| On the wines: I mostly agree (within a point or two) with
Bruce on the scores.
96 Pahlmeyer Merlot-Voluptuous application of oak, and in my
mind slightly overdone. Still, a beautiful wine. I have previosly rated
this 95 points; it showed a bit lower Sunday.
95 Pahlmeyer Red-Best wine I've had from Pahlmeyer. Creamy cherry/vanilla/cola,
length, depth and balance. I have previosly rated this 94+ points; I stand
by that, and it now impresses more than the 96 merlot.
97 Dehlinger Estate Unflitered Chardonnay and 96 Lewis Reserve
Chardonnay--Both lovely wines. The Dehlinger is fruit driven, both
in its zesty bouquet and its fresh fruity flavors. The Lewis is more tightly
structured, flinty/chalky mineral flavors with very classy, drier finish.
I slightly prefered the Lewis, but this reflects my leanings toward Burgundian
styling. Both wines are in the 92-94 point range.
93 Denis Mortet Gevry Chambertin Les Champeaux--My first Mortet,
though I own several 93, 95 and 96 mixed bottlings. Typical of the 93 vintage,
this was fairly tannic, tightly wound but not austere. There is great purity
of fruit here (very Gevrey as the Brits are apt to put it), though not
with the density or accessibility, say, of Denis Bachelet's Les Corbeaux
or VV in 93. On the high acid side, it bodes well for future development.
Give it 5-6 years, at least. Should end up a 91-92 pointer, but it's less
than that now.
97 Unti Dry Creek Syrah--As Bruce sez, very monolithic. Medium
weight, light oak treatment, I don't really think it has too far to go,
but I also don't think it will ever rate outstanding. 87+
97 Plumpjack Sangiovese--This reminded me of the Leonetti Sangiovese
in that it has the house style stamped all over it, a manufactured wine,
and is indistinguishable from it's Cab/Merlot counterparts. Tom Hill would
say we need a paradigm shift to place New World Sangiovese in their proper
context. Well I don't know what that paradigm might be, if it is ever even
discovered. But for now, I'm in the "Why Bother?" camp. So long as sangioveses
like this taste like creamy, overoaked cab, why not just label the bottle
"Cherry Vanilla Cola Cream with 13.5% Alcohol"? Pleasurable on its own
terms, it will surely clobber most Italian Chiantis in the seduction department.
But this is NOT a substitute for its distant Tuscan cousins. Sip this alone;
not recommended with Italian food. 90/82 depending which side of the fence
you occupy.
At dinner: There were also fresh pear slices in the arugula salad. The
chevre was the type called "crotin", essentially a small cylindrical puck
of goat cheese that has been aged slightly until it develops the thinnest
of skins and firms up in texture a bit. It is not yet a "stinky" cheese.
95 Dagueneau Pur Sang--Indeed this Pouilly-Fume has closed down
a bit. When first released, the fruit was more apparent. Not that it was
unbalanced, it just has lost some focus and breadth. Give it another 5-6
years to turn the corner. It will last a decade or more after that. 91+
98 Spottswoode Sauvignon Blanc--Very nice wine. Honeydew nose.
Vibrant flavors. 92, but drink within a couple of years. Not an ager.
The quail, finished with a dab of truffle butter, were served on a bed
of French green lentils topped with collards sauteed in duck fat. This,
in my mind, was the best dish of the evening, definitely star-quality that
could easily be served in the finest restaurants with nary a suspicious
glance from the most discerning of gourmands.
96 Saintsbury Brown Vineyard PN--I had earlier rated this 92+.
On this occassion, the wine was showing beautifully, probably on the +
side of 92. Saintsbury's best PN effort, but terribly overpriced at nearly
$60.
94 Gary Farrell Allen Vyd PN-- Aside from the temperature (a
bit warm), a wonderful, complex mouthful of PN. 93
95 Georges Mugneret Chambolle Musigny Les Feusselottes--I've
had only one or two approachable 95 Red Burgundies. This was not one.
Marked by high acid, austerity, some tannic grip. One might have expected
C-M to be more forward (e.g. Arlaud's 95 C-M VV) than other ACs. This one
needs bottle age to flesh out. 88-90.
92 Elderton Command Shiraz--Showing a briny quality that, by
itself, I do not like in shiraz. But with the beef, it was delicious. 92+
95 Clarendon Blewitt Old Vines Grenache--Still a mammoth wine,
it is starting to shed its edges. Last tasted in November 97, this now
can actually be drunk enjoyably with food without overwhelming it, so long
as the food has some substance (e.g. beef). If you only have 1 or 2 bottles
of this, you really should wait at least until 2005-2008 to open it. And
it will easily last another decade beyond. World class grenache.
95+
Also tasted: 95 Jade Mountain Merlot Caldwell Vyd Napa--A big,
burly, tannic, oaky monster merlot. The oak is somewhat like bittersweet
chocolate, the tannins are fine but with a biting, astringent edge on the
finish. The fruit tastes ripe, but there may not be the density to outlast
the tannins. This one is a big "IF". Some at the table did not notice
or mind the tannins, but Bruce, Todd and I agreed they are excessive, at
least for now. I think the wine needs 8-10 years to shed its tannic
edge, but the fruit may not hold up. 87+ points for now. If the wine retains
balance in 10 years, it could pick up another 3-5 points.
Dessert was based on the local organic Chandler strawberries that are
at their peak now in Santa Barbara County. The mascarpone was flavored
with orange zest and lightly sweetend with honey. It was topped with a
Godiva chocolate star with raspberry filling. The strawberries were drizzled
with Extra Vecchhio Balsamico (the thick syrupy kind). The plate was finished
with a lemon-poppy seed biscotto. The dessert wine was perfect.
94 Antinori Vin Santo--The right bitter almond, mandarine, caramel
and fig flavors and sharp acidity to cut through and enhance dessert. Not
a super-sweet, mind-blowing dessert wine, but the correct match for the
occasion. 91. |
