Poker night at Jason's last night. I didn't write down all the wine names, but we had an '89 Muscadet (Le L d'Or) that just reinforced my thought that while Muscadet does not die from aging it does not profit from it. There was a Betz red blend of Grenache and Mourvedre that was outstanding, a very good Lagier-Meredith Syrah that I did not have enough of, and a '98 Jadot Corton Pougets that was quite grumpy to be opened, but came out to play with an hour of air.
I brought along two 1996s that I was curious to try.
1996 Trimbach Gewurztraminer Cuvée des Seigneurs de Ribeaupierre
Imagine a lychee fruit that has been dusted with ground chili peppers. That is exactly what this wine tasted like. It's the 4th or 5th 1996 that has evoked the chili pepper thing for me (most recently the Muller-Catoir Rieslaner Auslese), so I am beginning to wonder if the funky acids of that year are turning into a bizarre, chili pepper essence that will show up on a regular basis. Beyond the weird spice note the wine was quite delicious, and it held up very well over the course of the evening. This with a cork that self destructed in coming out of the bottle.
1996 Sean Thackrey Orion
These wines seem to live in some sort of stasis. Perhaps it's the high quantity of Petite Sirah in the blend that makes them age like Connor MacLeod (i.e. not at all), but in reality there has been a toning down of once over-the-top fruit and a mellowing of razor sharp tannins. It's much more of a wine now, though I still cannot put my finger on any signature, except for the eucalyptus and very dark fruit. It's a good drink, but I find his lower priced blend (Pleiedes) to be much more fun and interesting to drink. The Orion is too monolithic.
