WTN: Ridge Sassicaia Jasmin Calon Chapoutier Cockburn

Notes from a very nice lunch – every wine was in great shape and was interesting.

2000 Paul Bara Champagne Grand Cru Brut Millésimé – I liked this a lot. It showed some colour, a nice lemon drop and similar flavours with a sweet entry and medium long finish.

Gaston Chiquet Champagne Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs d'Ay – this nv bubble also showed a lot of character and added some nice minerality to the mix. Light in the nose, with some nutty notes.

2012 Domaine Billaud-Simon Chablis 1er Cru Mont de Milieu – very nice chard nose, rich in the mouth and probably on the low acidity side, with a rich feel and long finish.

1995 Ridge Geyserville – I’d had this in the cellar since release. It had, of course, lost the youthful zin characteristics, but had picked up some lovely secondary attributes that led people toward the Rhone or Spain. Black olive and raspberry nose, a bit of funkiness, and fairly intense flavours. Good finish and good showing.

1983 Sassicaia – medium to light red colour, an interesting (and for this wine, unusual) hint of smokiness in the nose backed by mature fruit and cedar, smooth and balanced – good bottle.

1999 Domaine Jasmin Côte-Rôtie – unusually dark red for this wine. Some very nice floral high notes to the nose, over a substrate of iron/blood and peppery meat aromas. Smooth medium bodied wine with soft tannins and good length. No rush.

2001 Château Calon-Ségur – integrated dark fruit nose, with elements of vanilla and tobacco. Soft tannin, good acid and a lack of resemblance to typical claret. Better with food.

2006 M. Chapoutier Crozes-Ermitage Les Varonniers – elevated peppery syrah nose, earthy and with hits of blood, fairly full bodied and well balanced. Performed more at the level of an Hermitage than most Crozes.

1991 Cockburns Port – bit turbid, as if it had been jogged to the event, and surprisingly light colour. A sweet nose, a tad hot, and light in colour. Too light and simple for a wine of this vintage, but nonetheless a pleasant luncheon weight Port

[David M. Bueker]

Nice set of wines Bill.

I think all of my '95 Geyserville is gone. There are some '97s (Geyserville, Lytton, York Creek PS) that seem to be getting on towards a final window. OK, not the PS. It will outlive me.

Yeah, I have some Turley PS (all 1997s) and wonder when they will be drinking and hoping I'll still be around to enjoy them!

[David M. Bueker]

I worry about the older Turley wines. The VA level was pretty high when they came out.

[Jenise]

I'll try to post my notes on this tasting today or tomorrow.

[Jenise]

2000 Paul Bara Champagne Grand Cru Brut Millésimé – Aged nose, very BdN (and it should, it's 90% pinot). Good acidity with a touch of earth and sweet caramel. Very good.

Gaston Chiquet Champagne Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs d'Ay – tart after the Bara, with nice limestone flavors. Good.

2012 Domaine Billaud-Simon Chablis 1er Cru Mont de Milieu – Flinty with wet leaf and seashells. Very good.

1995 Ridge Geyserville – pale aged red with an unusually attractive nose. I picked up bits of green olive tapenade and a light background note of iodine with lots of sweet spices--all good stuff but not usually in the same wine. Amazed when it's revealed. Good show! Excellent.

[b]1983 Sassicaia – lighter than the Ridge but with more acid and less body. Obviously Italian, though of course only obvious after[/b] someone else said it. Bill, your description nails it. Excellent.

1999 Domaine Jasmin Côte-Rôtie – Of nine tasters present, six got good pours and three of us got a cloudy, confused mess. Unable to rate.

2001 Château Calon-Ségur – My bottle. And what you said with the addition of sweet bandaids, but unlike most 01's way too young still. I chose this as I believed I had read a very positive review of it on CT. Turns out I confused it with another wine. Crappola!

2006 M. Chapoutier Crozes-Ermitage Les Varonniers – Your description nails it, and I think the Hermitage-ness was emphasized by two fundamentals: big berry fruit and almost none of the green olive that stands out on most Crozes. I was very happy with this showing. An unusual Rhone in another way: over the last five years I've opened four or five of the original ten bottles I bought, and each bottle has shown beautifully as a pop n' pour. No decanting required.

1991 Cockburns Port – You captured it well: light bodied, sweet nose, a tad hot and fizzy.

2006 M. Chapoutier Crozes-Ermitage Les Varonniers – elevated peppery syrah nose, earthy and with hits of blood, fairly full bodied and well balanced. Performed more at the level of an Hermitage than most Crozes.

I had this twice some years ago and would definitely say it punched above it it's appellation. Good, memorable wine.