Notes from dinner at Restaurant 101. This was supposed to be a First Growth dinner but was severely downgraded due to the unavailability of some participants.
Tulloch Verdelho 2007 - Compliments of Chad, the restaurant manager. Creamy nose. Sweetish but with a bracing acidity for freshness. An easy, friendly wine.
Trimbach Seigneurs de Ribeaupierre Gewurztraminer 2001 - Strong lychee aromas. Light sweetness with a dry, bitter finish. Oily texture. Spicy. Good weight and complexity. A real classic. Excellent and ready to drink.
Domaine Saier Corton Les Marechaudes 1er Cru 1986 - Good fruit on the nose but no fruit left as far as flavor goes. Still some tannin. Probably should have been drunk up 15 years ago. Dead.
Domaine Chateau du Marsannay Ruchottes-Chambertin Grand Cru 1996 - Good color. Much darker than I expected. Sweet tobacco nose. Strong tannin and acidity and there's a bit of fruit underneath that but it's already very muted. Barely alive, unfortunately.
Dom Perignon 1999 - The Champagne flutes arrived late so we had this after some of the reds. Light, slight coffee. After an hour, some fresh baked bread aromas. A little short on the finish. A good Champagne but these really need something like 15 years on them before they start to get interesting.
Beringer Private Reserve 1995 - Cork protruding a bit. Very dark. Spicy, fragrant, vibrant wine with some obvious tannin in need of softening. Very dry. Cassis. Classic Cabernet. Close to perfect but could probably improve a bit more with another year or two in the bottle.
Chateau Leoville Barton 1999 - I thought the Beringer was really good until I tried this. Extremely dark. Deep aromas. Sweet fruit. Initially soft and round but gained power with exposure to air. Dried herbs. So elegant and just about perfect now.
Navarro Gewurztraminer Club Select Late Harvest 2006 - Medium gold. Sweet, rich, apricot, marmalade. The richness of this wine obscures any varietal character. Excellent.
