Babcock Vineyards - Cuvee Lestat 1995

Amy, I too bought this wine -- and drank it a few years ago. It's a pleasant enough wine, a good medium-weight Syrah, but I doubt that it would fetch much money on the secondary market (unless among Anne Rice fans). If you're intent on selling it, you could try putting it up for sale on winecommune.com. It's probably still drinkable at this point, but may very well be on the downhill slide to senility.

Mark Lipton

appraiser,

Provided that you can find a buyer the wine would probably sell for somewhere between $30-$40 in perfect condition (55 degrees F). You might try e-mailing Brentwood

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IIRC, Brian Babcock did two Cuvee Lastats, a Chard-based white, and a Syrah- based red, with Ann Rice for her ill-fated restaurant in New Orleans. It appears from the responses, that you have the red. When I was last at Babcock, about three years ago, they were doing a close-out on the reds, which I picked up. I don't have TN's on it, but did pick up one bottle of the white also, which is still in the cellar, along with about three reds. Seems that it was pleasent enough, though not a special wine - except for the label.

I like the idea of finding an Ann Rice fan, who would wish to purchase it for its intrensic value. I've been trying to schedule a dinner with one such fan, also a New Orleans native, to serve these last remaining bottles, but, so far, we cannot get the danged thing scheduled.

You might want to Google "Ann Rice, Lastat, etc." and see what sort of Web sites exist, then see about posting a FS note on one of them.

I'm just hoping that the Chard-based wine is still drinkable, but if not, I know the Dr will still love the labels!

Good luck, Hunt

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Ack!!! Amy, I didn't realize that they had a white Lestat as well as the Syrah. If indeed you have the Chardonnay, don't expect too much: most CA Chards don't have the balance needed for extended aging and fade rapidly into not very pleasant wines that taste of brown apple peel, if that means anything.

And Hunt: thanks for the heads-up about the white and their provenance. I had no idea that that was the reason for the name! And as for our "disagreements," give it not another thought -- the give and take of Usenet is what it's all about, and I continue to learn much here.

Mark Lipton

It is true that only a few California Chardonnays are likely to hold well for 10 years or more. However some of the most age worthy ones have been from Santa Barbara. For example, most of the reserves from Au Bon Climat from the early 90s easily held over 10 years, with ideal storage, of course. I also have had the Babcock Grand Cuvee Santa Barbara 1990. Compared with the Au Bon Climat Reserve Bien Nacido 1990, the Babcock was a bit less full and complex and, although age worthy, it would surprise me if it held up well for over 10 years, but then it might have.

Of course 10 years is fairly young for a top white Burgundy made from Chardonnay - a top Montrachet can hold several decades. Some of the Chardonnays that tend to age best often are rather acid and even a bit harsh when young. I found this to be true for the best Au Bon Climat reserves. But the wait is well worth it.

Reply to snipped-for-privacy@cwdjr.net .

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aisl [SNIP]

Well, Amy, age can be a good thing, but it is so dependent on the wine, itself. Age will change a wine, and that change may be for the better, or not, plus one then has to factor in the drinker's personal taste. Some folk do not like an aged white, regardless of how it was stored, handled, and what evolved with this age - that is the individual human taste factor. Others, do not like young whites, or reds and prefer those changes. As I only have one bottle of the white, I can't offer to taste it and report. When I do get that dinner scheduled, I plan on having a few "backups" in case my one remaining bottle is either not up to the task of aging, or my guests do not like the results. Aging wines, especially US (though definitely NOT limited to US white wines) whites is an iffy proposition.

Unless the wine has been stored in the dark @~ 55 F, no one may like the tastes that have developed. Even with proper storage, they STILL might not like the tastes. The cache of the name/label might be the most fortuitious aspect of this bottle. Some folk collect bottles just for the labels, or maybe the history of a particular bottle. They should be your target.

Good luck, Hunt

PS, when the dinner happens, I will report how that btl of Lastat faired over the years.

Mark,

IIRC, this was a joint-venture with Brian Babcock and Ann Rice. She opened a restaurant and was alledged to actually be the wine-maker on these two wines, with Babcock providing the grapes, the facilities, and consultation. I have tasted both, though several years ago. When the restaurant closed, the distributor was stuck with a fair amount of the red, and returned it to Babcock to sell off at the tasting room. That is where I picked up mine. At that time, I had only had the white, which was nice - when young and fresh. I bought the last case that Babcock had of the red, and have, over time, consumed 9 bottles. A nice Syrah/Rhone-type blend, but nothing to get overly excited about from a pure wine standpoint. I have not tasted it in maybe four years, so I don't really know which direction it was headed, or where it is now. If I do this planned dinner, I will definitely make some notes, though totally for posterity, as it is no longer available, except, maybe for Amy's one bottle of white.

As for the WS thing, I didn't loose TOO much sleep over it!

Hey, gotta' go, the new issue just hit the mailbox . Nah, I'll save it for the flight to London, as it looks like the movies on United rather suck this trip.

Hunt

Yes, I too have had some rather good experiences with older CA/US Chards. Many have surprised me quite a bit with how they evolved, but then I do like my Montrachets (and similar) with a good handful of years on them. Most of my wino buddies, however, really like the young fruit, so I drink my older domestic whites by myself - hey, more for me, I guess!

I have not had the pleasure of any of Jim Clendenen's ABC whites with any age. Maybe I still have a few orphans in the cellar. Gotta' check the database.

Thanks for that suggestion!

Hunt

Or, get some Lestat fans over, pop the cork and see what happens. Maybe Oct 31 would be a good night for this. But PLEASE, have some backups handy!

Hunt

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