Set up a fun tasting a few weeks ago, meant to post earlier, but I think I've been hungover since then... I have a few friends that turned 40 this year so I tracked down a few birth year wines to taste with them. Then by chance I was able to find the exact same wines, or at least very similar wines from my wife's birth year as well. We did end up drinking many other wines as well. Notes are below.
NV Duval-Leroy Brut, France, Champagne
For a low priced entry level Champagne this isn't bad. Nice fruit profile, less mineral and depth than higher quality Champagne, but still enjoyable.
2012 Martin Muthenthaler Riesling Vießlinger Stern, Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau
So crisp, high acidity and bone dry. Taste so young! Crisp Granny Smith Apple, extremely mineral. Clean nose, almost too clean, but so crisp it works. Great start to the meal and could work well with fish. Was great with apple wood smoked Steel head
2007 i Clivi Brazan, Italy, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Collio Goriziano
Still drinkable, but clearly past it's best buy date. Hints of melon, with medium body and medium acidity.
2015 The Eyrie Vineyards Pinot Gris Original Vines, USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills
Medium to full body. Elevated acidity with great depth. So much going on. Some funkiness that I love, actually gets stronger with air. Has some melon and orchard fruit, but hard to describe there is so much going on.
1998 Kientzler Riesling Geisberg, France, Alsace, Alsace Grand Cru
Still drinking beautifully. Gold in color, and showing some signs of it's age, but still has great acidity to balance it out. Marzipan, baked apple and some petrol and Orange oil aroma. Could survive a while longer, but drinking so well right now..
FLIGHT 2 - OREGON PINOT
Had these with Grilled Tri Tip with a mushroom and shallot sauce
1979 Sokol Blosser Pinot Noir Hyland Vineyard, USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills
We were blown away by this wine! 40 year old Oregon Pinot we had no idea what to expect. This was perfectly balanced with hints of forest floor and great red fruit. Black cherry, raspberry and showing some age, but wearing it beautifully. Not sure how much longer this will survive, but it is amazing tonight!
1985 Sokol Blosser Pinot Noir Red Hills Vineyard, USA, Oregon, Yamhill County
Still had great red fruit and was balanced beautifully, only problem was it showed a ton of Brett, and I don't mind Brett usually, but this was overpowering...
FLIGHT 3 - ON IT'S OWN
2015 Sadie Family Cinsault Pofadder, South Africa, Coastal Region, Swartland
This was absolutely killer! I love Cinsault, but this was a step up from any I have ever had. Medium body with great acidity. Floral and red fruit driven with a spice that I just loved. Very expensive for a Cinsault, but cheap for the quality in your glass. This was my first Sadie Family wine and I understand the hype...
FLIGHT 4 - 1979 VS 1985 BORDEAUX
Had with Lamb Chops which had been marinated in yogurt and Rosemary
1979 Château Potensac, France, Bordeaux, Médoc
Past it's best buy date. Still had some fruit, but just out of balance and not much length. Too bad... May have been a storage issue, but got from same source as the '85 which was wonderful
1985 Château Potensac, France, Bordeaux, Médoc
A great Mature Bordeaux. Still has bright red fruit and black fruit. At the same time shows some notes of Bell Pepper, but not overpowering, more adding some great depth. Medium body, medium acid and great length. This was in great shape and drinking wonderfully
FLIGHT 5 - RANDOM 1985
1985 Brokenwood Shiraz Graveyard, Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley
Cork was soaked all the way through and there was a ton of mold under the capsule on top of the bottle. We cleaned it up good, but with how deeply the cork was soaked we were concerned. This wine was delicious, still so young this probably could have lived another 10+ if the cork held. Black Pepper, even a hint of olive. Black fruit driven, with amazing acidity to balance it out. I was blown away this was so good!! Tasted very French in style, reminded me of an old Northern Rhone much more than what you expect from Aussie Shiraz these days
1985 La Jota Zinfandel, USA, California, Napa Valley, Howell Mountain
Fun to taste a 30+ year old Zinfandel, but there wasn't much life left on this. Had a strange almost sweet front palate and faded very quickly.
FLIGHT 6 - DESSERT
2006 Weingut Willi Bründlmayer Gelber Muskateller, Austria, Niederösterreich, Kamptal
This was another wow of a wine for me. A 13 year old non-fortified muscat that taste like it could be a year old. So fresh, so floral and so much fruit. Full bodied and still somehow has the acid to balance out. Sad this was my last bottle, this wine taste like it could have lived to be 50...
NV Osborne Jerez-Xérès-Sherry Solera Rare India Oloroso, Spain, Andalucía, Jerez-Xérès-Sherry
This wine was black, full bodied and soooo much going on. The length this holds on was literally 15+ minutes... My only complaint is that there was an extremely bitter note to it, almost taste burnt. Fun drink, but only need a taste
NV Tenuta Arnulfo Barolo Chinato, Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo Chinato
Very bitter and herbal, fun way to end the night
Hard to pick a "Wine of the Night" The three that ever body seemed to agree on was the '79 Oregon Pinot, '85 Bordeaux and '85 Shiraz.