Neal Martin from the Wine Advocate came to NYC for a bit, and John Gilman and Craig Ganzer decided he should have a look at classic old school California, which isn't well represented in the UK. A nice group of 10 wine geeks gathered in a very cool Chelsea/Union Sq area loft. Lots of nice wines tasted, my notes are below. I will say that there was a bit more disagreement than most nights, so take my disclaimer seriously, others felt differently about several wines.
1998 Henriot Brut Champagne Medium to full bodied, bready, baked apple pie fruit. Light oxidative notes, but fresh acidity and good finish. Consistent from 2 bottles. Quite nice! A-/B+1973 Mayacamas Zinfandel Some volative notes, very ripe fruit (overripe to some), holding on ok, just not showing enough complexity/development to suggest that aging did this any good. But definitely alive. B-/C+
we moved to table, and enjoyed some cheeses, lardo, proscuitto, etc.
First flight
1971 Charles Krug Vintage Selection Cabernet Sauvignon I brought the Krugs, and frankly expected the 74 to outshine the 71, much to my surprise I preferred the 71. Soft, elegant, classy with dark fruit trumped by notes of earth, cedar, and herb. Really nice, and a contender for WOTN for me. A-1974 Charles Krug Vintage Selection Lot F1 Cabernet Sauvignon All Fay fruit. Herb, dill, a bit blocky. Still some dense fruit, I liked but thought next to the 71 it showed a touch clumsy. B+/B
A solo flight NV Casa de Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon An intriguing backstory. Sebastiani was making jug wines, but a batch of 1941 was so good they saved it (labeled as Cabernet, but then that meant at least 51%). Bottled in 1947, released and it didn't sell well. A bunch was saved in cellars, and in 1982 reconditioned and put out for sale (with orginal corks in little bags on neck). Sweet, full for the age, some thought this fruitless but I didn't. Red currants, mushrooms, dirt. Not really complex, but good and with a great story. B+
1975 Montelena Chardonnay (magnum) (with a tuna/avocado/dill tartar) Youthful, sweet white fruit, slight cheesy note blows off. Other than Stony Hill this is the oldest CA Chardonnay I've tasted, but to tell you the truth it showed a lot like the 98 Montelena recently. Hasn't really gained a ton of mature complexity. BNext red flight
1974 Concannon Cabernet Sauvignon(Livermore Valley) Dark fruit, meat, tobacco. Seemed a little stewed at first, but improved. This was a cheapie I brought because I wanted us to have something outside NapaNoma, I've had this once before and liked a bit more, but I thought ok (a few disliked it). B1974 Caymus Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Good nose, a bit simpler on palate but my favorite of the flight. Black and red fruit, a touch of bell pepper and menthol. Good length. B
+Heitz Lot MZ-1 Cabernet Sauvignon (bottled in 1975, half of the fruit from Martha's Vineyard). I found this pretty volatile, though palate was much better. Opinions varied dramatically. Calmed down a bit, pretty drinkable, but one of my least favorites. B-
Meal was great Waygu beef from a Japanese butcher in NoHo/East Village, along with potatoes and salad.
Next red flight
1973 Spring Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon Sweet, ripe, good red fruit but with plenty of spice and cigarbox, good length. I thought this was my clear WOTN to start, but a slight pruney edge after some time in glass put it closer to a tie. A-1977 Spring Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon Great nose, but lacking some zip on palate, seems ponderous. Some mushroom/truffle notes, earth. B/B+
1978 Spring Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon corkedFinal red flight
1978 Montelena Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Fleshy, a bit of a jammy edge, pretty good length but a drying note on finish. Some herby notes. Mark and John seemed to agree this had been acidulated, but I neglected to note why they thought so. B1978 Diamond Creek Red Rock Terrace Cabernet Sauvignon Sweet, big, young, good length. Seems like it needs more time. Fairly complex, but seems a bit more potential than current pleasure. B+
1978 Rutherford Hill Cabernet Sauvignon Great nose, nice followup on palate. Some found it simple, but while I agree it's not especially complex, I thought it drank well and was quite interesting. Solid, classic Cab. B+/A-Craig had added a dessert flight, with 3 half bottles of Chateau St. Jean Johannisberg Riesling. My ride was leaving, so I got a quick taste of the 1975 Ch. St. Jean Belle Terre BA. Caramel, toffee, honeycomb. Tasty, though I thougt not as complex as a German BA. He also had the Ch. St. Jean 1977/1978 Robert Young TBAs, but I'm not sure which vintage I got a pour of as I exited. Very dark, thick, with an oxidative note- imagine a good German dessert wine cut with about 30% PX.
Really fun night. Other than maybe the Zin, I'd happily drink any of these. I admit to be slightly disappointed by the Montelena, Heitz, and the F1, but that had more to do with expectations than anything else.
Really nice group. Not much chance to chat with Neal at opposite end, but he came across as both nice and professional. Thanks to Andy for hosting, Craig and John for organizing, Chris for cooking, and all for bringing good wine and personalities.
(PS I'm tired! Cathleen graciously gave me a ride uptown where I met some friends finishing a Midnight Run, so I'd not have to take train home. I thought an elegant plan, but an accident shut down the highway for a half hour or more, I would have gotten home faster by train!)
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.