Some of our Sacramento group convened at Ten22 last night to sample California Cabs vs. Bordeaux. All the wines were popped and poured, without decanting. Generally served on the cool side. Other than the 78, these had been held since release. Food, stemware, and service are all good at this reliable offshoot of The Firehouse.
We started with
NV Schramsberg Rose - A California sparkler, from one of the best producers. Its priced similar to Champagne, but generally better for the price point. Really very good, and the whole bottle was guzzled up. B+ or maybe an A-. Did get better as the night went on, and a nice starter for a warm night.
and then moved to the dry reds
85 Clerc Milon [Pauillac] Smooth texture, no tannins. 11.5% abv. Medium weight wine. A lighter, finesse Pauillac. I don’t think I’ve had this vintage before. Like the d’Armailhac’s of this era, they don’t really shine to me. I’d give it a B. If still holding, I suggest consumption.
99 Brane Cantenac [Margaux] A point! A sweet, yummy Margaux. Very polite, drinkable. The 2000 is slightly bigger, denser with a more interesting nose, but the difference isn’t night and day in quality. I think this is at a very good stage now. A B+ for me.
00 Brane Cantenac [Margaux] Dense, deep flavors. A nose that continues to develop in the glass. Still quite young and dark. There is no hurry on consuming this, for those who have it in their cellars. I’d give this an A-. Lots of flavor but not heavy, nor clunky. Great bouquet.
85 Cardinale [Napa] This is a wine one doesn’t see much. It’s KJ’s version of Opus One - their best barrels from all over in a small production run. Maybe 1000 cases. I’ve only had a couple vintages, but its good. This shows mint, eucalyptus and menthol. 13% abv. It’s lovely. A- Surprisingly humble bottle and label in this era, now they are all jazzed up to fit their $100+ prices.
78 Freemark Abbey CS [Napa] The ullage on the bottle was disheartening, and the cork came out wet, but we got lucky as the wine inside was in perfect shape. 13.1% abv. I think this was back when F-A was made with estate grapes, perhaps even with what is now the single vineyard Bosche grapes (?). Modern Freemarks don’t seem to be like what the old ones were. Iodine, minerals, concentrated flavors. Extraordinary depth and color. Its hard to explain how good this 40 year old bottle was. Solid A and my WOTN. 1978 was a strong vintage in Napa, mostly forgotten about by now.
Nice time with everyone, and we finished all the wine, chatting late into the night.