Our dinner group enjoyed a wonderful evening on an elevated outside terrace patio that was perfect for the 7 of us on a day when most of the State of CA invoked another COVID-19 moratorium, this time including restaurants having indoor seating.
We were originally positioned to be in the Cork Room of the restaurant, bouchon which is a perfect venue for wine centric dining, but we were happy to have a more safe and fresh air option.
Our wine theme was champagne, right bank Bordeaux and Napa Cabs. We brown bagged the 8 red wines for a blind tasting format and had the challenge of at least identifying vintage and place. As usual, I did not pick out the wine I took, but it did come in as the WOTN, my vote included.
Our starter wines:
NV BRUNO PAILLARD BLANC de BLANC EXTRA BRUT- this is mostly made of Chardonnay fruit from Grand Cru vineyards in Le Mesnil sur Oger and Oger and is comprised of 25 wines held in reserve since 1985; it was disgorged June 2018 @ 5 gpl; according to the house, it is also known as “the Lace of Champagne” because of its very fine and persistent white mousse which was definitely confirmed upon tasting; it needed some time to gather up its treasures, but once that happened, it all came together to provide a really nice treat; it gave lemon, lime and kiwi fruit early on and finished with notes of honeydew melon, kumquat, pear and white peach; it had bright acidity and beautiful balance while providing a perfect palate cleansing for the remainder of the wines.
NV BILLECART-SALMON BRUT SOUS BOIS- this is made up of equal pars of Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay and is entirely vinified in oak casks at low temperature; it undergoes partial ML and is dosed at 7 gpl and most importantly, it is fabulous; I loved its balance, elegance and classiness; the taste profile was right in the middle of my wheelhouse with classic fresh, crisp and spicy lemon, lime, blood orange, vanilla and brioche. As much as I liked the Paillard, this took it to another level. Here’s one of the pearls of doing events like this to be exposed to wines I’ve never had, but I’ll have this one in the cellar soon as I just ordered some after writing these notes.
1999 FALLET-DART MILLESIME RD BRUT- this had a gray gold color and the nose also suggested some aging with caramel, butterscotch and stone fruit notes that typically denote some oxidation effects; the taste was more of the same and the good news was its richness and creaminess; peach, apricot and ginger were more evident by mid palate and all held on for a nice long finish. No disgorgement or dosage info was on the label, but there was mention that it was recently disgorged whenever that was.
We moved on to the 8 reds in flights of 2 poured blind:
2011 LINDSTROM STAGE LEAP DISTRICT NAPA CABERNET SAUVIGNON- this had a vibrant dark purple youthful color and aromas of oak spices including talc and cedar as well as leather and black currant fruit and it was pretty easy to call this a young Napa Cab, in fact, I had it younger, like a 2014; it had an immense amount of oak influence that had not yet integrated, but was gentle enough to not overwhelm; blackberry, plum and black currant was most preceptive on the palate and it had a nice feel and good length with soft tannins contributing to a nice finish; the fruit is sourced from the estate`s sustainably farmed Nicali Vineyard and made by highly regarded winemaker, Celia Welch.
1995 CHATEAU L`ARROSEE ST. EMILION- as youthful as the color was of wine #1, this was the antithesis with a browning dark ruby color; the nose was redolent of 4-ethylphenol Brett, earth and black currant which continued on to the back end; it was super smooth and once past the initial barnyard notes, it drank very well. The brett factor strongly suggested right bank Bordeaux.
2012 marked the official end to Chateau L’Arrosee as it was the last vintage produced by the estate before being bought by the owners of Chateau Haut Brion from the Caille family.
Next blind flight of 2:
2006 VENGE VINEYARDS OAKVILLE NAPA CABERNET SAUVIGNON- unfiltered, unfined; the color was a dark red purple and the aromatics made a huge statement with intense red and dark fruit which on the palate translated into flavorful black currant and red and black cherry with accents of dark chocolate, licorice and cedar; it’s full bodied and the oak is nicely integrated allowing for nice balance; all got this as a Napa Cab and all liked it; BTW, the Danish name of Venge is pronounced (ven-ghee).
2000 CLOS LEGLISE POMMEROL- I got fooled on this one as it showed much younger than 00 and seemed to just be too similar to a Napa profile to call it anything but CA; regardless, it was one of my favs on the night as it had nice balance, a very nice savory dark fruit profile and an amazing smooth texture that completed the deal for me; black currant, black cherry and plum was embellished by milk chocolate and licorice accents in this sophisticated, full bodied and yet easy quaffer.
Next blind flight of 2:
2016 KAMEN MOON MOUNTAIN DISTRICT SONOMA COUNTY CABERNET SAUVIGNON- 15.4% abv; an unintentional ringer here coming from Sonoma County, this is sourced from biodynamically and organically farmed estate fruit and was released last September; the color was inky dark purple which gives away its youthfulness and the serious nose is redolent of massive dark fruit, oak and dark chocolate notes which gives away its new world origin as I see it; the taste has all of the above plus plum, blueberry, blackberry and more oaky notes that prevail especially past mid palate; this is a BIG wine and needs time to mature and balance out; it’s loaded with tannins and has the structure to age for a few decades.
1990 TROPLONG MONDOT SAINT EMILION- I missed this all the way around and once it was revealed, I recognized I’d had it a few times and had always been enamored by it as I was this time; the color was surprisingly dark purple for a 30 year old wine; ripe dark fruit dominated the nose and once tasted, I got generous amounts of black currant, black cherry, coffee, cedar and sandalwood; it had perfect balance, was super rich and full bodied and had a long, welcomed finish; it was my fav of the night so far.
Last blind flight of 2:
2014 MAYACAMAS VINEYARDS MT. VEEDER NAPA CABERNET SAUVIGNON- here`s another inky dark, teeth staining wine that says Napa all over it from the color, aromas, taste and through the finish; by the way, it was really good; this was the most fruit forward of all the reds and included juicy red and black raspberry, red and black cherry, and blackberry with hints of cigar box, cedar, smoke and charcoal; it is full bodied, has layered complexity and a looong finish.
2010 HOURGLASS BLUELINE VINEYARD CALISTOGA NAPA CABERNET SAUVIGNON- this dinner group had been graced by the presence of Hourglass owner, Jeff Smith, who attended many of our dinners about 15 years ago and as a result, turned me and some others on to their remarkable wines then made by renown winemaker, Bob Foley; the Blueline Estate is 1 of their 2 vineyards and is named after the 2 “blue line” streams that converge on the property that after thousands of years has left some amazing soil beds now recognized as being perfect for wine grapes; the other vineyard is called Hourglass Vineyard and usually sells for a bit more; I decanted this bottle 4 hours ahead and it came late in the evening as it was the last of the 8 reds after 3 champers so it had even more time to open up; the color was a magnificent pure red purple and the nose had super inviting cedar and spice laden black currant and blackberry; a little sip proved to be prudent aa it was very rich with lots of depth and immense complexity; it was a huge statement and yet had so much finesse and I’m thinking the iron fist in a velvet glove analogy; on the palate blackberry and blueberry fruit is most prominent with some milk chocolate in the background; great wine; voted the WOTN.
We had 2 dessert wines:
KOPKE 10 YEAR OLD WHITE PORT- 20% abv; packaged in a squatty half bottle; this is fermented in stainless steel vats, where the grapes macerate and are churned with their skins on at temperatures between 16-18ºC to produce a white wine full of color and capable of sustaining prolonged aging in oak; the fermentation is then stopped by adding grape brandy, creating the fortified wine; serious age-dated white ports such as this one have been permitted only since 2005 although vintage-dated colheitas were always allowed; the nose and taste had very distinct rich maple flavoring with almond butter and caramel joining in while being delivered in a super thick and creamy texture. Perfect for pancakes.
2003 CHATEAU SUDUIRAUT SAUTERNES- 750 ml; amber gold color; as this has demonstrated previously, it is laced with vanilla, butterscotch, caramel and honeyed apricot and has that requisite viscous texture that heightens the tactile sensory experience to the max; even some orange peel and ginger come in past mid palate and top this off in grand style; as some stated, it’s not the 01 but a really good 03.
We had a really good night and with 7, it makes for a whole table conversation and a more shared fellowship. We were righteously taken care of by our dedicated server, Aaron, and the elevated patio and separated seating was perfect for us to do our own thing and not disturb other patrons of the restaurant while maintaining a fresh air and somewhat distanced positioning.
Cheers,
Blake
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