Last night SOBER met at John Gilman's home. John put out a nice spread of cheeses and pate, made a delicious chicken/sausage stew, and came up with a great array of interesting and tasty wines.
As always, wines were double-blind and served in decanters. John kept quiet most of the time, only occasionally confirming or refuting guesses (and occasionally trying a little misdirection). Great fun was had, and wines were very good. Due to general quality, I probably tightened up my grading a bit.
Flight1 A pair of whites. First example of #1 was corked, John quickly opened another, though it was a tad warmer than the other bottle. Most of us quickly thought Sauvignon Blanc (with one Riesling holdout) for at least the first bottle, with discussion centered on Loire versus Bordeaux.
Wine #1 Clearly SB, with light grass and clean citrus (grapefruit) notes. Minerally. Substantial, good acidity, a very nice wine.B+/A-
Wine #2 Rounder, a bit herby (I wrote herby at first, then someone said anise, which I think was more accurate). Not as precise B
#1 2002 Pascal Cotat "Monts Damnes" Sancerre #2 2002 Edmond Vatan "Clos la Neore" Sancerre
John felt the Vatan was just in an awkward phase, thinks it will age well.
Flight 2 On to reds. Everyone was in Burgundy quickly. Seemed too meaty for Chambolle or Volnay, I opted for Pommard for at least first. Nope.
Wine # 3 Sweet red berry fruit, a touch of spice, some meaty notes. Good length and depth, seemed very ripe at first but settled into a very nice classic Burgundy with long life ahead. A-/B+
Wine # 4 Bigger black plum fruit, a bit less acidty, more forward. tasty but I preferred flightmate. B+
#3 2001 Truchot Charmes-Chambertin #4 2000 Roumier Charmes-Chambertin
Flight 3 This was the flight that had us all over the place. Discussion of 70s CA and other wines till John confirmed they were Italian.
Wine #5 Red berries and plums, a little minty note, good acidity, good length, nice wine with a future. Once John confirmed Italian I searched for and found some tar notes. B+ Wine #6 Very sweet fruit, lots of toasty oak. A bit of VA. I thought maybe Taurasi, except didn't seem to have the tannic structure. B
#5 1993 Marcarini "Brunate" Barolo #6 Gaja "Sori Tilden" Barbaresco
Flight 4 White again. We quickly agreed on Burgundian Chardonnay.
Wine #7 Rather tropical and woody at first, I was wondering if Coche- Dury. Dan quickly nails Puligny. The tropical notes fade and it becomes a more classical pear meets butterscotch. B+
Wine #8 This is lovely. Crisp, elegant, refreshing. Chalky minerality, a little hint of anise/licorice, great depth and length. A
#7 2000 Ramonet "Champ Canet" Puligny-Montrachet #8 2000 Raveneau "Les Blanchots" Chablis GC
I've always thought Raveneau was too expensive, more than even R & V Dauvissat , but maybe it's worth it!!!
Flight 5 We thought both were Bordeaux at first.
Wine #9 I'm thinking high-acid vintage on Medoc, black currant and cherry fruit, some VA, leathery. OK, but not a lot on finish. B- Wine #10 Not showing a lot, some cedar and cassis, a bit of earth. Restrained. B
#9 1987 Vega Sicilia Unico #10 1985 Ch. Lafite-Rothschild
Flight 6 Clearly Burgundy, with some age. Wine #11 My favorite red of the night. Red berry fruit, some forest floor, floral notes. Good acids, bright fruit, good length. A pointe. A- Wine #12 Very pale, delicate. Nicer on nose than palate. Some woodsmoke and spice. Mature but not really fading. B/B+
#11 1985 Tollot-Beaut "Clos du Roi" Beaune (I'm 95% certain on vineyard, will check) # 12 1972 Leroy Beaune 1er
Excellent night, thanks to John. And Mark and Dan who drove me to and fro, so no need to spit. :)
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.