WTN: About Saturday Night

[Jenise]

Mixed bag from last Saturday night, not in order of appearance, and not including everything as my note-taking went to @#$#% after awhile because it was just so darned good to be among good wine friends again!

2020 Oyster River Wine Co. Morphos Petillant Naturel Maine White Blend
Cloudy/unfiltered appearance, vibrantly cidery and bone dry with microscopic petillance. Quite tasty. From Maine, did you notice that? MAINE!

2004 Poderi Aldo Conterno Barolo Nebbiolo
Erik's. Deep garnet-purple color, dense appearance. Classic rose and tar character on a well-oaked platform. Getting nicely into middle age, should hang here for years and get even more interesting.

1967 Giacomo Borgogno & Figli Barolo Riserva Antichi Vigneti Propri Nebbiolo
Enjoyed this very much though it's owner dissed it for showing less well than another he opened not long ago. Without that comparison to draw on, the rest of us found it a very amiable 50 year old Barolo.

2017 Danjou-Banessy SuperNova Languedoc Roussillon Muscat of Alexandria
This description from some sales site revived my hazy memory of this wine we tasted last Saturday night: "Aromas could be described as somewhere between a tea infusion, a sake and a white beer. Sublime fruit, lush texture, stunning aromas and tension and a super refreshing bitter finish." Controversial in a group setting as this kind of wine always and enjoyably is. Personally wasn't sure I liked it, but I enjoyed making it's acquaintance. It's a Muscat of Alexandria grapes with two weeks skin contact, wild yeast, low sulphur, unfiltered, and six months in neutral barrels.

2009 Ridge Geyserville Sonoma County Zinfandel Blend, Zinfandel
Not tired, but ever so lightly oxidized ripe and pruney plum flavors plus alcohol are way out in front. It's been years since I've had a Geyser that's like what I loved back in the old days; maybe I'm over Ridge zins once and for all.

2018 Prospice Syrah Resurgent Vineyard Walla Walla Valley
Doran's. Green notes of green olives and fennel fronds, a bit of cactus flower, cool minerality. Only 13.3%.

2018 Devison Vintners Syrah Phantom Lamb Walla Walla Valley
Doran's. Deep garnet color. Sturdy and concentrated in the Northern Rhone style with great fruit, bacon and sage notes. 14.5%, but it doesn't show. Reaffirmed what I thought when tasting at the winery last month: Pete Devison is truly an exciting winemaker.
Can't wait to taste more of what he does.

2008 Champagne Copinet Champagne Monsieur Leonard Champagne Blend
Ann Marie's bottle. Taut and crisp. Still not much change from the bottle I opened in 2019.

2003 Philipponnat Champagne Brut Clos des Goisses Champagne Blend
Warren's. Hazy memory from several days later, but this had Dr. Phil's classic peachy richness and yet had enough acidity to hold together. Tons of depth--any worries I had about a 2003 going the distance were unfounded. Overall excellent.

2017 Suertes del Marqués Valle de la Orotava Medianías Red Blend
Crunchy, stern red. The volcanic nature of the soils really shows here. Good spice and flavor, but needs food.

2018 Cayuse Grenache Edith Rosé Walla Walla Valley
Loved this. Pale pink, great balance, totally Provencal. And how can you not love a wine named Edith?

2009 Château Rieussec Sauternes Sémillon-Sauvignon Blanc Blend
Light brassy yellow. Lemon curd and apricots with a touch of ginger. Not cloyingly ripe as one might fear of the vintage. Great right now; drink or continue holding.

1999 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage Syrah
Decanted to remove some sediment, left open about two hours. Didn't actually need the help but neither did it hurt. This one's gently easing into the latter stages of maturity with notes of cherry compote, sun-baked tar, antique leather book covers, pot roast, and roadside fennel. Finish goes on and on. Outstanding.

[David M. Bueker]

2009 Geyserville is nowhere close to end of life. I really do wonder if half the wines you get are cooked in transit.

[Jenise]

I understand your question. And if I 1) stored every wine I purchase passively, 2) bought them all from the same source or 3) drove every last one of them around in a hot car on the way home; you'd be justified in wondering about that. But none of this is the case.

[David M. Bueker]

Weird.

I will open an ‘09 sometime when the weather is inviting, and see what’s up.

[Jenise]

On CT, the other most recent TN came from another Washingtonian and his bottle was identical to mine. We might both have procured from the same bad shipment.

[David M. Bueker]

That could be.

Odd, that. The 94 and 95 are still killer. I can't recall if the most recent one I had as 2009 or if it was a 2006.... Almost bought a T shirt that said 'Geezerville Forever"

[Jenise]

I have a '92! Expect great things. You may have had one since the barbecue-off about three years ago, but I brought an '05 Magnum to that. It was stellar.

A question for Jenise and others re: a wine tasting. We may actually do some socializing this summer, outdoors, distancing.

What tips/procedures would you recommend for a group of 4-6 people? Can wines be placed on the table and shared ? Does every person bring their own: glasses? food? utensils? chairs?

What, if any, items can be shared? If wine can be shared, can each person pour their own?

Just not sure what reasonable parameters are. It's been so long....and we used to do this indoors. Sigh.

Any ideas appreciated.

[David M. Bueker]

Pat - if folks are vaccinated then most, and maybe all the cuffs are off. Our entire tasting group is vaccinated, and the surgeon who is a member, and who has been through all the trauma at his hospital, is fine with us gathering as we used to.

[Jenise]

Pat, with vaxxed people, I'm fine with everyone pouring their own. If proximity were am issue, and it's not with either of my groups both of which include doctors, I'd feel better people pouring their own to standing close enough to pour for them. For us it's pretty much like it used to be, although we're still preferring outdoor settings. Unvaxxed? They're not invited so moot point.