WTN: Wines at the Baldwins' Thanksgiving

It occurred to me that the wines served at our Thankgiving dinner this year were considerably above average, so I should step out of lurkerdom and share my thoughts! Out of about 14 bottles, here my the top eight:

Opposites attract:

2005 Siduri Pinot Noir, Hirsch Vineyard (Sonoma Coast)
Dmitri Vorobiev
Liquid velvet, classic Siduri. Fruit-forward and hedonistic. Full and round on the palate.

1994 Ici/La-Bas "La Cagoule" Pinot Noir, Oregon
Jay Baldwin
Has Jim Clendenen nailed new-world Pinot Noir that can age? I say yes with no reservation! Joel said "this may be the wine of the night" (at least before dessert). The only flaw up front, for me, was a bit of alcoholic heat, but it seemed to blow off after the wine had been open a bit. But the wine had great depth and balance, and Burgundian charm. I would have expected a little more on the nose though.

Old-world beauties:

1990 Joh. Jos. Prüm Riesling Auslese, Wehlener-Sonnenuhr
Jay Baldwin
Drinking very well now, with years more aging potential. Bright gold, acutely focused fruit and acididy, very well balanced. This held its own with every dish on the table. A real pleasure to drink.

1989 Marcel Deiss, Tokay-Pinot Gris Vendange Tardive, Bergheim
Jay Baldwin
This is labeled VT, but not SGN (i.e. not a dessert wine in my opinion, not a surprise for the region). Considering the grape variety, much more silken and feminine than a Riesling Auslese, but about the same sweetness (but much less intense acidity) of a top-shelf Auslese. Very lovely. Still drinking at peak; not tired at all.

Brilliant, unique expressions (and both purchased in country of origin):

NV Rockford Black Shiraz (sparkling, disgorged Aug 2004)
Joel Goldberg
Some people "get it" with this wine, and some don't. I count myself among those who do. If you ever liked a "Spurgle" (Aussie for sparking shiraz), then know that the Rockford is the benchmark by which all others are measured. Near black in the glass (think the darkest black cherry you've ever seen). Otherworldly mousse, one moment it's like a deep red velvet Guinness head, but then it fairly quickly vanishes. Almost dry on the palate... feels and tastes like a better Aussie shiraz but not as manipulated as most still reds from Down Under. 13.5% alc. Not a wine to think about; but it is hedonistic good fun. (In my strange way of thinking, this is on a similar wavelength as the Siduri Pinot.)

2000 Masi Mazzano Amarone della Valpolicella Classico
Dmitri Vorobiev
This was a bit lighter than I expected, but I guess most Amarone wines I come across are like a Joe Louis left hook. As a result this was beautiful to sip over an extended period of time without palate fatigue. Still true to its name though. Nice concentration of dried fruit aroma and flavor, and excellent acid balance. Both food-friendly and bold.

Essential pair of 390 g/L legends:

1991 Ridge Zinfandel Essence (California Paso Robles), 375 ml
Jay Baldwin
Opened 3 days prior to Thanksgiving, and about 5/8-consumed, so I passed around the rest to those interested. Dmitri, no stranger to over-the-top monster Zinfandel (he chases Martinelli and Turley), had never tasted a Ridge Essence before. He said, "Woowww" in his Russian accent, his eyes glazed over, and figuratively-speaking fell over backwards in his chair. Another convert. Seriously, this expression of Zinfandel is one for the ages. 39% sugar at harvest, 9.2% RS, 13.9% alcohol.

1957 Tokaji Aszu Essencia (Hungary), 500 ml
Jay Baldwin
Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me. I spotted and bought this in Houston 15 years ago, and hoped I would live long enough to open it on my 50th birthday (Nov 21). I was willing to wait one extra day to open it with good friends after dinner on Thanksgiving. Color of Louisiana cane syrup, or motor oil with about 1000 miles of use. Good clarity with only a slight amount of suspended sediment. A riot of aromas: honey, dried apricot, wild columbine nectar (I chewed on these as a kid), orange and lemon citrus, candied lemon. On the palate: simply a revelation. The most perfectly balanced super-sweet dessert wine I've ever tasted. At once intensely sweet with an almost Meyer lemon sharp citrus acidity. About a 90 second finish which covers the full palate, a tidal wave that moves slowly from front to back. No sense of oxidation whatsoever, and very little caramel, despite the appearance. Simply remarkable. Minimum 390 g/L (39%) at harvest, 160 g/L (16%) residual sugar after fermentation, aged 10 years in wood casks before bottling. Bottle # H002770 "Export Monimpex Budapest Hungary"

Jay

[Jenise]

Jay, really interested in your good report on the Ici La-Bas. I've only had two of these wines, a '93 (possibly his first OR vintage, if not then his second) about a year about that was tired, and a 2001 about two months ago that wasn't unpleasant but seemed to have had its best days behind it. I'm surprised and impressed, therefore, that your 94 showed so well. I like what Jim does but would never have bought another without reading a positive report like yours, so thanks.

[David M. Bueker]

Hi Jay!

Great note on the Prum. I always have to rely on the kindness of others for '90 Prum (I didn't get into this hobby until they were gone), so now I know what to ask Maureen Nelson to open over the December holidays!

[Robin Garr]

I should step out of lurkerdom and share my thoughts!

Hey, Jay! Indeed you should! Glad to see you guys are drinking so well. Man, I sure remember the Goldbergs' stash of Rockford Black! I remember first tasting it on Joel's deck back in the old MoCool days and thinking, "Whoa! So <i>that</i>'s what the stories are all about." And of course the famous Sunday morning Spurgles Tasting ...

IIRC, '94 was a landmark year for Santa Barbara County pinot noir. I'd love to taste a bottle of that Ici.

I find that after somewhat of a fling with Santa Rita Hills pinot noir, I find myself being drawn back to Santa Maria, and Clendenen's wines in particular.

Jenise and John,

I don't even recall why I bought the '94 Ici, or where I bought it from (I think it was my one and only bottle) ... I don't buy many pinots and really it was just dumb luck that I got a vintage that had the right stuff to age this long. Although in part I must have had the intell that '94 was as you stated a superb vintage in general Pacific coast pinot (the Ici is made from Oregon fruit).

David,

Please say hello to Maureen from me!

One footnote to the Prüm... we debated passionately whether it was "lightly" corked or not. Many people at the table are plenty sensitive to TCA, myself included. On the one hand, the aroma contained a bit of seemingly undeniable TCA (along with the bright fruit and kerosene aromas), although it didn't overwhelm the other aromas like a badly corked wine would. And, I could not taste TCA at all unless I was taking in a ton of air and even then it was technically aroma, not taste. It didn't seem to mask any of the other multitude of fine flavors in the wine. It didn't get worse with time. I vacuum-sealed the bottle and finished it last night. So I am still undecided. I can't come to the point of saying it was corked. Could it have been legitimate? Does Riesling lend itself to faux-TCA aromas? I sure did enjoy the wine, both on Thursday and then finishing it 3 days later.

When you taste it with Maureen et al, be sure to look for that and let me know.

Hi, Robin,

Joel still gets a small shipment, via family, annually of the Rockford. I do appreciate being in the right place at the right time to have a taste! I think I got two glasses this year... one at Thanksgiving and one at Joel's birthday party.

I'm surprised no one has commented on the Tokaji Azsu Essencia. I am thinking it is the finest aged dessert wine I've ever tasted, in my life. Maybe the finest wine, period. While my experience is not as broad as many here, I've have a few chances to taste well-aged legendary ports, sauternes, Alsace SGNs, and they were very close to perfect, but I do believe this Tokaji had the extra magic to give it the edge. And not just because it was a special occasion.

Maybe no one has commented on this because I "buried the lead"? What's the etiquette on reposting this as a single WTN?

What a fabulous assortment of wines, Jay.
I suspect the lack of comment on the '57 Tokaji is because few of us have had the opportunity to try it, let alone a 1957, and most people tend to comment on notes about wines with which they are familiar. But I will tell you that just reading your note made my mouth water.
Did the others at the dinner share your view of the Tokaji?

Plenty there for which to be thankful, Jay.

What's the story behind the photo? Is that you and who entrusted you with those bottles?

I'm afraid I nicked the photo from the famous photographer Henri-Cartier Bresson. My employer owns a large 16x20 original print of it which was displayed in the office with dozens of other fine photography objects. Unfortunately he retired and took about 1/4 of the collection with him, including this one, "Rue Mouffetard" (valued at about $20,000). I hope using it as an avatar here does not get me into a world of financial hurt!

Jenise and John,

I don't even recall why I bought the '94 Ici, or where I bought it from (I think it was my one and only bottle) ... I don't buy many pinots and really it was just dumb luck that I got a vintage that had the right stuff to age this long. Although in part I must have had the intell that '94 was as you stated a superb vintage in general Pacific coast pinot (the Ici is made from Oregon fruit).

Jay, why should you buy pinot? After all, you have Guido's cellar to drink from.

Jay,
Considerably above average sounds like an understatement. I think I would of been happy with the ones you didn't mention...

Bob H: Guido only drinks the French stuff, though. He'd gag at the thought of an Oregon pinot!

OW: I think the others shared my view of the Tokaji, but they probably didn't realize it was quite so rare as I knew it to be, so I contemplated it a lot harder than the rest of my guests I think (who were under the influence of turkey-fatigue and two desserts). Anyway, I took my time with it and really concentrated on it and I'm glad I did.

Bob N: Yeah, it was a good lineup, all right. Not mentioned, hmm let me see if I can remember. Oh, I opened a '90 Silverado Cab... there was not much on the mid-palate although it seemed to come around a bit later. But I think its best days are passed. There was a somewhat disjointed '04 or '05 South African Sauvignon Blanc; over 55 degrees and it was too weird to drink, but when it had a good chill on it then it was a lot easier to drink, and its flavors were not too dulled by being colder, I think because it was rich and full-bodied otherwise. Couple more beyond that... all good but just not in the top eight.

Hi Jay,

What a line up of heavy hitters! Nice notes. I have never had a Tokaji and now I think anything I try will pale in comparison to yours. Happy 50th Birthday! What a great way to celebrate it!