Thursday night dinner with a couple good bottles
Just a quick Thursday night dinner to see a Brian Williams off to.. of all places.. Milan, Italy… He’s heart broken that he has to spend so many months over there and doesn’t have to work…
Mix’n Match
All wines were opened, set on the table, and then consumed in random order over the evening.
- 2004 Marqués de Murrieta Rioja Reserva - Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alavesa, Rioja
Impressive stuff with outstanding aromatic of cherry and red fruit, mineral smoke and subtle oak notes. There’s a nice spice component and on the palate, a slight sourness adds rather than detracts. Medium bodied and just seamless, this has a silky texture and a nice finish.(91 pts.) - 2004 Clos des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Just continuing to drink better and better, this was the best bottle I’ve had to date. The nose shows beautiful dark fruit, earthy black raspberry, licorice and spice aromas and it continued to open up over the evening. There’s an old vine sappiness on the palate and it has surprisingly sweet, rich fruit. Medium to full bodied, this is fantastic with perfect balance, awesome texture and a long finish.(95 pts.) - 2004 Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
Amazingly forward with bright fruit and acid, this shows plenty of sweet cherry, spice, dusty earth and vanilla aromas on the nose, a medium bodied, balanced palate and a smooth, clean, enjoyable finish. This wine does everything right and is a joy to drink.(90 pts.) - 1999 Clos du Val Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, California, Napa Valley
Very bordeaux like with its cassis laced, earthy and slightly herbal aromatics, this improved noticeably with air, is medium bodied with rich fruit, decent weight and an enjoyable finish. There’s a touch too much green in this wine for me but, never the less, it’s still pretty darn good.(88 pts.) - 1989 Château Meyney - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe
A beautiful, mature bordeaux that shows rich cassis, lead pencil, pipe tobacco and earth aromas and this really improved with air, going from slightly herbal to more spice and fruit centric. The palate is medium bodied with sweet fruit, impressive mid-palate weight and a nice finish. Everything seems to be completely resolved but this doesn’t seem to be on the downward slope either. Thanks for bringing this Patrick!(91 pts.) - 2005 Domaine des Baumard Quarts de Chaume - France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Quarts de Chaume
Schezaam, killer stuff. The nose shows brilliant sweet fruit, cream corn, striking minerality and even hints of white flowers. Fresh, vibrant and well balanced, this has plenty of verve and underlying acidity that keeps it easy to drink through multiple glasses.(94 pts.)