5 Guys and a Gal!
Casa Joe & Khem
Tasted January 25, 2024 by MN Wine Junkie with 45 views
Introduction
Joe & Khem hosted the first "Guys" get-together of 2024, and it started with a bang! As always, great food, great friends and, of course, great wines! I can't help but to reflect at what a privileged life I lead every time we get together! While most reading this story have likely tasted many of these wines, just think how many have not, nor ever will, have that pleasure.
It is always fun to hear other's perspectives on wines! Plus, it always fun tasting some older wines (yes, "old" is relative!) For me, this was a great tasting because many of the wines were in my ideal wheelhouse, which is a balance between fruit and tertiary flavors. Hope you enjoy the story even a fraction of how much I enjoyed the "research!"
Flight 1 - Champagne (1 note)
Nose showed lots of brioche, yeast, white flower and citrus. Palate was full of raspberry, with notes of cedar, citrus, chalk and apple.
Easy 94 for my palate!
Flight 2 - White (1 note)
Flight 3 - Pinot (1 note)
Flight 4 - Cali Reds (2 notes)
Let me start by saying this is the best bottle of this vintage Dominus I have tasted (and I have had this wine at least 3 times). This wine is (not surprisingly) dominated by tertiary flavors. However, there was a streak of red and black fruit (cherry and cassis) that even my palate could detect (which was a huge plus!)
Nose and show some cherry and lots of earthy notes, leather and tobacco. Palate follows suit with the addition of some cassis, tar and a streak of menthol. This was a very nice wine that I enjoyed (but I think others enjoyed even more than I?
94 points for me! Loved this bottle....a testament to the adage there are only good bottles of older wines, and this was a good one!
This was a great pairing with the 84 Dominus. Like the Dominus, this showed plenty of tertiary character and flavors. Unlike the Dominus, it showed only dark fruit (no red fruit), and more importantly (at least to my palate), it showed more fruit!
The flavor profile was a fair amount dark fruit wrapped in a heavy cloak of leather, earth, sweet oak, tobacco and notes of coffee and dried herbs.
94+ points easily and so delicious! Drink or hold, but if your palate is like mine, this is peaking right now!
Flight 5 - Bordeaux (3 notes)
It's been a couple years since I last tasted this wine, and it seems to have improved! A good amount of red fruit (red currant), with some black fruit (blackberry and black cherry) serving as a wingman, both on the nose and palate, with the nose showing some additional sweet violets. Also, as expected for its age, the palate reveals quite a few tertiary flavors, including old leather, forest floor, earthy mushroom, and some tobacco, pencil and bramble, with some spice showing late mid-palate and carrying through to the finish. A solid 94 now, and in a great spot! No hurry, but no reason to wait either, as I see a plateau for a while and then a slow descent.
Nose showed sweet aromatics, with perfumed purple flowers, cherry notes, and birch. Palate showed dark and red fruit, bramble, bark, tar and spice with some anise. Nice! This is drinking quite well right now.. Very smooth and a nice balance between fruit and tertiary flavors. This is in a nice spot for my palate, but those who prefer hedonistic wines, this may be on the downhill slope....for those who prefer more tertiary flavors, this is still young, but hitting its stride. I prefer it the way it is drinking now, and I suspect it will remain here for some time. Solid 93 for my palate!
This wine gave pause when first opened, as it showed a nice perfumed nose and plenty of fruit and secondary flavors, but finished with some stewed fruit notes. Fortunately, the stewed fruit disappeared with time in the decanter.
Nose showed cherry blossom, violets anise and spice (predominantly cardamom). Palates was marked with red fruit (cherry and red currant) and dark fruit (cassis), along with tar, leather and spice. There was also a slight alcohol note (without the heat) on the finish. This wine needs either a longer decant (I would go 4 hours) or a few more years in the cellar (probably 3 more years). 92 now, but should improve.
Flight 6 - Dessert (1 note)
Nose showed orange blossom, honeysuckle and some stone fruit, petrol and honeycomb. Palate showed orange marmalade, apricot, peach, honeycomb and burnt sugar with some vanilla notes. Delicious! One of the best bottles to date and a solid 94 for tonight!
Closing
Another night of fun festivities! Always fun opening these wines and enjoying them with good company! Wine is meant to be shared, and these get-togethers remind me why!
Cheers, until next time!