2005 Château Marqui Côteaux Varois Syrah Blend
Have opened three bottles in the past year. One was weak/off, but two were drinking well and at peak, showing both syrah and cab character with good maturing flavors. An everyday style French country wine.
2010 Sokol Blosser Pinot Noir Dundee
Taut and herbal; not entirely unpleasant but needs food and I'm not sure it can improve from here.
1995 Château Climens Barsac Sémillon
Orange peel, honey--richer on the palate than the brighter 2004 Climens it was paired with, and unctiously so. Paired it with a 2004, and most preferred the younger wine.
2008 Joseph Drouhin / Drouhin-Vaudon Chablis 1er Cru Chardonnay
An excellent bottle--well, excellent considering the last bottle opened (oxidized) lowered expectations. These are hit and miss--should really drink the rest and not test fate any further.
2006 Ravenswood Pickberry Sonoma Mountain
Fading badly; this wine peaked about four years ago.
2010 Goldeneye (Duckhorn Vineyards) Pinot Noir Anderson
Lovely wine, but will be better in 1-2 years.
1986 Laurel Glen Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma
A sentimental favorite. Not a showstopper among aged Cal Cabs but regally holding it's own at this point.
2006 Domaine du Pégaü Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée Red Rhone Blend
Flavors a bit ripe and monochromatic on first pour (not decanted). Large group so it was drunk and loved, but it would have filled out with airtime and it didn't get that chance. Remind me not to open bottles like this at 2 a.m.
1999 Maison Leroy Bourgogne
Once again, tired and nothing like Drew's bottle last summer (same source). DRAT.
2001 Château Monbousquet St. Émilion
Opened for Dave and Margot. Big and balanced; drinking well now. Showed especially well next to recent WA state release of the same blend, lots of mystery and nuance, even with all the oak Monbousquet lavishes these days.
2008 Basel Cellars Merriment Pheasant Run Vineyard Walla Walla Valley Red Bordeaux Blend
In it's prime drinking plateau: good fruit, tannins resolving, some interesting secondary development. Drink or hold for up to three more years.
2007 Scholium Project Naucratis Lost Slough Vineyards Clarksburg Verdelho
High octane and sweet with ripe tropical fruit flavors. Not much change since the previous bottle we opened about three years ago--it strangely seems to be motoring along where most 07 CA whites would be gone by now. But what good that does anyone I don't know, it's not a dinner wine and it's not a dessert wine and it's too strong for your MIL who otherwise likes fruitbombs.
2000 Château Bellegrave Pomerol
In a great place right now. Drinks well right away, but gets better. Good weight and freshness, with both primary fruit and interesting secondary complexities.
1998 Château Léoville Poyferré St. Julien
Loved this bottle. Fully mature, drinking beautifully now.
2013 Ayoub Chardonnay Dundee Hills
How eff-ing bizarre. This was actually a good wine--drank like a high quality Oregon chardonnay. Very pale in color with deft and correct chardonnay fruit. Whereas the previous bottle drunk just a few months ago, purchased at the same time from the same source, was bright yellow with extracted, chemical flavors. Not at all what I would call oxidized--but is there any other way to reconcile one vs. the other?
2005 Château Pibran Pauillac
Jeff Leve's 2013 description of cassis, red berries, earth, coffee and tobacco is still spot on, but the palate's filled out more and provides some elegance. A very nice mid-level Bordeaux. (Decanted two hours).
2001 Château Guittot Fellonneau
Should have decanted (and served it before, not after, the Pibran). Decent fruit here but needs air time (or food) to relax the grip of the tannins.
2007 Jean Boillot & Fils Montagny 1er Cru Chardonnay
I thought we'd drunk all these years ago, but what a fine discovery this was. Minerality, fruit and depth from years of bottle age, yet fresh and vivid.
2005 Dunham Cellars Syrah Frenchtown Vineyard Columbia Valley
Purchased on release at the winery--at the time it showed exciting complexity and detail in the Northern Rhone style, which is rare for WA syrah. But the fruit hasn't held up at all. Sad--especially for $75 a bottle on release. Which points to another problem with Washington wines--the higher priced wines aren't necessarily more age-worthy. You do kind of expect that, don't you?
2006 Cadaretta Merlot Columbia Valley
OTH. Exciting aged merlot flavors initially but severe fade ruins things fast.
2005 Domaine Ninot Mercurey Vieilles Vignes Pinot Noir
More acidity than fruit, bordering on astringent. Bought six of these way back when from Garagiste and have not had one satisfactory bottle.
2011 Ravenswood Zinfandel Belloni Russian River Valley
I continue to love this vintage. Spicy yet restrained, great balance and aromatics. Not as big as a typical warmer vintage but that's a plus: more nuanced, lower alcohol.
2001 Le Pin Beausoleil Bordeaux Supérieur
Similar showing to six months ago. Terrific value, drinking well now.
2001 Domaine Jamet Côte-Rôtie Syrah
Impeccable flavor and balance, but we didn't decant and it could have used several hours' worth. Based on this bottle, the CT drinking window is too shortsighted--if I had another bottle, I'd schedule it for 2019-20.