We had a nice get-together in Cleveland this past Sat.
NV Salmon Selection Brut: abundant froth, acidic/yeasty 12% abv very young, wait 10+ yrs. Chardonnay base I think, no code to determine possible vintages in blend
20014 Rombauer Cal. Chardonnay: very "big" tropical fruit 14.5% abv , great acidity, many would hate this Chard.
2001 Ch. Souverain Cab: nice cassis & tobacco flavors, dark color, not quite at peak, 13.9% abv amazing for non-res. wine
2011 Reserve Cardinalys Chateauneuf du Pape, new label to me, hand-carried from s. France, lots of dark brambly fruit but very young, try again in 2025, abv of 16%
2001 Cuvee de Vatican CnP: lots of black fruit, some herb, slight bricking
2000 Pegau Res. CnP: Iodine funk, little fruit light purple, slight browning, interesting and quite different
2005 Larrivaux: Medoc not at peak, brambly red and black fruit, slight bitter finish
2004 Haut Bages Liberal: dusty black fruit, enjoyable but young
2001 Pichon Baron: near peak but will sail on for decades, dusty black fruit ,bit of tobacco, touch of earth
2005 Bugay Res. "Les Roucheuses": Napa Cab. black fruit, tannins not quite resolved, young
2004 Conn Creek Limited Release: Napa Cabernet, sweet fruit mostly resloved tannins, bit of tobacco, try in 5 yrs.
2000 Tardieu-Laurent Cote Rotie: smooth with lots of smokey bacon notes, light black fruit, raw meat, just fabulous
2013 Caymus Cabernet: gobs of fruit, good tannins and acidity 14.9% abv, wait 10-15 years
1983 Burklin Wolfe Forster-Mariegarten Scheurebe icewine.: medium amber very sweet grapefruit, slight lack of acidity
2009 LaTour Blanche Sauternes: medium straw color, great acidity, clean tropical fruits, pineapple,grapefruit abv of 14% will age for many decades.
great time was had by all, unfortunately I did not get to bed until 7:00 AM so still recovering!