WTN: SOBER goes all over, with a VP being my WOTN

Tim hosted our SOBER group last night, and did a bang-up job with both wine choices and food. He greeted us with some great gougeres and the 1995 Charles Heidsieck Blanc de Millenaires Brut Champagne. Really delicious, medium to full bodied, just a hint of yeast/bread, white fruits and spice. There's a good minerally edge on the finish, worth looking for. A-

We sat down to table, where there were some great cheeses (especially the comte) as we went on to the blind wines

Flight 1 (with a delicious scallop and corn dish):
Both deep colored, somewhat sweet, someone suggested Sauternes,but not that sweet. Some votes for Alsace, #1 seemed like a good bet for Zind Humbrecht, but I went with Loire demi-sec for #2 (nope).

#1 - Golden with an orange tinge, a bit heavy, low acid, floral and honey. Not my style. Once it is revealed as 2000 Zind Humbrecht "Clos St. Urbain (Rangen de Thann)" Pinot Gris, I'm surprised - thought it was 10+ older. C+

#2 - Wooly/waxy thing makes me think Vouvray, but John says it lacks the chalky minerality. More acidity than flightmate, though only moderate.
2000 Marcel Deiss "Altenberg de Bergheim"  Grand Vin. B


Flight 2
Pretty obviously Chardonnay, guesses centered on California for #1 and dead Burgundy for #2
#1 - ripe, low acid, quite short. 2003 Louis Latour Corton-Charlemagne
B-/C+

#2 - poster child for PremOx. Browning apple peel nose, this is not pleasant. 2002 Bouchard "Les Perrieres" Meursault (hope my remaining '01 is holding better) D

Flight 3 (with mushrooms and grilled polenta)
Think group got Piedmont quickly. I thought number #1 was older, but once he said same vintage I guessed 1988 or 1989

#1 - caramel, tar, a little hightoned. Great complex nose, palate a bit flatter. 1989 Produttori del Barbaresco "Moccagatta" Barbaresco Riserva
B+

#2 - just a little shitty note at first that blows off, red cherry and raspberry fruit, a hint of oak, seems more modern than #1. 1989 Produttori del Barbaresco "Montestefano" Barbaresco Riserva. B/B+

(I think neither actually sees new oak)

Flight 4
we were off by a longshot on this one, I thought California!
#1 - most straightforward and enjoyable of the bunch, red and black fruits, a bit short. 1995 Ch. de Beaucastel Chateauneuf-du-Pape. B

#2 -Lowish acids, some wood tannins, ok. 2000 Ch. de Beaucastel Chateauneuf-du-Pape. B-

#3 - weird candy/marshmallow nose, I really didn't care for this (Tim said it was nice on decanting a couple hours before) 2005 Ch. de Beaucastel Chateauneuf-du-Pape.. C

Flight 5 (with leg of lamb, roasted potatoes, spinach, and broiled tomatoes)
OK, I blew this one. I was thinking Bordeaux, guess was 1998 Right Bank, with #1 being more traditional and #2 more modern. Though when John suggested #1 was SuperTuscan I could see it.

#1 Dark crushed berries, light espresso notes, touch of nice herbiness. I quite enjoyed. 1999 Solaia. B+ 

#2 At first I really liked the nose, a nice blend of leather, dark fruits, and vanilla. After a while it seems a bit disjointed, but not bad. On the palate the fruit is quite sweet. Not bad though. 1999 Cinq Cepages. B

Flight 6
#1 Blueberry jam and oak, not my favorite descriptors but best of flight nevertheless. Once John guessed French he quickly nailed it as Chapoutier. 1999 Chapoutier "L’Ermite" Ermitage B-/C+

#2 Nose is rather muted at first, just a kind of candied artificality, though some disagreed. I really didn't care much for this, a coconut/oak combo that didn't appeal much. 1999 Greg Norman Shiraz Reserve. C+

#3 - whacky nose of flowers, kirsch, cinnamon, rubber, and alcohol. On palate, blueberries and oak, very heavy. I am not a fan of the 2002 Alban Reva Syrah, but am glad to have tried what is such a fave with so many. C

Bonus blind bottle
Obviously port, and truly delicious. Toffee, macerated cherries, plums, and candied orange peel. Develops quickly in glass, smooth tannins, finish liked spiced raisin cake. WOTN for me . 1977 Taylor Vintage Port. A

Fun night, Tim pushed our old school Old World centric group a bit outside our comfort zone, a fun learning experience. I thought the Beaucastels were a disappointment, doesn't make me want to rush out and buy new ones.

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. 

[David M. Bueker]

I'm jealous of the Taylor.

I had the '95 Heidseick not long ago & was similarly impressed.

[Jenise]

Dale, did Tim really serve two '95 Beaucastels, or is one a typo? They seemed quite different in your descriptions.

I'm very capable of typos, but can't see this- I see 1995, 2000, 2005?

[Jenise]

I'm very capable of typos, but can't see this- I see 1995, 2000, 2005?

Ai yi yi. What was I looking at?

You edited your post to make me think I'm crazy, didn't you. Well, it worked.

Hey, I'm the one who advocated to Robin that edits show (at least once a post is replied to). Some former posters at the old site had a habit of editing their posts to make others (inc. me) look crazy!

Pretty easy to mix up 95/05, 97/07 etc when you read fast, I do it all the time

Dale,

What a bunch of underperforming wines?
What do you attribute it to?

Was it very hot in New York when you tasted them?
(30°C here).

If I paid that kind of money for that kind of wines, I might think about switching to whiskey or brandy.

All the best,
Alex

Interesting lineup Dale, sorry to see so many wines underperformed (at least given what I would expect given their reputations). My experience with the Alban Reva (different vintage though) is somewhat similar to yours - when I tried the 05 I found the aromatic profile quite unusual and intriguing (albeit without the same alcoholic heat, which probably made it a lot more enjoyable at my end), and really enjoyed smelling it - but really struggled to drink more than a few sips given the sheer weight and brute force in the mouth.

It was a nice cool day, and we were inside a comfortable house. As noted, I don't claim consistency with my notes, and probably grade harder on these events. But the main thing was Tim made a conscious (brave) attempt to go outside our group's Old World/traditionalist bias on several of the wines, especially in the first and last flights.

From my standpoint, the Champagne showed well.
First white flight, ZH isn't stylistically my favorite, no record with Deiss.
Second, 2003 showed flabby (not a shock), and sadly PremOx is a real problem (the question now is white Bordeaux, we discussed how many mid90s top Bdx are showing advanced);
Third flight, the Piedmonts were pretty good
Flight 4, this was the shocker. I've liked the '95 more before. Some more experienced people think Beaucastel has changed stylistically recently.
Flight 5, both showed pretty well.
Flight 6, I think these mostly showed as intended, it's just a style that doesn't appeal to me.
The Port rocked.