Jean and I have for many years now had a more-or-less annual "cellar clearance" party in which we open some wines from the cellar (usually some bottles that we aren't so excited about) for a group of our more socially minded colleagues. Our ulterior motive is to promote social interactions and this year we decided to use the occasion to welcome a newly arrived colleague who is a long-term collaborator of both Jean and myself (he and I are investigating the biological effects of resveratrol). So it was that 45 or so scientists descended last night on our house, appetizers in hand, to drink our wines and chat.
The wines:
Bubbly flight:
NV Piper-Hiedsieck Champagne Brut n: lightly toasty, mild citrus p: crisp entry, slightly fruity
NV Domaine Carneros Brut n: toast, green apples p: creamy entry, rich mouthfeel, green apple fruit
NV Schramsberg Blanc de Blancs n: moderately toasty, citrus fruit p: acidic entry, citrus, toast
NV Roederer Estate Brut -- not tasted, but my previous impressions put this a nod ahead of the other two CA sparklers
Pinot Noir flight:
2007 Navarro Methode L'Ancienne Pinot Noir (unfiltered) not tasted, but it disappeared fast, so must have been good ;-)
2006 Chehalem Pinot Noir "Three Valleys" not tasted
2006 Drouhin Chorey-les-Beaune not tasted, but previous bottles of this have been great
2007 Alma Rosa Pinot Noir Santa Rita Hills n: sappy, black cherry p: sappy, med full body, rich fruit
Cotes du Rhone Flight:
2000 Dom. des Aphillanthes "Cuvée du Cros"
2000 Dom. des Aphillanthes "Cuvée de Trois Cepages"
2001 Dom. des Aphillanthes "Cuvée de Trois Cepages"
none of the above tasted
2001 Garretson Syrah "Craic" n: VA, nail polish remover, ethyl acetate p: smooth entry, deep fruit, big, VA
(this was bottled under fake cork, but seemed alive... sort of)
Cabernet Flight:
1975 Chateau Latour (from magnum) n: pencil lead, herbs, cassis p: high acidity, slightly tannic, hint of TCA?
Jean decided before the party that she wanted to open this wine, and it was quite popular with the non-winegeek crowd. It certainly had the structure of the vintage, producer and format, but was a candidate IMO for a fruit scalped wine, as it didn't deliver on the palate and seemed a tad muted. Still, a fascinating wine and a glimpse of a vintage the likes of which we won't likely see again.
1998 Allegro Cadenza n: mint, pencil lead p: high acidity, moderately fruity
This wine was one which the late Joe "Beppe" Rosenberg felt was the finest Bordeaux blend produced in Pennsylvania. In fact, Joe sent me a bottle to take with me to New Zealand in 2001 to share with Ian Hoare and St. Helier (it was, alas, horribly corked). This bottle had slipped through the cracks in my database, but lived up to Joe's description of a wine that could pass for Bordeaux. It seemed clearly on the downslope of maturity and had lost most of its fruit, but still had good balance and structure with interesting tertiary notes. Thanks for the tip, Joe!
1998 Quintessa Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley n: mint, pencil lead, cassis p: acidic, deep fruit
Classic CalCab, with plenty of structure and still rather youthful.
1998 Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon Santa Cruz Mountains n: herbs, mushrooms, dark fruit p: harmonious, balanced, rich
Fully mature to my tastes, but very, very nice at the moment. This wine had the complexity and tertiary aromas that were scarce in many of its flightmates. Very enjoyable and my WOTN.
Mark Lipton