Last night was our SOBER end of cycle dinner, we met at Crabtree's Kittle House. Some early and last minute cancels (summer!) so a smaller group, but we enjoyed each other. I am usually a Kittle House fan, but this experience had more glitches than all previous experiences combined (issues with bottle handling, bread shortages, lobster size, overdone burgers). The manager did try to appease, with some bonus lobster, but not their best night (running a lobster/clambake special, busier than most Mondays). But nice group and some interesting wines:
The whites
1996 Raveneau “Montee de Tonnerre Chablis 1er
Nuts and cheese and wildflowers on the nose, lemon and chalk on the palate, what I like in aged white Burg. Some felt it not as complex as the Raveneau GCs, but I thought this just beautiful (maybe I just don't drink enough Raveneau GCs!). A-
1990 La Louviere blanc (Pessac-Leognan)
I think Craig summed it up well, nice and correct flavors,but flabby. Figs and citrus, round/plump. OK, but when retasted later really unappealing, fat, hot, and overtly tropical. B- early, C- later.
2001 Prager "Artist Collection" Riesling Smaragd
The only info on back label is name of the front label (an abstract piece called "California revisited" by Markus Prachensky) but I understand that this is a blend of vineyards. Wine is ripe, quite big, but with a sense of balance. Stylistically maybe more like a ripe vintage GG than a CFE. I liked this. I see last time I tasted I said "more of a Pollock/de Kooning than a Newman/Kline, " I'll stick with that. B+
Reds
1989 Pradeaux Bandol Vieilles Vignes
I really enjoyed this, definitely my red of the night. Solid and attractive black fruit base with a topnote of herb. Evolved through night, with the herbal notes becoming fennel seed, becoming licorice -all the same family, all appealing, just different facets. A-
1990 Montus "Cuvee Prestige" Madiran
I really enjoyed at first, enough so that I went for a repour later, which I found quite disappointing. It started out as a medium weight red with dark fruit, plush texture, a pleasant spicy edge, sandalwood. Could be kind of a ringer for an exotic ripe vintage Pomerol. What was exotic swings out of control with some air, after an hour it's is falling apart into a low acid mess.
B+ to start, C after afterwards.
1981 Lopez de Heredia "Bosconia" (I assume Gran Reserva, but come to think I didn't look)
good, but not as good as some bottles of LDH 81s I've had. Red fruit, spice, leather, but a bit clipped. B
Mystery bottle of BV George de la Tour Private Reserve
Probably late 50s or 60s.. From a very good but very damp cellar, and neck tag had fallen off (they didn't stamp corks at that point). Red currant and plums, herbal/dilly notes, pipe tobacco. I think most people's red of the night, but I thought it a little tired with too much ashtray to be great. Good though I think I'd have liked more 10 years ago. B
Dessert wines
1983 Burklin-Wolf Wachenheimer Gerumpel Eiswein
Toffee brown, sweet and pure, I'm not usually a fan of aging Eiswein but this was really good. Long if not precise. B+/A-
1966 Taylor Fladgate Vintage Port
I wasn't looking, but I think they said this was the Berry Bros and Rudd bottling. Lovely long rich port, balanced, delicious, I only regretted I was driving. I do admit that I think I'm not very discerning re port, but this was good! A-
(edited for an extraneous word - where did that it come from?)
Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent wine, B a good wine, C mediocre. Anything below C means I wouldn't drink at a party where it was only choice. Furthermore, I offer no promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.
