Category Archives: Bordeaux

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.

2014-3 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.

2013-2 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.

2012-3 Margaux Babies

Margaux Babies

at Bull & Bear

September 29, 2012 at 6:00 pm

Climbing back out of the hole Margaux was in during the 70s to taste some of the greatest vintages of all time.

Well, this was a very disappointing tasting. Very little great wine was made in the 1970s in Bordeaux, and Margaux made none of it. But while the other first growths were releasing knockout after knockout during the 80s, Margaux was still struggling. It was not until 1989 that things really came together. The tasting was not helped by the fact that two of the better vintages–the 1978 and potential 100 point 1990–were corked. Overall a very lackluster group.

Fortunately the members brought some great wines, so we drank well during a fabulous tasting dinner that featured an octopus sort of crepe thingie, amazing mussels, and cod that was laboriously prepared using locally gathered pine needles(!) The new Italian sous chef was in charge, and really knocked it out of the park.

1977	Ch. Margaux	Red	Bordeaux	241
1978	Ch. Margaux	Red	Bordeaux	377
1979	Ch. Margaux	Red	Bordeaux	285
1980	Ch. Margaux	Red	Bordeaux	342
1981	Ch. Margaux	Red	Bordeaux	340
1982	Ch. Margaux	Red	Bordeaux	1017
1983	Ch. Margaux	Red	Bordeaux	582
1984	Ch. Margaux	Red	Bordeaux	198
1985	Ch. Margaux	Red	Bordeaux	445
1986	Ch. Margaux	Red	Bordeaux	543
1987	Ch. Margaux	Red	Bordeaux	335
1989	Ch. Margaux	Red	Bordeaux	483
1990	Ch. Margaux	Red	Bordeaux	1077

				6265

Wine Notes

1977 – classic Bordeaux nos, iron, coffee grounds, smoke, meat, thin, short, 88 pts

1978 – corked. some underlying fruit and tannin, coffee grounds, no score

1979 – a bit of caramel, medicinal, iron, meat, wax, vanilla, tannin, 87 pts

1980 – chalk, dust, decent structure, spice, coffee candies, 86 pts

1981 – spicy, coffee, refined fruit, 90 pts

1982 – coffee, curry, big structure, simple, 94 pts

1983 – tannin, not a lot of fruit, salty, 91 pts

1984 – chalk, soft, short, 82 pts

1985 well-structured, tannic, iron, 89 pts

1986 – mint, tannic, thin, short, 91 pts

1987 – gamey, mint, thin, 85 pts

1989 – smoke, earth, gamey, lead pencil, 95 pts

1990 – corked, big fruit, no score

Other Wines

2000 Pavillon Rouge by Margaux – Dick – big fruit, long, blackberry, ocean, 95 pts

2007 Spottswoode Cabernet Sauvignon – Steve – vanilla, pepper, meat, mint, shell, herbs, chocolate, coconut, chewy, long, 99 pts

2008 La Cigare Blanc – Andy – interesting Rhone blend, nutty, balanced, butter, 91 pts

2005 Domaine Weinbach Clos des Capucins Cuvee Theo – Ron – petrol, armpit, elegant, 93 pts

2008 Evans Ranch Chardonnay – John – butter, toast, big, balanced, long, 91 pts

2010 Bonny Doon Sparkling Albarino – Andy – caramel, butter, high acide, fascinating, 90 pts

1967 Nuits-Saint-Georges “Les Boudots” Georges Noellat – Ron – Cigar, sweet cherries, 89 pts

2002 Clos de Vougeot Maison Champy – John – closed, cherries, short, 84 pts

2004 Evans Ranch Lone Oak Pinot Noir – Andy – vanilla, spice box, baking spices, 92 pts

2000 Segla – Dick – 2nd wine of Rauzan Segla, tannic, not much fruit, 88 pts

1986 Laurel Glen Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon – Ron – chewy, tannic, vanilla, cherry, peppers, acid, old style CA that will age well, 90 pts

2007 Ch. de Fonsalette Rhone by Rayas – Ron – cherries, anilla, chalk, herbal, kirsch, raspberry, young, 92 pts

2004 Noon Eclipse GSM – Ron – great structure, long chocolate finish, 92 pts

2003 Henry’s Drive Reserve Shiraz – Steve – extremely aromatic, wood, vanilla, intense mint, 94 pts

1969 Beerenauslese Osterreich Assmannhauss – Steve – balanced, good acid, wax, 92 pts

1975 Ch. Les Justices Sauternes – Steve – botrytis, simple, 88 pts

2007 Argyle Minus Five Cryo Cluster Riesling – Andy – petrol, varietal, 90 pts

Acquisitions

none

Upcoming Events

November 17

Syndicate

Treasurer’s Report

Previous Balance	-4856
Dues Payable	5000
Purchases	0
Dinner	-1860
Balance	-1756

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.