Category Archives: Sauternes

2016-1 Clearing Out the Cellar

at Eddie V’s

January 23, 2016 at 6pm

This tasting features odds and ends from the cellar, but fortunately we saved some of the best for last! We have a few more of the 1937 Burgundy, two half bottles of Yquem, several bottles of Madeira. We also now have a 25 year vertical of BV!

This turned out to be quite a great tasting.

The Haut Brion Blancs took quite a while to warm up and open up, but were magnificent, if not worth the current price.

The DRCs were excellent, with votes evenly split between them, although the 37 VR showed much better than the last bottle, too.

The Duckhorn was good but not as good as the previous ones.

I also brought a 38 Cheval Blanc from my own cellar, which was infinitely better than the one with the very low fill at the last tasting. A well stored bottle of this wine would be phenomenal.

The Lafite lived up to its reputation, and was a perfectly stored bottle.

The Madeira was extraordinarily complex, of course, and the Yquem also showed really well, more balanced and less acidic than many. I’m not sure what Parker’s fuss about the Teseron was all about, though. It’s a fine cognac, but not a 100 point wine.

The Wines

7	16	2000	Ch Haut Brion Blanc	France	Graves		485
7	17	2001	Ch Haut Brion Blanc	France	Graves		375

8	8	1937	Vosne-Romanée Collection du Docteur Barolet – Henri de Villamont	Red	Burgundy		450
7	15	1958	Echezeaux Domaine de la Romanee Conti	Red	Burgundy		675
7	21	1983	La Tache – Domaine de la Romanee Conti	Red	Burgundy		300

7	19	1959	Ch Lafite	France	Pauillac		1450

7	31	1980	Duckhorn	Merlot	Napa		85

7	18	1914	Madeira, Bual, Abudarhaml	Madeira	Madeira		300
9	23	1999	Ch d’Yquem	Sauternes	Bordeaux	tenth	85

			Tesseron XO Selection Lot 29	Cognac			leftover

							4355

Acquisitions

Vintage	Wine	Value
1942	BV Cabernet Sauvignon Georges de Latour Private Reserve	565
1952	BV Cabernet Sauvignon Georges de Latour Private Reserve	500
1960	BV Cabernet Sauvignon Georges de Latour Private Reserve	225
1964	BV Cabernet Sauvignon Georges de Latour Private Reserve	135
1965	BV Cabernet Sauvignon Georges de Latour Private Reserve	191
1968	BV Cabernet Sauvignon Georges de Latour Private Reserve	254
1971	BV Cabernet Sauvignon Georges de Latour Private Reserve	68
1973	BV Cabernet Sauvignon Georges de Latour Private Reserve	100
1974	BV Cabernet Sauvignon Georges de Latour Private Reserve	104
1975	BV Cabernet Sauvignon Georges de Latour Private Reserve	81
1976	BV Cabernet Sauvignon Georges de Latour Private Reserve	131
1977	BV Cabernet Sauvignon Georges de Latour Private Reserve	92
1979	BV Cabernet Sauvignon Georges de Latour Private Reserve	53
1980	BV Cabernet Sauvignon Georges de Latour Private Reserve	54
1981	BV Cabernet Sauvignon Georges de Latour Private Reserve	60
1982	BV Cabernet Sauvignon Georges de Latour Private Reserve	49
1983	BV Cabernet Sauvignon Georges de Latour Private Reserve	45
1984	BV Cabernet Sauvignon Georges de Latour Private Reserve	78
1986	BV Cabernet Sauvignon Georges de Latour Private Reserve	53
1987	BV Cabernet Sauvignon Georges de Latour Private Reserve	63
1988	BV Cabernet Sauvignon Georges de Latour Private Reserve	60
1990	BV Cabernet Sauvignon Georges de Latour Private Reserve	48
1991	BV Cabernet Sauvignon Georges de Latour Private Reserve	76
2006	BV Cabernet Sauvignon Georges de Latour Private Reserve	64
		3150

Upcoming Events

Syndicate

April 2

Treasurer’s Report

Previous Balance	-3653
Dues Payable	5000
Purchases	-3150
Dinner	-1908
Balance	-3711

Please bring your dues of $1000 per couple to the event.

2014-1 Horizontals

at Eddie V’s
7488 West Sand Lake Road
Orlando FL 32819

March 15, 2014 at 6 pm

The Wines

This event offered a collection of mini horizontals. They didn’t prove much of a challenge to sort out blind, and nearly everyone got most of them right. The flight winners were the Bonnes Mares, Giscours and DRC.

5	23	1966	BV Georges de La Tour Private Reserve	Cabernet Sauvignon	Napa		125
7	9	1966	Bonnes Mares – Comte de Vogue	Red	Burgundy		490
9	15	1966	Ch. Leoville Las Cases	France	Pauillac		140
9	20	1966	Ch. Carbonnieux	France	Pauillac		85

5	12	1970	BV Georges de La Tour Private Reserve	Cabernet Sauvignon	Napa		150
9	9	1970	Ch. Giscours	France	Pauillac		85
9	8	1970	Les Forts de Latour	France	Pauillac		150

5	21	1978	BV Georges de La Tour Private Reserve	Cabernet Sauvignon	Napa		90
7	16	1978	Nuit Saint-Georges – Pierre Bouree Fils	Red	Burgundy		90
5	26	1979	BV Georges de La Tour Private Reserve	Cabernet Sauvignon	Napa		90
8	20	1979	Grand Echexeaux – Domaine de la Romanee Conti	Red	Burgundy		1156

9	22	1999	Ch d’Yquem	Sauternes	Bordeaux	tenth	85

							2736

Following the tasting I served three wines blind They turned out to all be the same wine, Troublemaker, a GSM blend. But one had been frozen for two months, and one had been in my trunk for two months. The favorite was the trunk wine, by a narrow margin. The only obviously flawed wine was the frozen one, but I think the damage was simply slight geranium scent from having a bit of air let into the bottle prior to freezing to make sure the bottle wouldn’t burst. Next time I would try it without doing that.

Acquisitions

1964	Louis Martini	Cabernet Sauvignon	California	85
1965	Louis Martini	Cabernet Sauvignon	California	85
1967	Louis Martini	Cabernet Sauvignon	California	85
1968	Louis Martini	Cabernet Sauvignon	California	85
1970	Louis Martini	Cabernet Sauvignon	California	85
1979	Duckhorn	Merlot	Napa	85
1979	Duckhorn	Merlot	Napa	85
1980	Duckhorn	Merlot	Napa	85
1980	Duckhorn	Merlot	Napa	85
1980	Duckhorn	Merlot	Napa	85
1980	Duckhorn	Cabernet Sauvignon	Napa	85
1914	Madeira, Bual, Abudarhaml	Madeira	Madeira	300
1945	Madeira, Bual, Cossart Gordon & Co	Madeira	Madeira	300
				1535

Upcoming Events

Syndicate

June 7

Treasurer’s Report

Previous Balance	3800
Dues Payable	5000
Purchases	-1535
Dinner	-1685
Balance	5580

Please bring your dues of $1000 per couple to the event.

2013-2 Blind Pairs

Capital Grille

April 20, 2013 at 6:00 pm

I was very proud of our group at this even. Except for the BV flight, there was 100% consensus as to the best wine, and except for the Burgundy flight, there was almost 100% correct identification of the wines blind! Of course, the shocker of the night was the Jean Gros Richebourg, which beat the DRC, and was the Wine of the Night.

All the wines showed well, and it might have been our best set of wines ever. Favorites were:

69 Puligny Montrachet from Leflaive (96 pts). Amazingly youthful, with a huge char and ash componenet, and then lemon curd on the finish. The 2001 Haut Brion (93 pts) had the characteristic candele wax and later violets, but wasn’t a show stopper. Both wines lasted five hours in the glass.

55 Latour (94 pts). Again, really youthful even from a tenth, great depth. The companion 55 Cheval Blanc (91 pts) seemed slightly less young and more one dimensional in comparison.

70 Petrus (98 pts). Aromatically on of the most complex Bordeauxs I’ve had. The 61 Lynch Bages (96 pts) showed classic LB nose, and was drinking beautifully, iy just had steep competition.

87 Richebourg Jean Gros (99 pts). Young, earthy, extraordinarily complex. The 83 DRC Richebourg (92 pts) seemed tannic and simple in comparison, certainly not worth the current auction price of over $1K for this off year.

63 Taylor Port (99 pts) was the greatest port I’ve ever had, almost a claret style, light, not too sweet, tons of citrus, very complex. Not madierized at all, very fresh. The 99 Yquem (92 pts) was in perfect shape, but the port stole the show.

Other wines of note:

Nice Pommery Champagne from John, and an 87 BV cab we had no trouble picking out of the BV flight.

Excellent WIlliamsburg Winery Sauvignon Blanc (91 pts) from Andy that held its own against two huge whites.

Dick’s 87 Heitz Martha’s and 06 Beaucastel CDP both went well with the food courses, as did my 2010 Puligny Montrachet Les Combottes from Etiene Sauzet (94 pts) and Henry’s Drive CS (93 pts), which was very Bordeaux-like.

I loved all three of Ron’s wines. 2010 Kosta Brown One Sixteen Chardonnay (95 pts) was all about crushed lime, butter and caramel. I would like to buy some of this wine. @007 Aquilon Garnacha (96 pts) packed a chocolate nose followed by big fruit and a gamey finish, but wasn’t over the top at all. 1979 Clos de Vougeot from Drouhin (95 pts) came a bit too late for me to fully appreciate its wonderful iron, meat and sour cherry aromas. The wine is light, and should be drunk now, as it’s a perfect classic Burgundy.

I finished things off with the novelty of a St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram from the West Indies. The nose of cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg is really quite fun.

A stellar collection of wines, and a great night. Service by Tim, his first time waiting on our group, was perfect.

The Wines

6	28	1969	Puligny Montrachet, Clavoillon, Domaine Leflaive	White	Burgundy		180
6	24	2001	Ch Haut Brion Blanc	France	Graves		375

9	18	1955	Ch Latour	France	Paullac	tenth	320
9	17	1955	Ch Cheval Blanc	France	St Emilion	tenth	320

7	19	1970	Ch Petrus	France	Pomerol		1,287
6	16	1961	Ch Lynch Bages	France	Pauillac		600

5	25	1964	BV Georges de La Tour Private Reserve	Cabernet Sauvignon	Napa		130
5	10	1970	BV Georges de La Tour Private Reserve	Cabernet Sauvignon	Napa		150

8	24	1987	Richebourg Jean Gros	Red	Burgundy		135
7	23	1983	Richebourg Domaine de la Romanee Conti	Red	Burgundy		300

9	21	1999	Ch d’Yquem	Sauternes	Bordeaux	tenth	85
6	31	1963	Taylor	Port	Portugal		150

							4032

Acquisitions

None	$

Upcoming Events

Syndicate	August 24
Syndicate	November 23

Treasurer’s Report

Previous Balance	-419
Dues Payable	5000
Purchases	0
Dinner	-1718
Balance	2863

Please bring your dues of $1000 per couple to the event.

2013-1 Ron’s Favorite Wines When You Only Have $3000 to Spend

Bull and Bear

February 2, 2013 at 6:00 pm

The Wines

Ron provided a fabulous series of flight from his cellar. Wine of the night was the 1966 La Mission Haut Brion, ,followed closely by the Chateau Rayas. Other favorites were the Jacques Selosse Substance, 2005 Araujo Eisele and 1959 Aloxe-Corton. The only wine that was slightly disappointing was the 1994 Dominus, which despite a great Bordeaux-like nose mysteriously lacked structure and fruit. I thought the Suduiraut (a great year) was slightly more balanced than the Yquem, although the nose of the Yquem was quite complex.

I added a couple of wines to the flights. My 2010 Aubert Ritchie wasn’t as complex as the Lauren, and my 2000 Raymond Usseglio CDP was much less chewy than the Deux Freres, although at one fifth the price a good buy.

Flight I (Ron’s favorite Champagne producers)

96 Krug – toast, bread, pronounced lime, sharp finish that mellowed with an hour of air, 96 pts.

NV Jacques Selosse Substance – toast, orchids, meat, stones, oxidative nose, incredibly long and mouth filling. My favorite Champagne, 98 pts.

Flight II ( Ron’s favorite Chardonnay producers Old and New World)

10 Aubert Ritchie – bacon, butter, ash, 94 pts.

09 Aubert Lauren – lavender, floral, more complex on the tongue than the Ritchie, sharper finish, growing complexity with 30 minutes of air, 98 pts.

09 Raveneau Montee de Tonnere – intense anise nose, marine slat, soft on the tongue, a bit disappointing next to the new world chards, 92 pts.

Flight III ( Southern Rhone / Chateauneuf du Pape)

00 Pierre Usseglio Deux Freres – berries, meat, well structured, 93 pts.

00 Chateau Rayas – light ruby, cherry, mint, rhubarb, herbs, like a great Burgundy, 99 pts.

00 Rudolph Usseglio CDP – dark color, animal scents, simple on the palate, but chewy, good buy, 90 pts.

Flight IV (California Cabernet battle served blind) The Araujo beat some very high end Cali’s including Dominus at Andrus’s blind tasting.

94 Dominus – big dark fruit nose but a disappointing hollowness on the palate. Bottle variation or over rated or over the hill or awkward stage? 93 pts.

05 Araujo Eisele – tons of fruit and chocolate mint, big long vanilla mint finish. A monster of a new world wine. Cultish. 96 pts.

Flight V ( Bordeaux: Ron’s favorite 82 and my favorite Bordeaux Producer)

66 La Mission Haut Brion – redwoord, huge fruit, very fruity on the palate, earthy finish, easily WOTN. 99+ pts.

82 Pichon Lalande – intense dark mushroom, forest floor, perhaps the best 82 I’ve had, but slightly thin on the palate. 95 pts.

Flight VI ( Burgundy: Ron’s favorite vintages)

59 Domaine F Thevenot Aloxe-Corton 1er Cru – youthful bright cherry, bacon, wood smoke, big, sweet and fruity on the palate, ever so slightly musty. I love old Burgs! 99 pts.

78 Leroy NSG Boudots – cherry and herbal, thin compared to the Aloxe. Reinforces my NSG opinions. 92 pts.

Flight VII ( Ron’s favorite dessert wine )

97 Yquem – surprisingly off balance for Yquem, but a great complex nose. 89 pts.

01 Suduiraut – best Suduiraut ever, really balanced finish, but a much simpler nose than the Yquem. 93 pts.

Acquisitions

1970 Petrus!	$1287 (we stole this from JJ Buckley’s year end sale)
Wines from Ron	$3000

Upcoming Events

April 20

Syndicate

Treasurer’s Report

Previous Balance	1454
Dues Payable	5000
Purchases	-4287
Dinner	-2586
Balance	-419

Please bring your dues of $1000 per couple to the event.

2012-2 White Christmas

White Christmas

at Luma

June 9, 2012 at 6:00 pm

In honor of the summer, this was an all white tasting, something we haven’t done before. We’ll did the Burgs as a flight of 5, then the Bordeaux as a flight of 4. (This was Luma, so we had to recycle glasses.) Then, with dessert, we’ll did the Yquem as a flight of 3, and after dinner the Tesseron (saving a half bottle for a future event. The Tesseron is the only Cognac ever scored 100 pts by Parker.)Members did a great job of stepping up to the plate and bringing excellent reds for dinner.

		1962	Corton Charlemagne, Patriarche	White	Burgundy		180
		1971	Chassagne-Montrachet, A. Ramonet	White	Burgundy		180
		1976	Chassagne Montrachet, Les Chenevottes, A. Lichine	White	Burgundy		180
		1969	Chevalier-Montrachet, G. Deleger	White	Burgundy		180
		1969	Puligny Montrachet, Clavoillon, Domaine Leflaive	White	Burgundy		180
6	8	1978	Ch Haut Brion Blanc	White	Graves		295
6	9	1983	Ch Haut Brion Blanc	White	Graves		295
		2000	Ch Haut Brion Blanc	White	Graves		485
		2001	Ch Haut Brion Blanc	White	Graves		375
9	24	1999	Ch d’Yquem	Sauternes	Bordeaux	tenth	85
9	31	2000	Ch d’Yquem	Sauternes	Bordeaux	tenth	213
9	26	2001	Ch d’Yquem	Sauternes	Bordeaux	tenth	300
		NV	Tesseron XO Selection Lot 29	Cognac			320

							3268

My wine notes:

Starters

2002 Freemark Abbey Gravel Bench Chardonnay, from Andy.
We all loved this very Burgundian California chard. Minerals, oak, gravel, butter with fruit and ash in the finish. 94 pts.

NV Leroy Duval Champagne, from John.
Toasty, nice fruit, 89pts.

NV Ruinart Champagne, from Ron.
Toast, greeen peel, crisp finish, 90 pts.

White Burgundy

1962 Corton Charlemagne, Patriarche, $180.
Although the oldest wine in the flight, this beauty was light straw color and incredibly youthful. 50 years? More like 5! Lemon, ash, a woodsy nose unfortunately developed, probably from a bad cork, tart mineral and lemon finish, very fresh, 91pts.

1971 Chassagne-Montrachet, A. Ramonet, $180.
Amber color, bizarre tomato, bacon and apricot nose, acidic, creamy finish, and awkward wine, 88pts.

1976 Chassagne Montrachet, Les Chenevottes, A. Lichine, $180.
Lovely light straw color, clean vanilla nose, ash on the tongue, tasting very young, the group’s favorite, 92pts.

1969 Chevalier-Montrachet, G. Deleger, $180.
Quite amber, floral, alcohol, geranium, heavy and a bit clumsy, 86 pts.

1969 Puligny Montrachet, Clavoillon, Domaine Leflaive, $180
Astonishingly youthful, bright straw color, ash, minerals a hint of bug spray, clean on the palate with a good balance between acid and fruit, flinty finish, the group’s second favorite and my favorite, 94pts.

White Bordeaux

1978 Ch Haut Brion Blanc, $295.
Amber, closed, honey, weeds, bug spray, dust, intense lemon on the palate, rich caramel finish, improved with 30 minutes of air, 92+pts.

1983 Ch Haut Brion Blanc, $295.
Spicy, candy, oily, very balanced, good acid, vanilla finish, 95pts.

2000 Ch Haut Brion Blanc, $485.
Green, flinty, young, licorice, soft, creamy, lemon finish, 96 pts.

2001 Ch Haut Brion Blanc, $375.
Balanced, creamy, vanilla, apricot, vanilla ice cream, honey, the group’s favorite, 98pts.

Lighter Reds

1981 Drouhin Grands-Echezeaux, Ron
Black olives, cherry beer, peat, balanced, smokey, 95 pts.

2003 Pegau Chateauneuf du Pape, Ron
Meat, berries, dust, spice box, cherries, jam, vanilla, a great CDP, 98pts.

2000 Barbaresco, Marc de Grazia, Dick
Cherries, dried fruit, tar, tannic, 95pts.

1983 Hermitage La Chapelle, Jaboulet, Steve
Saddle leather, smoke, dried flowers, 95pts.

1993 Fess Parker Pinot Noir, commemorative Davie Crocket magnum, Andy
Smoke, sweet finish, a really nice pinot, 92pts.

Red Bordeaux

1983 Ch Gruaud Larose, Ron
Classic Bordeaux nose, nice fruit balance, 92pts.

1986 Ch Gruaud Larose, Steve
Similar to the 1983, but with slightly more structure, 93pts.

1981 Ch. Palmer, John
Flawed bottle.

California Reds

1981 BV Georges de la Tour Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, John
Waxy, fading a bit, but with traditional GDLT notes. You can tell this was just on the cusp of the winery’s decline, 90pts.

1995 Heitz Bella Oaks Cabernet Sauvignon, Andy
A remarkable Bella Oaks, lots of coffee in the nose, and a sweet balanced finish, 93pts.

2004 Robert Young Cabernet Sauvignon, Andy
A pleasant wine with a simple sawdust finish, 88pts.

1997 Grace Vineyard 29, Ron
Extremely Bordeaux like, especially the nose, 94pts.

1991 Dominus, Ron
Still the greatest wine ever made in California! 99pts.

Sauternes

1999 Ch d’Yquem, tenth, $85.
The best match for the lemon verbena creme brulee, but the most out of balance of the three, 97pts.

2000 Ch d’Yquem, tenth, $213.
Smooth and balanced, softer than the 1999, 98pts.

2001 Ch d’Yquem, tenth, $300.
Definitely the best of the three, the most complex and intense botrytis aromas, but is one or two points worth the premium? 99pts.

Cognac

(1929) Tesseron XO Selection Lot 29, $320.
Complex floral, figs, fennel, candy, vanilla, mint, balanced with a long caramel finish. The only Cognac ever rated 100pts by Robert Parker. 98pts.

Upcoming Events

September 29	Syndicate at Bull and Bear
November 17	Syndicate

Acquisitions

2000	Ch Haut Brion Blanc	White	Graves	485
2000	Ch Haut Brion Blanc	White	Graves	485
2001	Ch Haut Brion Blanc	White	Graves	375
2001	Ch Haut Brion Blanc	White	Graves	375
2001	Ch Haut Brion Blanc	White	Graves	375
2001	Ch Haut Brion Blanc	White	Graves	375

				2470

Treasurer’s Report

Previous Balance	-5706
Dues Payable	5000
Purchases	-2470
Dinner	-1670
Balance	-4856

Please bring your dues of $1000 per couple to the event.

2011-2 It’s Vegas, Baby!

It’s Vegas, Baby!March 5-13 (or some portion thereof), 2011

Events and locations

March 6 at 7pm – Love at the Mirage followed by dinner at Robouchon (party of 8 – their limo will pick us up at Love)

March 7 at 7:30 pm – Tasting and dinner at the Chef’s Table at Pinot Brasserie

March 8 at 7:30 pm – Tasting and dinner at AquaKnox

March 9 at 7:30pm – Tasting and dinner at Delmonico’s

March 12 at 7pm – Ka at MGM Grand

The Wines

			Burgundy: Real and Fake – Pinot Brasserie – March 7

			This was more challenging than it might look, although the first flights were easy, and almost everyone had 100% until the last flight. The 73 Special Label Burgundy turned out to be the wine of the night. Who knows what’s in that!
				pts	$
5	24	1949	Charmes-Chambertin, Liger-Belair Citrus, bug spray, flawed bottle	75	317
2	26	1959	BV Beaumont Pinot Noir Leather	82	130

6	28	1958	Echezeaux Domaine de la Romanee Conti Earth, leather, mint, dried cherries, coffee	92	675
2	25	1958	BV Beaumont Pinot Noir Like thin BVGDLTPR	85	130

7	12	1961	Bonnes Mares – Drouhin-Laroze Light color but intense nose and flavors, cherries	93	550
2	27	1960	BV Burgundy Earth, chocolate	90	50

7	14	1967	Chambertin Clos de Beze P. Gelin Cherries, wood smoke	94	75
2	28	1967	BV Burgundy Classic BVGDLTPR character, lucious fruit	94	50

7	9	1971	Beaune Greves Vigne de l’Enfant Jesus Bouchard Coffee	95	75
2	30	1970	BV Beaumont Pinot Noir Coffee – these wines were actually surprisingly similar	95	75

5	17	1976	Clos de la Roche – Pierre Bouree Fils Vanilla, not very Burgundian	93	90
2	22	1973	BV Special Label Burgundy Wood, was, york peppermint patties with dark chocolate	96	50
					2267

			A Serious Case of BVGDLTPR – Aquaknox – March 8

1	8	1963	BV Georges de La Tour Private Reserve Very light color with a classic old BV nose, sweet cedar on the palate, cream sherry finish, past its prime by a decade or two	80	90
4	16	1964	BV Georges de La Tour Private Reserve Redwood nose, restrained; still some fruit on the palate	80	130
1	11	1966	BV Georges de La Tour Private Reserve Sawdust nose, good fruit, a bit of tannin	90	90
1	27	1968	BV Georges de La Tour Private Reserve Sawdust and cherry nose, big and chewy, long; this has always been my favorite	97	125
1	12	1969	BV Georges de La Tour Private Reserve Very similar to the 68; menthol, youthful coffee, wood smoke, sweet balanced vanilla	96	90
4	8	1970	BV Georges de La Tour Private Reserve Iron, minerals, wood, mint, sweet fruity tannins, medium finish	94	150
2	9	1971	BV Georges de La Tour Private Reserve alcohol nose, decent fruit, acidic, hot short finish	89	70
h6	25	1974	BV Georges de La Tour Private Reserve I got the dreggs of this tenth, so I can’t really rate it; caramel oxidized	tenth	20
2	18	1975	BV Georges de La Tour Private Reserve plummy, mint, alcohol,red fruits, acidic finish	86	110
1	15	1977	BV Georges de La Tour Private Reserve Elegant fruit, vanilla, cherries, creamy finish	92	90
1	17	1978	BV Georges de La Tour Private Reserve Young, coffee, red fruits, sweet	92	90
1	21	1979	BV Georges de La Tour Private Reserve Wood, mint, very young drinking, vanilla	94	90
					1145

			Blind Pairs – Delmonico’s – March 9

		1988	Alain Thienot Grand Cuvee Brut	95
		1997	Delamotte Blanc de Blanc	90

8	15	2000	Montrachet, G. Amiot vanilla ice cream, nuts, melted butter, lemon, ash, chalk	90	260
9	10	2000	Ch ‘Y’ figs, spices, anise, honey dipped pecans, creme brulee, pears, long buttery finish, one of the most amazing white wines I’ve ever tasted	100	145

2	20	1968	BV Special Label Burgundy classic BVGDLTPR oxidized character plus a touch of Pinot Noir, sawdust, mint, smoke, candy, dried cherries, powder	96	50
5	18	1976	Clos de la Roche – Pierre Bouree Fils Drinking much younger than the bottle from two days ago. bacon, asian spice, cherry	93	90

4	17	1964	BV Georges de La Tour Private Reserve Drinking much younger than the bottle from yesterday, no oxidation, fruit, curry	92	130
9	16	1955	Ch Cheval Blanc smoke, cherry candy, leather, balanced tannins, jerky, black pepper, roast pork belly	tenth 98	320

		2007	Mystery Wine #1 (Steve) Domaine Jean Poyer Chateauneuf du Pape meat, mint, chocolate, kirsh, bacon, cherries, jerky	93
		2007	Mystery Wine #2 (Steve) Ramey Rodney Vineyard Syrah vanilla, spice box, wood, meat	95

3	15	2002	Dominus huge alcohol, long fruit, wood, vanilla, wax	97	99
3	13	1986	Ch Mouton Rothschild sawdust, mint, meat, chocolate, tobacco, menthol, smoke, tannic, young	99	700

9	25	1999	Ch d’Yquem superb nose, but slightly astringent finish	tenth 95	85
9	29	2000	Ch d’Yquem restrained nose, but balanced, golden raisins	tenth 96	213
					2092

Acquisitions

Upcoming Events

Treasurer’s Report

Previous Balance	3335
Dues Payable	0
Purchases (shipping)	363
Dinner	Pay for your own
Balance	2972

No dues for these events.

2011-1 Bring Your Own Flight

Bring Your Own Flight

at Bull and Bear at the Waldorf

February 5, 2011 at 6:00 pm

Bring Your Own FlightThis was a pseduo Syndicate event, with wines provided by the attendees:

Ron & Bev
John & Debbie
Steve & Linda
Andres & Paula
Andy
Martin

Each couple was requested to bring two or three wines in bags for a mystery flight. As it turned out, they brought more! And what a great collection of wines they were:

1	2006 Tablas Creek White	Andy	Creamy, nutty chalk, vitamin soap (Viognier, Marsanne, Rousanne blend)	82
2	2007 Williamsburg Seyval Blanc	Andy	Clearly Seyval	86
3	1998 Alexis Seyval Blanc	Andy	Caramel, oily	84
4	1992 Haut Brion Blanc	Steve	Lemon, candle wax, tangerine rind	95
5	1992 Aubert Ritchie Vineyard Chardonnay	Steve	Smoke, oak, ash, minerals	98
6	2009 Evans Ranch Chardonnay	Steve	Floral, pears	92
7	2009 Conundrum	Martin	spritzy, lanolin, cat box, cream, lichee, very sweet finish	90
8	1947 Chambolle-Musigny premier cru	Steve	Bacon, mushroom, iron, citrus	95
9	1993 Rex Hill Pinot Noir	Andy	Coffee, iron, meat, bacon, sweet	90
10	1995 Gevrey-Chambertin Dujac	Andy	Iron, polish, old pinot	88
11	2006 Foxen Sea Smoke Vineyard Pinot Noir	Andy	Big, ripe sweet	88
12	2008 K Syrah Northridge Vineyard	Andres	Vanilla, sweet cherries, cinammon	94
13	1997 Hermitage Les Bessards Delas Freres	Andres	Smoke, bacon, tart, seemed like Burgundy	91
14	2004 Syrah, South Africa	Andres	Lacquer, floral, geraniums	92
15	1985 Streblow Cabernet Sauvignon	John	Mint, vanilla, merlot	92
16	1985 Ritchie Creek Cabernet Sauvignon	John	Pencil lead	94
17	1985 Hop Kiln Primitivo	John	Mint, bacon asparagus, 25% Petite Sirah, shocking!	98
18	1992 Foppiano Sonoma Petite Sirah	Martin	Coffee, caramel, mint	90
19	1991 Conrad Petite Sirah	Martin	Corked, big vanilla	92
20	1988 Stags Leap Petite Sirah	Martin	Coffee, green pepper, black pepper, big, long	98
21	1992 Williams Selyem Pinot Noir	Ron	Burgundian, Rose petals, floral	92
22	2000 Ch, Rayas Rhone	Ron	Burgundian, vanilla, anise	95
23	1999 Clos de la Roche, Laurent	Ron	Young, smoke, big, bacon	96
24	1997 Martinelli Chardonnay	Ron	waxy, caramel, oxidized	86
25	1976 Ch. Montelena	Ron	Incredibly youthful	93
26	1976 Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon	Ron	tired and a bit sour	91
27	1976 Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon	Ron	fading, drink up	89
28	1986 Lafaurie Peyraguey Sauternes	Ron	medium amber, raisins, good acid	90

Also, chef outdid himself. Highlights for me were the Hamachi Salad, where every ingredient was an explosion of flavor; the corn and truffle soup, incredibly rich and creamy; the generous serving of huge scallops; the spinach that came with the duck; the very bacony mac & cheese; a great bone-in filet, so flavorful; all the passed desserts. Come to think of it, basically everything was my favorite!

Thanks for the wonderful wines, everyone!

Upcoming Events

March 7-9

Wine Syndicate Goes to Vegas!

Treasurer’s Report

Previous Balance	3335
Dues Payable	0
Purchases	0
Dinner	Pay for your own
Balance	3335

No dues are due.

2008-3 Do It Yourself Blind Pairs

Do It Yourself Blind Pairs

at Capital Grille

July 26, 2008 at 6:00 pm

The Theme

And now for something completely different. Each couple is requested to bring a pair of bagged wines. Good wines. Preferably really good wines. The wines should be theoretically really different, but in practice hard to tell which is which. This could mean one really expensive and one really cheap, one old world and one new world, one old but vibrant and one young but complex, same producer but two very different years, same year but two very different producers, etc. Knock yourselves out.

The goal is to fool everyone, but there has to be some possibility to figure it out. We don’t want to have to tell which one is from Hungary and which one is from Turkmenistan.

We’ll start by trying to figure out what they are, completely blind. Then, once we tire of that, the provider will tell us what the two wines are and we’ll try to figure out which is which.

The Results

Thanks to everyone for all the great wines! It was quite an amazing group! A really fun event, with lots of surprises. Below is the list of wines, with my ratings:

Year	Wine	From	Score
2006	Evans Ranch Chardonnay	Henline	92
1985	Christian Brothers Cabernet Sauvignon	Henline	88
1985	Hop Kiln Petite Sirah	Henline	90
2003	Ch. Smith Haut Lafite	Robinson	88
2003	Keenan Meritage	Robinson	90
2003	Woodward Canyon Cabernet Sauvignon	Robinson	96
1966	Ch. Latour	Alcorn	93
1964	Fossi Chianti Classico	Alcorn	93
1965	BV George de la Tour CS	Alcorn	95
1978	Clos de la Roche George Lignier	Siegel	99
1986	Clos de la Roche Hubert Lignier	Siegel	87
2003	Smith Haut Lafite Blanc	Alcorn	98
2005	Mendel Unus (65% Malbec)	Robinson	90
1999	Cote Rotie Brune & Blonde Guigal	Siegel	90
2004	Merus Cabernet Sauvignon	Siegel	96
2004	Ch. Riussec Sauternes	Henline	94
1997	Dolce	Henline	89

Acquisitions

Recent declines in the stock market improved our luck at the auctions:

1985	Berringer Private Reserve		75	Bonhams 6/08 Lot 1624
1986	Berringer Private Reserve		75	Bonhams 6/08 Lot 1624
1987	Berringer Private Reserve		75	Bonhams 6/08 Lot 1624
1987	Berringer Private Reserve		75	Bonhams 6/08 Lot 1624
1989	Berringer Private Reserve		75	Bonhams 6/08 Lot 1624
1990	Berringer Private Reserve		75	Bonhams 6/08 Lot 1624
1991	Berringer Private Reserve		75	Bonhams 6/08 Lot 1624
1993	Berringer Private Reserve		75	Bonhams 6/08 Lot 1624
1996	Berringer Private Reserve		75	Bonhams 6/08 Lot 1624
1997	Berringer Private Reserve		75	Bonhams 6/08 Lot 1624
1998	Berringer Private Reserve		75	Bonhams 6/08 Lot 1624
1999	Berringer Private Reserve		75	Bonhams 6/08 Lot 1624
2001	Berringer Private Reserve		75	Bonhams 6/08 Lot 1624
1961	Bonnes Mares – Drouhin-Laroze		550	Bonhams 6/08 Lot 1262
2001	Ch d’Yquem	tenth	300	CellaRaiders
2001	Ch d’Yquem	tenth	300	CellaRaiders
1959	Ch Lafite		1450	Bonhams 6/08 Lot 1807
1961	Ch Lynch Bages		600	Bonhams 6/08 Lot 1008
2003	Ch Montrose	magnum	600	CellaRaiders
1961	Ch Mouton Rothschild		1700	Bonhams 6/08 Lot 1011
1985	Grand Echezeaux – DRC		900	Bonhams 6/08 Lot 1111
1949	Mazis Chambertin – Seguin-Manuel		500	Bonhams 6/08 Lot 2048
1961	Musigny – Hudelot		550	Bonhams 6/08 Lot 1262
			$8425

There are several 100 point wines up there. I leave it to you to figure out which they are!

Upcoming Events

Treasurer’s Report

Previous Balance	3548
Dues Payable (less cost of dinner for 2)	4584
Purchases	-8425
Dinner (for 8)	-1662
Balance	-1955

Please bring your dues of $1000 per couple to the event.

2006-4 A Century of French Wine

A Century of French Wine

at Emeril’s

October 21, 2006
5:30 pm

A return to the private room at Emeril’s for a spectacular event that explores some of the great vintages of the past 100 years, with a wine from each of the last ten decades:


		Year	Wine	Type	Region	Size	Price

5	21	1916	Ch. Lanessan	Red	Haut-Medoc		150
5	7	1921	Ch. Cos d’Estournel	Red	Bordeaux		555
5	8	1934	Ch. Calon Segur	Red	Bordeaux		415
5	12	1945	Ch. Grand Larcis Ducasse	Red	St Emilion		260
7	7	1959	Richebourg Remoissenet	Red	Burgundy		425
5	11	1961	Ch. Gruaud Larose	Red	Bordeaux		320
m2	22	1971	Mazis Chambertin Rebourscau	Red	Burgundy	magnum	160
6	17	1982	Ch. Palmer	Red	Margaux		75
5	16	1993	Ch. Haut Brion	Red	Pessac Leognan		100
9	27	2000	Ch. d’Yquem	Sauternes	Bordeaux	tenth	213
							2,673

Acquisitions


6	20	1989	Hermitage La Chapelle Jaboulet	273	Bonhams 7/06 Lot 2098
6	21	1989	Hermitage La Chapelle Jaboulet	224	Bonhams 7/06 Lot 2098
6	22	1990	Hermitage La Chapelle Jaboulet	224	Bonhams 7/06 Lot 2098
		1949	Petrus	2800?

Future Events

January 13 – next tasting – Andy’s birthday!

Treasurer’s Report

Previous Balance	1097.10
Dues Payable	5000.00
Purchases	-3522.00
Dinner	-2000.00
Balance	575.10

Please bring your dues of $1000 per couple to the event.

2006-2 Comparative Shopping

Comparative Shoppingat Luma’sSaturday, April 15, 2006

Our next event will be at 5:30 pm on Saturday, April 15, 2006 at Luma on Park.The theme of this event is Comparative Shopping:


				My Points	Notes
2000	Ch. ‘Y’ de Yquem	White	Bordeaux	98	The clear winner of the flight with 9 out of 10 votes	145
1998	Ch. Haut Brion Blanc	White	Bordeaux	96		290

1983	Nuits St. Georges (Henline)	Red	Burgundy	87
1983	Echezeaux Cote de Nuits Mongeard-Mugneret	Red	Burgundy	93		45
1983	Echezeaux Domaine de la Romanee Conti	Red	Burgundy	91	The vote was almost evenly split between the two Echezeauxs	300

1961	Ch. Pape Clement (very low shoulder) (Alcorn)	Red	Bordeaux	83	The favorite, but clearly oxidized (although I voted for it!)
1961	Ch. Montrose	Red	Bordeaux	92		320
1962	Ch. Latour	Red	Pauillac	90		150

1991	Heits Martha’s Vineyard (Robinson)	Cabernet Sauvignon	Napa	90
1991	Dominus	Cabernet Sauvignon	Napa	98	The favorite, barely beating Martha’s. Dunn got no votes. I think this is the best wine ever from California.	120
1984	Dunn	Cabernet Sauvignon	Napa	92		55

2003	Henry’s Drive Private Reserve Shiraz (Alcorn)	Red	Australia	100	My favorite wine of the night. We didn’t vote on this flight.
2003	Miltolo G.A.M. Shiraz (Henline)	Red	Australia	94
2002	Torbrek Shiraz (Siegel)	Red	Australia	92
						1,723
1999	Ch. d’Yquem	Sauternes	Bordeaux	92	tenth	85
2000	Ch. d’Yquem	Sauternes	Bordeaux	98	tenth. Yes, this wine probably is worth 2.5 times the price of the 1999	213

						1,723

Acquisitions


4	2000 Chateau ‘Y’ de Yquem	145	580
6	1999 d’Yquem, Sauternes (375ml)	85	510
6	2000 d’Yquem, Sauternes (375ml)	213	1278
4	1998 Ch. Haut Brion Blanc	290	1160
			3528

Treasurer’s Report

Previous Balance	$2.10
Dues Payable	5000.00
Purchases	-3528.00
Dinner	-2237.00
Balance	-762.90

Please bring your dues of $1000 per couple to the event.