TN: 02/08 Marcassin Chards, 78 Phelps Pinot, NV BV Burgundy, 02 Ch.Latour.....

DINNER AT GALLETTO’S - Modesto (7/30/2016)

Another great dinner at Galletto’s, with Chef Michael pulling out all the stops…10 courses…5 bottles of wine…5+hrs…you would think there were more than just Edson and I…but NO, just us two! A feast beyond feasts…and I’m feeling it today! Luckily we shared a lot of the wines with our gracious chef and staff! Always a fun time…especially perusing the cellar with glass of Latour in hand!
Marcassin Head to Head

• 2002 Marcassin Chardonnay Marcassin Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast
  Drinking amazing right now! Had alongside the 08…the 02 has the weight and complexity of a top grand cru…making the lighter 08 seem more top premier cru. Brilliant shiny gold metallic…creamy and rich fruits, some tropical, buttered with honey and loaded with crushed minerals…lemon citrus and ginger dance on the palate…laser beam freshness, caramel corn, butterscotch, exotic wood spice and florals. In the perfect place right now…just awesome! (98 pts.)
• 2008 Marcassin Chardonnay Marcassin Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast
  Had alongside the 02…the 08 was a little cloudy and lighter than the amazing 02! Lot of fresh citrus acidity brightens up the med rich fruits…wonderful flavors of toasted marshmallow, honey butter bread, exotic wood spice…good dose of minerality…chalk dust, crushed rocks…pretty florals and some flint strike. Super wine today…but after seeing what the 02 turned into…the few more years of age should do even more wonders for this wine. +pts (96 pts.)

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Old School

• NV Beaulieu Vineyard Burgundy - USA, California, Napa Valley, Rutherford
  Acquired from the Barney Rhodes cellar…bottle and cork were in perfect condition! This “Burgundy” probably has everything BUT Pinot in it! Super dark and youthful looking…needed some air to really open up…a little old cellar funk at first, but not dead at all. Dark fruits more like an aged Petite Sirah…some coffee and leather, decayed strawberry…old cellar dust, earth tones…got better with air…kind of went in and out of “is it dying, no it’s alive, it’s amazing, it’s falling apart…” Very smooth, but still structured strong…there was an intriguing perfume spice/mint thing that I kept finding here and there…but then the aged flavors would take hold again. Not crazy good, but good enough to contemplate…especially for the age(maybe late 50’s early 60’s), and who knows what’s in it! Fun stuff though! (91 pts.)

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• 1978 Joseph Phelps Pinot Noir Heineman Mountain Vineyard - USA, California, Napa Valley
  Surprised how good this was! After a little air…the fruit was pure Pinot, light yet sweet strawberry, cherry, rhubarb…showing the aged sous bois, yet crunchy with crancherry acidity. The structure was surprisingly firm…yet with Pinot silk…loved the dusty earth dryness…as well as some tea leaves…dried rose florals. Very tasty older Pinot! Wonder what’s grown in that vineyard now? (93 pts.)

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List splurge night cap

• 2002 Château Latour Grand Vin - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
  Not a great year…but this is a great wine! A more subtle Latour…still has the killer silky smooth dark berry fruits, plum liqueur, graphite powder tannins that are firm yet giving…pencil lead, exotic cedar wood spice, wintergreen tobacco…wonderful purity and elegance…I’d drink this all day long! (94 pts.)

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Posted from CellarTracker

Great notes.
Nice follow up on the mystery BV.

I love the underrated and underpriced 2002 top Bordeaux. (And they all were so cheap.)
The 2002 Mouton, is a gem too. It was fine on release, at 6y, and also now. -Solid 94 pointer, can be even better, when mature.

Regards, Soren.

Thanks for the notes!

The BV “Mystery Burgundy” really looks like it has a youthful color to it…

Nice Buzz! Been looking forward to hearing about that BV. So awesome it was still drinking well after ??? Years. Loving that color too.

You should post the note in your original thread if you have a second. Pretty sure there was a bunch of other peeps who were excited to hear how it was and might miss it here.

Hope you finally recovered

That was a lot of food! We pretty much have the same impressions on the wines…shocking I know. The 02 marcassin armada remains my favorite chardonnay lineup of all time…from the 3 sisters to the estate…I haven’t had anything better. What a treat to try the 02 estate again, it made the 08 very pedestrian for my taste… this is up there on the podium with other great chardonnay I’ve had the pleasure of trying including gc white burgs.

Woah! Big statement. Now I want to try one. Ha

I’m on the hunt…when I tag one bring your mag of juge ok?

I have one left, as well as the 02 Three Sisters!

WAY too much food…not doing that again! The 5 bottles of wine were ok though… Took all of sat to recover.

Two of my favorite dishes…Chef was SO giddy that he had just received a delivery of goat…he came out to show us…“you want to try something with this?”…hell ya!

Then a KILLER prosciutto wrapped risotto with a madeira reduction and mushroom melange…

Yum.

Had a glass recently of the 02 Marcassin from a friends pull…still LAGIT! Best Marcassin Chard ever?..99???GOAT?

I still have 1 Marcassin Marcassin Vineyard 1999 Chard…time to pop it?

One of my 100pt wines I’ve rated. I hope it’s still that, as I’ve got one left as well!!! Crack it Kris!

Check that…no more 99.