More in-person blind tastings with friends (LOVE that we're doing this again!)

Last night, Cyber-Counselor Chris Seiber hosted a small gang of middle-aged men at his Mesa Verde Country Club in Costa Mesa - beautiful outdoor dining area on a balcony overlooking the course, great food, great company. The event was in celebration of the great Blake Brown coming to town, and I was happy to be invited. Many thanks to Chris and Blake!

We had a number of flights, shown below, and my notes are stream-of-consciousness in style, without any detailed thought, but, to me, more fun to see the progression on how the guesswork developed prior to the reveal.

The Berserker crew consisted of Chris Seiber, Blake Brown, Andrew Christensen, Rob Winn, Viet Ly, Steve Nordhoff, Frank Murray III, and me.

Started with a 1995 Charles Heidseick Blanc des Milleinares courtesy of Blake, and the wine is still showing itā€™s longevity with a youthfulness. Without the start of oxidation that this wine had, Iā€™d have pegged it for a MUCH younger Champagne. Steve remembered that this was one of my favorite Champagne tastings of all time, from the mag I opened 10 years ago at Ed Murrayā€™s house. A treat, since I havenā€™t had it since then.

1st Flight: (Champagne - Frankā€™s Flight)
White wrap: smells ripe, slightly oxidized, color is nearly orange, lively mouthfeel, guessing Pinot meuniĆØre, getting more acidic on the finish with time, guessed part of the theme is same vintage, (it is Pinot/Chard). (Not a fan of this wine). Bereche Le Cran 2012

Orange wrap: VERY sea spray on the nose, oyster bed - not just the salinity but almost ā€˜fishyā€™ as well, bright and lively, touch of ginger and sweet orange - gorgeous, guessing blanc de blanc (correct). 2012 Larmandier Bernier Les Chemins de Avize (loved it early on, but after some air, and warming up a bit, this became a bit more blowsy)

Flight 2: (Blakeā€™s Flight, which had a fascinating story once revealed, hopefully he can share)

1: color shows some age, shy nose, floral, sweet cherry, long in the tooth, past prime, domestic Pinot of some sort, meh (2006 Whitcraft Morning Dew Ranch)

2: smells like aged RRV Pinot, color look older, cola, cherry, tobacco, Williams Selyem? (2007 Brogan Cellars My Fathers Vineyard, Margiā€™s Block)

3: differentā€¦a ringerā€¦perhaps Burgundy? Brighter red fruit, really perfumed, some meaty, Pommard? (Everyone else thinks CA), some smoke so maybe not France? (His ā€˜Burgundianā€™ wine - Morning Dew Ranch 2009 Janā€™s CuvĆ©e) While I was off on this, and the only to guess Burgundy, Blake had a really cool story to back mine up a bit, hope he tells it!

Flight 3: (Italian - Chris and Andrew)

1: omg thatā€™s pretty - super floral and expressive, violets, black olives, mushroom, nose explodes, gotta be Nebbiolo, on the palate, super dusty tannins, long finish, reminds me of the 2004 Piedmonts upon release (nose). 2001 Paolo Scavino Bric Del Fiasc

2: a bit more pruned and ripe on the nose, ripe vintage, some heat, prettier on the palate, red cherry and blueberry, leather, high acid, VERY fine tannins or none at all - Nebbiolo? Sangiovese? 2001 Giacosa Falletto (shocking, very atypical in style for Giacosa, no structure at all)

3: beef broth nose, sweet cherry and olive oil, coffee, salinity, palate is somewhat flabby, ripe red fruit, finish is abrupt and pruney, no tannic structure, Super Tuscan? Merlot? Gotta be a ripe vintage, riper than 2, 2001 Lisini Ugolaia Brunello di Montalcino

Flight 4: Bordeaux wines and varietals (Me, Steve, Viet)

1: (Viet) Very sweet cherry, something I recognize in this, getting a lot of tannin so not Merlot, has to be Cab, Iā€™m still getting malo so I think younger, 2013-2017, Napa, maybe mountain fruit? Not quite as ā€˜chilledā€™, popping blue fruit but it doesnā€™t seem to be full on valley, 2008 Pontet Canet, shocking

2: (Me) No notes as it was my wine (2003 Leoville Poyferre)

3: (Steve) Color screams young Napa, high end, oaky, Cab, tannins forever, big, 2005 Napa? 2006 Schrader To-Kalon

ā€œZā€: extra one (Viet) Bright, rosemary, peppery like crazy, Baudry Cab Franc? (Wrong), hollow on the midpalate, 2001 Sociando Mallet, which only me and Viet enjoyed, because Alfert wasnā€™t there to join us.

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Amongst all of the special traits these Orange County guys have, one of them has to do with their super quick ability to post notes. Iā€™m at least a day or so away from getting it together as we complete our travels, but as Todd suggested, I will definitely share some stories around the Pinot Noir blind theme I did.

All in all, it was a outstanding evening and as with most blind formats, quite humbling, educational and really fun. Perhaps the highlight for me was the camaraderie and the exuberant passion for all things wine by all of us like minded geeks.

Cheers,
Blake

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Itā€™s much easier when I typed it out on my iPad as we went along, and since I go with the (lazy) ā€˜stream of consciousnessā€™ style of ā€˜notesā€™, I just copy and paste it here!

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Iā€™ve had wine with a couple of these dudes, and you are right, they can write paragraphs while Iā€™m still putting my thoughts together. Sounds like a great night.

The Bereche are interesting, they seem to change a little from bottle to bottle in my experience.

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Great to see a number of guys again, and to be getting out and kick starting our offline dinners like we all enjoy so much. COVID really jacked all that up, and I made a personal decision (as many did too) for ejecting from these events and opting to do the Zoom tastings with the brown bottles this past year. I was happy to have at least an outlet with Zoom to keep the guys together but it ainā€™t the same as live so I am happy to be back, to be able to sit across from the guys and do wines blind and yack it up.

A thank you to Counselor Seiber for arranging all of us together this past Thursday night, in the occasion too of seeing Blake Brown as he trekked down from Santa Barbara to be with us. Blake, you are a good soul, a bright light that shines whenever you join us.

All of the wines below were poured blind, aside from Blakeā€™s Heidseick. I made my best attempt to note them all, but the reality is that I was only able to retaste my 2 Champagnes from the meal, as I hauled the leftovers back home with me. I place a strong value in tasting wines like this as I can do them more than once, which allows me to calibrate my palate and also do it in another setting. Not everyone may see it this way but I do, and I pride myself on writing solid notes, both that are honest and work to frame things in simple terms that others can relate to. Having said that, my notes below fall off in quality when I get to the last 2 red flights. The reality is that I just donā€™t do as well with a dozen wines in front of me, versus say 4-6 bottles. We did a lot of bottles this past Thursday, and we were outside, it was dark, there was lots of conversation and this just aggregates for less than stellar notes. I do stand by the Champagne notes as I tasted those wines again last night in my kitchen, mostly both were still, so it was a full study.

Anyway, enjoy my narrated genius that follows. But more importantly, thanks to the guys who sat around the table and made for a terrific dinner and evening together.

THE GANG DRINKS BLIND - Mesa Verde Country Club in the OC (5/8/2021)

  • 1995 Charles Heidsieck Champagne Blanc des MillĆ©naires - France, Champagne
    Jasmine flower in the aroma with a lemony brightness that starts off the wine when it is more cool. It also reflected a gentle saline component, finishing with lime zest. As this warmed up, the lemon note becomes more curd-like and the earlier balance seems to diminish, with the wine picking up more fleshiness and weight. It also becomes more tropical when warm. I enjoyed this but my advice is to drink with a chill on it, to preserve the balance and more focused flavors.


  • 2012 BĆ©rĆŖche et Fils Champagne Premier Cru Le Cran Ludes - France, Champagne, Champagne Premier Cru
    First of three. I had high hopes for this because of how truly special the 2008 drank for me about a year ago. I know, different vintages, different tasting setting, etc but it is fair to have expectations, especially when joy is possible. Le Cran is located in the village of Ludes, and this wine is farmed from two plots organically, grown on chalk at about 700 feet up the slope on the Montagne. 50% Chard / 50% Pinot Noir, dosage of 3 grams and rested 78 months on the lees, and like Mousseā€™s Vignes de Mon Village, the Le Cran is aged under natural cork. This pours with a little tinge of orange in the glass. Oranges, zesty acidity of tangerine and intense concentration. For those who know the Fig Newton cookie, I got a little of that flavor, too. Structured and dense. I then took the remnants home and finished the last few ounces the following night, when the wine was still (I didnā€™t close it well). Same orange flavor, with a little bit of red fruit skin. along with concentrated lime and some apple oxidation in the core of the wine. At this stage, really about citrus and richness. Good with potential but wonā€™t rise to the heights of the 2008.
  • 2012 Larmandier-Bernier Champagne Grand Cru Les Chemins dā€™Avize - France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru
    First of two. Have not had this cuvee previously but I am a devoted fan of the L-B wines so this is now part of my journey with them. 100% Chardonnay, farmed biodynamic from two old vine (roughly 50-60 year old) plots in Avize, grown on chalk. 56 months on the lees, raised in wood with 2 grams of dosage, disgorged March 2018. Drank over two nights. On the first evening, this showed juicy with lemon, mint, gentle in tone with peach, orange, yellow apple and ginger. Shows some of the chalk in the finish but it seems pretty integrated into the wine to me. On the second night, which was the last few ounces that had gone still, the wine shows a lime pith and touch of oxidation in the aroma. But what I can finally now assess pretty well is the fruit composition. Lots of pear, reminding me of the bartlett pear that used to come in the can that I ate s a kid. Yellow apple, fresh squeezed lime, kiwi and nectarine. Overall, this drank wonderfully when still and my opinion is that this is in a very good place right now to drink and enjoy.


  • 2006 Whitcraft Winery Pinot Noir ā€œFIā€ Morning Dew Ranch - USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley
    Served blind with some other bottles of Burt Williams inspired cuvees. Lots of spice, crunchy and a bit muddled for me with tangy, cedar fruit and tannin in the finish. 15 years old already, will this soften?
  • 2007 Brogan Cellars Pinot Noir Margiā€™s Block My Fatherā€™s Vineyard - USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley
    Served blind with some other bottles of Burt Williams inspired cuvees. This was the best wine in the flight for me. Good acidity here with the ripeness of the vintage showing. Red fruit with good weight, kind of meaty. Also had a cherry tomato note, although it was not prominent, so it added just enough tang. Juicy with root beer, bing cherry. Still fresh and cruising right along for just under 15 years old.
  • 2009 Morning Dew Ranch Winery Pinot Noir Janā€™s Cuvee - USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley
    Served blind with some other bottles of Burt Williams inspired cuvees. Tangy, riper. aroma too. Some clove, red fruit/ strawberry compote.


  • 2001 Paolo Scavino Barolo Bric dĆ«l Fiasc - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
    Served blind as part of a 2001 Italian flight. This is floral and perfumed. The core of the wine showed spicy and tannic with crushed berry, charcoal and good tang. These well-built Italian wines seem like they can last forever.
  • 2001 Bruno Giacosa Barolo Falletto di Serralunga dā€™Alba - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
    Served blind as part of a 2001 Italian flight. Of note, I had this same wine back in late 2018 and I didnā€™t care for it. Like this week, that wine was served blind as part of a Giacosa flight and I found the 2001 Falletto both fumes and over-ripe that night. So, having a chance to retaste it blind was cool, as this time the wine showed terrific. Accessible, with a fine balance between the acid, fruit and weight. The length was spot-on too. My favorite of the flight.
  • 2001 Lisini Brunello di Montalcino Ugolaia - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
    Served blind as part of a 2001 Italian flight. My notes are kind of sparse on this wine, as I probably was more focused on the Giacosa Falletto. For this Lisini, I jotted down the words ā€˜ripish yet freshā€™ with some raisinā€™, and ā€˜least balanced of the three winesā€™. Not a great note here but figured I would log what I had written down.


  • 2008 ChĆ¢teau Pontet-Canet - France, Bordeaux, MĆ©doc, Pauillac
    Poured blind. I was in the minority of those who called this the wine of the flight, which was part of a bag of mixed red bottles. Even with the decanting that Viet did with the bottle, it was still tight over dinner. I wrote down the word iron, as it had a ferrous quality, powerful and rocky. I also jotted down olive and blue fruit, which may sound bizarre, more like syrah I suppose, but itā€™s what I sensed. This was the tightest wine of the flight too but there is potential here.
  • 2003 ChĆ¢teau LĆ©oville PoyferrĆ© - France, Bordeaux, MĆ©doc, St. Julien
    Poured blind. This seemed more in the realm of Bordeaux to me, much more than the 2008 Pontet Canet we had alongside it. Brewed dark coffee, dark cherries, tobacco leaf with good tannin and structure.
  • 2006 Schrader Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard - USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville
    Poured blind. I recall having this in 2021, and I liked the wine then. In fact, this is not the first time that I found a liking to the 2006 Schrader bottlings. This is a ā€˜biggerā€™ red as my notes say, and powerful. Still some new toasted oak in play, with a deep, dark cab fruited palate. Even some lavender in this bottle. Chewy and spicy, my hunch is that the 2006 Schraders are going to go a long time.

Posted from CellarTracker

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My notes are written also for the benefit of an email list I forward all wine notes to so please excuse some of the details and duplicate information from others posts.

Another stellar evening with The Book Club:

A couple of years ago, I connected with some Orange County guys who I knew to be good people just by reading their comments and wine notes on WineBeserkers {WB} forums. Seeing we had many of the same wine preferences and equaled passion, I proposed driving down to join them for one of their outings and thanks to Chris Seiber, it happened. It was so much fun and extremely educational and meeting everyone in person confirmed my read on them being righteously good people. This just had to happen again.

Now, there have been 4 of these stellar occasions and this last one also provided me with a direct opportunity to share in the educational format by doing a blind flight. All in all, the 8 of us {Chris Seiber, Andrew Christensen, Rob Winn, Viet Ly, Steve Nordhoff, Frank Murray III, Todd French and me} had 13 wines starting off with a champagne, before moving on to the first of 5 blind flights, all coordinated by Chris.

Our outdoor setting was perfectly suited for the occasion. We had the champagne along with some tasty appetizers at a fireplace table reserved for us before moving to our nearby table

But first champagne. I asked to bring something special to get us off on the right foot and with fingers crossed, I pulled a bottle of a champagne that came in first at a rooftop champagne event I held 2 years ago. It competed against some heavy hitters including many top notch Grande Marques.

1995 CHARLES HEIDSIECK BLANC des MILLENAIRES blanc de BLANC- 750ml; 100% Chardonnay from the CĆ“te des Blancs with 4 Grands Crus and 1 1er Cru which spend over 20 years on the lees and as such, is the houseā€™s flagship wine; I got a touch of advanced notes in the aromatics that was not present in the previous bottle from 2 years ago although the color was a light to medium yellow and some even remarked they thought it was a much younger champagne as a result; the nose had fragrant floral and citrus fruit notes which on the palate were joined by white stone fruit, it had a creamy mousse and finished on an uptick with a bit more energy even 40 minutes later.

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The first of 4 blind flights:

Frank only told us the 2 bottles were champagne.

#1- the color was a light pink yellow and I`m thinking the pink denotes some Pinot Noir, but then a streak of ginger arrived about mid palate and along with some stone fruit early on, then some mandarin and yellow peach at the end AND on a night where table talk was properly minimal prior to revealing the wines, the word Meunier echoed from the table and I call it Meunier; it was initially served really chilled and the nuances changed significantly over time with an end result of an expanded fruit profile and a creamy feel good texture plus more richness and fullness.
After Andrew nailed the blend, Steve called the vintage and honed in on the vineyard and producer; the dialogue especially between Frank and Steve was delightful and engaging. They kept taking it to the next microlevel and left me in the dust and once again humbled and desiring to know more.

2012 BERECHE & FILS LE CRAN 1er Cru- organic and biodynamically farmed 50% Pinot noir and 50% Chardonnay; disgorged 7/19 @ 3 gpl; therefore, an extra brut.

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#2- after the mis-call of the first one, I took a deep breath, rolled up my sleeves, lower my shoulders and gave this a bit more attention; actually it was pretty easy to make it as a Chardonnay and a good one at that and probably from 09 or 12 although Iā€™ve not had many from 13 and younger; following the medium yellow color and once warmed up a bit, nice citrus, pear and baked apple notes with underlying minerality came on in a big way and along with its lightly frothy mousse, layered depth and complexity, Im a fan and thinking if I do not have this, I will get it.

2012 LAMANDIER-BERNIER les CHAMINS d`AVIZE GRAND CRU- this is also an extra brut dosed at 2 gpl and the fruit is sourced from organic and biodynamically farmed Chardonnay from the Chemin de Plivot and Chemin de Flavigny lieux-dits vinified and aged in oak barrels of various sizes and bottled with 2 gr/l dosage after 6 years on lees.

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Next up. My turn. Having attended 3 previous Book Club outings, I knew I better bring it from an educational standpoint. Even though all of the group know I was a close friend of Burt Williams and had bought 3 of his classic Pinots on the first night and post repeated notes on WB, they would be on the lookout for his wine{s}, so I chose a little variation of the same theme.
I wanted to keep it in the ā€œfamilyā€ so one bottle came from Burt, one came from his daughter and the other came from one of his and my best friends, Chris Whitcraft. Additionally, they all came from Morning Dew Ranch which is in Anderson Valley. And, the vintages are within 4 years of each other.

Burts last vintage for Williams Selyem was 1997. A non compete agreement and development of a newly planted vineyard with dream clones prolonged his return to winemaking; so, before retiring, Burt made 2 vintages under his Morning Dew Ranch label in Anderson Valley, 2008 and 2009. His daughter Margi of Brogan Cellars had already established herself as a quality winemaker and one of her best efforts came from a plot in the vineyard set aside for her which was affectionately called Margis Block. Chris was blessed to be able to source fruit from the vineyard and labeled his FI as in F*****g Incredibleā€.

The 3 wines were all double decanted:

I wanted to challenge the guys on the wines origin, region and subregion as well as the vintage; so, I offered some possibilities and it may have changed some initial impressions. I asked if there was any from Burgundy, Oregon, NZ, then California and appellations? Steve was already on it and knew at least one Burt wine was there and he and a couple others called it the #2 wine and from RRV. For me, the 09 MDR is much more Burgundian and has passed for one in local red Burg tastings previously. Andrew once again came up with the amazing pronouncement that the fruit came from Anderson Valley as it had red apple notes so commonly associated with this region especially the west end of the valley. Most had 2 of the wines younger than the actual vintages, but the color of the other was tell-tale older.

#1- 2006 WHITCRAFT MORNING DEW RANCH FI ANDERSON VALLEY PINOT NOIR- as per his style, Chris`s wines came in at high alcohol, this one probably at an understated 14.9%; the dark red burgundy color with a tad of bricking was indicative of some aging and the nose also had suggested mature fruit which expressed as more tertiary wild cranberry, cherry with a nice accent of spice and yes, some of the red apple; it was medium to full bodied and seemed to expand and grow in the glass; this was an atypical bottle in that it was much more advanced as evidenced by the color, nose and taste profile as it had moved from a secondary to tertiary fruit expression; FI?, not so much, but it was decent.

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#2- 2007 BROGAN CELLARS MY FATHERS VINEYARD MARGIS BLOCK ANDERSON VALLEY PINOT NOIR- a bit of aged color; in addition to the red apple, I got smoky wild cherry/ berry plus blackberry and blueberry fruit that was delivered in an oily, creamy like texture all the way to the back end where everything hung out and came together; previous bottles have had fresher and tamer spicy red and black fruit notes.

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#3- 2009 MORNING DEW RANCH JANS CUVEE ANERSEON VALLEY PINOT NOIR- along with a few of the WS Rockiolis that Burt made through 97`, this wine has a much darker fruit profile with loads of black cherry in the forefront as opposed to the red raspberry, strawberry and red cherry found in most other SVDs and blends; itā€™s also a much bigger bodied and more complex wine and with its bright acidity, promises to stand up to the test of time.

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Wow! I`m exhausted. I was at this time during the dinner/ blind tasting and now writing up the notes. From here on, it may be a short read, but for me, still mindful of a stupendous experience.


The 3rd blind flight with wines gifted by Chris, Robb and Andrew was announced as being Italian reds;

#1- young in color and aromatics, pleasant nose; first taste is hot- very acidic, then it dissipates; serious wine with depth and lots of dark cherry /berry fruit and plum, hint of tobacco and stiff tannins- going with at least 18 year old Nebbiolo; loved it out of the gate and it got better with time; got to find some.

2001 PAOLO SCAVINO BRIC DEL FIASC BAROLO

#2- nice inviting nose; spicy blueberry highlights the taste and the super smooth mouthfeel highlights the sensory perception; better and better with time and itā€™s changing so much from the outset, Iā€™m moving from Sangiovese to Nebbiolo; as with the first wine, I want some of this too; called it much younger.

2001 BRUNO GIACOSA FALLETTO di SERRALUNGA d`ALBA BAROLO

#3- Bretty nose that sort of blew off, but not totally; nice spicy and cinnamon accented dark fruit; canā€™t be a Barolo and perhaps an atypical Sangiovese as I donā€™t recall ever having the cinnamon notes this had; once past the barnyard odor, itā€™s really good, but close the barn doors please, pinch the nose and all is good.

2001 LISINI UGOLAIA BRUNELLO di MONTALCINO

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The 4th blind flight of 3 announced as being a Bordeaux blend with the wines coming from Todd, Viet and Steve:
:

#1- as with all in this flight, they were inky, vibrant dark purple and therefore assumed ā€œyoungerā€ as in less than 15-20 years old; the nose suggested serious stuff here and loads of dark fruit; lots of complexity; and accent of talc all the way through; balanced; what I want in a Bordeaux blend, but not sure itā€™s Bordeaux. No way do I get this for what it was and from Pauillac, my left bank fav, but loved it.

2008 PONTET-CANET PAUILAC


#2- my parts per mil perception is quite keen tonight and Iā€™m getting another hit of Brett and still liking what lies beneath = jammy dark fruit with black currant most prominent; more Cabish with some cedar, leather and earth; got to be left bank, maybe St. Estephe- Cos?. NOT.

2003 LEOVILLE-POYFERRE SAINT-JULIEN


#3- well, itā€™s pretty easy for me to call this fab wine as a Napa cult Cab; the inky dark vibrant color all 3 had was most prevalent in this one; thinking a precocious 2010; so big, layered complexity, but soft and easy on the palate; better and better with time; integrated oak, chocolate, black cherry, for me the WOTN if not the Ponet-Canet. Stellar bring. Thanks Steve.

2008 SCHRADER BECKSTOFFER TO-KALON VINEYARD CABERNET SAUVIGNON

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And if our evening was not complete enough, Viet so generously offered another blind bottle:

I`m pretty much spent at this time and my palate is close to fried; after a couple of glasses of water, I waded into in to this one and got some talc and sandalwood, full body; long; black currant and berry; nice and easy.

2001 SOCIANDO-MALLET HAUT-MEDOC

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What a night! Such good people and sharing the bliss in the wonderful world of fellowship, fine wine and great food all the while learning more and expanding the knowledge and experience.

Thanks to all and especially Chris for orchestrating this wondrous event.

As I have so often remarked, I could do this every night; well, maybe once a week.

Cheers,
Blake

Some more photos:
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Why I read detailed notes by Frank Murray and an example of the definition of integrity as stated by Frank above: ā€œI place a strong value in tasting wines like this as I can do them more than once, which allows me to calibrate my palate and also do it in another setting. Not everyone may see it this way but I do, and I pride myself on writing solid notes, both that are honest and work to frame things in simple terms that others can relate to.ā€

I love Frankieā€™s notes - they are clearly well-reasoned and carefully notated. The opposite of mine [snort.gif]

Thanks again to Chris for organizing a great evening! Blake for being our guest of honor and bringing his aura of positive energy. I didnā€™t know about this private club in Costa Mesa and it was cool to look at the varying homes on the drive in. The restaurant had a good view, great service and was very reasonably priced.

Iā€™m so behind in posting but it gave me a chance to enjoy going through the wines in my head another time around. I also learned a lot reading through Frankā€™s and Blakeā€™s notes. Todd not so muchā€¦ (mainly because I was sitting across from him so I was able to have more discussion with him neener ). I also enjoyed chatting with Chris and Steve who were sitting to the left and right of me.

1995 Charles Heidseick Blanc des Milleinares: very generous and joyful wine matching the person that brought it. I told Blake it was a great celebratory Champagne that fits our first meet up again after all this time. I loved the concentration of Chard fruit and the beautiful finish. My WOTN, lately Iā€™ve been really enjoying BdB joyous Champagne (especially when meeting up with good friends again) and this fits that mold.

Flight 1: Orange cover and white cover: I thought it was funny that the covers were the opposite of the actual color of the Champagnes, leading to some confusion during discussion.
Bereche Le Cran 2012 (white): light copper/salmon color, very energetic (esp in the finish) mix of fruit and savory with an interesting ginger note. Iā€™ve heard others say ginger in Champagne but this is the first time this note really stuck out for me (Todd called it in the orange cover). I guessed incorrectly BdN. The wine was interesting but felt disjointed and wasnā€™t sure if I understood the intention.
2012 Larmandier Bernier Les Chemins de Avize (orange): I guessed BdB with low dosage and it was fun seeing Frank go through with the wine with Steve. Wine goals! I think this wine didnā€™t have its space to shine coming after the Heidseick BdM and contrasted with the Bereche.

Flight 2: I thought all three were CA Pinot Noir from different areas and producers. I had a suspicion that they were not from Williams Selyem because of the twinkling in Blakeā€™s eyes. I thought they had a broader range of vintage and was surprised that it only spanned three years.
1) 2006 Whitcraft Morning Dew Ranch: I guessed RRV with age. I was surprised at the vintage because it had more acidity than expected for 2006.
2) 2007 Brogan Cellars My Fathers Vineyard, Margiā€™s Block: CA fruit but with some light notes of tobacco and stem. The most savory and interesting of the three.
3) Morning Dew Ranch 2009 Janā€™s CuvĆ©e: The most delicious of the three. It had a strong core of darker fruit (for PN) but had this black tea note (a note that I enjoyed from 2014 Williams Seylem Butcherā€™s Vineyard PN that Curtis helped me source). It also had a pine needle note that Iā€™ve had before in Rivers Marie Summa (which was my guess). But in hindsight it didnā€™t have the orange zest/acid compared to previous experience with that wine. I thought it this wine hid the alcohol level very well.

Flight 3: Initially thought Nebbiolo, Sangiovese and Super Tuscan. Very surprised they were all the same vintage (thought 2 was oldest and 3 was youngest).
1) 2001 Paolo Scavino Bric Del Fiasc: loved the aromatic/perfumed nose on this one, violets and rose, mixed with dark berry, fine tannin. Smelled and tasted like a classic Piedmont Barolo drinking at a young maturity (lots of fruit but tannins coming down/easy to drink, some light aging notes/flavors but more to come later).
2) 2001 Giacosa Falletto: not as expressive next to #1, felt like it had more age than #1. I was able to retaste a small pour towards the end of the night and it was showing more but I still had trouble getting structure Iā€™d associate with Barolo.
3) 2001 Lisini Ugolaia Brunello di Montalcino: a darker more powerful Brunello, initially thought Super Tuscan. I got dark berries, leather, some tobacco. Retasting after the reveal also had trouble calling Sangiovese. That night I thought maybe oak/modern style Brunello would push me towards the Super Tuscan route but my google search says Lisini is a traditional producer. I think itā€™s because I donā€™t have a lot of experience drinking high end Brunello. I think this wine would have been really nice to enjoy on itā€™s own over a dinner.

Flight 4: I thought that #3 was younger than the 2008 wine. In hindsight, a clue would be that #1 was double decanted about 8 hours prior to drinking and I saw that #3 was popped on arrival.
1) 2008 Pontet Canet: I had a small taste before double decanting and was a bit concerned as it was super tight. By the time dinner came it open a bit but still needs more time in the cellar. Tastes like a young modern Bdx. I enjoyed the conversation Steve and Todd had about Bordeaux in cooler year with producers that lean on the fruitier/modern side.
2) 2003 Leoville Poyferre: my favorite of the three, classic Bordeaux with red fruit, tobacco, and earth. Good integration/age and drinking beautifully. Silky texture with excellent finish: no heat and fine tannin. When Todd said he brought this one specifically for me I racked my brain and could only think of the 1996 Calon Segur that we shared a couple of years ago but it didnā€™t quite fit. After the reveal I was kicking myself for not thinking of the 2000 vintage of this wine Chris shared with me two years ago. Makes sense, classic Bdx, loved both bottles.
3) 2006 Schrader To-Kalon: This is a big boy. The heavy bottle feels like you can swing it like a bat. Immediately went to Napa cab of high quality. Dark blue/purple fruit, good quality oak. Dense but not heavy. Very persistent. Still very young tasting with lots of grip. I commented to Steve that the small retaste at the end of the night was showing much more and he generously offered for me to take the rest home. I poured it into a 5oz vial and shared it the next night with my father in law. We both really enjoyed it. The second time around there was more of a spread in flavors/accessibility vs the initial night. Also, having a fresh palate allowed me to appreciate how particularly long the finish was. First time with this producer and appreciated the chance to try it.

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Great notes Viet. Itā€™s easy to discern the genuine and soft nature of your persona in your comments. Loved sharing the evening with you and the guys.

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This will be the case no matter where you sit.

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Apparently, I should write detailed notes, as it will slow my consumption.

Great night gents!

So modest. Todd is like a font of knowledge and brilliance, and yet so modest. One can learn much from that. :slight_smile:

Hey, how come Viet didnā€™t post on the Sociando!?! He must fear me, like he does on a real bike ride.

Fear? Or my soft nature not wanting to embarrass you? Haha, I love Sociando, thanks for turning me on to it. I love the old school BDx style, the cigar/tobacco nose makes me feel like a man. However, while it really punches above itā€™s weight at home, I can see now how it gets dominated by other wines at a gathering. Kind of like how the Owlman is awesome on his road bike but gets dominated on the Peloton neener

Ha, hysterical response! I canā€™t wait to thrash you on the real bike, LOL. Seriously, I canā€™t wait to fly out to California sometime to drink with all of you guys. Just donā€™t make me do it blind, as Todd knows, I totally suck at it.

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Viet, Alfert is awesome on his road bike as thereā€™s no way to prove otherwiseā€¦unlike Peloton.

Yes, Alfert drinks the same wine each day for 10 days, then you blind it on him the 11th day, and he has no clue what it is

Says the man whose singular athletic accomplishment is playing cello in the marching band for Dana Pointe High.

Facts!

I view them alternatively!

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