So yesterday my local wine group was supposed to meet, but this month's host/organizer had to cancel in the AM due to illness. After a while, I decided to offer to host, but to tell everyone to put away their themed bottles for a reschedule, that I would furnish the wine (I need cellar space). Of course, in the meantime some wives had reclaimed their husbands, so I invited a couple other people. Then a couple of guys got free afterall, one brought his wife, and we suddenly had a nice little group. I had olives, some cheeses (an Alto Adige cheese called Stelvio, a white truffle cheese, an aged Gouda), speck, and Marc showed up with excellent smoked duck breast. The wines:
1989 Roc de Cambes (Cotes de Bourg)
20 years is certainly pushing it for CdBourg, and I worried as I decanted as I got some pruney notes. But that seemed to blow off, and a rather solid Right Banker remained, and held up for 3 hours. Black plum fruit, resolved tannins, a little mocha note interspersed with more classic cigarbox aromas. Not the longest finish, maybe it had more vigor on the end a few years ago, but a very pleasant surprise. B+
1995 Roagna "La Rocca e La Pira" Barolo
Pretty solid red fruit, earth and leather, a light mushroomy note (though that have been the tartufo cheese!), firm tannins. Good acids, pretty traditional Barolo, could probably stand a couple more years, but beginning to drink well. Good not great, as most recent '95s have seemed to me. Still, at $23 I wish I had bought more! B+
1998 Bourgneuf-Vayron (Pomerol)
Young Right Banker coming into its own, nice texture, low-acid, upfront fruit with some secondary aromas of spice and earth. B+/B
1970 Gruaud-Larose (St Julien)
From a half-bottle. I opened as it was a birthyear wine for Annabelle. Once I removed capsule, some signs of old seepage. The '70 Gruaud from well-kept 750 still shows as pretty vigorous, but this bottle was not impressive. Some manure, ok cassis fruit with just a touch of prune, but an out of place caramelly note. Couple others liked it more than I did. C+
2005 Tablas Creek "Esprit de Beaucastel" rouge
A very solid bottle of wine, though this was way too early to open this. Fresh ripe blackberries and black raspberries, nice acidity, apparent but smooth tannins, hints of earth, peppery spice, and roasted meats. Good enough I went to see if my source had more as soon as guests were gone, alas all out. A-/B+
Earlier in evening I had made some beef liver with onions and a red wine sauce, I had cooked with and had a glass of the NV Cleto Chiarli
"Pruno Nero" Lambrusco Grasparossa. Very light fizz, dark color, just a bit of residual sugar. Fresh crushed berries and a hint of flowers, nothing complex but holds up well to the strong liver flavor. B
Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent wine, B a good wine, C mediocre. Anything below C means I wouldn't drink at a party where it was only choice. Furthermore, I offer no promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.