We recently attended a small dinner party and thoroughly enjoyed the fine company of our hosts and their other 2 guests as well as the exquisite cuisine prepared by our hosts. We also had some nice wines:
NV BILLECART-SALMON BRUT SOUS BOIS- this bottle has a dark brown label as opposed to the burnt orange label of a bottle I had last year; there is no back label info, so I contacted the house to find out what the difference is and was informed they are very similar using the same blend of 1/3 Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, same dosage of 7 gpl, same 6 year time on the lees and this one is the youngest of the 2, but has a base year of 2011 as opposed to a 2010 base in the other one which was held back and released later; both versions were pretty much the same with balance, elegance and classiness; the taste profile is right in the middle of my wheelhouse with classic fresh, crisp and spicy lemon, lime, blood orange, vanilla and brioche; a great palate prep for the beginning of any evening.
NV CHAMPAGNE LE MESNIL GRAND CRU BLANC de BLANC- I’ve enjoyed a few bottles of this and have found it to be consistently pleasing and refreshing and a good QPR; this was bottled April 2014, spent a minimum 3 years of aging in cellar, was disgorged in 2017 with a dosage of 9 gpl; it has bright acidity with fresh citrus notes, lemon and lime being most prominent; it’s crisp and clean with a medium body at best and exudes finesse and charm.
2007 BOOKER VINEYARD MY FAVORITE NEIGHBOR RED BLEND PASO ROBLES- 34% Syrah, 33% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Petite Verdot; initially, this was almost too big and bold to drink and I let it sit a while with repeated swirls and lo and behold, it just needed some air and a new life outside of the bottle as it became much more approachable, even offering some of its treasures gracefully, but there was no doubt, a serious backbone exists here and still it’s got the stuffing to please almost any palate; following its dark, inky color and in time, its nice balance, a silky mouthfeel and loads of blueberry, blackberry and black currant with underlying accents of chocolate and cedar; this is rich and full bodied and hangs on at the end as if it does not want to go away.
The wine was initially created to acknowledge their favorite neighbor, Stephan Asseo of L’Aventure, but has now expanded to include a few other neighbors on Paso Robles’ west side.
1995 LEONETTI CELLAR CABERNET SAUVIGNON COLUMBIA VALLEY- 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Cabernet Franc, 7% Merlot; stood up 24 hours in advance of decanting for 1 hour prior to serving; the cork was fully in tact and only that part in contact with the wine was saturated; the bottle had a mid neck fill; the color was a dark, unadulterated purple; the nose had inviting leather accented black currant which continued on to be joined by mild notes of cedar, plum and blueberry; it had a super soft and smooth texture and a really nice finish that sealed the deal; I’ve had a few of these in their early years and they were typically powerful wines with some finesse; this bottle was all about finesse as age has allowed it to relax, take a few breaths and just gently please.
2005 HEWITT VINEYARD ESTATE GROWN CABERNET SAUVIGNON RUTHERFORD NAPA- a little research shows this producer is renown for massively extracted wines and that certainly was the case for this bottle which was confirmed by its inky dark purple color, intense aromas and serious taste profile that was delivered in multi layered depth; more precisely, cedar enhanced black cherry is most prominent in the nose and is joined by super ripe plum and black currant on the palate; it’s full bodied, soft and easy on the palate with somewhat tame tannins and fishies on an upbeat with lots of energy; I’m thinking this is 10 years from its apogee and a long decant is prudent.
Fun night. Great company, food, wines and Christmas holiday ambience.
Cheers,
Blake