Two weekends back, Zach invited a bunch of winos up to his ski house in Vermont for another weekend of wine, poker and fun. We’ve done two winter events there and this was the second summer outing. The group was smaller than normal (6 of us), but the rituals were much the same—tons of wine, lots of cards, very late nights, good food, ping-pong grudge matches and great friendship.
Things got started on Friday. Gerry and I drove out early in the morning and played 18 holes at Haystack Golf Club and then joined Andy and Zach back at the house for some late lunch and a wine kick-off. The two of them had already dusted off a bottle of 2006 St. Urbans-Hof Riesling when we arrived and we eagerly set about opening random bottles from that point on. Later in the day, John arrived and then mid-evening we were joined by Mike, as well. A huge Chinese food take-out run supplied the gas (in more ways than one) to keep us going and multiple games of poker ensued. There wasn’t much opportunity to establish flights or logical progressions of wine--and I know the order in which these were drunk is less than ideal--but a free for all can actually be a lot of fun!
2000 Argiano Solengo Toscana IGT. This wine features a luxuriant and inviting nose that offers up rich velvety aromas of warm plum, cherry liqueur, creosote, balsa wood and incense. In the mouth, it has a nice spice component to it that goes well with all of the plum, dark cherry and creosote flavors that flow very smoothly across the tongue. It is medium to full-bodied, with a lot of glycerin and very soft acidity. Initially, it also shows its relative youth, as the tannins are plentiful and a bit grainy toward the back of the palate. However, a second glass later on shows much better integration of all those components and exhibits a lot of class to go with the voluptuous characteristics of the wine. So, while this is drinking very well right now, I might be inclined to cellar it another two to four years. A great kick-off to the weekend!
2001 Sportoletti Rosso Villa Fidelia Umbria IGT. This is a dark, opaque color and it also smells kind of thick—with aromas of chocolate, brambly berry fruit, fruitcake and rubber band. Oddly, I tasted this same wine 3 years ago, and I remember it being much more claret-styled—with black currant and cassis notes in place of the brambly berry and fruitcake bits. It seems to be trending toward a warmer, more exotic profile that I don’t like quite as much. In any event, the wine is rich and plushly-textured in the mouth, feeling dense and broad on the tongue with its abundance of smooth fruit and hefty weight. It has concentration and cohesion that is impressive, but comes across as a bit furry and woody toward the back of the palate. Even though I liked the wine better 3 years ago, those tannins at the back suggest the wine ought to be given a bit more time to settle in.
2004 Cameron Hughes Tempranillo Rioja Lot 93 Crianza. Zach served this one double-blind to us. It is a very dark, dense, black color and aromatically smells of brownie batter, brown spices, jammy black and blue berry fruit and some soft balsa wood. In the mouth, it is rich and thick and chocolaty—with all kinds of tannins seemingly sticking to the teeth. It is rather heavy-bottomed to my taste, with its dark fruit and glycerin weighing it down and giving it a somewhat ponderous feel. It doesn’t actually lack for acidity, and it never veers into being overly gooey or alcoholic, but otherwise it just seems pretty straightforward in its large-framed, jammy clothing. The only other thing I would add is that I was surprised when it was revealed as a Rioja, as I doubt very much that any of us would have come close to guessing that.
1983 Château Prieuré-Lichine Margaux. Although showing obvious clearing at the rim, this wine is a very healthy ruby color at the core. And the bouquet is just lovely—offering up aromas of sweet cassis, soft loamy earth, red licorice rope and rawhide leather in a very clean, controlled and classy combination. In the mouth, it has a nice sweet currant and raspberry fruit entry leading to a creamy but much drier mid-palate. The fruit still feels fleshy and sort of sappy, and there are even some obvious tannins hanging around. It feels like it has aged very well—still showing tautness and muscle tone, along with a good streak of fresh acidity. It finishes more savory, but the whole thing feels well-balanced, complex and still capable of further aging—a very good showing!
1980 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande Pauillac. This wine shows a bit of browning around the edges, with a light ruby color at the center. At first, the nose is a tad volatile, so I let mine sit for a while. Thankfully, that really blows off and one then encounters a beautifully floral bouquet of red flowers, gentle leather, tar oil, campfire embers, green pepper and gently tangy red currant fruit that tends to gain in presence and sexiness the longer you stay with it. In the mouth, it has a nice immediacy to it—hitting its stride right out of the gate and featuring lots of crunchy red cherry and leafy red currant fruit. It turns creamier through the mid-weight middle, where it shows gentle but persistent drive and really fine balance to all of its components. It is a clean, fine-drinking claret that I like more and more each sip, especially as it slowly expands outward on the palate over time. Still, I would say it is time to drink up.
1978 Domaine du Clos Frantin Corton Grand Cru. First off, I like the label--which declares this to be from the Ancien Domaine du General Legrand Marechal du Camp de Napolean 1er. This wine itself is a bit rusty red in color and sadly smells weedy, caramelized and generally oxidized. In the mouth, though, it does have a small little core of sweet orange and cherry fruit, but also a little bit too much of that weedy component hanging around again. The acidity is a bit austere and the body is fairly light, but it finishes cleaner than it starts and actually leaves a decent impression in the aftertaste. It is just that the journey to get there can be a bit messy.
2001 Domaine Henri Perrot-Minot Mazoyères-Chambertin Grand Cru Vieilles Vignes. The appearance of this wine is very clear and bright, and the nose seems similarly transparent--with lots of minerals, rocks, tree bark and crunchy red cherry fruit aromas, along with a dusting of powdered sugar in there. In the mouth, it is damned tight, with a real taut acidity that gives the otherwise pure red fruit a sort of tart edge right now. Again, it is very earth and mineral-driven, with the clear red fruit singing a bit too shrilly right now, but clearly well-constructed for the long-haul. It is sleek, trim and sharply-cut, with the fruit coming a bit more forward with time, but generally needing like 5 to 7 more years of development in the bottle. It is impressive—but hands off for now.
2001 Lewelling Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley. I enjoy the nose of this wine a good deal, as it exudes aromas of baked earth, ash, green pepper, sawdust, mocha and velvety crushed red fruit in a piercing, lifted combination that works real well for me. In the mouth, it displays some really nice fruit, lots of fine-driven acidity and a pleasantly spicy wood influence. However, it is marred by a tickle of alcoholic burn that starts right from the entry and lasts all the way through the finish. That heat does abate a little bit as the night goes on, but it never really goes away, which is too bad because it is otherwise a wine I find myself liking (even in spite of the alcohol). I hope it was just this bottle, because I wager that better bottles ought to be really good indeed.
2006 R Wines Grenache Chateau Chateau Chateau Barossa Valley. This smells like boysenberry syrup, mixed jellies and jams, cherry compote, rubber band and cocoa powder. It is a fruit bomb of the first order, with really no focus to it at all. In the mouth, it is even more of everything—with flavors of warm berry pie, cotton candy and sugar-topped preserves warring with alcoholic heat galore. It is open-knit, flabby, and generally over the top. I’m sorry, but this prune juice and Nyquil cocktail just does nothing for me (or seemingly anybody else present). We tried to give it a fair shake by sticking with it in a decanter for many hours, but it never got any better and was mercifully poured down the drain.
2004 Saxum Syrah Bone Rock James Berry Vineyard Paso Robles. The nose of this wine is rather meaty and dense—with aromas of blueberries and blackberries, tapenade, a big grind of white pepper and some industrial rubber all framed up large. It brings in some sweeter red berry notes over time, and it grows on me a little, though I never really warm to its overall personality that much. In the mouth, it has a bit of a syrupy entry and it stays limpid, thick and glycerin-laden throughout the palate journey. It is very modern, quite ripe and a bit sweet—right down to the cocoa-coated finish. While it is polished and smooth, there are definite tannins coating the teeth here, as well, though I must say the alcohol in the wine is never really detectable, so I have to give credit there. It is not really my cup of tea, but I can see how a lot of folks would find favor with this.
That put a cap on Night One. I would say that my favorite wines of the night were the 80 Pichon Lalande, the 83 Prieure-Lichine and the 00 Argiano Solengo.
Day 2 began much the same as Day 1, with me waking up waaaaay to early to take on another morning of golf at the sadistic tract of land known as Haystack Golf Club—this time with both Mike and Gerry. Once that agony and torture were over, we got back to the main purpose of the weekend:
2004 Huët Vouvray Sec Le Mont. There is a nice full yellow color to this wine. The nose is tight and stony early on, with focused aromas of wet rocks, minerals, lemon peel and beeswax. As it sits in the glass, it seems to flesh out just a bit and take on more lemon essence, though it generally stays very focused and pure. In the mouth, it has a lot more to say at this early age. It is medium-bodied, but very light on its feet despite an oily slick texture. It again shows off a stony, granite-like edge to it, to go along with flavors of lemon rind, honey and assorted yellow fruits. It is dry and the acids stick to the teeth a bit, but there are occasional tickles of sweet citrus fruit here and there that lend the wine a lot of character and intrigue. It gets better and better over time, taking on more volume and fanning out to show more breadth of flavor without losing its focused nature. It is very tasty now, but will improve even more with time in the cellar.
2005 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc. The nose here features some pretty nutmeg and allspice allied to aromas of peach pit, stones and butterscotch that are youthful, but beginning to show some interesting dimensions. In the mouth, the wine seems to be a bit gangly and out of sorts right now. It has a flat, dull-textured feel to it on the palate and some metallic acidity that pokes out at awkward angles. It features flavors of yellow stone fruits, brown spices and butterscotch through the middle, leading to a fresher-seeming finish than is apparent toward the front. It seems sort of in between phases right now or something, so it is hard for me to judge its long-term potential—I just know I wouldn’t recommend drinking it right this moment.
2005 Kongsgaard Chardonnay The Judge Napa Valley. Although the price of this wine is depressing to me, the wine itself offers a true thrill in California Chardonnay. To begin, the bouquet is pretty much sublime—with aromas of white peach, hazelnuts, river rocks, meringue, brioche, lemon zest and sweet chalk dust combining beautifully. A single small sip totally fills the whole mouth with instant flavor intensity, with elements of lemon oil, peaches, tropical citrus, toasted meringue, vanilla, toasted barrel spices delivering solid thrust all the way through. The wine has volume without excessive weight and it has a limpid texture while still seeming vibrant and tingly. The wood is in play, but without a raw or over-wrought feel to my taste. To me, it is just really impressive in its depth of flavor, intensity and balanced mouthfeel. My white WOTN.
2007 Aubert Chardonnay Ritchie Vineyard Sonoma Coast. As usual, the color here is cloudy yellow with green tints. It features leesy aromas of chalk, graphite, campfire embers, hazelnuts, peach pit and assorted yellow fruits that seem young but very expressive. In the mouth, it is stuffed with rich flavors of hazelnut, butterscotch candy, lemon cream, soft oak and baking spices. It has a sort of oily feel as it glides easily across the tongue, where it is limpid but wiry in tone. It turns a touch grainier on the leesy finish, but otherwise is quite intensely-fruited, with just a lot going on. I think it has lots of upside potential, as well.
2004 Rhys Pinot Noir Family Farm Vineyard San Mateo County. Initially, this is a bit stinky and poopy on the nose, but thankfully that recedes with some aggressive aeration while notes of spiced plums, blackberries, loamy soil, funky underbrush, pine resin and white pepper come to the fore instead. This is smooth-textured in the mouth, with flavors of spicecake, plums and cherry liqueur that are fairly full-bodied and framed by some chalky tannins still. In fact, the tannins grow increasingly chewy over time and the impression is that this could actually use another 2 or 3 years.
2000 Domaine Georges Mugneret Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Feusselottes. This wine shows off a beautifully sappy nose exuding fine aromas of clean earth, mocha, lifted cherries and red currants. It just smells real smooth, classy and balanced and really invites the taster in. In the mouth, it is again sappy and full of grip--with a very pretty berry core and a crunchy acidity providing tight structure while the earthy, stony undertones keep it solidly grounded. It does tend to cinch up a bit on the finish, so I might be inclined to continue cellaring this for a while. At the same time, it feels nicely pure and driven right now—so you really can’t go wrong.
2000 Domaine du Pégaü Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée. The aromatics here are so beautiful that they nearly make me swoon—as scents of earth, creosote, new leather, chocolate mousse, fruitcake, plum, cherry pie, incense and peppermint just waft up and out of the glass in a complete package. On the palate, it is smooth and creamy, with mocha, bright cherries, kirsch, smoke and earth elements all in harmony. The balance makes it an effortless pleasure and it really takes things to the upper echelon on the finish, where a red flower-infused inner mouth perfume keeps it lingering a long time. This is just fantastic stuff.
1974 Beaulieu Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Georges de Latour Private Reserve Napa Valley. This one shows off some cherry, rhubarb and mint aromas on the nose, but is otherwise marred by some unfortunate volatility and a general weediness that make it show its age. In the mouth, it is definitely a bit caramelized, with a short, abrupt feel and dry furry tannins. It still packs a good core dose of fruit flavor—just with those oxidized and volatile problems around the outside. Sadly, the charms it does have recede fairly quickly and the wine just slides away from there.
About this time, Gerry pulled the steaks off the grill and dished out the grilled potato packs and Zach pulled the asparagus off the heat—and we were ready to eat a fantastic meal outdoors at sunset looking out at scenic Mt. Snow. What a delight! Specifically chosen for the meal were the following 4 bottles, which made it nearly heaven on earth (until the mosquitoes came out, anyway!). All were slow-oxed for a few hours before dinner.
1970 Château Mouton Rothschild Pauillac. This was a high shoulder bottle I just picked up at auction and I think it showed wonderfully. The color is perhaps a bit dull, but it looks healthy most of the way out to the rim, otherwise. The nose is a bit quiet at first, but slowly builds and builds to the point where the aromas of fine earth, tea, creosote and furry red currant fruit just feel totally gentle and inviting. On the palate, the wine is utterly, completely smooth and in a perfectly-resolved place right now. It still shows tons of life, plenty of fruit and a sneaky depth to go with all of that classy, medium-bodied character and perfect balance between the acids, fruit and structure. There are even some wisps of ghost tannins hanging around late, but that does not prevent the delicious flavor profile from delivering the goods. This is classic stuff, in my opinion, and there’s just nothing quite like the joy a gorgeous old wine like this can deliver.
1989 Château Mouton Rothschild Pauillac. This wine shows off a ludicrously good bouquet, flush with layered aromas of liquid graphite, pencil shavings, menthol, bacon fat and lifted black currants. The first impression upon taking a sip is just how mouth-filling and expansive the wine is. It rushes at you with flavors of black currant, blackberries, soft spices and classy oak—all beautifully cool and dark and smooth. Tannins are well-integrated and the wine has true grip and sinew to go with all of its class and silky-smooth texturing. It is long and persistent on the finish and overall is just drinking just great right now, showing power and poise in equal shares. Utterly impressive stuff.
1975 Château Latour Pauillac. This looks like a brand new wine, sporting a deep dark color right out to the rim. It offers up a muscular nose of black currants, tar, ground pepper and savory grilled meats that grow bigger and more expansive as it takes on more air. There are also some elements of wet funky earth and smoke that give it a dark and mysterious quality, as well. It starts out a tad hesitant on the palate, but it finds it center before too long and then holds rock steady the whole meal long. It feels lithe and wiry and still sneakily tannic, with its black fruit and mossy earth profile solidly manly and driven through the middle. It has great staying power, but the finish, I find, gets too astringent for my taste. Still, this is a treat to drink and went very well with our steaks.
1961 Château Léoville Las Cases St. Julien. This wine is very cloudy in appearance, with a good deal of orange color. The nose is sort of tawny port-like—with all kinds of Christmas spice, mulled cider, toasted walnut, caramel and baked red fruit aromas. It is not cooked or stewed in any way, just warmly tawny in nature. In the mouth, though, it is much more on form, with a lot fresher profile than the nose would seem to predict. It tastes interestingly of dried raspberries, fruitcake, caramel apple and praline, but has a solid streak of acid to provide some structure in the utter absence of any real tannin influence. The mid-palate is where it shines brightest and flows effortlessly across the tongue. And the finish is a bit quiet, but brings back the mulling spices for one last impression. I imagine that there are better bottles of this out there, but I was still damned impressed with my first experience with this heralded Bordeaux vintage.
We then got back to our regularly-scheduled program of cards and such, along with:
1997 Altesino Brunello di Montalcino. The aromas of soy, cherries, raspberries and red flowers here are sweet and round, but also a bit taut and tightly-constructed still. It is warmly fruited in the mouth, and (perhaps following on after all the First Growth wines) feels a bit open-knit and light on structure to me. It gives up lots of warm cherry and strawberry fruit flavors that feel plumped up on the palate, but it also features a lot of drying wood and tannins that make it come across as a bit disjointed right now. In fairness, I think it might have gotten a bit too warm before I tasted it, so judgment ought to be deferred on this one.
1997 Joseph Phelps Insignia Napa Valley. Wow, this wine is just totally immediate—with aromas rushing right up the nostrils and coating the mind with thoughts of slinky and sexy and boisterous aromas of black cherries, black currants, creosote and dark earth. It is really juicy, deep and totally inviting. In the mouth, it continues in the same vein—juicy and fruity, yet dark, sexy and smoldering. Flavors of chocolate, blackberries, black currants, and chalky soil are full, rich and dense, but without any sense of being overweight. Over time, it just continues to kick it up, all the while staying smooth, complex and layered. It offers outstanding drinking pleasure right now but ought to have a good long life ahead, as well.
1997 Château d'Yquem Sauternes. Served from 375 ml bottle. I found this wine to be utterly captivating. To begin, it is a beautiful golden color, with a bright sheen to it. The bouquet is simply wondrous—with fountains of sweet peach, baked apricot, orange marmalade, dried tropical fruit, petrol and baking spice aromas coating every bit of the nostrils. The construction is big and bold, but the perfumed feel delightfully feminine. It is layered and lush and intoxicating, but it is also pretty obvious that it has even more left in reserve. In the mouth, it continues the enchantment with its creamy, luscious feel allied to formidable but seemlessly-balanced acidity. The flavors mirror the aromas and last a long, long time on the taste buds. It has pretty much everything I want in a Sauternes and I can only imagine how much better this is going to get with additional cellar time.
Around this point, there was a lengthy session of lounging outside and watching the meteor showers (such as they were), smoking cigars and taking early swigs off of the vintage port (note below). As such, my palate was a bit “off” perhaps for the two wines that were opened rather late-night for those of us still toiling at poker.
2001 Château Pichon-Longueville Baron Pauillac. The nose here is dark and cool, with aromas of brambly blackberries, horsehair, dry soil, dark chocolate, rubber and tapenade feeling taut and savory. In the mouth, it is real silky smooth on the entry, with a good deal of slippery glycerin to show for itself. However, it coils up and recedes in on itself a good deal in the tight mid-palate and all the way through to the taut, dry finish, where the acidity and tannins flash their teeth. It definitely possesses a good core of pure black and blue fruit and a very nice texture, but it seems to be in a fairly closed-in period right now. A couple of days later, it was still cool and sleek, but a bit less tannic and generally more agreeable to being drunk. Still, I would stay away in the short term.
2003 Château Branaire Ducru St. Julien. This is a lot warmer-fruited—with aromas of mixed red berries, tomato plant, loamy earth and a slight edging of weediness coming forth on the nose. It is soft and pliant and rather juicy in the mouth, but does sport some obvious tannins right from the get-go. It feels like it has a fair degree of extraction to the fruit flavors and it complements that with notes of campfire smoke and green pepper. My initial impression was that it needed a good dose of cellar time, but I came back to this with a fresher palate two nights later and it was more welcoming with its plum, berry and earth flavors, plusher tannins and creamier mouthfeel. I’m still in favor of cellaring it and giving it some more time to soften those tannins.
1983 Harveys Vintage Porto. I came back to this at the very end of the night (what was it, around 4 am?). The nose is nice and controlled, with no heat or spirits detectable, just sweet raspberry compote, spicecake, dried flower and baked fig aromas playing off of brown baking spices. In the mouth, it is gooey warm, but finely tangy and tingly underneath--full of sweet and sour cherry flavors, dates, and spicecake. Smooth and easy-sipping, this is a darned nice way to end a great weekend!
How to pick favorites from a day like this? I guess I will go with the 1970 and 1989 Moutons, 97 Yquem, 00 Pegau and 97 Insignia for my top 5, with the 05 Kongsgaard Judge right there, as well. Honorable mentions have to go to the 00 Mugneret Feusselots, the 07 Aubert Ritchie, the 75 Latour and the 61 LLC, though. Such an embarrassment of riches!
All in all, it was another wildly fun weekend at Zach’s place—a huge thank you to him for his generosity and hospitality, as always. We are not worthy, but we’re up for it whenever the call comes again!
-Michael
