Sketchy notes from memory, no notes taken at the time....
So the good doctor invited a gazillion friends over for a celebration at home. By the time we arrived, an array of bottles had been set up on the counter for guests to help themselves to, and some special bottles were waiting in the wings to make appearances throughout the evening. So we helped ourselves to a 2005 Ross Andrew Cabernet Sauvignon, which I was delighted with as I own six bottles which I purchased untasted but grokked from the Parker description would be more Euro styled than most Washington cabernets, and indeed it was. I was also pleased to taste the 2007 St. Cosme 'Les Deux Albion' from magnum, which I've purchased four of myself and not yet tasted. It's as good as I hoped it would be, and it's black fruit complexity easily outshone the otherwise very good 2007 St. Cosme Cotes du Rhone, which is still cradled in sweet tuitti fruitti baby fat.
Ah, here comes Warren with a bottle of something special. The 1996 Smith Haut Lafite blanc, which unfortunately is too oxidized for my taste buds which don't tolerate that much outside of the Lopez de Heredia style. Ah, someone's pouring me a little taste of the Morante Nero d'Avola--2005, I think. Not been a fan of this though it gets a lot of positive talk on this board. I sip--dang it, still don't get this grape. It's spaghetti wine to me, and nothing more. It's a fine enough party wine but it's still nondescript red fruit of no particular distinctive or satisfaction to me. No thank you. Oh, here's a 2006 Louis Michel 1er cru Tonnere Chablis. Perfect, there's some Epoisses on the cheese plate I've been wanting to taste, this will be the wine to have it with. I've bought some of this myself and not tasted it either (Warren and I must bottom fish in the same ponds), but it's entirely steely and minerally and everything one normally likes about Chablis. I will be sorry I didn't buy more, and you can pick these up for a song now that they're so overshadowed by the 07's.
Here comes Warren again, now he's got a 1959 Grand Puy Ducasse in one hand and an Ah-So in the other. The cork comes out saturated, but it's in one piece and smells divine. Decanting shows a clear wine and leaves but a scant 3/4" of sediment in the bottom of the bottle. I get a small pour before Warren trots off to pour for everyone. It's delicious. Clear, taupe-y light red in color, mushroom, tea and leather nose. There's still some fruit on the palate and we didn't have to rush ourselves to drink it, though indeed most of the pleasure's in the nose. There are many in the room who understandably don't get well-aged wine as so few would have ever gotten close to a bottle even half this age, and I see a lot of puzzled faces including some who are puzzled that I'm obviously liking this. As far as this wine goes, at age 50 this is probably as good a bottle as one could hope for. What a treat.
Now it's time for a cellar tour. Which in fact, not being monkeys, we can't actually do justice to since Warren's cellar is small, narrow and two-stories tall. Inventive use of space but somebody needs to buy this man a taller ladder and a safety belt. Good thing he's a bone doc, when he falls ten feet off the sky high pile of Copains as he is bound to do sometime in the future, he'll know the right guys to put him back together.
Speaking of Copain, Warren pulls a 2003 Copain Hawks Butte Syrah to prove to me that American winemakers can too make Northern Rhone style syrahs. Well, I'm here to tell you, if Copain makes a syrah that can do that, this isn't it. I smell it and taste it. With dismay considering the expectation, I flounder for words that don't sound like WARRENWHATTHEHELLAREYOUTHINKING. After all, it's his birthday, I can't trash his taste buds that way. But he's waiting, so I offer, "It's porty". He's obviously struggling to not say JENISEYOUARESOWRONGABOUTTHISWINE. But he settles for, "Porty! Porty? Nah, I don't get that, this is a great American syrah." And he wanders off to pour this for others, including Marc D. When Warren gets out of earshot, I move in on Marc, watching his face as he tastes it. His look is, well, quizzical. "What do you think?", I whispered. "It's port-like," he says. "Hold that thought!", I command and go drag poor Warren back to face the music. In defense, he claims that in more recent years, Copains aren't as sweet, thick and toasted as this one. I sure hope not. We need to get this boy some Terre Rouge.
For comparison Warren provides a 2004 August Clape Cornas. Well, hello Gorgeous! But it's not as gorgeous as I hope for. I've only had aged Clapes, and I don't know what they're supposed to taste like when young, but this one, while very pleasant to drink, gave no hint of having the stuffing to turn into, for instance, the '96 Bill Spohn opened two weeks ago. Warren has also opened a 1998 Beaucastel. Unfortunately, he leaves it in the custody of some thirsty new arrivals who know precisely how good that wine is, and before anyone can blink they bogart the entire bottle. So I flag Warren down and he shares some of his with me, and it was incredible. Everything you want and hope for from this great producer. A truly perfect botttle.
An Aubert Chardonnay makes the rounds. I confess that I didn't get the vintage--05 or 06, I believe--it's classic California chardonnay in all the good ways, and I'm surprised by how different it is from the Rueling we had a few months back. A lot more oak, for one. Later I discover a 2006 Aubert Roussanne has also been opened, and I like this even better. Floral and fleshy but toned, I'd love to see this one as a ringer in a flight of Rhone versions.
Somewhere along the way a 1996 Monbousquet St. Emilion I brought gets opened. Holy rat turds, Batman, what did you do with the fruit? It's all tannins--in the mouth, in the nose, there's no sign here of the wine this had been about two years, just in need of "a little more time", as we all say.
Now a new cab is getting poured, so I sidle up for a share. It's the 02 O'Shaughnessy Mt. Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon, and it's just spectacular. It has rich blackberry fruit, good acid, fabulous structure--generally a lot of everything but it doesn't go over the top. Not unlike Karl Lawrence in style. It's a world apart from the 2005 St. Clement Orropas Napa Valley I forgot to mention having tasted earlier and compared to the Ross Andrew. The St. Clement was big, black cherry, licorice, low-acid, sweet. Not at all what I like.
Before leaving, we got a sip of an excellent 1997, I believe it was, Baumard Quarts de Chaume to sample with Warren's favorite blue cheese. Amber honey colored, sweet quince and apple on the palate with a bit of cheese on the nose, it drinks superbly now.
