The past few weeks have been a little hectic. I still need to finish typing up notes from "The Lunch Supreme" and have a whole slew of other bottles to write up too.
I wanted to get this one done before the rest- A great friend, home cook, and dining enthusiast, opened his home to a number of juice-freaks and rocked out with a ridiculous multi-course meal. Way above and beyond, this was one of the most fun meals I've had all year. The pizza, hen, chickens, salad, and fried pizza dough doughnuts were killer. The wines, were pretty good too.
2005 Bastianich Tocai Friulano Plus
(Italy, Friuli-Venezia Giulia)
Nectarines, herbs, full bodied, viscous, slightly bitter on the finish.
Very good, but for $50+, it needs a little more get up and go. I kept smelling the wine and thinking it was too cold (and holding something back), but then I'd taste it, and it was at a perfect temp. If this were $30, it would be a great bottle.
2004 Tablas Creek Esprit de Beaucastel Blanc
(USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles)
I've had this Rhone Ranger several times over the past year, and I like it. It smells like white wash, slapping that shizz on a fence, and then getting kicked in the head and landing in flower bed (next to a couple of old apricots). I like this stuff. Medium bodied, medium finish, good juice. This one is about $35, but their lower end Cotes Du Tabla Blanc is a great deal for under $20.
2001 Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc Te Koko
(New Zealand, South Island, Marlborough)
Almost orange, feral, good dose of tiger-piss (not as much as the Scholium, but close). Some burnt grapefruit too. Medium bodied, decent acidity, medium finish. Perhaps it would have shown better a few years back- but anything that is described as feral, wins some respect from me. (Fear the Te KOKO!)
2005 Chasseur Chardonnay Lorenzo
(USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley)
Chasseur is becoming one of my favorite producers of CA Chardonnay. This has a touch of butterscotch, a wafer thin dose of "electric-oak" (whatever that means), it is full bodied, with great acidity, but a little too heavy on the oak on the finish. I think this could round out in a few years- It has the fruit, the acidity to age.
1998 Domaine de la Côte de l'Ange Châteauneuf-du-Pape
(France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
Good aromas of dried herbs, smoked chicken, medium bodied, dark cherry, killer velvety bod, and a nice slightly chewy finish. Nice Chateauneuf.
1998 Domaine Jamet Côte-Rôtie
(France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie)
I smelled this and thought- blood of small game birds squeezed into my glass. It smelled like the official beverage of Satanic offerings- and I loved it! Along with journey into hell- it packed in some cherry and smokey flavors. Medium bodied, silky, and a really nice dose of acid. This wine was rocking. Perfect, tiny, tannins
1999 Beaux Frères Pinot Noir Beaux Frères Vineyard
(USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley)
I misplaced the notes on this juice. I liked it, and remember some tight earthy flavors, still solid fruit, but I wanted to have more time for this to really open up. I haven't been drinking a lot of young OR Pinot Noir that I like, but some of this 90's stuff turns me on.
2004 Walter Hansel Winery Pinot Noir The North Slope
(USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley)
Another one without notes- Young, big fruit- but starting to loosen up. A touch of dirty on it, but has the power that begs for more air or more time. I'd love to try this in a few years.
2007 Dry Stack Cellars Sauvignon Blanc Rosemary's Block Dry Stack Vineyard
(USA, California, North Coast, Bennett Valley)
One of my favorite white wines of the year- Another sick, freak of nature Sauvignon Blanc- this is as fruity and intoxicating as the Te Koko was feral. (original write up here)
1997 Zind-Humbrecht Riesling Rangen de Thann Clos St. Urbain
(France, Alsace, Thann, Alsace Grand Cru AOC)
Endless gas. Wait that doesn't sound good. Layers of cascading petrol- lemon custard, and the Washington Monument. Great Riesling. Thick, rich, off-dry, acidic, and gone.
1999 Rene Leclerc Gevery-Ghambertin Combe aux Moines
(France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru)
I wrote magic on a piece of paper, and wasn't sure if I meant the wine, or that after all of the previous bottles, that I had seemingly obtained super-powers. Light cherry colored, mushrooms, fresh raspberries, great earthy funk, delicate on the palate, balanced acids, resolved tannins, this is what I long for in Burgundy, and have yet to find in CA.
1958 d'Oliviera Bual Madeira
(Portugal, Madeira)
Wow- This was special. Thank you DC!
(photo to prove the presence of DA, "the mysterious one!")
