BNO’s Spanish Night

Our BNO (boys’ night out) tasting group’s recent Spanish theme was an accidental riposte to Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate’s current coverage of the wines of Spain. The wines we drank were more from the old Spain, which is to say elegant, lighter-bodied, higher acid, and finesse—rather than fruit—driven.

Although this kind of wines is fast disappearing in Spain, being replaced by big, opulent contemporary versions, they offer incomparable pleasure and enjoyment on the dining table. So (ahem) with the kind assistance of Marguerite, Kevin prepared food that evoked Iberian home cooking, consisting of bounties from the mountain and the sea.




Our aperitif wines started with a 2005 Rias Baixas, Santiago Ruiz, an Albariño-based wine from the coastal northwest region of Spain. Bright with floral, citrus scents; this dry, light-bodied wine packs intense pear, lime, and mineral flavors that easily make one’s mouth water with delight. Wow! What a terrific starter. Tapas-style garlic shrimp cooked in olive oil and wine was the perfect antidote to the raging taste sensations awakened by this unpretentious white. 2 ½ puffs.

Bob brought a selection of cheeses, which included Manchego and Mahon, that proved to be tasty with the next white that followed, 1994 Rioja blanco Crianza “Vina Gravonia”, R. Lopez de Heredia. This is a white Rioja mainly from the Viura grape that is made like a red wine. Vinification involves aging for four years in cask before bottling. This extended aging in cask, somewhat similar to sherry, gives the wine body and allows it to be aged further in bottle. It is a unique wine with a sublime character; one that does not readily gratify a fruit-driven palate, but a taste worthwhile to acquire. The color is pale yellow with a slight green tinge. Initially the nose is sherry-like, but it soon blossoms to grilled toast, minerals, and floral scents. “Sweet honeysuckle” says Eric. On the palate it is bone-dry and the flavors are subtle and a bit tangy with herbal and mineral tones. After some time in the glass, the flavors softened and became more nutty and almondy. To the initiated an aged white Rioja is one of Spain’s rare treats. 2 ½ puffs.

Although there was no stated regional theme to our Spanish tasting, everyone seemed to be thinking of the same thing, as everyone brought a Tempranillo-based wine from the classic winegrowing regions of La Rioja and Ribera del Duero. And that, of course, was great. The first red was the 1987 Rioja Crianza, Conde de Valdemar. A well-evolved, elegant red that shows charming fruit and good finesse; but the excessive brett somewhat mars the delicacy of this otherwise delicious wine. 2 ½ puffs.




Around the dining table is really where all the magic happens, as one would never understand or appreciate these classic wines by merely tasting them. As I was saying, Kevin, er Marguerite, prepared a splendid Spanish la cena of paprika-glazed baby back ribs, roasted stuffed pork loin, and saffron rice. With the lineup of old Spanish wine treasures awaiting us, we were about to be transported back to Old Castile.





Along with R. Lopez de Heredia, the other two oldest wine estates in Rioja are Marqués de Riscal and Marqués de Murrieta. All three pioneers were established in the latter part of the 19th century mainly as a result of the outbreak of phylloxera in France, particularly in Bordeaux. Sensing an opportunity, the founders of all three estates invested considerably in emulating Bordeaux. They studied Bordeaux winemaking techniques, employed cellar masters from Bordeaux, and even planted Bordeaux grape varietals to augment their Tempranillo vines. This period in Rioja, as well as in the nearby region of Ribera del Duero, saw the transformation of Spanish wines into world class quality.

The next flight pitted wines from the two venerable bodegas in Rioja: 1961 Rioja Reserva, Marqués de Riscal and 1986 Rioja Reserva “Ygay”, Marqués de Murrieta. The ’61 Riscal was just glorious. The nose exhibited an almost indescribably complex bouquet. “A touch metallic and hints of caramel”, said Steve. And Matt kept getting flashbacks all night as he described the fragrance of old Tempranillo as smelling “like the nape of a 16-year-old (chiquita)”. The scent is indeed intoxicating and can make one feel young again. On the palate it is just as lovely, with its lush, fleshy dark fruit flavors of cassis and herbs. Its finish is not quite long, yet on the palate it has lots of energy. Tempranillo doesn’t have big tannins like Cabernet Sauvignon, but it has good acidity which is why this 45-year-old wine tastes wonderfully fresh. 3 ½ puffs.


The '61 Riscal with corroded label in front of the 2000 version

Although it is a much younger wine, the ’86 Murrieta tasted more evolved. Its main appeal is a more explosive bouquet of flowers, red fruits, and cherry liqueur. On the palate, the attack delivers a good hit of fruit—“cherries and plums” says Gary—but the mid-palate soon turns tart and the finish is short and a bit hot. 3 puffs at first, but later the consensus was downgraded to a still respectable 2 ½ puffs. By the way, keep in mind the retail price of both the Riscal and the Murrieta was in the range of $20 to $30 a bottle.




The next flight featured two different styles of wines. The first bottle of 1996 Ribera del Duero “Alenza”, Condado de Haza (Grupo Pesquera) was unfortunately off. Good thing I brought a second bottle which was fine. A very young wine from a great vintage, its quality level is equivalent to a Gran Reserva as it is made only in the best years from the oldest parcels, and is aged for up to 30 months in American oak and further aged for several more months in bottle before release. Alejandro Fernández of Pesquera is also the proprietor of Condado de Haza. In Alenza he wanted to create a high quality Tempranillo wine using old winemaking technology. This is made of pure Tempranillo, with grapes picked from the oldest vines in the estate. Extraction follows traditional techniques of crushing whole grape clusters by feet. Tannins are already well-resolved and the texture is lush, with very good fruit concentration that tastes of bing cherries and sweet licorice. It’s still compact and needs at least another five years of aging to show its potential. 2 ½ puffs.




Without question the wine of the night was the 1964 Rioja Gran Reserva “Viña Tondonia”, R. Lopez de Heredia. This is the flagship wine of this uncompromisingly traditional estate in Rioja, and 1964 is one of its greatest vintages. Archaic long cask aging in French oak is still practiced here—a minimum of six years for Gran Reservas, sometimes up to ten years (the legal limit in Rioja) for truly exceptional years like this 1964. Anyway, what makes this wine great to this day, notwithstanding the extreme winemaking involved, was simply the beautiful fruit it started out with. Mostly Tempranillo, but blended with some Garnacha and a little bit of Mazuelo and Graciano. The Garnacha helps give the wine a lighter red color, while the addition of the two latter grapes was for acid backbone to give the wine more elegance and greater longevity. It is a wine of supreme elegance and finesse. Its bouquet is well-developed exuding fresh cherries, dried flowers, herbs, and even a bit of sous boise. On the palate it showed freshness and marvelous concentration, impressive for a wine over 40 years old. Its complexity is very good, but not great, revealing flavors of ripe black cherries with underlying spiciness and earthiness that turn a bit tart on the finish. It is smooth and focused, but I wish it had more grip so I can hold it longer. The delicate and fragile beauty of this wine is breathtaking. 4 puffs (with some minor dissent)




The next flight pits a wine again from the venerable R. Lopez de Heredia against an upstart that seeks to redefine traditional Spanish wines. It is clearly unfair to follow the 1964, but unfortunately another wine has to do it, and in this case better another wine from the same producer. The 1981 Rioja Gran Reserva “Vina Bosconia”, R. Lopez de Heredia turned out to be a very pleasing wine, save for its pronounced tartness in the finish. Wonderful aged Tempranillo floral aromatics (ah, it’s the fragrance from that “nape” again) and juicy cherry fruit. Quite a wonderful match with the spicy sweetness of the baby back ribs. 3 puffs.




Whereas Bodega Lopez de Heredia takes pains to mute the robust character of Tempranillo, preferring an airy style filled with bright tones, Alejandro Fernández of Grupo Pesquera hits the “LOUD” button determined to emphasize the bass chords and driving midtones of Tempranillo. Fernández, of course, succeeds. His method is completely the opposite of Lopez de Heredia. He picked a relatively new and unknown winegrowing region far from Rioja called Ribera del Duero to plant Tempranillo vines. Instead of blending with other grapes, he uses 100% Tempranillo picked riper and aged for a shorter time in wood (usually up to two years) using only American oak. His first release of Pesquera was from the 1975 vintage. At that time, Ribera del Duero was not even a DO classification and many were skeptical about what Fernández was doing. Ah, this night is really special because we had before us the first release of Pesquera’s flagship wine, the 1975 Pesquera de Duero Reserva “Pesquera”, Bodegas Alejandro Fernández. The label does not even say “Ribera del Duero” yet because the release preceded the creation of the DO after 1982 (it will be elevated to DOCa in 2008). How Kevin snagged this pristine bottle as it was never officially exported outside Spain is amazing! At over 30 years of age this energetic wine is successful proof of Fernández’s new approach in Spanish winemaking and the nobility of pure Tempranillo in Ribera del Duero vineyards.



The nose has an earthy, herbal old Bordeaux-like bouquet—filled with scents of dried leaves, bay leaf, mint, eucalyptus, and sous boise. On the palate the well-integrated flavors of fresh red cherries, cassis, licorice, mint, and minerals combine deliciously and persist through the lengthy finish. As in all the other wines we drank this night, this is a satisfying wine to drink not just for sheer pleasure but also for the bit of Spanish winemaking history that came along with it. 3 ½ puffs.

The next flight featured the two most powerful wines of the evening. We have another incredible wine from Alejandro Fernández, just as historic as the 1975 Pesquera but even more special. The 1982 Pesquero de Duero Reserva Especial “Janus”, Bodegas Alejandro Fernández was the result of Fernández’s and his brilliant winemaker’s, Teofilo Reyes, pursuit of higher quality. 1982 produced landmark quality wines, and they thought of experimenting and doing something special in that vintage. Pesquera employed traditional winemaking, which means crushing whole clusters in stone lagars and pressing them with an old wooden press. But they also started making wines for export using the modern approach of destemming the grapes and fermenting them in stainless steel vats. Fernández and Reyes decided to blend a small batch of the two different wines 50-50 and aged it for 3 years in American oak. The result was spectacular, and the first vintage of this experiment was the1982 Janus, a bottle of which was standing on the table and a healthy pour was in my glass.



Hands down, the 1982 Janus had the most incredible fragrance of all the wines this evening. Its floral perfume soared from the glass bringing with it scents of crushed cranberries, even tropical fruits. On the palate it was profound with layers of fruit, exotic spices, and herbs. I was close to hallucinating (did Steve mention “Timothy Leary”?). And when I blurted I smelled papaya everyone stared at me and I knew I lost all credibility at that point. But it gives you an idea that this stuff is potent and I was in Tempranillo heaven. 3 ½-4 puffs.

Among Spanish wines Vega Sicilia is like Yquem, it has no peer. First established nearly 150 years ago, not in Rioja but in Ribera del Duero, Vega Sicilia became famous in the 1960s due to some legendary vintages. But Spanish purists, especially from Rioja, decry its foreign influence. From the outset it was an international wine and its main audience was abroad. It owes a lot to Bordeaux winemaking as a significant portion of its flagship wine’s blend, the Unico, consists of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Malbec. And, of course, the Unico is priced like a Bordeaux First Growth, about ten times the price of a top Rioja Reserva! Aside from being a Tempranillo-based wine, where it mainly differs from Bordeaux is its winemaking approach of long cask aging, a minimum of seven years, and long bottle aging, usually four years or more, prior to release. The long elevage, or elaboration (as the bodegueros like to call it), matures this big, powerful, high-acid wine perfectly. But even after release, the wine is still dense and youthful, and really could use another 10 to 20 years of cellaring before the full potential shows!



So here we have the 1994 Ribera del Duero Reserva "Unico", Vega Sicilia. “Dense, highly extracted” said Steve. “35 to 40 second finish” timed Gary. This was high-toned, rich and opulent in the mouth, but seamless and beautifully balanced. It had massive extracts and a solid structure, but it was soft and not aggressive at all due to its perfect balance. Its depth, though amazingly profound, was still hard to plumb at this point as the wine is still compact. After some time in the glass it started to open up a bit, offering glorious layers of black fruits, earthy spices, mint, and licorice. A brooding wine that is a real treat to taste even in its youth. While it was clearly years away from being ready, it deserves special honors in this tasting. 3 ½-4 puffs.





As usual cigars followed after dinner. At this point we were overwhelmed by the experience of all the wines at dinner that it became impractical to take notes or even discuss the three wonderful sherries we had with the cigars. The first one was a pungent and dry Rare Palo Cortado, A.R. Valdespino. Next was a massively sweet and unctuous 1927 Pedro Ximenez “Dulce Viejo”, Alvear. And thirdly, a rare P.X. Vin de Liqueur, Michel Couvreur, a decadent but exquisite PX from Jerez that was aged in cask in a cold, humid cellar near Beaune in Burgundy.

Ka-ching! Cashing In on Wine...

News, like this recent Fortune cover feature (February 5, 2007), about the furious biotech research going on right now to develop anti-aging drugs based on red wine's resveratrol reveals that these drugs might be available sooner than you think. Truly fascinating.

May not be a bad idea to start cellaring more wines now for that 150th birthday bash!

BNO: In Search of Excellence in California Cabernet Sauvignon

It is probably safe to say that outside of Bordeaux there is no Medoc-centric winegrowing region as much as Napa. Production of Cabernet-based wines has dominated in Napa for the past several decades. Given this viticultural preoccupation and the U.S. wine media's relentless promotion of Napa Cabernet Sauvignon wines, both quality expectations and prices of Napa Cabernet Sauvignons have soared. But lately there is growing concern among California Cabernet collectors that much of the expectations could be largely hype.

A cornerstone of wine quality at the highest levels is ageworthiness. Though a handful of Napa Cabernet Sauvignons has been proven to age as well as top classed-growth Bordeaux (notably in the recent reenactment of the 1976 Judgment in Paris), it is still uncertain how much this trait extends to the rest of the field.

An even more sensitive issue I believe is the so-called cult-Cabernets, which emerged largely in the 1990s, and their huge success. These super-expensive, highly sought-after California Cabernets have been very influential in radically changing the winemaking style of California wines today towards high ripeness, high alcohol, low acid, and soft tannins. But the ageworthiness of these wines, as well as that of their horde of imitators, has not yet really been established.

Well now that these new style of California Cabernets from the mid-1990s (supposedly the golden age for this ripe-style of California wines) are finally passing their tenth anniversaries (pre-adolescent by Bordeaux standards) the honeymoon is over and they are starting to be seriously tested. But so far, publicized horizontal tastings of vintages such as 1994, 1996, and 1997, by leading wine publications have been disappointing.

California Cabernet Sauvignons made in the 1990s are some of the most collected wines in this country. I anticipate that many collectors, eager to find out how their wines are aging ten years or more on would be uncorking some bottles soon and organizing tastings of these vintages. I really urge you to do so.

Our BNO (boys’ night out) tasting group, always ready to jump on the next wine adventure, recently popped some of these top-rated California Cabernet Sauvignons from the mid-1990s, as well as some real oldies from the 1980s and 1960s. The results were eye-opening.

We treated the wines with the highest respect they deserve. Foremost in our elaborate preparation was Gary's incredible food pairing from start to finish. Hey, the man can cook and knows his food. We started with a cheese tray and a selection of black olives: perfect with the preliminary “glass coaters” and the blind tasting that followed. But his piece de resistance was the lamb shish kebab, a recipe handed down from his grandmother. More on this later.

It was only fitting that Kevin brought some of the evening’s glass coaters because he stopped collecting California wines after the 1970s vintages. To quote his glee after learning that we will be opening 1990s California Cabernets: “Wow! Fabulous! All the wines I never bought and collected!”

So, to start the evening two bottles were cracked: a 1966 Inglenook “Cask” Cabernet Sauvignon and a 1976 Beaulieu Vineyards Georges de Latour Cabernet Sauvignon. I was late to arrive and by then both bottles’ remnants already showed some oxidation. My colleagues, though, were very pleased with both wines. It is amazing to consider how impressive they tasted in their maturity after decades of cellaring. Both have a modest alcohol level of 12% like the old Bordeaux. The Inglenook was given a group score of 3 puffs and the BV 2 ½ puffs.

We progressed up the years in the preliminaries, opening next a 1984 Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon from Dunn. Now this has a complex, perfumy bouquet of forest floor and herbs like mint and bay leaf. In the mouth, the tartness of the fruit wakes up the palate, and then the cassis flavors become clear as the taste turns riper and sweeter through the lengthy finish. This Dunn has integrated well, with the tannins smooth and immersed with the fruit. I would say it is drinking at its best right now. Aging it for another decade would be missing the boat. Our group was split with the score. 2 ½-3 puffs.

Matt brought a couple of 1997 Cabernets for a warm-up blindtasting. The first one unveiled was a totally impressive, youthful tasting Cardinale, a Napa/Sonoma blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. It had gorgeous scents of concentrated blackberries, coffee beans, and sweet herbs. The rich tannins and good acid structure give this powerful, concentrated wine a delicious lift and energy on the palate, highlighting its cassis flavors. It does tend to get a bit overripe, with a noticeable harshness from the heat. Still, the fleshy extract compensates and it finishes very nicely. It would be interesting to age this for another 3 years or so in the hopes of gaining a bit more finesse and complexity, but maybe not much beyond that as the heat may get too noticeable. 2 ½-3 puffs.

The other 1997 turned out to be the modern-day version of Beaulieu Vineyards’ Georges de Latour Cabernet Sauvignon. Unlike the Cardinale, this had a flat nose, and on the palate the dense fruit dominates with its lush, ripe, sweet flavors and velvety texture. The flavors don’t linger much and the finish is short. The wine remains attractive for its soft, ripe blackberry flavors but don’t offer much beyond that. Group score is 2 ½ puffs.

Our mini-blindtasting that following included six of California’s fabled Cabernet Sauvignons. They are the crème de la crème. They got humongous points from the top U.S. wine critics and their respective producers charge very dearly for these wines, not to mention that in the secondary market these wines fetch multiples of their original prices.

There were two last place wines that were almost in dead-heat. These two wines were not only last place they were very disappointing. Without their labels, just based on how they tasted, you would not dare serve a glass of either one to your boss. One of them was the biggest disappointment of the evening: the 1997 Harlan Estate Proprietary Red. It is rated a perfect 100 points by Robert Parker and is one of the most expensive California wines. Parker has compared Harlan to a hypothetical blend of Bordeaux’ finest: equal parts La Mission Haut-Brion, Cheval Blanc, and Mouton-Rothschild. For the current going price of a bottle of 1997 Harlan Estate you can purchase at today’s prices two bottles each of those three top Bordeaux from the excellent 2001 vintage to build a special six-pack!

The combination of overripeness, low acidity, firm tannins, and excessive volatile acidity on the Harlan made it taste weird and funky to all the tasters. “Cherry cough syrup” said Matt and Eric; “latex paint” blurted Lenny. The Harlan has clearly not aged well mainly because of the increased volatile acidity on the wine. But apart from this the wine also suffers from excessive ripeness, making it taste syrupy, instead of fruity, in the mouth. Steve and Matt agreed that it was “all on the front, no mid-palate at all.” Gary summed it up succinctly: “where in the f—k is the 100-point wine?!” Our generous host offered to open another bottle, but we all politely declined as it was clear it was the wine not the bottle.

The other last place wine was the 1996 Ridge Monte Bello. Another big surprise as, unlike the Harlan, the Monte Bello at least has an established track record for aging well. Even after decanting, this wine still came off as being funky. “Motor oil” said Lenny. Some detected cardboard smells, potentially a sign of TCA. Though cassis flavors were clearly evident, the taste was flat and just seemed off. Altogether, it was not pleasant to drink. Frankly, this was one of my favorite Cabernets on release and I still have several bottles in my storage. Not able to take the disappointment, I opened another bottle a few days later with Eric. We both immediately concluded that this was quite good and clearly not even remotely similar to the one we previously opened; therefore, one must conclude that there was a TCA problem with the first bottle. But to be honest, I was not blown away by this second bottle. I thought the wine is too forward for its age and that it has matured faster than I expected. I’m not sure if this wine could age another decade or if there is any need to do so. Better to drink up soon. Spoiler Warning: this will be a recurring theme in this tasting.

By the way, I’m not describing these six blindtasted wines in the order they were poured, but in the order of the group ranking of last place to first. The next four wines were all deemed very well by the group. Fourth place was the 1991 Dominus “Christian Moueix” Napa. It is rated 98 points by Parker. It was my favorite of the series as it has developed an attractive bouquet and an elegant, complex taste. Its sweet cassis flavors were still rich and delicious and its firm tannins were nicely integrated, providing good counterbalance and structure to the wine. I would drink this now, too, but I could see this wine aging for another decade.

Third place by the group was the 1997 Araujo Cabernet Sauvignon “Eisele Vineyard” Napa. This is a deliciously-drinking, ripe, fruity, soft, and smoothly-textured Cabernet. Its lush chocolatey, blackberry flavors are seductive. But it’s already too soft for such a young wine and its overripeness and lack of acidity are making it lose freshness at this point. Drink up.

Second and first place votes were really too close to call as there’s only a single point separating them. The second place wine was the 2000 Bryant Family Cabernet Sauvignon Napa and the first place wine was the 1997 Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select Napa. The Bryant got double the number of first place votes of the Shafer, but one very low vote overturned the results. Steve brought the Bryant and, of course, he blamed Matt for skewing the results.

The 2000 Bryant is a densely extracted, mouthfilling Cabernet with massive amounts of cherry, chocolate, and blackberry flavors. Lush and velvety on the palate, it is round and seamless and very much a fruit bomb, a “Parker bomb” said one. It is impossible not to like for its hedonistic ripe fruit qualities. Yet, it does pay a price for the harsh heat that it generates on the finish. In its youth this harshness from the high alcohol is mostly hidden by the fruit, but as the wine ages this gets more excessive. Drink up soon and you’ll be happy with this wine.

The 1997 Shafer Hillside Select is nothing less than a perfect example of a modern-day California Cabernet. It has all the attributes of a modern California wine in the right proportions. It is very densely extracted and opulent. The flavors are predictable—it offers no surprise and, certainly, no non-fruity flavors. Instead, the wine does not veer away from the program of gobs of blackberry/cherry fruits, with just the right amount of tannins, that it delivers lavishly and with squeaky-clean polish. A “lab guide”, observed Matt. And that is very true, as it appears to be an oenologically perfect wine. Yet, it can be quite boring. It is the kind of wine one enjoys and drinks up and then move on. I noticed that we all enjoyed this wine but we did not linger over it. It is very satisfying sensually, but it does not evoke wine euphoria. It will definitely last for another 5-10 years.

After the blindtasting, we settled down around the dinner table to enjoy Gary’s unreal lamb shish kebab, a family heirloom recipe. While we were swishing and slurping, Gary was also busy preparing the lamb and sautéing his equally incredible green beans. Veggies don’t usually get top-billing at these affairs, but this dish of green beans is a revelation and an inspiration to pair more veggie dishes in the future.

There were several more California Cabernets up for tasting during dinner. I guess tired of all the judging, we simply stopped rating the wines at this point and just proceeded to enjoy them. The 1996 Chateau St. Jean “Cinq Cepages” Sonoma, the Wine Spectator’s 1999 Wine of the Year was first up and we were all dying to taste it. The wine is memorable not just for that huge accolade, but also for the shameless and unethical exploitation of the demand that followed its being named Wine Spec’s WOTY. It was first released in early 1999 at $28.00 a bottle (the Wine Spectator, itself, listed it at this price), a price consistent with previous vintages. Later in the year, though, when news of its being selected WOTY leaked, the wine was pulled out of distribution and became only available at the winery at about double the price of its release! It went back to distribution a few months later, but this time at a store price of $75 or more, not because the stores were gouging, but because the wholesale cost of the wine suddenly went up.

After tasting some funky wines during the blindtasting, it was actually a relief to taste something more typical of a California Cabernet in the 1996 Cinq Cepages. It was darkly colored and drinking ripe and sweet, very juicy and with hardly a hint of tannin. It was fleshy and soft and appeared to have not much of a finish or grip to it. It is an attractive Cabernet to drink, certainly worth its release price but not triple that price. Drink up.

The 1995 Dalla Valle Cabernet Sauvignon Napa was a favorite wine of the evening. It was drinking fresh and youthful—darkly colored, with solid fruit concentration and velvety tannins. It had a particularly delicious cassis flavor that was not soft and overripe, but rather textured and lively. It was not a particularly great wine, as it was not deep nor complex, but it really showed very good balance and potentially could evolve for at least another 5 years.

In contrast the 1992 Duckhorn Cabernet Sauvignon Napa was already showing signs of drying out. It does have some good life left as it started out with good fruity flavors that slowly lost freshness within several minutes in the glass. This was probably more solid at least five years ago. Drink up.

The 1980 Ridge Monte Bello was definitely in a more advanced state—with strong mature flavors of decay that may not taste attractive to those who always drink young wines. But I really enjoyed this wine because it was interesting. The difference with, say the Duckhorn or with the other Cabernets made in the 1990s, is that this was definitely made for aging in the first place. It was well balanced. The fruit was not overripe to begin with and both acidity and tannin were proportional. Thus, the secondary flavors that developed, highlighted by herbal and licorice flavors, tasted fresh and natural, not drying out. The wine is past its prime, yet it has aged beautifully.

Two more Cabernets were passed around during dinner, both from the 1990s. One was the 1997 Viader Napa that tasted sweet and overripe and then hot and harsh on the finish because of the high alcohol. I must say, though, that the chocolate chip cookies gave it a lift . The other Cabernet was the 1995 Plumpjack Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve. This was a big, dense, opulent Cabernet, with lush blackberry flavors and rich tannins. It did not develop any more after several minutes in the glass, but it was still an attractive drink even though it’s one-dimensional.

Awaiting us post-dinner were the two highly anticipated Ports: the 1963 Croft Vintage Port and the 1945 Graham Vintage Port. Kevin, of course, is the master of the Port tongs. This device is clearly the best method of opening an old Port bottle as it avoids the risk of the old cork crumbling into the wine, not to mention that it causes far less disturbance to the wine than a cork puller. But, kids, don’t try it at home unless you have developed the kind of discipline necessary that Kevin obviously possess.

The 1963 Croft Vintage Port was simply marvelous. This bottle was bottled in Oporto and it was clearly in perfect condition. Still dark purplish ruby colored, with fleshy, concentrated sweet flavors of ripe berries. It was fresh and lively and really quite youthful. Though it doesn’t have the depth and complexity of a truly great vintage Port, this Croft is so enjoyable to drink as it’s so well-balanced and integrated. It seems to be drinking close to peak right now, but it will easily age for another decade or more.

Well, one of the greatest Ports, if not the greatest, ever made is the 1945 W.J. Graham. We were really blessed to have one that was bottled in Oporto and in glorious condition. Graham’s makes a style of Port that is clearly built to last as it always has very sweet, ripe extracts to accompany its firm tannic structure. When it was bottled in 1947, I can only imagine how almost undrinkable this wine was for its massive sweetness. But now, of course, its heavenly trajectory has been achieved. It almost drinks like a Burgundy in terms of its color, fruitiness, and elegance, yet it has an ethereal sweetness and a depth that seems to reach out beyond what’s humanly possible to discern. If one of the reasons why we chase great wines is to get a glimpse of something immortal, then this wine was clearly a portal. Not to sound cliché-ish, but it’s hard to exactly put into words what one feels with a wine experience like this. A beatific smile and a nod to each other should suffice.

"From wine what sudden friendship springs!"*

*Francois Rabelais

I don't think we've ever received a Valentine's from one of our wineries. How thoughful of our friends from Crocker Starr!

Dinner with 2003 Bordeaux

One of the fun things about wine is that it's never boring and it never ceases to surprise. Such is the case with the wines from the 2003 Bordeaux vintage. Famous for its record heatwave and the drought that prevailed during most of the growing season, the vintage resulted in crops with very high ripeness levels. Bordeaux has never experienced such a vintage, at least not in a while, and so there has been widespread wonder among producers and consumers alike as to how the wines would turn out.



The 2003 Bordeaux wines have been released for several months now and it is indeed a very fascinating vintage. We hosted a wine dinner last night at a private restaurant in San Mateo, CA, that featured several of the top wines of the vintage. One would think that matching food with these very young, fruit-heavy wines could be problematic. But, as the dinner demonstrated, there was no need for such concern; the wines never overpowered the food and the food pairing was delicious. Why? The simple answer is relatively modest alcohol and good adequate acidity.


The setup team

Many have described the 2003 Bordeaux vintage as a "California" vintage for the kind of ripeness that the vintage achieved. In a sense this is true, as the Bordeaux wines show dense fruit with sweet flavors and soft tannins, or tannins masked by gobs of fruit. But the similarity pretty much stops there. Whereas California Cabernet Sauvignons routinely register 14.5% to 16% alcohol (oftentimes with water already added in), these 2003 Bordeaux wines for the most part have an alcohol range of 13%-13.5%! The other surprising difference of these 2003 Bordeaux wines is that given such a high ripeness level they still maintained adequate acidity so the flavors remained bright and fresh amidst the saturation. From my tastings of the wines and from last night's dinner, I can tell you that 2003 Bordeaux is not really a "California" vintage, or an "Aussie" vintage for that matter. It is a unique vintage; a vintage all to its own.

We started with a white Graves from Carbonnieux, a full, minerally white, with attractive floral aromas and ripe. pomelo grapefruit flavors. The pairing with a delicate fish consommé was brilliant, as the dish brought out the lovely sweetness in the wine.

The second course of grilled quail with quinoa grain in a persimmon sauce was also a delicate dish, yet it was not overpowered by the four big reds that accompanied it. The Clos Manou, a little-known cru bourgeois from the Medoc, held its own against the classed growths it was served with. This overachieving 2003 showed impressive concentration and grip, coating the palate with its powerful and lush blackbbery flavors. A striking contrast to the Smith Haut Lafitte next to it, which showed bright black cherry and red berry flavors, with a distinctive note of coffee and iodine. Truly a seductive wine. Then next to this was the much-praised and talked about Pontet-Canet, a Michel Rolland wine. I've had this wine a few times before and while I regard it as an attractive wine I remain not as overwhelmed by it as other folks. It is dark and muscular and almost jammy at the end. Its main trait is its enormous power and extract, which to me seem forced. The final wine in this flight is the Pichon-Lalande, of which I am a big fan. It is the most atypical and most powerful young Pichon-Lalande that I've ever had. Its trademark floral, sweet, spicy perfume is not evident; instead, it exudes earthy, chocolatey, blackberry jam scents. Dense and fleshy and filled to the brim with extract. Yet, in contrast to the Pontet-Canet, it is relaxed and layered; never really forceful and gradually unfolding. This will be a very long-lived Pichon-Lalande. A Super-Second performance, if not First Growth quality.

The next flight represents the tour de force of the vintage. Leading off are the two superstars of St. Estephe, the commune said to have performed superbly in this vintage: Cos d'Estournel and Montrose. The Cos, even with its dense, concentrated blackberry flavors and long finish, tasted suave and polished. I would have preferred more firmness as it's quite forward in style. The Montrose is equally big and ripe, but it shows more depth and firmness on the mid-palate. Solid concentration. It is beautifully put together and it exhibits the poise and balance of a First Growth.



Finally to the three First Growths. Mouton-Rothschild is truly seductive in this vintage. Tight on the nose, but really sweet and filled with spicy blackberry and raspberry jam flavors. Very good grip as the flavors hang on the palate, yet it doesn't quite have the depth and the expressiveness to put it over the top. Almost the same thing can be said of the Margaux, but it is more solid, really powerful, with great concentration and depth. But it lacks expressiveness and the finish is rough. I feel the extraction went a bit over and resulted in a less than perfect balance. The Lafite-Rothschild exhibits little of these faults. The style is very relaxed and the wine is well-proportioned--it fits like a glove in this unique, challenging vintage. Its complex nose changes from cassis and herbal extracts to toffee, sweet caramel, and butterscotch, then back to more cassis. It is big and powerful, but never forceful. It is spherical in character, with no rough edges. Its finish is long, but not loud, showing the class and elegance of a Frist Growth.



The dessert ending featured what was perhaps the killer food and wine pairing of the evening. Chef Patrick Farjas served his signature vanilla ice cream flavored with candied spicy ginger. The almost cloying, syrupy richness of the young La Tour Blanche pretty much melted with the ice cream resulting in a seamless balance of flavors. The Sauternes' super ripeness tamed by the spicy ginger, brought out the wine's hidden elegance.


Candied Spicy Young Ginger & Tahitian Vanilla Seed Ice Cream


Bordeaux 2003's successful wines are not only attractive for their high ripeness levels, but also for their easy drinkability, especially for drinkers with a more California wine palate. But unlike California Cabernets, these 2003 Bordeaux have more modest alcohol levels and good acidity, which altogether make them very good food wines indeed.


French Master Chef Patrick Farjas and his competent staff



Deliberating the wines at the end of the dinner

P.S. Thank you to all the generous folks who brought wines to share from their cellars. The '95 Margaux is still reverberating on my palate. Thank you, Steve. Ron, you make Michael Broadbent proud with the '85 Figeac. Great call. Andrew, what can I say, '97 Monbousquet! Dennis, what a treat on the 2000 Reignac; it ran with the class growths. And Lenny, I didn't see a drop of the '03 Almaviva by the time the bottle got to me, it must have been Mouton-esque.

Tasting Bordeaux 2004

Bordeaux producers from the Union des Grands Crus hosted a tasting a few weeks ago of their 2004 wines in San Francisco, Chicago, Miami, and New York. Sandwiched between two highly hyped vintages, 2003 and 2005, and the fact that the usual wine critics haven't spent much ink, so far, writing up about this vintage, the Bordeaux producers have wisely seized the task themselves of spreading the joys of their 2004 wines.



There were several hundred wines being tasted, mostly from stellar producers. Though the First Growths were nowhere to be seen and a handful of top tier producers like Ausone, Cheval Blanc, Pavie, and Leoville-Lascases did not make it, many of the best and brightest of Bordeaux these days were pouring their wines.

Overall, it was not a bad vintage. There is much variability in the quality of the wines, but non-Medoc regions like Saint-Emilion, Pomerol, and Graves showed the most consistency. Pauillac and Margaux appear to yield the least amount of exciting wines, which pretty much explains why this vintage is not getting its fair share of hype. I mean, Bordeaux is a huge place, with microclimates in each of its regions. Almost the entirety of Bordeaux can experience a bad vintage, but as long as key estates in Pauillac and Margaux come up with excellent wines one would hear mainly hype about the vintage from the wine media. Such is the prevailing bias. Pauillac and Margaux, Pauillac especially, hold the keys to the market success of the entire region.

From Graves, I like the wines in both colors that the regeion is famous for. In whites, Domaine de Chevalier produced a thrilling white, the best in the tasting, with very good concentration, freshness, and depth. The whites from this venerable estate are usually second only to the whites of Haut-Brion and La Mission Haut-Brion. Smith Haut-Lafitte Blanc showed very good balance and minerality and I liked it a lot. Other wonderful white are the ones from Fieuzal, Larrivet-Haut-Brion, and the little-known Chantegrive. Carbonnieux, whose 2003 blanc is one of the best from that difficult vintage for whites, unfortunately did not excite me this time.

Graves reds showed even more brillaince. This time I was impressed with Carbonnieux. But one of the most impressive was Haut-Bailly--seemingly forward in style because of its excellent balance, it's very classy. Larrivet-Haut-Brion and Smith Haut-Lafitte were also impressive. Both displaying the forward style of this vintage.

In St.-Emilion there is even more to choose from. My favorites include Beau-Sejour Becot, Figeac (stunning!), Clos Fourtet, Pavie-Macquin, Troplong Mondot, Grand Mayne, and the little-known Dassault. But I wasn't too thrilled about Angelus, which I found a bit too extracted for the vintage and trying too hard to please. 2004 is a vintage that rewards wines that are more relaxed in style.

The handful of Pomerol estates in attendance did not disappoint, with both Clinet and Gazin showing very good stuff indeed. But La Conseillante was truly spectacular--very ripe, very sweet; the tannins so rich and velvety.

As I mentioned, Margaux did not perform well, however, at least one that stood out was Du Tertre--it was perfumy, ripe, and intense. Its favored exposure at the top of a hill in Margaux plus the brilliant winemaking really paid off. This is one of the best buys of the vintage.

In Sauternes there is much to like. Rayne Vigneau and Lafaurie-Peyraguey turned out exceptional wines that are rich and layered and supported by good acidity. My top picks, though, are La Tour Blanche and de Fargues.



La Tour Blanche picked brutally as a result of the rain during harvest, leaving as much as 70% of the fruit unpicked. The sacrifice was definitely worth it as the wine showed beautiful sweetness and freshness on the palate, with wonderful length on the finish.

De Fargues, which is a separate estate owned by Yquem, also sorted brutally as the hailstorm destroyed about 60% of the crop. This is a wine with much delicacy and charm; instead of wowing you with richness, whcih it has a good amount of, it also seduces with its finesse and elegance. A marvelous feat.

Surreal World of Napa Cabernet Sauvignon

The world of Napa Cabernet Sauvignons can be surreal. Take the case of the 2004 Levy & McClellan Cabernet Sauvignon, a wine that's breaking all sorts of records (someday some media publication will keep track of esoteric wine stats the way it's done in U.S. professional sports). Meanwhile, the wine blogosphere has been abuzz with this wine and if you happan to have a wine blog yourself you probably shouldn't be caught not posting something about it.

Consider the following:
The 2004 vintage is the first commercial release.
The scheduled release of this first vintage is next year.
It is said that production is set at 300 cases.
Every bottle appears to be already spoken for.
The release price is set at $350/bottle, which appears to be the highest release price of any debut vintage Napa Cabernet, perhaps of any wine on its first release.
No wine critic has even tasted it yet, much less given it a score.
The 6-acre vineyard was planted in 1999, so the 2004 vintage is from 5-year-old vines. This also implies that this piece of land has not produced any wine ever before.
A 3-bottle lot closed at auction today at $2,500.00.

So what is this wine that costs $350 a bottle on its first release, which no one except the proprietor/winemakers has ever tasted, which is already sold out a year before its eventual release, which already sold at auction at over $800/bottle a year before release, and which hundreds, if not thousands, of willing buyers are still begging for an allocation?

Wouldn't you agree with me that the world of Napa Cabernet Sauvignon can be surreal?