As a wine buyer, most people have NO idea how much pure crap I'm sampled on. Whether it be over-ripe California Cab, bret-ridden value Bordeaux, or expensive Spanish Rioja that is only expensive for the sake of being expensive.
Well, I have had the most awe-inspiring week of my life. Three wine tastings which have put my palate back into place. Here is the line-up organized by vintage from oldest to youngest:
1970 Taylor Port
1975 Heitz Cellars Martha’s Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
1978 Ch. Reynella Port
1982 Ch. Montrose
1983 Penfold’s Grange Hermitage Shiraz
1983 Taylor Port
1985 Ch. Gruaud Larose
1987 Shafer Hillside Select
1991 Lloyd Shiraz
1992 Grace Family Cab
1992 Ch. Montelena Cabernet
1993 Grace Family Cab
1993 Ch. Montelena Cabernet
1994 Caves de Weinert Gran Vino * (Meritage)
1994 Shafer Hillside Select
1994 Freemark Abby Sycamore Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
1995 Pride Mt. Merlot (mag)
1995 Serafin Charmes-Chambertin
1995 Annoux Vosnee-Romanee 1er Cru “Les Suchots”
1996 Ch. Margaux
1996 Drappier Carte-D’Or Champagne (mag)
1996 Veuve Clicquot Grande Dame Champagne
1996 Serafin Charmes-Chambertin
1997 Ravens Wood Bellone Road Zinfandel
1997 Long Vineyards Chardonnay
1997 Shafer Hillside Select
1998 Kay Brothers Amery Block 6 Shiraz
1999 Jacques Selosse Champagne
1999 Ch. de Beaucastel
1999 Mt. Eden Estate Chardonnay (mag)
1999 Grace Family Cab
1999 Shafer Hillside Select
1999 Spottswood Cabernet Sauvignon
2000 Quilceda Creek Cab
2000 Lisini Ugolaia Brunello di Montalcino
2001 LaFaurie-Peyraguey Sauterne
2001 Shafer Hillside Select
2002 Felton Road Block 3 Pinot Noir
2002 Shafer Hillside Select
2003 Shafer Hillside Select
2004 Kistler Kistler Vineyard Chardonnay
2004 Kistler Cuvee Cathleen Chardonnay
2004 Shafer Hillside Select
2005 Bond “Melbury”
2006 Kosta Brown Amber Ridge Syrah
2007 Lewis Reserve Chardonnay
2007 Bonneau di Martray Grand Cru Corton-Charlemagne
2007 Jayer-Gilles Echezeaux
2007 Mugneret Clos-Veugeot
2007 Mugneret Ruchottes-Chambertin
2007 Lecheneaut Chambolle-Musigny
2007 LaFarge Volney (Monopole)
NV Camille Saves Rose’ Champagne
NV Godme’ père & Fills Champagne
As you can imagine there were duds in there - like the '04 Shafer Hillside that had noticeable residual sugar and a boring fruit driven profile. Or the '07 Lewis Reserve Chardonnay which might as well have been Kendall Jackson Chardonnay.
There were also incredible surprises, like the '04 Kistler Chardonnay horizontal and '97 Long Vineyards Chardonnay. Neither fit any of my pre-conceived notions of what California Chard is. They were still noticeably CA, but still incredibly balanced and elegant. The surprise of my life however was a bottle of Ch. Reynella Port from Australia. Quite rare and is possibly one of the greatest dessert wines of my life. Life changing balance, which is a tough descriptor for any fortified wine outside of Madeira.
Then there were the expected - Bonneau du Martray laser beam, '96 Margaux elegance, '07 Lafarge walkabout and the awe inspiring complexity of '75 Heitz Martha's out of Magnum.
All in all its been a good week. Exactly what I needed to get through the holiday rush - a brief reminder of what good wine realy tastes like - and what overpriced wine tastes like, too!
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