One Friday night a while back, Andy had 5 of us poker nuts over for dinner and cards. He cooked up his usual array of tasty dishes and we all kicked in some wine to enjoy along the way.
Starter:
2002 Joh. Jos. Prum Riesling Graacher Himmelreich Spatlese. This wine possesses lovely, languid aromatics right from the start--with all kinds of classic petrol, blue slate, white peach, bergamot, pineapple, lemon peel and smoke scents one would expect from this producer at this pradikat level. It just washes over the senses and leaves a lasting impression. On the palate, it might be a bit soft and not quite as lifted with acidity as one might want, but the flavor profile and lush texture are delightful. And the sweetness level seems just right to me in support of the full-on peach, lemon peel, honey and slate flavors that are deep and long and delicious. Fine to drink now or hold.
With an amazing lobster first course:
2005 Chateau Filhot Sauternes. Served from 375 ml bottle. The 2005 Filhot is considerably paler in color than the 2003 La Tour Blanche and it comes at you with a gentler and not-so-obviously-sweet bouquet that features shy aromas of rock sugar, flowers and light caramel. Despite this airier aromatic presence, the wine is deliciously sweet, full-bodied and rich in the mouth, with plenty of dense fruit. But there is also a zesty freshness in there that keeps the flavors of lemon curd, pastry, key lime pie filling and apricot fruit feeling pretty and balanced.
2003 Chateau La Tour Blanche Sauternes. Served from 375 ml bottle. In contrast, this wine leaps out of the glass with a beautiful and immediately present bouquet of funky botrytis spices, vanilla bean, quince paste, honey, cream and all kinds of dense tropical fruits that are more quintessentially Sauternes to me. It is rather sweet and unctuous in the mouth, with tons of vanilla paste, apricot, clove and Christmas ribbon candy flavors that are juicy, rich and mouth-coating. This is a relatively low-acid, decadent and luscious wine that is and ought to be lovely for some time to come.
As a side note, I’ve never been a big believer in the lobster and Sauternes pairing, but I have to admit it was highly successful in this instance. The lobster had a slightly sweet sauce that it was served with and that really complemented the wines nicely. It made a believer out of me.
California Cabernets with main meal:
1997 Forman Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley. I love the nose here. It sports all kinds of tobacco leaf, dark soil, black currant, black cherry, plum and rich cocoa aromas allied beautifully to dark and mysterious undertones of exotic spices and foresty notes. It is just a wonderful blend of ripe dark fruit and savory earth tones—great stuff! In the mouth, it is much the same—it has a fair bit of old-fashioned earthy goodness but also tons of ripe plum, currant and blueberry fruit well balanced against acidic lift that comes in primarily toward the finish. The texture is fleshy and layered and there isn’t quite the structure one typically finds in Forman’s wines, but it all seems to work seamlessly well together here with its own vintage-driven personality. It is a delicious wine that I’d have no problem recommending now or 5 years from now.
1985 Laurel Glen Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma Mountain. This and the next three wines made for an absolutely fascinating study of vintage, location and producer differences. The nose on this first offering gives off gorgeous aromas of sinewy mountain fruit, liquid graphite, dark earth, limestone, clay and appealing bell pepper accents in a big-boned, old-fashioned package I really, really like. On the palate, it is a delight to drink—despite there still being a fair bit of tannin hanging around and a moderately chewy texture on exhibit I just enjoy the blackberry, mixed currant, grilled pepper and fine earth notes that co-exist quite well with the cool acidity and the streak of toasted herbs running below everything. It turns more and more juicy over time and even starts to feel a bit more red-fruited with air. All in all, it is drinking great, but is in no danger of going anywhere.
1986 Laurel Glen Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma Mountain. The nose here isn’t quite as expressive as with the previous offering—coming across as almost a bit shy by comparison. Still, I enjoy the notes of red currant, chocolate paste, tobacco leaf and menthol it puts forth. In the mouth, it is comes across as a brighter, more twangy and more freshly acidic wine than does the 1985. It is mouth-watering and juicy, with very good lift and drive and is overall a lot warmer-fruited in tone. It isn’t quite as serious or as intriguingly structured as its sibling, but it still has its own wonderful personality that comes with a twist of sweet fruit. A delicious pair of quite different wines from the producer—bravo!
1985 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon The Montelena Estate Napa Valley. The 1985 Montelena possesses a unique and intriguing combination of aromas on the nose—with a black, slinky, glossy feel to the aromas of hickory wood, bacon grease, caramel, dark currants, forest ferns, cool earth and black leather. In the mouth, it remains a cool customer—quite refined, sleek and classically-structured. There is a nice acidic streak all the way through that helps carry along a lot of savory, earthy flavor notes like leather, meat, mushroom and dark spices that pair really nicely with the dark, cool, earthy fruit lurking below. I really like the wine—it is a delightful vintage of Montelena to my tastes.
1986 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon The Montelena Estate Napa Valley. Paralleling the experience with the 1985 vs. 1986 Laurel Glens, I again find that the 1986 Montelena is a considerably warmer-profiled wine than its 1985 counterpart. Here, one finds a lot of cherry and red currant fruit aromas to go with pretty cedar and soft spice notes. There may even from time to time be a slight hint of some roastiness to the fruit, which doesn’t bother me too much, but apparently enough to take note of. In the mouth, it has just great drive and freshness for a wine of its age—flowing along beautifully with fresh red cherry, raspberry and red currant fruit leading the way and some leather and earth tones further back in support. It is alive and kicking and really easy to drink. Again, it may not come across as quite so classic, but there’s a ton to like here.
I am a devout fan of Chateau Montelena Cabernet, but I must admit that just about everyone assembled had slight preferences for the Laurel Glen wines on this night—including myself. The wine of the flight (and WOTN) was the 1985 Laurel Glen, followed by the 1985 Montelena and then by the 1986 Laurel Glen and the 1986 Montelena. All of the wines were fantastic in their own ways, but I just preferred the cooler, more structured and more serious 1985s on this night. Interesting stuff!
1994 Diamond Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Volcanic Hill Napa Valley. The nose here shows off a lot of fine cigar wrapper, jalapeno pepper, clean earth and cool red fruit aromas that grow and expand throughout the course of the evening. In the mouth, it shows excellent balance and a sort of finesse and medium-weighted restraint in the mouth I wasn’t expecting. It features a lot of spicy cherry and mixed currant fruit flavors to go along with a warm brick sort of feeling. It feels controlled and precise and exhibits a lot of class to go along with the delightful flavor profile. It may not have the density or gravitas of the preceding wines, but it feels very nicely-resolved to me and I think it is probably right in the zone for drinking enjoyment today.
Nightcap:
1994 Warre Vintage Porto. This wine possesses a rather woodsy sort of nose, full of mushroom and bark notes to go along with the warm spiced cherry, warm brick and lava rock notes that are finely-aligned with the gentle spirits aromas that linger. In the mouth, it contains the alcohol and sprits levels pretty well, with the focus much more on the spiced cherry and red berry flavors. It is moderately full-bodied, but shows pretty decent lightness of foot. It think it is still a bit youthful overall, but quite a nice way to finish a great evening.
-Michael
I love Californian Cabernets from good producers made in the 70ies and 80ies.