Important Update From the Founder
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The Wines of Arcadian ... plus a Dehlinger
Lucio's
Tasted August 12, 2008 by scofer with 619 views
Introduction
A wonderful evening with great friends, food and wine. A pleasure to hang out with Tom, Daniel, Lauren and Tyler ... and, of course, Kevin (the "regular") :) I have not seen a lot of the group (or my husband!) lately due to my travels these past few months. I had been looking forward to this dinner for awhile and the chance to taste through 9 Arcadian wines at one time ... plus the lone Dehlinger. Arcadian is consistently one of my favorite producers. Thanks, Tom, for organizing!
Flight 1 (10 notes)
As for my notes on the wines (and bear with me - my first attempt at creating an "event" on CT AND publishing them to the Board in a group) . . .
White
1999 Arcadian Chardonnay Sleepy Hollow Vineyard
89 points
On first taste, loads of tart citrus (mainly lemon) on the palate. On a revisit towards the end of the night, caramel and smoke. I tried this one side by side with the '05 Arcadian Sleepy Hollow Chardonnay and will have to give the edge to the '05 which was more to my style of chard. I believe I was in the minority at the table on choosing the '05 as a favorite between the two. Lots of life left in this wine. Paired well with our appetizers of calimari and spinach/artichoke dip.
White
2005 Arcadian Chardonnay Sleepy Hollow Vineyard
92 points
Compared side by side with the 1999 Arcadian Sleepy Hollow Chardonnay, the '05 was more mellow and more my style of chardonnay. The flavor of the '05 (to me, anyway) was all about green tea, stone and green apples. Yahoo! I have some of these from the GCS spring shipment! Among my top three WOTN (among 10 wines).
Red
2001 Arcadian Pinot Noir Garys' Vineyard
93 points
Among my top 3 WOTN (among 10 wines) ... and this was probably my very favorite of the night. Cherries, strawberries, flower blossoms and a little spice, too. Nice acidity and balance. This wine had the entire package.
Red
2000 Arcadian Pinot Noir Pisoni Vineyard
flawed
Too bad. Boy, was it ever corked. Smelled and tasted like gym socks. Not that I have actually tasted gym socks, but this is how I would imagine they would taste. Funny when I read my note and then read Dietz's below. Obviously his was not corked! :)
Red
2005 Arcadian Pinot Noir Pisoni Vineyard
90 points
Tasted this one side by side with the ’05 Arcadian Sleepy Hollow PN (after changing my initial plan to drink it next to the corked ‘00 Arcadian Pisoni). The Pisoni was darker and spicier and carried a bigger wollup than the Sleepy Hollow ... also had an earthy funk. I'll give the edge to the Sleepy Hollow in the match up, but I enjoyed the Pisoni all the same.
Red
2001 Arcadian Pinot Noir Sleepy Hollow Vineyard
flawed
Bummer. Another corked one. That makes two out of 10.
Red
2005 Arcadian Pinot Noir Sleepy Hollow Vineyard
92 points
Among my top three WOTN (of 10 wines). Charming bouquet of cherries and strawberries with a floral note as well. Light and vibrant. This one paired perfectly with my tuna. I drank this side by side with the '05 Arcadian Pisoni and preferred the Sleepy Hollow. More my style. Perhaps not as elegant and complex as the '01 Garys', but this one held its own. No bottles in my CT inventory? That will need to change.
Red
2004 Arcadian Syrah Westerly Vineyard
Darn it. I don’t remember this one very well except perhaps the funk that Tom notes below. I’m afraid that I was paying more attention to the ’03 Arcadian Hommage a Max that I was drinking side by side. (Appreciate that this note is not very helpful. My apologies. I am posting in a group)
Red
2003 Arcadian Syrah Hommage à Max
90 points
Nice wine. Words that come to mind to describe this wine are dark and powerful. I probably did not do this wine justice with my entrée selection of tuna (which is what I always order at Lucio’s). Goes without saying that it would have paired better with the pork chop or the filet. Dark fruits, earth and leather. I liked it a lot, despite the unfortunate food pairing.
Red
2005 Dehlinger Pinot Noir Goldridge
91 points
I’m such a Dehlinger fan. The PNs are just consistently great, across the board. The ’05 Goldridge has a lively brightness and purity to it. Wonderful aromas of cherry and spice. Same on the palate with a little earth mixed in as well. What's not to love?
Closing
Too bad about the corked wines but, really, we've had such a good run with our dinners ... it was bound to catch up with us sometime.
Thanks everyone for another fantastic Houston OL. Looking forward to the next one!