A day in the life... of a wine geek

Just another Friday of wine…. All prices are estimates of what the bottle cost at purchase, not necessarily what it is worth now.

Lunch at Cut Urban Grille

1996 Henriot Vintage Champagne ($120) - Low carbonation, great tart acidity, trace of brett? A wonderful palate cleansing start to the day.

brown sugarcane & beet salad

with truffled honey goat cheese dressing

1997 Marques De Murrieta Capellania Reserva ($32) - old yellowed white wine from 100% Viura. Still good acidity, orange rind, quince, long finish. Could go much longer.

*****

broiled marrow au gratin

broiled marrow bone topped with black truffle cheese, brioche crisps, black mission

fig and apple-cinnamon jams

1991 Vega Sicilia Valbuena ($110) My first ever taste of a wine from this famous producer. Although the wine might go another 10 years, the cork was almost completely saturated. Great fig, aged red wine character perfectly matches the marrow/truffle cheese with fig jam. Good acidity, secondary fruit, long and deep drinking experience.

*****

Beef Short Ribs

char sui rubbed, slow braised in red wine & beet sauce, apricot puree

1987 Marques de Murrieta Castillo Yguay Gran Reserva Especial ($60) - a great delicate aged wine, some acetone at opening blows off to reveal Bordeaux-like secondary fruit character, amazing taste match with the apricot and beet character in the sauce on the tender rib meat.

*****

Artisanal cheeses

with walnut bread crisps

1964 Palacio de Arganza Senorio de Arganza ($110) - an ancient bottle of this famous, almost legendary wine from Bierzo, in the extreme northwest corner of Spain. Made from Mencia, once thought to possibly be Cab Franc. Secondary and teritiary fruit with leafy tannins still showing. Some slight oxidative volatility (VA) but not distracting. The oldest wine I have ever had.

Red wines were all from Joe Posiak’s cellar.

After dinner, a simple palate cleanser…

2008 Fourault Vaufuget Vouvray, a semi sweet Chenin Blanc, only OK, clean enough but not that exciting. Simple sweetness, some acidity, nothing bad, nothing special either. ($22)

At Hugh’s

Angoves 9 Vines Viognier ($15) Excellent example of Viognier that is not too hot, and tastes balanced and clean.

Vouvray - hand carried from Quebec A very good bottle of Chenin Blanc that I neglected to note the name of. Was clean, crisp and satisfying with an old cheddar made with single malt scotch in the sun on a lazy Friday afternoon.

Australian Sauvignon Blanc - Leeuwin Estate Art Series ($40). A very sour, long and lean over the top SB. Jalapeno, bell peppers, gooseberry/grapefruit. Seems simple and not really complex.

Bishops Cellar Burgundy Tasting

2007 Henri Prudhon Bourgogne Rouge ($25) OK, example of inexpensive red Burg. Thin and a bit mean, but some Pinot Character and an OK funky nose.

2002 Louis Remy Chambolle-Musigny 'Les Fremieres' ($64) Funky dirty nose (good) medium body, Real Burgundy. About average for the price.

2004 Louis Boillot & Fils Beaune 1er Cru 'Les Epenotes' ($42) Dark, spicey, piney clove nose. Full, alcoholic, rich and a bit hot. OK.

2006 Jean Chauvenet Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru 'Les Vaucrains' ($92) Big dark Pinot, in need of time, will be very good, not for current drinking.

2004 Maume Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru 'Lavaux St. Jacques' ($74) Best wine of the tasting. Totally involving nose, complex chicken coop, mushrooms, what I call a “duct tape wine”, one I just want to walk around with it stuck to my face. The taste is almost as good, with a layered fruit character, typical Burgundian Pinot Noir fruit esters, some minor VA, overall an excellent wine that I am going to buy.

2004 Drouhin-Laroze Chambertin Grand Cru 'Clos de Beze' ($105) Monster. Will be something amazing in 10 years. Spice, cloves, cinnamon, alcohol, dark cherries, impressive, but not for now.

2007 Henri Prudhon St Aubin 1er Cru 'Les Perrieres' ($42) First bottle was off (weird burnt taste), second one was an excellent example of good value white Burgundy.

2007 Antoine Jobard Mersault Genevrieres ($95) This watery, not nearly as good as the St. Aubin.

Jeff’s Place

2008 Meerlust Chenin Blanc ($15) Clean, crisp palate, slight woody note, chalky tannins, classic palare wake up, and the third Chenin Blanc of the day!

2000 Chateau Tabilk Marsanne ($24) INcredible waxy, yellowed wine with quince, pineapple, sour fruit, apple juice (in a good way). Handled a hot Biryani Curry. Craig guessed the wine exactly.

2004 Henry of Pelham Speck Family Reserve Chardonnay ($42) Could be Burgundy, classsic creamy oak aged Niagara Chardonnay. Craig pretty well nailed it.

2003 Marion Valpolicella Superiore ($50) A fantastic example of how good wine from the Veneto can be. Long intense dark cherry, earth, intense acidity balanced with good fruit. Dark core, some amber at edges.

2005 Le Clos Jordanne Village Vineyard Pinot Noir ($40), If this wine had been at Bishops, it would have been the second best. Simply great, true to style Pinot Noir. Complex, yet easy to drink. Aroma and taste perfect - makes one smile.