These notes come from a tasting in Indianapolis that benefits Easter Seals. IMO this is the premier Indiana wine event of the year, not least of which for the silent auction that accompanies the tasting. [This year, we picked up the '90 Jadot Beaune-Villages, '89 Chevillon NSG and three bottles of the '95 Haut Marbuzet -- all of which I've opened and described here -- and a bottle of '93 Jadot Gevrey Clos St.-Jacques.] Conditions at the tasting are a bit rushed, so my notes are more abbreviated than normal.
'98 Dom Perignon ($117) color: pale gold, fine mousse nose: toasty, apples palate: crisp entry, softly fruity my reaction: ho hum!
'96 Perrier-Jouet Fleur de Champagne ($117) c: green-gold n: corked!! r: %^&%$^%$%^$%#$()(*)(!!!!!
'95 J. Schram sparkling wine c: yellow n: toasty, nutty p: toast, citrus r: more oxidized than the Champagnes, but still interesting
'03 Jadot Puligny-Montrachet ($46) c: pale yellow n: banana, oak p: soft, oak, limited fruit r: blechh!
'03 Hyde de Villaine Chardonnay ($46) c: pale yellow n: oak p: oak, butter r: where's the fruit?? So much for Aubert de Villaine's influence...
'02 Moreau Chablis GC 'Les Clos' ($81) c: pale green-yellow n: minerals, floral, citrus, oak p: soft, butter, grapefruit r: best white of the evening, but better Chablis can be had for less $
'02 Dom. Drouhin Pinot Noir 'Laurene' ($50) n: soft, slight oak, perfumed, slightly sappy p: silky, good fruit, good acid r: typical DDO profile, but the sappiness suggests to me younger vines for the Laurene than the regular cuvée
'02 Saintsbury Pinot Noir 'Brown Ranch' ($65) n: sappy, dark fruit p: powerful, dark berryish fruit r: unusual for Saintsbury and Carneros -- less elegance. Give me their reserve bottling, thank you.
'01 Sanford Pinot Noir 'Rinconado' ($53) n: deep fruit, smoky p: moderately tannic, good fruit, clean finish r: very nice stuff
'02 Belle Vallee Pinot Noir 'Grand Cuvee' ($50) n: sappy, smoke, deep p: powerful, dark fruit, oak r: who put Syrah in my Pinot?
'02 Mouton ($135) n: cassis, pencil lead p: soft tannins, medium body, balanced and elegant r: how long beforehand did they open some of these wines? Certainly much less powerful than I would have expected from this producer/vintage.
'02 Forts de Latour ($45) n: bright fruit, banana? p: pencil lead, moderately tannic, good acidity r: this wine seemed a bit closed in, but showed some potential
'02 L'Angelus ($90) n: muted, cassis, coffee, stones p: acidic entry, tannins, roasted flavors, bitter finish r: the flavor profile reminded me of the phenomenal '90 Angelus, but the bitterness in the finish (separate from the tannins) was offputting
'01 Ridge Monte Bello ($101) n: cassis, herbal, cedar p: cassis, moderate tannins, acidity, cedar/mint in the finish r: classier and more appealing to me than any of the 3 Bdx (and that's saying something, coming from me)
'99 Val de Suga Brunello ($47) n: cherries, tobacco p: med. body, dusty, long finish r: I'm not much of a Brunello fancier, but this wasn't at all bad
'03 Gaja Sito Moresco ($99) n: corked; second bottle showed cherries p: medium-full body, cherry fruit, smooth r: not a Gaja bottling that I knew, a blend of Merlot and Nebbiolo; not for me
'01 Penfolds Bin 707 ($68) n: cassis, mint p: medium-full body, cassis, oak r: quite ordinary
'01 Chateau St. Jean 'Cinq Cepages' ($68) n: cassis, oak p: soft, fruit, oak r: even more ordinary; forgettable
'02 Col Solare ($60) n: oak, butter, volatile acidity p: bright fruit, soft, hot r: after this, I decided to forego the other CalCabs (Fisher Coach, Etude, Chimney Rock, Nickel&Nickel) -- sorry! I was just not getting much from them (except that Ridge)
'77 Royal Oporto Colheita ($52) c: tawny n: Sherry-esque p: nutty, smooth, citrus r: very interesting for my first Colheita, but I suspect that there are better examples
'01 Zenato Amarone ($46) n: sulfur, plums p: thick, chewy, slightly raisiny, good fruit, acidic finish r: A nice way to finish the evening with an Amarone from one of my favorite Veneto producers. Still way too young (I think) but it'll be nice after a few more years
My WOTN was the Ridge Monte Bello, with Honorable Mention to the Domaine Drouhin, Zenato Amarone and Moreau Chablis. All in all, a fun event.
Mark Lipton