Josh hosted the March edition of Leo's blind tasting group at Hearth yesterday. We had Abe Schoener (Scholium Project) as a special guest with a few of his wines being poured in the lineup - the wines were also unknown to Abe, which made some of the guessing/unveiling quite fun. Another really fun evening with good company, food and a very generous lineup from Josh.
Flight 1 - Starting Champagnes
1976 René Collard Champagne Cuvée du Roi René
1996 Lanson Champagne Gold Label Brut (from magnum)
The Collard was a little tired and oxidative - caramel, nutty and baked fruit flavours, gentle effervescence but not much acidity.
The Lanson was quite stellar on the other hand; incredibly fresh and precise fruit framed by fresh baked biscuits, dough, vanilla and chalky notes. Great balance and depth with more layers and nuances coming out with air, and great length.
Flight 2 - Old Semillons
1942 LaGarde Sémillon (from Argentina; think this was fortified)
1998 Kalin Cellars Sémillon
1983 Château Laville Haut-Brion Blanc
The '42 LaGarde was quite amazing - like a complex, aged Sherry with an amazing fragrance of sea salt, caramel, roasted nuts and dried fruits. Lots of depth and nuance in the mouth with great balance and a long, saline finish. Stunning wine and quite an experience.
The Kalin was much less interesting - a flor/yeasty element that had me guessing it was a sous voile wine from the Jura, but nowhere near the depth and finesse of the LaGarde. The LHB, sadly, was corked.
Flight 3 - Skin fermented Scholium whites
2006 Scholium Project San Floriano Normale Rocky Hills Vineyard
2006 Scholium Project San Floriano Del Collio Rocky Hill
2006 Scholium Project San Floriano Del Collio Riserva Rocky Hill
A remarkable trio, all skin fermented Pinot Grigio from the same lot of grapes with some variations in the winemaking. The Normale had a remarkably complex fragrance with sweeter baking spices and honeyed elements combining with fresh fruit, earth and more funky savoury notes; the Rocky Hill was simpler but showed a remarkable purity of fruit with bright strawberry and raspberry flavours, and the Riserva was more high toned with a spicy character, though not showing the complexity of the Normale or the purity of the Rocky Hill. All compelling wines, among the better 'orange' wines I've had - and we were shocked to find the wines were 16.9% alcohol, as nobody found any trace of heat on there.
Flight 4 - older Cabernets
1962 Château Montrose
1990 La Dame de Montrose
1985 Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon Bonny's Vineyard (magnum)
The '62 Montrose was pleasant though a little tired and fading, a bit musty at first (some debate whether it was corked), but cleared with air. The Dame de Montrose was the class of the flight - beautiful pure fruit framed by mature smokiness, leather and cedar. The Silver Oak was monstrously oaky and any nuance was obliterated under a wave of vanilla and wood.
Flight 5 - Cab Franc
2002 Domaine Bernard Baudry Chinon Franc de Pied
2004 Clos Rougeard (Foucault) Saumur-Champigny Les Poyeux
1996 Giuseppe Quintarelli Cabernet (Franc) Alzero
Tragically the Franc de Pied was corked. My one prior experience with the '02 was incredible, so it was a real shame. The Rougeard was stunning (wine of the night so far) with a beautiful perfume combining all sorts of fruit, mineral, green and earthy elements and great balance. The Quintarelli was made in an Amarone style, and I struggled with the raisined quality and alcohol.
Flight 6 - Syrah
1990 Paul Jaboulet Aîné Crozes-Hermitage Domaine de Thalabert
1985 Noël Verset Cornas
1979 Penfolds Shiraz Bin 28 Kalimna
2004 Scholium Project Scythia, Donati Vineyards
Only notes on 2 of these - the Jaboulet was very typical (guessed it as a Thalabert C-H) with pure red fruits and olives framed by developed leather and earthy notes; fully mature and resolved and a lovely wine.
Stopped paying attention to everything else after smelling the Verset, which had a glorious old Cornas fragrance - meat, blood, leather, olives, sous bois and so much more. Not quite as complex in the mouth (perhaps a little bit past its peak) but still conveying a very gentle palate presence, great balance and length. Easy favourite of the night for me (would have been the case from the aromatics alone), and I'm thrilled I have two bottles of it in the cellar. All I remember of the other two was that the Penfolds still showed a bit of wood (I was guessing a more modern Cote-Rotie) but came across quite youthful, and the Scholium was incredibly primary - dominated by structure right now. But there was old Verset, so I wasn't paying much attention.
Flight 7 - dessert
2004 Scholium Project The Lydian Queen Oro Puro Vineyards
Reminded me of an SGN from Alsace; a bright floral element mingled with ripe apricots and tropical fruits drenched in caramel and honey. Wasn't paying much attention though as I was still enjoying the dregs of the Verset.
A great evening as always with some really remarkable wine experiences, thanks Josh for an amazing lineup.