Topic: TN: 40 wines (long, but something for everyone)
Author: Alan Uchrinscko
Date: Sun Feb 4 17:34:44 2001
1990 Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin, Brut Rose'', Reserve (Magnum)
Nose: Very tight with bready nuances and a touch of red apples.
Palate: Compact and steely. Focused and powerful. Wild strawberries. Spicy and a bit hot on the finish which I found to be short.

1991 Fleurie, Georges Duboeuf (Super Major i.e., double magnum in a bowling pin shape)
Nose: Very exotic, gamey. Loads of black cherries.
Palate: Very balanced with Merlot-like suppleness. Soft tannins. Good underlying acidity. Redder fruits on the palate. Excellent finish.

1993 J. Rochioli Chardonnay, Russian River Valley Reserve
This wine smelled exactly like those chalky, buttered candies, but I have no idea what they''re called.
Buttery with loads of peaches. The aromas announced the viscous palate. Very sweet with a ripe apricot and vanilla finish.

1992 Marcassin Chardonnay, Gauer Ranch "Upper Barn"
This wine is probably a year or two past its prime but was a nice match with spicy and earthy qualities of the food (a spicy earthy hearts of palm appetizer with lentils). Nose not giving much but there was a mature wine earthy quality that was nice. Red and green apples on the palate. Very ripe with a waxy texture reminiscent of a sothern rhone white. Vanilla finish.

1991 Peter Michael Chardonnay, Mon Plaisir
The nose was reminiscent of a Kistler chardonnay: powerful with toasty, very woody oak.
Pretty good acidity on the palate with nice balance. Structured but classy. Excellent with potential to last a few more years.

1990 Chablis Grand Cru, Les Clos, R & V Dauvissat
Way too young! This wine was clearly 5 -7 years from hitting its stride and revealed very little. There was however a definite "quiet before the storm" feel to the wine. I would expect great things to come -- just not for a while. There were hints of chalk and northern fruits, phenomenal acidity and an everlasting finish. Infanticide.

1990 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru, Les Combettes, Etienne Sauzet
A perfect white burgundy. Complex nose with a bit of wood, apples and citrus fruits and earthiness. Impeccable balance. Excellent depth and concentration. Great finish. I might have considered skipping the rest of the tasting just to drink the entire bottle and watch it develop. This ranks up there with the best whites I have ever tasted.

1989 Corton-Charlemagne, Roumier
This was a truly unique but strange one. The nose was over-the-top ripe. Red currants and candied fruit. Evergreen herbal nuances. Reminded me more of Pur Sang than Corton-Charlie. The palate was almost cloyingly sweet but had excellent underlying acidity. Pretty hot finish with good spice. Still, this wine was not on and should have been drunk a few years ago.

1986 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru, Les Embrazees, Bernard Morey
Disappointing. I had the 86 Chassagne VV not too long ago and it was ethereal, but it was out of a magnum. This wine was earthy and woody but did have pretty good old fruit (carmelized apples) and some vanilla. Great finish. Was once a fine wine, but now definitely past its prime.

1969 Meursault 1er Cru, Charmes, Leroy
Like a lot of Leroy wines, the bottle variation on this wine has been very wide to say the least. This was a great one though. The best way to describe it is probably through anecdote. When this flight was poured, I actually dumped the Morey and Leroy because I thought I had reversed them, seeing as the Morey was over the hill. So I repoured with the same results. The Leroy, while very honeyed, nutty and ripe, had very good acidity and excellent balance. The palate was supported by chalky oak tannins. Excellent.

1990 Chateauneuf-du-Pape Blanc, Roussane Vieilles-Vignes, Chateau Beaucastel
Corked! Badly! Rats!

1981 Ridge Vineyards, Zinfandel, Geyserville
I''m pretty sure this is the only Zinfandel I have ever enjoyed -- mainly because it didn''t taste like Zinfandel. The fruit had reddened up nicely and reminded many of an old Bordeaux nose. Some spice and earth. Silky, classy with fine balance. Very enjoyable.

1978 Robert Mondavi, Cabernet Sauvignon (Magnum)
With little luck in the past with old Mondavi Cabs I was expecting another episode of liquified green beans. Not even close. This wine was outstanding. Ripe nose with red cherries, blueberries and plum. Sweet fruits on the palate with medium to full body and very good balance. I''m actually a bit confused as to how young this wine tasted. It wasn''t actually that complex and contained more primary fruit. It might just be this bottle, but I wouldn''t drink this for 5 - 8 more years. Very interesting wine indeed.

1971 Chateau Petrus
We debated whether or not this was corked or not for a while. The nose was very weird and kind of vinegary. The palate however had excellent richness, a very full body and fine, chocolate-laced tannins. After a few minutes, the palate too turned sour. It was a somewhat corked/off bottle but we did get a glimpse of greatness underneath the flaws. I would guess that a proper bottle has decades of life left.

1975 Chianti Classico, Reserva, Badia a Coltibuono
Excellent! Red and black cherries and good spice. Fine, ripe aromas. Sexy, acidic palate with excellent follow through. Very spicy. Classy, complex wine with at least 5 more years remaining. Very well might improve over the next few years and become a classic wine.

1982 Barbaresco, Gaja
While I favored the former wine, many others enjoyed this one more. Earthy, nuanced aromas with black fruits and licorice. Full-bodied palate with layers upon layers of deep, sweet dark fruits. Outstanding tannic grip and a long finish. Young, with the potential to last a long, long time.

1978 Barolo, Della Localita Rocche, Viette
This wine vied with the Roumier for strange wine of the night. The nose was loaded with Cayenne pepper and sweat. While the palate was balanced with complex fruitiness, it was tough to get past the rather strange smells. It was so Tex-Mex spicy that I had to request a new glass even after dumping and rinsing the glass as I feared that the aromas would interfere with future wines.

1994 Au Bon Climat Pinot Noir, Rincon and Rosemary''s
Quite good but overshadowed by so many of the other wines. The nose, while quite ripe with blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries, showed nice restraint and interesting herbal nuances. Good complexity and structure. At the same time, I wouldn''t hold on to it. A very well-made wine and enjoyable.

1994 Calera Pinot Noir, Selleck
Very good concentration of raspberries and cassis. Structured by nice, ripe tannins. Nice wine, I just don''t really think it''s going anywhere all that exciting. This is a very good wine and will be nothing more and nothing less over the next few years.

1994 Torii Mor Pinot Noir, Yamhill
Patti Green is one of the most underrated winemakers on earth. This is good stuff. Not overly ripe or syrupy like some other 94 Oregon Pinots, the nose explodes with jammy blueberry/raspberry fruit and floral aromatics. Voluptious, fruity palate with soft tannins and hints of vanilla. Very good.

1994 Adelsheim Pinot Noir, Elizabeth''s Reserve
A 94 more to my style. Red cherries, black cherries, and some spice. Concentrated with good acidity. Glides across the palate. A very Volnay styled Oregon Pinot. Drink/Hold 4-5 years.

1998 Thomas Pinot Noir, Willamette
Very pretty with cinnamon, black cherries and a few floral nuances. Fine, stylish palate with a nice finish. Redder fruits on the palate than the nose.

1998 Ken Wright Cellars Pinot Noir, Canary Hill, Burgundy Wine Company Barrel Selection
Great Wine. Ken Wright''s wines are delicious!

1992 Grands-Echezeaux Vieilles-Vignes, Dominique Laurent
A good but not great wine that I wouldn''t say was of Grand Cru quality. Attractive nose of ripe, red bing cherries and white pepper. The palate was fat accented by red cherries and laced with spicy oak. While delicious, it didn''t have the depth and structure of a profound GE.

1989 Volnay 1er Cru, Caillerets, Clos de 60 Ouvrees, Pousse d''Or
This wine beagn the set of 8 wines that were all excellent. Black and red cherries with peppery spice. The nose hinted at the weighty palate to follow in its richness. The palate was loaded with a melange of cherries, had great persistence, was mature, gamey, and approachable. I really got lost in this wine, but the best was yet to come.

1989 Chambertin, Armand Rousseau
1989 Chambertin-Clos de Beze
These were served together and in comparison. The Clos de Beze was the younger of the two, but the Chambertin was probably better. The Clos de Beze was a harder with the tannins more apparent and was meatier with chewy tannins. The Chambertin was fatter and had additional layers of fruit that were lacking in the Beze. The Clos de Beze might show better than the Chambertin in a similar tasting five years from now. I would also argue that the wild, exotic elements of the Beze matched better with the Venison.
(in addition, I had the ''89 Clos Saint Jacques the other day. It was more powerful than either of these and also more spicy but I enjoyed both of these more as the CSJ finished a bit hot)

1988 Clos de la Roche, Dujac
Some said that this was corked, but I''m not so sure. There was a noticeable sauvage element added to the spicy black cherry and blackberry bouquet. The palate had great weight and depth. Not the best Dujac I''ve had but ceratinly complex, intense and very interesting with years of life ahead.

1985 Beaune 1er Cru, Greves, Lafarge
This wine was overlooked by a few, but I thought it was excellent. It seems as though it got lost because of the approachability of the wines before and after it. Really nearing peak drinking it displayed the typical Greves nose of wild meats, smoke, and spice. Definitive terroir shone through. The palate was classy with good tannic structure, blackberries and red cherries. Truly enjoyable, I''d probably drink this up over the next three years but it very well may last much longer.

1980 Clos de Vougeot, Mongeard-Mugneret
Yummy! Nose of smoke, black fruits and bacon fat. Very earthy and barnyardy. Redder on the palate. Medium body, needed a touch more acidity to be staggering but excellent nonetheless. Great match for venison. An exceptional wine.

1978 Volnay 1er Cru, Clos des Ducs, d''Angerville
One of the better wines I have ever had the pleasure to drink. One taster commented that "this is what Burgundy''s all about" after smelling the poopy nose supported by corrupt red and black cherry fruit. Incredible depth in the bouquet followed by a svelte mouthfill of sexy, spicy fruit. *****

1971 Charmes-Chambertin, Camille Giroud
Not as young as the Clos de Beze from the same year tasted not so long ago but one might still guess it was a great ''88. Blue and black fruit nose. Fruit still very primary. Young and structured. Profound length. Opinion reserved as it still needs a long time to reveal its true character; it will be interesting to see if more nuance develops.

1995 Qupe, Bien Nacido Hillside Estate
Good example of a nice Cali Syrah. Sweet Blueberries and a distinct Syrah nose. Soft with some tannins in the finish. Nice wine, drink it now for the fruit; I don''t think it will develop.

1998 Turley Zinfandel, Tofanelli
Before this tasting, I had never had a Turley I enjoyed. I still haven''t.

1985 Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Chateau Beaucastel
This was very, very good. An alluring combination of style and power. Hints of red cherries starting to make there way into the blue/black aromas and palate of this wine. Fine structure. Consistent power from beginning to end. No signs of slowing up.

1978 Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Les Cedres, Jaboulet Aine
A great effort. Black cherries and wild strawberries with herbs-de-Provence in the bouquet. Medium body strawberries, cherries and game. A very ripe and pretty Chateauneuf at peak. Delicious.

1989 Cornas, Clape
Very young, very rich and deep and a wonderful quaff indeed. This wine probably needs ten more years. Loads of fruit. Full body. Vanilla integrates nicely with the fat fruit. Should develop a more interesting bouquet with time -- a lot of it.

1978 Cote-Rotie, La Landonne, Guigal
Incredible. So many nuances. Every sip brought new elements: earth, game, spice, black fruits, herbs, evergreen. Neverending descriptors. Great structure lots of tannin. A massive wine offering tremendous enjoyment.

1978 Chateau Rieussec, Sauternes (Half Bottle)
Still very young and primary. Lots of acidity. Very focused and delicious but simply to young.

1975 Fonseca
The Cigar was lit here but this wine was absolutely delicious and had perfect balance. Very smooth with a controlled sweetness.

Much fun.