Category Archives: Rhone

Blind Pairs

at The Chef’s Table at the Edgewater Hotel

April 27, 2019 at 6:00 pm

Ten wines, puzzlingly similar or not? Served blind in pairs.

Favorites were the Ridge and Dominus. The first three pairs were good puzzlers.

Very dry sherry, and nicely balanced Madeira

The Wines

1975Château Cheval Blanc St. Émilion Grand Cru493
1975Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon York Creek116
2000Château Lynch-Bages Pauillac214
1999Dominus141
2011Domaine du Pégau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée34
2010Domaine du Pégau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée85
2014Opus One319
2013Crown Point Happy Canyon Cabernet Sauvignon148
1905Pérez Barquero Montilla-Moriles Solera Amontillado293
1875 Malvasia (property of Syndicate)555
Value of all wines for this tasting$2398

Upcoming Events

SyndicateJuly 27

Treasurer’s Report

Previous Balance$5487
Dues Payable+5500
Wines from Steve for this tasting-1843
Dinner-2157.25
Balance$6,986.75

Find the …? by Ron

at Eddie V’s

August 4, 2018 at 6:30 pm

Four flights of three wines were poured blind. The challenge was to “Find the …”

Only Ron got them all right. Favorite wines in each flight are starred

The Wines

“Grand Cru White Burgundy”
2008 Aubert Lauren Chardonnay* RP 97
2014 Arnot Roberts Trout Gulch Vineyard Chardonnay VN 94
2005 Henri Boillot Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru BH 95, VN 98
“Grand Cru Red Burgundy”
2000 Chateau Rayas Chateauneuf –du-Pape Reserve* RP 93
2012 Comm. G B Burlotto Barolo Monvigliero VN 95
2005 Joseph Drouhin Chambertin (Clos Des Beze)* BH 94
“Cote Rotie”
2006 Sine Qua Non Syrah Raven Series* RP 98
2003 Alban Vineyards Syrah Reva RP 98
2003 Guigal Cote Rotie La Turque RP 100
“First Growth Bordeaux”
1991 Dominus Cabernet* RP 99
1990 Antinori Solaia Toscana RP 94
1989 Chateau Margaux* RP 90

Acquisitions

Wines for this tasting $3100

Upcoming Events

Syndicate January 19

Treasurer’s Report

Previous Balance $1635
Dues Payable +5500
Purchases -3100
Dinner -2081
Balance 1954

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

2016-3 Ron’s Rhones

at Eddie V’s

July 16, 2016 at 6pm

IMG_8651

Ron put together a spectacular collection of wines from his cellar. This is an area we haven’t previously focused an entire event on, and it was extremely educational.

All the wines showed extremely well, and each was distinctly unique. Each flight also showed the characteristics of its region.

Because of the overall high quality of the wines, the popularity votes were extremely close, and in one case all three wines exactly tied after adding up first and second place votes. That has never happened before.

The most popular flights, in order, were:

Cote Rotie
Hermitage
White CDP
Cornas

A few wines, such as the Cornas, would have been even better if we’d been able to give them more air, as they were still improving when we had to dump them.

Wines brought by members added another 15 bottles, so the evening’s total was thirty wines!

rhone7162016
Flight 1 – Whites

03 Chapoutier Ermitage Blanc De L’Oree (Marsanne)
01 Yves Gangloff Condrieu (Viognier)
08 Sine Qua Non Kolibri Central Coast( 69% Rousanne & 31% Viognier)

Flight 2 – Chateaneuf du Pape 98 Vintage

98 Vieux Telegraphe La Crau
98 Pegau Cuvee Reserve
98 Chateau Rayas Reserve

Flight 3 – Hermitage

03 Chapoutier Ermitage Le Pavillon (RP 100 pt)
89 Chave Hermitage
90 Paul Jaboulet La Chapelle Hermitage (RP 100 pt)

Flight 4 – Cote Rotie 99 Vintage

99 Jean-Michel Gerin Le Grandes Places Cote Rotie
99 Guigal La Mouline Cote Rotie (RP 100 pt)
99 Jamet Cote Rotie

Flight 5 – Cornas

99 Thierry Allemand Reynard Cornas
90 Auguste Clape Cornas
98 Noel Verset Cornas  (Rare legendary producer whose last vintage was 06. Setting record prices at auction!)

Acquisitions

Two remaining bottles of 1937 Vosne-Romanée are out on consignment, 1 sold. ?
Rhones from Ron for this tasting $3780

Upcoming Events

Syndicate in Chicago November 3
Syndicate January 14

Treasurer’s Report

Previous Balance -1225
Dues Payable 5500
Purchases -3780
Sales 375
New Membership Buy-In 270
Dinner -2010
Balance -870

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

syndicate-ronsfaves-20130202

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.