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Ken's Birthday
Inovasi, Lake Bluff, IL
Tasted December 1, 2009 by MatthewF with 947 views
Flight 1 (1 note)
White - Sparkling
1996 Bollinger Champagne R.D. Extra Brut
From Magnum. Big, toasty aromas with lemon, red apple and brioche. Great acidity with a nice roundess on the palate. Beautiful.
Flight 2 (2 notes)
White
1996 Bouchard Père et Fils Chevalier-Montrachet
Very mineral driven nose; steely lemon. Not a lot of body to it, but nice acidity and a good finish. Some wood notes in the background.
White
1999 Bouchard Père et Fils Chevalier-Montrachet La Cabotte
Juicy yellow fruits on the nose and palate with beautiful wood spice throughout. A rich, full mouthfeel with a nice mineral backbone. A great showing.
Flight 3 (2 notes)
Red
1979 Gaja Barbaresco
A very pretty nose of red cherry, rose petal, and tar. A decent palate with some nice fruit remaining and good spice. Very nice acidity on the finish.
Red
1970 Giacomo Conterno Barolo
Powerful aromatics of red cherry, flowers, and earth. Very nice texture on the palate with everything in balance. Fantastic acidity with lots of structure.
Flight 4 (5 notes)
Red
1994 Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select
Powerful red currant and cassis nose with cedar and very nice spice. Expansive on the palate with lots of texture. Very fruit forward with great length. Fine tannin remaining.
Red
1994 Joseph Phelps Insignia
Sweet red fruit aromatics with cedar, tobacco, and attractive wood spice. A lush, fruit forward palate with fine tannin and a long finish.
Red
1986 Château Montrose
Unfortunately corked. Dark, chewy fruits still come through on the nose and palate, but I cannot get past the cork on the nose and palate.
Red
1986 Château Pichon-Longueville Baron
Not a pristine bottle in my opinion. May have just been shut down, but all I got was a dried red fruit nose with a fairly thin palate and a short finish. Very unexpressive.
Red
1955 Château Cheval Blanc
A very port-like nose; pure alcholoic blueberry pie. Dark opaque color as well. Something was not right here. There was talk of fortification, a possible fake, etc. It was not unenjoyable, but something clearly was not right.
Flight 5 (1 note)
Red
1988 Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Amoureuses
Absolutely beautiful aromatics of red cherry and berry with seductive spice and earth. Nice texture on the palate with a great balance of acidity and minerality. Long seamless finish. Very nice.
Flight 6 (6 notes)
Red
2003 Domaine du Pégau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée
Huge nose of dark red and blue fruits with tons of spice and great savory herb notes. Lush, fruit forward palate with a lot of grip on the long finish. Lots of tannin and acid. Very nice.
Red
2001 Domaine de Marcoux Châteauneuf-du-Pape Vieilles Vignes
A spicy, crushed dark blue and red berry nose with leather and earth. Very nice body and kept picking up weight throughout the flight. Great length with fine tannin and great acidity on the finish. Mineral backbone. I was a little afraid of this getting lost in the flight, but it held its own quite nicely.
Red
1998 Penfolds Grange
Huge, blue and black fruit nose with a lot of peppery spice. Expansive palate with dark fruit and spice throughout. Quite a bit of tannin with good acid. Very good.
Red
1998 Greenock Creek Shiraz Roennfeldt Road
Huge, Port-like nose. Dark blue/black fruits and intense spice. The alcohol is a bit too much on the nose though. Very extracted palate; totally coats every inch of the palate with black fruit and spice. Nice, although not my style.
Red
2003 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage
Huge, sweet cherry pie nose with more baking spice than black pepper. Rich fruit on the palate with firm tannins. Some elegant white pepper notes on the finish. Terrific.
Red
2003 Sine Qua Non Syrah Papa
Ripe black fruit on the nose with some elegant clove and baking spice notes as well. Lush, well rounded palate. Extracted, but not over the top. A long finish with great spice throughout. Great balance.
Flight 7 (2 notes)
White - Sweet/Dessert
1993 Château Pajzos Tokaji Esszencia
Passionfruit, orange, and caramelized sugar aromas. Rich palate, very expansive. Great balance with tons of length. Some beautiful floral notes as well.
White - Fortified
1958 Barbeito Madeira Malvazia
Burnt sugar and toasted nut aromatics with the same on the palate. A bit hot on the nose and palate for my taste. Not too sweet. Very nice with good length.