Last night the SOBER crew gathered at Tim's in Stamford. Lovely property, b ut scorching so we stayed indoors. 5 year old Will had decided it was a res taurant for the night -"signs for "The Best Place to Be" and hours posted- and he had us sign in.
Started with gougers and Champagne
2002 Pol Roger Winston Churchill Fresh, young, complete and long. Brioche, orange peel, pear. A-1995 Henriot Enchanteleurs Somewhat wild and exotic, slight cheesey aromas but with nice depth underne ath. B+
A mystery red I was thinking old Cali but Dan guessed that and was told wrong, so I guess ed Italy. Then missed with south before getting Tuscany. 1985 Brolio Chiant i Classico Plump plum fruit but with some acidic backbone, mint, leather and cigar ash . B/B-
To table, with lovely grilled shrimp and 2 whites
2005 Gangloff Condrieu this caused some disagreement. I thought oxidized and hot on nose, bit bett er on palate, but not enticing, and short to boot. C2003 Ramonet "Caillerets " Chassagne-Montrachet 1er I firmly expected this to be dead, but color is good and it's quite alive. Softer than my ideal, but actually tasty. B/B+
There was also a lovely heirloom tomato salad, and cheeses, sausage, and ac companiments
We moved to reds. This was BYO, with an old Zin theme, but some of us didn' t have old Zin and brought other things
1972 Sterling Merlot Double-decanted before I left home. Plenty of fat plum fruit, some spice an d earth, not complex but holding on. B2000 Turley "Hayne" Zinfandel Confected, hot, with flavors of candy, overripe - nay, nearly rotting- blac kberries.burning meat. C-
1994 St. Francis Pagani reserve Zinfandel Plastic cork but not oxidized. Raisins, black licorice candy, dirt. C+Somewhere in here Tim served some truly delicious ribs
1984 Rafanelli Zinfandel More red-fruited, with anise and smoke. Herbal nose. I like the nose more t han the palate, but a relief after previous 2 wines. Holds together, balanc ed. B+/B1978 Mastantuono Zinfandel (san Luis Obispo) Never heard of this winery. Nose wasn't bad, high-toned and aromatic, but a little flat on palate, with caramelly notes over raspberry fruit, acidity is still pretty sharp. B-
1974 Gemello Zinfandel Warm nose, funk, anise, a bit simple. B-There was also braised beef shanks with coucocus and a kale salad
1974 Conn Creek Zinfandel I like old Conn Creek but never knew they made a Zin. Ripe cherries, some s pice. B1971 Joseph Swan Zinfandel Hoped that this would be Zin Of The Night, but it was corked
1978 Robert Keenan Cabernet Sauvignon Also double-decanted before I left home. Ripe cassis, edging on hot, mentho l and light barnyard, a bit clumsy. B-/B1976 Joseph Swan Zinfandel Opened and decanted at last minute as replacement for 1971, A little lifted on nose, sweet fruit, a little muddled by its travels, but still one of be tter Zins. B/B+
1990 Pibarnon Bandol Surprisingly lithe (for vintage and appelation) bright, elegant. Don't thin k I would have gotten Bandol in 20 guesses but quite enjoyed B+1988 Jadot Corton-Pougets Good fruit, tannin, a bit coarse. B/B-
Tim blinded us - someone got St. Estephe quickly (I was out of room) but it took a while to get Montrose. Firm black fruit, some spice and earth, just a hint of barnyard. 1970 Montrose B+/A-
Finally dessert and 2 dessert wines
2001 Rieussec Apricot and honey, sweet spices, big but with vivid acids and long finish. Delicious now and with 50 years ahead of it. A-/A1990 de Fargues A big old bowl of orange marmalade, some caramel, rounder and very tasty. A
-Great night. Didn;t make me want to go searching for old Zins, though.
Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent wine, B a good wine, C drinkable. Anything below C means I wouldn't drink at a p arty where it was only choice.Furthermore, I offer no promises of objectivi ty, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.