TN: My Berserkerfest Cameron Hughes drink-a-thon with 143, 164 & 121

My Berserkerfest Cameron Hughes drink-a-thon, sitting solo up in my office with 3 bottles and 3 glasses.

Lot 143
Deep and brooding on the nose, like Rodan’s The Thinker blindfolded in Sylvia Plath’s gas-filled oven. Intense asian spice & unsmoked Cuban cigar rolled on the inner thigh of Fidel’s freshly-taken-from-the-market-at-Castro’s-behest, soon-to-be favorite concubine. Perhaps this virgin was wearing ass-less chaps due to the slightest hint of leather. Dark cherries picked at the height of ripeness by intinerant workers with a touch of soil on their adept cherry-picking digits and intense tannins build to a height that would repel the most fervent Berserker Mongol hordes. It doesn’t just sweep the leg, Johnny, it’s a full-on crane kick to the face. 92+ pts.

Lot 164
Forest floor from the deepest recesses of Ent-dwelling Middle Earth, and intense, freshly macerated Swedish smultron fill the nose, yet it’s much lighter on the palate than et fyra tre. My eyes lit up like a 4th grader opening his Empire Strikes Back lunchbox, his eyes affixed on the strawberry Fruit Rollup his normally sugar-shunning mother packed for his birthday. A bit of Robitussin lingers on his palate as well, a reminder of his last H1N1 draught well worth it, caught during his first kiss stolen from Kimmy Jenkins behind the curtain during recess. Cutting back to the present, the tannic finish builds a slowly like climbing the endless stairway of Machu Pichu to the pinnacle of the Peruvian rain forest at which point I can only internally scream, “Gracias, Dios Mio!” 91 pts.

Lot 121
Not sure what to make of 121. I feel as if I’m floating on a Spanish Castle cotton-candy cloud, with raspberries cascading down from the heavens, like God shedding a raspberry tear, licked off the lower back of the supermodel Adriana Lima. Bewildering midpalate & finish, like Bald Bull taunting you on the attack, then disappearing like the Great Tiger in the mid-palate, only to reappear with a Bull Charge on the finish with some fine-grained mouth-puckering tannins. Unfortunately the Bull Charge is easily countered with a punch to the gut - insta-knockout. 88 pts.

Based on your TN I very glad to have the 143 and 164…

…I think.

Brandon, what types of corks were in these bottles? I just opened a bottle of 164, and I was surprised to find a particle cork.

I believe all the wines that CH bottles himself have composite corks, or whatever the pieces of cork glued together is called. Is there any detriment to aging using such corks?

Udo, how is 164 treating you?

My only wish is for Cameron to use my TN’s on his website…

I’m going to put up a full TN on the 164, but it was very nice. Definitely a great deal at $22.

As for the corks, I’m curious if there are any issues with aging a wine with them. I asked the question in another thread, but no responses yet. I’m just wondering what holds the pieces together, and if there are any problems with the corks falling apart over time.

BTW, nice work posting those notes on CT! For posterity, people will be reading those thinking “what the…”.

Brandon,

Great notes! Thanks for my first genuine belly laugh of the day…

Reese

Looks like the Berserkers have found their Brad Coehlo.

Ha, please clarify if that is a dig or a compliment

Compliment…I think.

That Brad fellow sounds like a swell guy