are present but more in the background. Lovely black and blue fruit with some spice and vanilla and hints of tapenade. Solid 92, and I would score this higher, but I detected some heat from the alcohol (a big detractor for me).....not sure if it would have dissipated with more time or air. That's the downside to these tastings, small pours and a fair amount of different wines, so hard to really follow a specific wine....especially when you need your glasses for another flight (or in this case, to get ready to leave the restaurant).
1 person found this helpful Comments (4)
Red
2013 Lillian Winery Syrah USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Barbara County
94 points
Decanted for 2 hours then back in the bottle for another 3 hours of slo-O. Boy was that the right call, as for me, this was in a near perfect place! The fruit was tasty and creamy and the mouthfeel was plush. This showed layers of blackberry and blueberry pie with some vanilla, some sweet oak and hints of earth, chocolate and tobacco. Definitely new world, but definitely delicious! No detectable alcohol and smooth as a baby's behind! Can't imagine this getting any better and feel like I hit the lottery catching this wine at its peak! Easy 94 for me....wish I had more...would give it the same treatment and drinking it sooner than later!
1 person found this helpful Comments (2)

Flight 6 - Dessert (1 note)

White - Sweet/Dessert
2004 Château Guiraud France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
93 points
I agree with Galewskj, that this was a pleasant surprise from a mediocre vintage and an inconsistent producer. Nose showed some petrol, that blew off eventually, with notes of jasmine, tropical fruit and tangerine. Palate showed nice honeyed stone fruit, pineapple and hints of Meyers lemon, spice and vanilla. A bit more acidity would have been nice, as the wine was slightly on the sweet side. Still, a very good job in a so-so year! 92+ to 93 for me!
1 person found this helpful Comment

Closing

Another tasting comes to an end, and like a good wine, it leaves you wanting more! I am looking forward to the next one, and hope anyone reading this got a little vicarious enjoyment! Until next time.....Cheers!

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