looking up my notes in my Grapenutz Guides--circulation in the high
teens-later today
"DaleW" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> Last night a new local tasting group got our start. 8 winelovers got
> together and went through 10 wines (doubleblind). Quite a lineup,
> thanks to our host John.
>
> (note, due to great lineup, tougher grading than usual)
>
> We started with a Champagne. Bready, rich, yeasty, with mature ripe
> apple fruit. A little floral on nose. Fine mousse. I like but I'm
> clueless (Champagne isn't an area I feel very confident about). Mark
> and Sasha quickly decide it's a Blanc de Blancs, John confirms. Sasha
> correctly guesses the 1990 Pol Roger. B/B+
>
> First red flight:
> Wine #1: Firm ripe black fruit, with earth and tobacco. Some tannic
> structure remaining, I'm thinking through mid-eighties vintages,
> eliminating '86 as too tannic. Mark announces Graves,and narrows it to
> Haut-Brion. It's the 1978 Haut-Brion, still very youthful. A-
> (left in the glass, it continues to evolve through the night, with damp
> earth and shiitake mushroom aromas emerging and blending with the
> blackcurrant fruit, which remains vibrant through entire evening.
> Change that to an A).
>
> Wine #2 : On first pour the horsey/barnyardy aromas are pretty intense
> ( but I like, not being very brett-averse), but no one else seems to
> notice. Ripe blackcurrant fruit, with herby/minty notes. Resolved
> tannins. B+/B. It's the 1974 Mondavi Reserve Cabernet
>
> Second red flight:
> Wine #3 :This initially seems rather ripe and friendly, develops more
> structure as it airs. Spice, good acidity, with some meaty notes and
> damp earth. A- 1988 Armand Rousseau Chambertin
>
> Wine #4: Perfumed earthy nose, leather and sandalwood over a nice black
> cherry fruit base. More attractive at first, but I eventually give the
> edge to wine #3. B+ 1985 Mugneret-Gibourg Echezeaux
>
> A white before dinner:
> Ripe baked-apple fruit, distinct petrol. Not a lot of acidity, but not
> in any way flabby. Minerally finish. Sasha seems confident it's
> Grunhauser. I'm thinking 1997 Spatlese,but seems a little more
> developed. 1989? Once again I'm off (vintage and pradikat)1985 Maximin
> Grunhauser (von Schubert) Abstberg Auslese. B+
>
> Nice roast beef and couscous for dinner, I enjoy it with some of the
> Haut-Brion and the
> Third Red Flight:
>
> Wine #5: Structured, with cassis and black plum fruit. Cigarbox and
> minerally earth, firm and young. I'm thinking '86 Medoc, wrong again,
> it's the 1975 L'Evangile. A
>
> Wine #6: Very ripe black cherry fruit. coffee and cocoa. Low acid and
> lush. I prefer wine #5. This develops some more complexity in glass.
> It's the 1979 Lafleur. B+
>
> Fourth Red Flight
> Wine #7 : First bottle is corked, but John has a backup. Floral/berry
> nose, red cherry and raspberry fruit, very good. B/B+. 1982 Gaja Sori
> Tilden Barbaresco (I think the corked bottle was the '82 San Lorenzo)
>
> Wine #8: Lifted/VA nose at first, bright cherries, distinct
> earthy/truffley notes. Violets and roses, excellent. A-/A. 1982 Bartolo
> Mascarello Barolo
>
> Fantastic lineup, where virtually any wine could have been WOTN
> candidate at most offlines. The L'Evangile edged the Haut-Brion as my
> favorite, but I probably would have voted for either - or either of the
> Burgs or the Barolo if you asked me while I was sniffing or tasting
> that wine!
>
> Incredible generosity from John, and a good start to our group.
>
> Disregard my usual disclaimer, or at least the part about being easy
> grader. Tonight's wines were so uniformly good I had to be a tough
> grader to differentiate. But I still no promises of objectivity,
> accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.
>