Impromptu guy’s night at a local tavern with 20 ounce, bone-in ribeyes. Berserker MarcF joined in. We keep him around even though he can’t hang with us on the bike, try as he might with his little legs pumping.
Started with a very bright and briary 2017 Patricia Green Reserve Pinot. Light enough to actually work with raw oysters and a Mignonette sauce, dark enough to have interest. Quickly moved into a 2004 Vieux Chateau Certan that is really starting to shine with its rich wet earth, truffles and dark fruit notes. Impeccable balance on this one. MarcF then popped a 2004 Leoville Barton that was a classically-structure bowl of big Cabernet cassis and black cherries, with a lead pencil nose, and really rounding out and opening up at this stage. Segued to a 2003 Les Esprit de Pavot, Peter Michael that was wide open for business just a bit simple, and a 2016 Dalla Valle Cabernet Sauvignon that amplified things about 2x. Over-scaled for my palate, but hard to say this is not a well made wine with great fruit (rich but well-delineated with intensity). It actually paired well with the seared, fatty ribeye. Would love to go back in time and grab some Dalla Valles from 91-94 - which I loved way back then - to see how they show now. Ended with a 2016 Moon Tsai Napa Cab, that unfortunately I really did not get to assess as it was poured with some desserts. Never had this wine before.
The Leoville Barton was my WOTN.