Three 2001's from Washington state:
2001 DeLille Cellars Chaleur Estate
Opened for Neil and Sue. Deep purple-red. Paulliac-ish in style with a spice, cigar box and graphite nose and brooding weight on the palate. Drinks well now but it's not done evolving.
2001 Soos Creek Artist's Series
Paired with the 01 Chaleur above which was a very good wine with more brooding weight, but this Soos was brighter and impressively spicier (think: Musar-ish)--a wine at it's true optimum drinking moment, and it won my heart.
2001 Andrew Will Cabernet Sauvignon Seven Hills Vineyard
Opened just last night. Reticent, fading black fruit with a starchy mouthfeel, not unlike jicama, and not undrinkable but disappointing. This wine isn't maturing, it's just going away. Have had older Sorellas (a Bdx blend from A Will) that performed better and many nice WA 01's from others, so better expectations weren't out of line. Just, in this case, unmet.
Things made from pinot noir and chardonnay:
1990 Louis Roederer Champagne Cristal Brut
Drinkable but ordinary, lacking the depth and grandeur this bottling should have. Worse, of about nine I bought some time back from a good, trusted cellar, about every other bottle has been disappointing in this same way. Scary.
1999 Delamotte Champagne Brut
I love aged champagne and this bottle had everything that makes me say that. Deep golden color with rich, yeasty brioche and baked apples in a decadent finish. Great mousse and persistence. Thank you, Hal, for hooking me up with these bottles.
2000 Bernard Dugat-Py Gevrey-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes - Coeur de Roy
Served with an excellent 91 DRC, which did not do it a disservice (major credit to both wines here) despite the oak which, though evident, is successfully integrating into the wine. Nicely and only just middle aged with youthful fruit showing some secondary development and a bright future ahead. Resonates very well in the shadow of the older wine. From John and Annabelle's Cellar.
1991 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Echezeaux
Bright ruby with orange-y hues. Ethereal nose and palate of tea, potpourri, tar and cherry pie with an elongated finish. Though somewhat past peak with no tannins left to speak of, that's not really a complaint as it's definitely not done being a great glass of wine. Lovely. Shared with us by the same wonderful couple that showed up in Lyon all those years ago with a bottle of La Tache--so many great wine moments we've shared!
2007 Hanzell Chardonnay, Sonoma Valley
Big, rich and beautifully aged. Apple, lemon curd and some rich unsweetened marzipan-like almond flavors. As serious as chardonnay gets in a warm year in California--not inexpensive but you can taste every penny. Stunning with an elevated Mexican seafood meal featuring crab and green chile enchiladas.
