Wine Styles Wednesday Night
Selvapiana "Vigneto Bucerchiale" 2004 Chinati Rufina Riserva.
Delicious showing of the reserve bottling. Bright cherry, tobacco, leather. Great acidity. Alcohol does stick out a bit (14%) but is a great example of good "Chianti", even if not "Classico".
Sisters' Family Dinner:
2007 Edmund St. John Porphyry El Dorado County Gamay Noir. Quite tight and minerally. I love my brother's new wife-she has an "old school" palate and we loved this very austere, but light and fruity quaffer. Really nice.
2005 Elizabeth Spencer E/S Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir. Quite elegant and balanced. Racy red fruit. Good acidity. I still slightly preferred the ESJ, but this was a very nice wine.
John Hilliard's House (Turkey Enchiladas)
2006 Elizabeth Spencer E/S Sonoma Coast Syrah. Meh. Pretty nondescript. Nothing wrong or bad, just kinda there. I don't think we even finished the bottle.
2004 Hope and Grace Napa Valley (mostly Leweling Vineyard in St. Helena) Cabernet Sauvignon. This, on the other hand, was delicious and went fast. Great acidity, fantatic mouthfeel, alcohol in balance. Already nice notes of black tobacco and graphite. First rate wine from a great winery.
Wine Styles
2003 Clos Du Val "Oak Vineyard" Stag's Leap. Bordeaux in California! Very meaty, funky, earthy Cab with nice cherry and gamey herbal notes. Great complexity. The only complaint was the finish had a sharpish note. How can this wine be so utterly different than the thin grapey juice from next door? Clos Du Val rocks!
Joe and Donna's Dinner Party
Thanks to Randy and Laura, old friends visiting from Oregon, we had some good wines.
Started out with a light Sicilian white, which went well with Thai Lamb balls wrapped in lettuce and mint.
With the mushroom and cauliflower soup, Randy served the wine of the night, a fantasic 1999 Burgundy Grand Cru, which of course I did not write down the name of.
Earth, mushroom, smoooooooth, cherry fruit. Yum. 2005 Madrigal Vineyards Petit Sirah. I liked the brambly fruit and pepper of this relatively new winery north of St. Helena.
2003 Leonetti Cabernet Sauvignon. OK: Confession...I don't get it. I know this is a "cult winery" and sells for three figures at full retail and I know people line up for it, but even with decanting...I don't get much excitement here. Pretty much simple red fruit and oak. Almost Silver Oak levels of oak. Not my cup of tea at all. Maybe it just needed more time. Are there other Washington Cabs that you all prefer?
2004 Constant Diamond Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon. Since I bicycled up Diamond Mountain Road to their gate (at the very end of the 3.75 mile steep climb) on Saturday, I wanted to try this one. And...I much preferred over the Leonetti. Darker, brambly fruit, some tobacco notes, young but drinkable tannins. I prefer Von Strasser, but this was a nice bottle.
2000 Chateau Lagrange St. Julien. This was in a very nice place. Complex, plenty juicy fruit, resolving tannins, graphite, leather, earth, tobacco. Layers of flavor. Fantastic vintage for this winery. Thanks, Randy. Number two wine of the night.
