It was a lot of fun to connect with Ed and Adam at the Tavern a while back. We started with the notion of a Spanish tasting, but that sort of fell by the wayside in favor of things people just wanted to try.
1990 Piper-Heidsieck Champagne Cuvee Rare Reservee. This is a September 2009 disgorgement. The bouquet of this cuvee is very complex, changing in small ways all the time and showing different faces over the course of the evening—focused primarily around thought-provoking aromas like nutmeg, roasted walnuts, pencil shavings, chicory, plantain chips and toffee. On the palate, I find it to be rather vinous, without a whole lot of fizz. The entry is quite nice, with a solid impression of peach, pear and caramel flavors with a hint of sweetness to them. It has some heft and density through the creamy, layered mid-palate, which pulls in more nutmeg and ever-so-oxidized nut and toffee flavors. The finish is long and provides a solid kick that leaves a great impression. A really interesting Champagne that is a lot of fun to sit with and follow over dinner.
1998 Trimbach Riesling Clos Ste. Hune. The CSH is just glorious on the nose, where all kinds of diesel and petroleum product aromas blend with notes of Earl Grey, graphite, light honey, orange peel, wax, peach, quince, white flowers and chalky limestone in a gorgeous, classy, filigreed bouquet that morphs and changes all night long. It exhibits excellent volume and density and a rounded, creamy bottom note that wonderfully supports the lacy crunch provided by the herb, mineral, chalk and citrus zest elements playing out brightly on top. It is delightfully layered and the airy finish is impressively persistent all night long. What an absolutely lovely bottle that I am sure will be even better in another 10 years’ time! WOTN.
1997 Lopez de Heredia Rioja Rosado Vina Tondonia Crianza. The blend here is 60% Garnacha, 20% Viura and 20% Tempranillo. The wine has an offbeat but appealing nose of red berries and cherries, caramel, peach pit, clean earth, light wood and ash. In the mouth, it is dry but not at all austere or over-oxidized to my taste--coming across as a tad funky, but otherwise generous with its red berry and citrus flavors. The texture is a bit squeaky at times from the acidity, but that just adds an interesting twist to the wine. Overall, this is a clean and fresh bottle showing fine balance and a lot of character.
1997 Campogiovanni (San Felice) Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Il Quercione. I really enjoy the classic bouquet this wine puts out—featuring aromas of gardenia flowers, cherries, black smoke, peppercorn, menthol, tobacco, suede leather, shaved cedar and juniper berry that show great depth and dimension despite starting out a bit tight and taking some time to shift through into the higher gears after about an hour or so. In the mouth, it is medium to full-bodied and provides a very creamy texture around which to enjoy the intense blast of sweet cassis, kirsch and raspberry fruit flavors. It has excellent depth and also features nice accents like smoke and black pepper to go along with its core flavor profile. The tannins are round and pliant but the wine has plenty of structure left and solid acidic underpinning—leaving no doubt that this is a wine that can be enjoyed now or cellared without worry.
1997 Torres Cabernet Sauvignon Mas La Plana Penedes. Wow, this wine delivers a lovely bouquet of plums, dates, exotic incense, spice cabinet, jalapeno pepper, tobacco leaf, white pepper, raw leather and vanilla paste that work together to produce a sexy, vibrant, complex and fun rendering of Cabernet Sauvingnon. It is full of life and warmth, but with a classic underpinning that is very appealing. In the mouth, it shows a lot of tobacco leaf notes, along with some menthol and green pepper streaks, but is otherwise full of cool black currant, licorice, black cherry and spicecake flavors that are juicy, concentrated and full of character. A tiny whisper of alcoholic heat sneaks in on the finish and the oak does begin to seep into the consciousness after a while, but it is easier to concentrate on the smooth and sleek texture this delivers and all of the deep and pliant flavors it offers. I do think this can age easily for a while longer, but it is very fun and enjoyable to drink right now.
-Michael