February 11, 2024 - Robin retirement gift 2/24
January 26, 2024 - Dave B visits Albany, Day 1: Auction Rieslings, 95 Grange, 67 G. Conterno (Salil's, Albany, NY): [Opened around 5:30pm. Tasted around 7pm.] Huge nose of black fruit and mint. Full in the mouth with loads of mint and black fruit. But the mint isn't overbearing. Long and complex. Another great Grange with many years ahead.
January 26, 2024 - Hello mint! Did somebody blend a splash of Heitz Martha’s Vineyard into this? Still quite the beast in terms of weight, but very drinkable. The longer it was open the more the fruit emerged, but that mint note was always there. Delicious wine
January 26, 2024 - Rieslingfan visits Albany; 1/26/2024-1/27/2024 (Châteauneuf-du-Salil, Albany): A treat to actually sit down and follow a bottle of Grange over dinner (as opposed to having it lost in a huge lineup/dinner), and this needed the time and attention. First sips are incredibly tight, with vividly minty and eucalyptus aromatics that lead into a palate that's almost painfully austere with a lot of grainy tannin and bright, almost sharp acids. Time eases it out (slow-oxed, not decanted) and with air the structure softens up as a core of rich dark berried fruit emerges, along with layers of more savoury herbal, woodsy, and earthy notes. It's still incredibly young, at times a wine that speaks to enjoyment in the future more than in the present, but the whole package is really compelling.
January 12, 2024 - This 1995 Grange marks the end of my collection, as it is my final bottle. The tannins have gracefully dissolved over time, indicating that it has clearly passed its peak. Initially, it presented a notable sourness, but after an hour, it gradually balanced out. On the palate, delicate and restrained fruits make their presence known. Considering its current state, I see no advantages to further aging this wine.
December 31, 2023 - NYE Rib eye on the bone - reverse sear. 2 hour decant ( cork crumbled) via coffee sive. Delicious,liquorice, pepper, more time to go ( two left!!)
December 2, 2023 - This wine showed a lot of heavy oak. But once you get past the vanilla notes and wood tannin, it has lovely sweet fruit. Deep, but I worry about its long term future. Wouldn’t touch another for 5 years though. And a reminder not to even mess around with your 01s
October 14, 2023 - Nose: A Voluminous and brooding scent of eucalyptus, spice, red fruits, and cocoa. Bits of coffee bean and leather underpin the dark cherries and intense herbs.
Palate: This is a broad shouldered and muscular grange with silky body that shrouds slightly coarse tannin. The notes of cassis, spice, eucalyptus and rosemary are direct and have substantial length.
Finish: 50+ seconds of blackberry, American oak, tea and herb notes with nearly a spearmint note.
This really has a lot in common with 70's vintages of Heitz Marthas right now. Exotic and herbal with broad fruit notes.
September 28, 2023 - Four decades of Penfolds Grange (Chicago, IL): Kind of a sturdy, broad-shouldered workhorse edition here. Nowhere as elegant and silky as the best examples, but with firm tannins and plenty of American oak. Maybe even a bit clunky, this would probably benefit from more time.
April 22, 2023 - Careful with the cork, I didn’t manage to extract it and had to decant the wine through a sieve. Still -wonderful. Rich, powerful and yet balanced. An absolute delight.