With green chile burgers to celebrate Bob's birthday:
1998 Château Mouton Rothschild Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend
Uncorked five hours in advance, then decanted just before dinner. Incredible nose but lackluster on the palate compared to the all the fireworks that were the other two bottles (from same source) we've opened in the past two years. Tight/perfect cork, no change in conditions; just eh where oh! should have been. Not happy.
With ash-covered washed rind goat cheese and cherry tomatoes the night before:
2004 Domaine de Marcoux Châteauneuf-du-Pape Red Rhone Blend
Bright raspberry fruit and herbs, noticeably aged but not ancient. Finish seems a bit hot and mildly bitter for the first two hours. We pnp'd but a two hour decant would make an excellent difference. Enjoyed it.
Opened as a sipper on Wednesday night:
2012 Gramercy Cellars Syrah Red Willow Vineyard Columbia Valley
Opaque, dense, thick on the palate with black/blue fruit and spent coffee grounds. Not much evolution at this point--if I had more I'd hold for better days (hopefully) ahead. We visited the winery last spring and I've had a number of his wines. As he leans toward a lighter touch with more acidity; hard to reconcile this '12 with the rest of what I know of the Gramercy style.