After opening some Scholium Project wines with some friends, I posted my lukewarm notes to the Wine Berserker forum. Not long after I received an email from winemaker Abe Schoener asking if I'd be interested in hosting another dinner with him! Fast-forward a couple weeks, and I'm sitting next to Abe in DC tasting a large selection of his wines!
Big thanks to the staff at Ripple for great service, Tim O'Rourke for helping arrange the reservation, and, of course, thanks to Abe for flying in for this very fun evening!
Champagne Flight
- 1996 Ployez-Jacquemart Champagne Liesse d'Harbonville - France, Champagne
Just a hair below the bottle I had in December. The nose reminds me a boulangerie with baked bread, yeast, and cream. Still very energetic on the palate with crisp herbs, crushed rocks, meyer lemon and brioche. (93 pts.) - 1996 Pierre Péters Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut Cuvée Spéciale - France, Champagne, Le Mesnil Sur Oger, Champagne
To me, this bottle contains everything I look for in Champagne; energy, finesse, depth, and polish. Still in its youth, this wine is electric with pure lemon juice poured over crushed rocks...just electric minerality and acidity. Should mature into a wine that can hang with the heavyweights from 1996. (95 pts.)
- 2009 Scholium Project Marcher Sûr la Lune Reserve Bokisch Ranches - USA, California, Central Valley, Lodi
Like the last time I had this, the nose has tones of bananas, herbs and fresh flowers. And again, like last time, the nose had a lot of heat. The palate is massive with dense floral tones, citrus, and subtle honeycomb. Finish was long a bit hot for me. - 2009 Scholium Project Naucratis Lost Slough Vineyards - USA, California, Central Valley, Clarksburg
Interesting nose of banana peel, fresh herbs, and lemon salt. Alcohol creeps into the nose, and is noticeable on the palate. Fruit is very pure and rich. I'd like to let this rest with the hope that the heat will diminish with some age. (87 pts.)
- 2007 Scholium Project Choephoroi Los Olivos Vineyard - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Ynez Valley
A nicely composed wine with great minerals and precision. Nose had a touch of heat, subtle honeycomb and fresh spring herbs. The palate is dense but doesn't have too much weight. - 2009 Scholium Project Michael Faraday Matthiasson Family Vineyards - USA, California, Sonoma County
From a barrel sample. Incredibly weighty chardonnay. Nose has an interesting waxiness to it with lots of lemon, herbs, and honey. The palate is rich and smooth with considerable weight. The alcohol was a bit aggressive for me, but I imagine time will help turn this aspect down a bit.
- 2005 Scholium Project Satrapies of the East - USA, California
While drinking this with Abe, he spent a good deal of time describing this wines story and the role that winemaking had in the final product. I'm happy he did, because when I first smelled the nose I was sure that it was heat damaged. Abe said that reduction was a natural part of this wine, and not a flaw. Good to know. The nose had stewed warm dark fruits; plums, blackberries, and blueberries. There was also a warm charcoal note too. The palate was far more to my liking with spicy red and dark fruits with a nice floral component. Very nice acidity on the finish too. - 2005 Scholium Project Babylon Tenbrink Vineyards - USA, California
Another one of Abe's red's with what I perceive to be reduction on the nose. A beast of a wine with dense purple and black fruit with hearty tannin. The finish has some acidity (as is the case with most of Abe's wines), which is a must with a wine this big and hefty.
- 2007 Scholium Project Bricco Babelico Tenbrink Vineyards - USA, California
Dense black fruit on the nose with an obvious mint component that seemed to be more fitting of a cabernet. The palate has lots of blueberry, blackberry jam, and warm spices. Alcohol spiked a bit on the palate for me - should be a bit hit with california petite sirah lovers. - 2009 Scholium Project Chuey - USA, California, North Coast
From barrel sample. Had very nice dark fruit and subtle mint on the nose with undertones of smoke and lavender. Has nice weight, but also good deal of elegance. Enjoyed this stylish cabernet very much.
- 2004 Vilmart & Cie Champagne Grand Cellier d'Or 1er Cru - France, Champagne
Compared to a couple 1996 champagnes that were opened before this, it was clear that this bottle was a youngster! Far more taut on the palate, this had vibrant lemon tones with delicate brioche and yeast tones. I thought that this would benefit from another 5 years or so. (90 pts.)
- 2005 Ferrando Nebbiolo di Carema Black Label (Etichetta Nera) - Italy, Piedmont, Northern Piedmont, Nebbiolo di Carema
From beginning to end, this wine reminded me of roasting dark fruit over a campfire. A lot of times this would be a negative - but I found this one to be quite nice! The body of the wine was relatively lithe, yet packed a serious punch of dark fruit, earthen undertones with a smokey haze. (91 pts.) - 2004 Scholium Project Scythia Donati Vineyards - USA, California, Central Coast, San Benito County
Really glad this bottle made the trip with Abe to DC. Incredibly complex nose of smokey meats, black fruit and dusty red fruit. I caught an interesting saline component on the nose that reminded me of tidal pools - part sea water, part sea shell, part wet stone. Usually I associate these tones with Burgundian or Alsatian wines, so it was awesome seeing it here too! The palate was rocky and bloody with layers of dark fruit, and soil. Awesome stuff. (93 pts.) - 2004 Domaine Gauby Côtes du Roussillon Villages La Muntada - France, Languedoc Roussillon, Roussillon, Côtes du Roussillon Villages
Bold and fruited with smokey minerals on the nose. The palate was driven by blackberry compote, charcoal, and roasted herbs. Thought the acidity was nice on the finish, too. (88 pts.) - 2009 Marco Felluga Collio Sauvignon Blanc Russiz Superiore - Italy, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Collio
Incredibly fresh on the palate with lots of acid, grass, and grapefruit. This had some noticeable weight too with really nice herbal tones throughout. (91 pts.)
- 2005 Bert Simon Serriger Herrenberg Riesling Auslese Goldkapsel - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
A great showing by this bottle. Really electric nose with minerals, florals, and tangerine (Tim did a great job pulling that flavor out). Palate was focused and precise. Great white florals, nice tropical fruit with nice weight. Feels more like a Spatlese. (92 pts.) - 2005 Domaine des Baumard Coteaux du Layon Clos de Sainte Catherine - France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Coteaux du Layon
A bit denser than the bottle i opened a couple weeks ago. Had the trademark apricot and white flower nose. Palate had dense fruit with a little less than usual acidity. Very nice wine, but not as focused as before. (91 pts.) - 2003 Domaine Jo Pithon Coteaux du Layon Saint-Lambert Les Bonnes Blanches - France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Coteaux du Layon Saint-Lambert
Dark amber color with dense nutty and smokey tones - reminded me of scotch almost. The palate was fresher than the nose would suggest with a nice streak of minerals coarsing below the hazelnut, almond skin, and fire-roasted fruit tones. - 2006 Albert Mann Riesling Altenbourg Vendanges Tardives - France, Alsace, Kientzheim & Sigolsheim, Alsace AOC
This had incredibly clarity and focus. The sweetness here was incredibly delicate and nuanced with lithe floral and citrus tones on an almost airy palate. Really enjoyed this. (93 pts.)
