Category Archives: France

2016-3 Ron’s Rhones

at Eddie V’s

July 16, 2016 at 6pm

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!

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.

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.

2015-4 Odd Man Out

at The Chef’s Table at the Edgewater Hotel

November 14, 2015 at 6pm

This month’s theme is trivial: simply sort out each set of three wines, blind.

The first flight turned out to be the worst flight of three wines we’d ever tasted! The low fill Cheval was definitely foul, and the Burgundy wasn’t much better.

Flight 2 featured three wines that were extremely varietal and easy to identify blind, and the best example of 1964 BV GDLTPR I’ve had.

Flight 3 was a shocker. The Petrus was completely closed and tight, while the magnum of Giscours was drinking well above expectation. But the 1970 BV GDLTPR was clearly the most elegant wine. Neither of these BV’s expressed any oxidation, nor as much of the redwood that is typical. They were both fantastic wines.

Flight 4 was another shocker, with an unyielding Dominus that no one identified. The Duckhhorn was terrific, and misidentified by everyone. The famous 2003 Motrose lived up to its billing, and was quite opulent from a magnum. It was the wine of the night.

The Wines

7	14	1928	Ch Rouget	France	Pomerol		475
8	17	1938	Ch Cheval Blanc – very low fill	France	St. Emilion		100
8	12	1937	Vosne-Romanée Collection du Docteur Barolet – Henri de Villamont	Red	Burgundy		450

8	16	1964	BV Georges de La Tour Private Reserve	Cabernet Sauvignon	Napa		100
7	20	1947	Giacomo Borgogno & Figli Barolo Riserva Nebbiolo	Red	Italy		300
9	18	1966	Ch. Leoville Las Cases	France	St. Julien		140

7	12	1970	BV Georges de La Tour Private Reserve	Cabernet Sauvignon	Napa		150
8	18	1970	Ch Petrus	France	Pomerol		1800
m2	21	1970	Ch. Giscours	France	Margaux	magnum	340

m2	22	2003	Ch Montrose	France	St. Estephe	magnum	600
7	25	1980	Duckhorn	Cabernet Sauvignon	Napa		85
7	9	1991	Dominus	Cabernet Sauvignon	Napa		260

							4800

Acquisitions

none

Upcoming Events

Syndicate

January 23

Treasurer’s Report

Previous Balance	-6655.50
Dues Payable	5000
Purchases	0
Dinner	-1997.50
Balance	-3653

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

2015-2 The Ultimate Mouton Tasting

at The Capital Grille on International Drive

June 20, 2015 at 6:00 pm

The Wines

Simply put, this will be the greatest tasting we’ve ever done. It includes four of the greatest wines of the 20th century: 1945, 1959, 1961 and 1982 Mouton. The provenance of our 1945, perhaps the most famous wine of all time, it impeccable. At the bottom of this entry I’ve included more information on that incredible bottle.

1890	Ch Mouton Rothschild	France	Pauillac	460
1937	Ch Mouton Rothschild	France	Pauillac	970
1945	Ch Mouton Rothschild	France	Pauillac	12025
1959	Ch Mouton Rothschild	France	Pauillac	1920
1961	Ch Mouton Rothschild	France	Pauillac	1532
1962	Ch Mouton Rothschild	France	Pauillac	361
1964	Ch Mouton Rothschild	France	Pauillac	328
1966	Ch Mouton Rothschild	France	Pauillac	373
1970	Ch Mouton Rothschild	France	Pauillac	314
1975	Ch Mouton Rothschild (magnum)	France	Pauillac	435
1982	Ch Mouton Rothschild	France	Pauillac	1146
1986	Ch Mouton Rothschild	France	Pauillac	700
				20564

There are not very many wines on my wine bucket list. In fact, there has really only ever been one. It was the 1945 Chateau Mouton Rothschild “Victory Bottle.”

The victory bottle is famous for a couple of reasons.

First is that 1945 was a miracle vintage. After a string of awful vintages throughout World War II, 1945 produced the greatest wines of the century, and perhaps ever.

Second, Baron Rothschild commemorated the recovery of his winery with a unique label featuring a “V” for victory. This was the start of Chateau Mouton’s tradition of making each year’s label unique, and led to the long string of famous artist’s paintings that have graced the label since then.

Because of its fame, the Victory Bottle is perhaps the most faked bottle in all of the wine world, so it must be pursued with great caution. After many years, I was able to locate a bottle through a Hart Davis auction that carried an indisputable provenance, and I purchased it last fall. Since then I have been working to assemble a tasting of Mouton’s other greatest vintages to accompany it. Our group, The Wine Syndicate, met to sample them last night.

Often when experiencing anything that has been subject to so much hype and anticipation, the results are disappointing. I am happy to report this was not the case here. Not only did the great bottles exceed their reputations, the Victory Bottle was, indeed, the greatest of them all.

There was strong consensus among the group that the two top wines were the 1945 and 1959, and that the final five wines ( 1959, 1961, 1982, 1986 and 1945) were stellar masterpieces. The first two wines (1890 and 1937) were also astonishingly fresh for their age, and remained appealing for four hours in the glass.

It was a remarkable tasting, and one for which I will cherish the memory, now that my wine bucket list is empty!

My notes on the individual wines, and information about the provenance and history of the Victory Bottle follow:

1890 & 1937

With very old wines you never know what to expect. These were both magical. The cork for the 1890, a shipper’s wine, was extremely short, but did its job. The ’37 was true to other ’37 first growths I’ve had, an unheralded year.

1890 still lively, candle wax, iron, rose petals, 92 pts

1937 youthful, aromatic, bandaid, cinnamon, mint, candle wax, soy, spices, great acid, five spice, curry, 94 pts

1962, 1964 & 1966

Except for 1961, the 60’s and 70’s were a difficult time for Bordeaux

1962 candle wax, soap, lanolin to the max, off balance, injection molded plastic, flawed bottle

1964 simple, classic mouton, good fruit, little structure, 88 pts

1966 coffee, smoke, simple, 90 pts

1970 & 1975

These are the only very good vintages of the 70’s

1970 coffee, black fruits, 90 pts

1975 soft, red fruits, 89 pts

1959 & 1961

These are considered the greatest vintages of Mouton, after the ’45

1959 huge ripe fruit, young, dark, perfect tannin balance, mint, vanilla, Girl Scout cookies, mint chocolate chip ice cream, 99 pts

1961 barbecue, soy, fully resolved tannins, iron, 96 pts

1982 & 1986

Both are Robert Parker 100 point wines.

1982 poor cork, slight wet cardboard, mint, soft fruit, 93 pts

1986 tannic, road tar, great legs, very young, black cherry, stunningly better than the 1982, mint, wood, 98 pts

The Victory Bottle

1945 wow! almost overwhelming chocolate mint, dust, great tannic structure, cherry cola, eucalyptus bark, vanilla, unchanged in the glass for two hours, this wine will likely live another hundred years. 100 pts

Historic Information about Chateau Mouton-Rothschild 1945

(Réserve du Château. Provenance: Purchased from Hart Davis 11/2014, Ex-Zachys 10/30/2004 lot 1205 from the cellar of Armin Diel, recently released from Mähler-Besse)

“Mouton 45” is a legend in the wine world – there is nothing quite like it. Its renown is likely due to both its extraordinary nose – famously redolent of eucalyptus – and the symbolism of its date and label, the ‘V’ representing the hard-won triumph of good over the forces of darkness. To commemorate the Allied victory, Baron Philippe had the idea of embellishing the Mouton-Rothschild 1945 label with an artwork, on this occasion, a symbolic design intended to celebrate the return of peace. He commissioned this work from a young unknown artist, Philippe Julian. M. Julian submitted several drafts for the label, and the final one is based on the ‘V for Victory’ made famous by Winston Churchill throughout the war. This marked the beginning of a series of specially designed labels for each vintage. For each year a different artist was commissioned, and the payment was always in wine.

Michael Broadbent, the renowned British expert, writes in his book “Vintage Wine”:

The first thing to notice is its extraordinary colour. I have on more than one occasion recognized the wine by this alone. And its bouquet is equally distinctive, in fact one of the most astonishing smells ever to emerge from grapes grown out of doors. The power and spiciness surges out of the glass like a sudden eruption of Mount Etna: cinnamon, eucalyptus, ginger. Impossible to describe but inimitable, incomparable, and, because of this and its appearance, several times ‘guessed’ blind. There is simply no other wine like it. Its taste is a component of smell, its fragrance is reflected on the palate. Still lovely, still vivacious. Seemingly tireless – indeed another half-century anticipated.

The doyenne of British wine journalists, Jancis Robinson, describes it as follows:

Very, very dark in colour. Extraordinary concentration in this famous wine. The aromas are just slightly porty in their ripeness and concentration but then the wine (still) has so much vitality that it rises above it all to be wonderfully vital. Truly a miraculous wine that I had the pleasure of encountering at the great celebration of the 50th anniversary of the end of the second world war at the British embassy in Paris. So rich and wonderfully persistent. What a treat!

And Robert Parker says:

A consistent 100-point wine (only because my point scale stops at that number), the 1945 Mouton-Rothschild is truly one of the immortal wines of the century. This wine is easily identifiable because of its remarkably exotic, over-ripe, sweet nose of black fruits, coffee, tobacco, mocha, and Asian spices. It is an extraordinarily dense, opulent, and rich wine, with layers of creamy fruit, behaving more like a 1947 Pomerol than a structured, powerful, and tannic 1945. The wine finishes with a 60+ second display of ripe fruit, extract, and sweet tannin. This remarkably youthful wine (only light amber at the edge) is mind boggling! Will it last another 50 years?

The fact that this was the first post-war harvest ought to have been enough to immortalize the vintage, but the freak weather conditions made it even more memorable. In the first few days of May, there was a sudden, heavy, and very late frost, which blackened four-fifths of the vineyard. The Merlot vines, which flowered earlier than the Cabernets, were the worst affected. Subsequent hot, dry weather soon restored the situation, but the eventual harvest was extremely small. The yield per hectare was the lowest it had been in 60 years (around 10h per ha). Not only were there few grapes to a bunch, but the berries were extremely small. The juice was greatly concentrated and the ratio between skin area and volume was extremely favorable for maximum extraction. So ripe were the grapes, that the musts sometimes attained 15% alcohol.

In 2006, K&L Wines sold a case of 1945 Mouton, including a trip to the Mähler-Besse cellar to pick out the bottles, for $150,000.

Acquisitions

1937	Ch Mouton Rothschild	France	Pauillac	970
1945	Ch Mouton Rothschild	France	Pauillac	12025
1959	Ch Mouton Rothschild	France	Pauillac	1920
1961	Ch Mouton Rothschild	France	Pauillac	1532
1962	Ch Mouton Rothschild	France	Pauillac	361
1964	Ch Mouton Rothschild	France	Pauillac	328
1966	Ch Mouton Rothschild	France	Pauillac	373
1970	Ch Mouton Rothschild	France	Pauillac	314
1975	Ch Mouton Rothschild (magnum)	France	Pauillac	435
1982	Ch Mouton Rothschild	France	Pauillac	1146

Upcoming Events

Syndicate

August 15

Treasurer’s Report

Previous Balance	$6580
Dues Payable	5000
Purchases	-19,404
Dinner	-1884
Balance	-9708

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

2014-4 Burgundy and a Few Ringers

at Luma

November 8, 2014 at 6 pm

The Wines

I was originally going to serve these wines blind, but it seemed too hard, and I’m glad I didn’t as I don’t think we would have learned much. While there was no absolutely stellar wine in the group, each flight had its standouts. One of the biggest surprises to me was the quality of the 66 Leoville. It was also the best 70 BVGDLTPR I’ve had in a long time.

1971	Corton Diamond Jubilee, Remoissenet Père et Fils	Red	92 pts	95
1972	Vougeot Clos du Prieure, Pierre Ponnelle	Red	94 pts	95
1978	Chambolle Musigny	France	flawed	140
1978	Nuit Saint-Georges – Pierre Bouree Fils	Red	87 pts	90
1983	Pommard Rugiens Billard-Gonnet	Red	89 pts	30
1983	Vosne-Romanee Beaumonts Charles Moncaut	Red	90 pts	35
1987	Clos de Vougeot Domaine Ceci	Red	91 pts	90
1993	Charmes Chambertin Geantel-Pansiot	Red	96 pts	60
1996	Chambolle Musigny Les Baudes Serafin	Red	91 pts	55
1996	Clos Saint Denis Cuvee Unique Arlaud	Red	93 pts	55
1996	Morey St. Denis Les Ruchots Reserve Magnien	Red	corked	45
1966	Ch. Leoville Las Cases	France	96 pts	140
1979	Duckhorn	Merlot	89 pts	85
1980	Duckhorn	Merlot	89 pts	85
1970	BV Georges de La Tour Private Reserve	Cabernet Sauvignon	94 pts	150

Other Wines:

2013	Bonny Doon Pic Poul	Andy	90 pts
2011	Secret de Grande Bateaux	Steve	90 pts
2012	Maison Village Joseph Drouin	Mark	88 pts
1998	Tondonia Blanc	Ron	92 pts
2001	Clarendon Grenache	Dick	88 pts
2001	Gainey Pinot Noir	John	90 pts
2008	Le Cigare Volant	Andy	89 pts
1982	Diamond Creek Gravelly Meadow CS	Steve	93 pts
2009	Crozes-Hermitage Alain Graillat	Steve	94 pts
2001	Integrity	Ron	95 pts
1992	Justin Obtuse	John	88 pts

Acquisitions

None

Upcoming Events

Syndicate

March 14

Treasurer’s Report

Previous Balance	$4333
Dues Payable	5000
Purchases	0
Dinner	-2485
Balance	$6848

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

2014-3 Turbulent Times: The Sixties

at The Capital Grille Pointe Orlando

September 13, 2014 at 6 pm

The Wines

The 60s started off at the peak in Bordeaux, but from there it went downhill, as California began to pick up its game.

These wines showed much better than I was expecting. The clear loser was the Margaux (as usual) and the winners were the Mouton and Haut Brion. The California wines also had nothing to be embarrassed about, including a 68 BV Special Label Burgundy I slipped in.

With three magnums in the tasting, it was an interesting opportunity to see how much fresher the wines were from the larger bottles. I’d had the 66 Haut Brion before from a 750, but this magnum was a whole different wine. The group’s favorites were the Haut Brion and the 61 Mouton. It was nice that the star of the show was, indeed, the star.

1961	Ch Mouton Rothschild	France	Pauillac	98 puts	1,200
1961	Ch. La Pointe	France	Pomerol	94 puts	140
1962	Ch. Leoville Las Cases (magnum)	France	St. Julien	88 puts	340
1966	Ch. Leoville Las Cases	France	St. Julien	90 puts	140
1966	Ch. Margaux	France	Margaux	86 puts	140
1966	Ch. Haut Brion (magnum)	France	Graves	97 puts	340
1966	Ch. Grand Puy Lacoste (magnum)	France	Pauillac	85 puts	340
1964	Clos Vougeot – R. Engel	Red	Burgundy	92 puts	250
1964	BV Georges de La Tour	Cabernet	Napa	92 puts	90
1968	BV Georges de La Tour	Cabernet	Napa	(corked)	150
1945	Madeira, Bual, Cossart Gordon	Madeira	Madeira	99 pts	300

In addition to the 68 BV Special Label Burgundy (94 pts) I also brought an 82 Diamond Creek Red Rock Terrace (97 puts) that shocked me (as it was from Joe Spinelli’s “cellar”) and was very popular.

Ron’s 2007 Spottswoode Cab (96 pts) and 2010 Greer Cab (99 pts) were also impressive

Thanks to everyone for the additional wines I haven’t listed, it was a great event!

Acquisitions

None

Upcoming Events

Syndicate	November 8
Syndicate	January 31

Treasurer’s Report

Previous Balance	$1310
Dues Payable	5000
Purchases	0
Dinner	-1977
Balance	4333

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.

2013-4 Odd Man Out

at Luma

November 23, 2013 at 6:00 pm

The challenge here was to identify the wine that doesn’t match the other two in each set of three. And of course to name what they all are, blind. As if.

I was very proud of our group, as many of us got most of them right, and kudos to John Henline, who got them all!

Favorite wine of the nine tasted blind was the 1945 Ch. Leoville Las Cases, which received ten unanimous first place votes.

My highest scores were the two final wines, 2001 Haut Brion Blanc (98 pts) and 1885 Verdelho Madiera (99 pts). It was truly amazing, and matched every course it was served with.

The Wines

1964	BV Georges de La Tour Private Reserve	Cabernet Sauvignon	Napa	130
1966	BV Georges de La Tour Private Reserve	Cabernet Sauvignon	Napa	125
1979	BV Georges de La Tour Private Reserve	Cabernet Sauvignon	Napa	90

1945	Ch. Leoville Las Cases	France	Pauillac	486
1966	Ch. Leoville Las Cases	France	Pauillac	140
1966	Ch. Carbonnieux	France	Pauillac	85

1955	Auxey Duresses, Pierre Ponnelle	Red	Burgundy	159
1957	Auxey Duresses, Pierre Ponnelle	Red	Burgundy	327
1966	Beaune 1er Cru Grèves Avery’s Bottling, Remoissenet Père et Fils	Red	Burgundy	95

1885	Madeira, Verdelho	Madeira	Madeira	320
2001	Ch Haut Brion Blanc	France	Graves	375

				2332

Acquisitions

1938	Ch Cheval Blanc – very low fill	France	Bordeaux	100
1970	Ch Petrus	France	Bordeaux	1800
1979	Grand Echezeaux DRC	France	Burgundy	1156

Upcoming Events

Syndicate

Treasurer’s Report

Previous Balance	4437
Dues Payable	5000
Purchases	-3056
Dinner	-2581
Balance	3800

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

2013-3 The Price is Right

The Capital Grille at The Mall at Millenia
4200 Conroy Road
Orlando, FL 32839
T: 407.351.2210

August 24, 2013 at 6:00 pm

The challenge here was to identify, blind, the wine with the “pedigree” in each set of three.

Well the results were mixed. The first flight wasn’t served blind, but we all agreed the 68 had the best pedigree, although all had their virtues. The second flight was by far the best. The recurring theme was that even though the Pierre Ponnelle vineyard represented weren’t prestigious, the his wines were fantastic. Two corked wines muddled the results a bit. The DRC, although the most popular wine of the last flight, was disappointing, given its pedigree.

None of the wines faded in the glass over several hours.

My Notes:
1964 BV Georges de La Tour Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Napa $130

light color, classic redwood nose, slightly maderized, thin caramel finish. Held up in the glass, though. 87 pts

1968 BV Georges de La Tour Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Napa $150

Ruby color, redwood and wax in the nose, balanced with still fresh fruit. 92 pts.

1970 BV Georges de La Tour Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Napa $150

Garnet, coffee and cinnamon nose, caramel on the palate. I actually prefered this to the group’s favorite, the ’68. 93 pts.

1955 Corton, Naudin Red Burgundy $325

Outclassed by the lesser wines. Garnet, good color and clarity, coffee, vanilla, cherry, licorice, long vailla finish.

1964 Chassagne-Montrachet “Clos de la Boudriotte”, Pierre Ponnelle Red Burgundy $95

An overachiever for what it was. Garnet, barnyard, earth and coffee, fruity vanilla finish. Wow. 96 pts.

1966 Beaune 1er Cru Grèves Avery’s Bottling, Remoissenet Père et Fils Red Burgundy $95

Dark garnet, plastic and herbs in the nose, fruit, metal and mint on the palate, long. Impressive. 97 pts

1966 Mazis-Chambertin, Doudet-Naudin Red Burgundy $325

Great clarity, youthful, turpentine, pencil shavings, chewy. Not very complex, though. 88 pts.

1967 Fixin, Pierre Ponnelle Red Burgundy $95

Slightly corked. Youthful. Definitely outperforming for its class. The corkiness came and went many times, and finally blew off after close to an hour. 92 pts, more if not corked.

1978 Chambolle Musigny, A. Rodet Red Burgundy $70

Short, uninteresting. 86 pts.

1983 Vosne-Romanee Charles Moncaut Red Burgundy $35

Corked. 85 pts?

1985 Grand Echezeaux – Domaine de la Romanee Conti Red Burgundy $900

Bacon fat, soaped leather, mint, vanilla, coffee, cherry, lamb stew, mushrooms, floral. fairly long with spice and lamb in the finish. Certainly a good wine, but not a $900 wine. 91 pts.

1985 Morey-St-Denis Domaine des Lambrays Red Burgundy $80

Sour, overripe, metallic, cherry and vanilla. Fairly unpleasant. 83 pts.

The Wines

1964	BV Georges de La Tour Private Reserve	Cabernet Sauvignon	Napa	130
1968	BV Georges de La Tour Private Reserve	Cabernet Sauvignon	Napa	150
1970	BV Georges de La Tour Private Reserve	Cabernet Sauvignon	Napa	150

1955	Corton, Naudin	Red	Burgundy	325
1964	Chassagne-Montrachet “Clos de la Boudriotte”, Pierre Ponnelle	Red	Burgundy	95
1966	Beaune 1er Cru Grèves Avery’s Bottling, Remoissenet Père et Fils	Red	Burgundy	95

1966	Mazis-Chambertin, Doudet-Naudin	Red	Burgundy	325
1967	Fixin, Pierre Ponnelle	Red	Burgundy	95
1978	Chambolle Musigny, A. Rodet	Red	Burgundy	70

1983	Vosne-Romanee Charles Moncaut	Red	Burgundy	35
1985	Grand Echezeaux – Domaine de la Romanee Conti	Red	Burgundy	900
1985	Morey-St-Denis Domaine des Lambrays	Red	Burgundy	80

				2450

Acquisitions

1945	Ch. Leoville Las Cases	France	Pauillac	486	Bonhams 5/2013
1949	Ch. Bouscaut	France	Pauillac	85	Bonhams 5/2013
1961	Ch. La Pointe	France	Pomerol	140	Bonhams 5/2013
1966	Ch. Carbonnieux	France	Pauillac	85	Bonhams 5/2013
1966	Ch. Carbonnieux	France	Pauillac	85	Bonhams 5/2013
1966	Ch. Leoville Las Cases	France	Pauillac	140	Bonhams 5/2013
1966	Ch. Leoville Las Cases	France	Pauillac	140	Bonhams 5/2013
1966	Ch. Leoville Las Cases	France	Pauillac	140	Bonhams 5/2013
1966	Ch. Leoville Las Cases	France	Pauillac	140	Bonhams 5/2013
1966	Ch. Leoville Las Cases	France	Pauillac	140	Bonhams 5/2013
1966	Ch. Margaux	France	Pauillac	140	Bonhams 5/2013
1970	Ch. Giscours	France	Pauillac	85	Bonhams 5/2013
1970	Les Forts de Latour	France	Pauillac	150	Bonhams 5/2013

Upcoming Events

Syndicate

November 23

Treasurer’s Report

Previous Balance	2863
Dues Payable	5000
Purchases	-1956
Dinner	-1470
Balance	4437

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.