My friend Mark Golodetz is a generous guy, and every year tries to put on a tasting for charity. This year he provided a complete vertical of Stony Hill Chardonnay from 1974 to 1983, and gathered a generous group of wine lovers. Everyone wrote checks to one or more of three organizations that work with the homeless (my group, plus 2 soup kitchens in Peekskill), and we gathered in a nice room at River Valley Wine Cellars, a topnotch storage facility in Hawthorne. I'll note that the bottles had NOT been stored for the vast majority of their lives at River Valley, as the tasting showed the perils of iffy storage (bottles were acquired at auction, some had lower fills).
Stony Hill Chardonnay (originally "Pinot Chardonnay")
1974: Advanced, very nutty, with a big streak of spice. If you can take a bit of oxidation, interesting. B-/C+ 1975- some thought this corked, I didn't get TCA but a bit of sewage. And thin to boot. Flawed, in any case. NR 1976- nutty, oxidized, acidic, less interesting than '74. C/C- 1977- showing age, but I liked a bit more than table. Interesting old Chard. Some felt acid unintegrated. C+/B- 1978- Omigod. Maybe the most corked bottle I've ever smelt. I couldn't hold my face near glass. NR 1979- freshest to this point. Mature but interesting. A second bottle was brought to dinner afterwards, a bit better. Bottle #1 B-/C+, #2 B- 1980- a bit fresher, apple and pear fruit, rather short. B-/C+ 1981- for a wine that saw no malo, this is a butter bomb. Butter over baked apple pie, despite fullness there is good crispness, my favorite of night. B 1982- most divisive wine of night (at my end of table), I got a little funk, but others declared revolting. I didn't get that, but not much there. C+/C 1983- A little clunky, but better than the evening average. Soft and sweet fruit. B-Mark pulled out a couple of bonus bottles to make up for poor showing:
1979 du Tertre - Floral berry nose with an interesting wild edge, mineral and red fruit on palate,.with a nice finish. The mineral core has an interesting ferric streak to it. Opens nicely - "Margauxberries" , tobacco, and graphite. Mark says not the best bottle of this, I probably agree (bought several based on his rec, really enjoyed), but still a lovely Margaux. A-1983- a tad animal/funky on nose at first, that blows off leaving a nice classically styled midweight claret. More red than black fruit, resolved tannins, sweet fruit. B
At that point most of us headed to a nearby Italian restaurant. After the music was lowered a very enjoyable dinner with some truly great wines (Mark's stipulation had been "something good with a story", and I enjoyed stories, but not as much as wines!):
2000 Trimbach Clos St. Hune OK, infanticide, but really fun infanticide. Ripeness of the vintage shows, not austere at all, open and fruity. But there is that hidden core of taut minerality. Big big big. A glass set aside and revisited at end of night shows even more fruit, but now the wet stones are really apparent. A/A- (and almost certainly a straight A in time)1976 JJ Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Auslese Goldkap Holy moley! Beautiful gold turning to red color, petrolly nose, powerful but at the same time airy/ethereal. Light in mouth, but no shortage of flavor. Orange rind, minerals, petrol. Solid A
1968 Mastroberadino Taurasi Riserva A light lifted note on nose, fragrant, young. Despite its age this is still powerful and vibrant, dried cherry fruit and leather, going strong. Amazing wine. A1978 Valentino Barolo Riserva Not a producer I've ever heard of, but that is my problem- nice wine! Younger than its age, beautiful red fruit, a bit of tar and spice. A-
1989 Beaucastel Chateauneuf-du-Pape A very good bottle of this. Ripe warm red fruit with a touch of kirsch, a little hint of barnyard (but just a hint), some damp earth and mushroom. Really lovely wine, that probably could have been my WOTN at many offlines, but a tad behind the stars tonight for me. B+/ A-1982 Gloria - this is a sentimental wine for me, and I think the best period for drinking this was maybe 5 to 10 years ago, but this is holding on even if a step past its prime. Lovely ripe nose, warm black plum fruit on the palate. There's just a hint of pruniness, a older wine in a ripe vintage, but this little bargain wine is still hanging on. B/B+
Thanks to Mark for organizing, and to all for their generosity (both to charities and winelovers).
Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent wine, B a good wine, C mediocre. Anything below C means I wouldn't drink at a party where it was only choice. Furthermore, I offer no promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency