BWE DC '09: Friday wines and TNs

[DavidG]

Here's a list of the wine I think I recall being served on Friday night at Dino's. Please add to the list - I know there were others - and add TN's if possible. I'll try to add a few impressions if I have time but I was busier socializing and eating than I was paying careful attention to the wines.

96 Lanson - Jay
NV Egly-Ouriet Brut Tradition Gd Cru - DBG
NV Nicolas Feuillatte Brut Rose - DBG

Couple of Zilliken's brouth by Chris B - didn't get the details.

85 Poderi il Palazzino VdT Grosso Senese (mag) - Tom
90 Argiano Brunello - Winona Chief
98 Antinori Guado al Tasso - Tom
98 Giacosa Barbaresco Rabaja - Tom
98 Giacosa Barolo Rocche Faletto - HM$
98 Pira Barolo Margheria - Stefan
01 San Felice Brunello Campogiovanni - Stefan

82 Leroy Beaune Cent-Vignes - Werner
90 Faively Nuits St Georges Les St Georges - SDR
93 Rene Engel Clos Vougeot - Werner

88 Beaucastel - DBG
88 Vieux Telegraphe - HM$
90 Pegau Reservee - SDR
96 Guigal La Landonne - Nic
98 Beaucastel - Jim How
I know there were more Rhones...

04 Numanthia - RickJ

45 Rivesaltes - HM$
63 Taylor Port - SDR

[Jay Winton]

I won't comment individually but I thought the Rhones drank well as did the burgs. The Italians were a mixed bag with Howard's Faletto Barolo probably my favorite; however I was sipping at a prodigious rate so my comments are not official. Thank you mrs vino (now a board member) for serving as DD.

[JimHow]

You did a great job on the Friday night dinner, thanks a lot, Jay.
The Friday dinner was fun, really raucous, like BWE Friday night dinners usually are. Stuart came up to me at one point and commented how these Thursday, Friday and Saturday events usually seem to take on their own personality, and he's right!
And David pointed out later in the evening the family atmosphere in the room, with spouses and Tessa and lots of laughter and camraderie, not the scenario we sometimes see at non-BWE events, where everyone is trying to impress the others with his wine acumen.
I loved the wines from Thursday night, including the Italians, but that '96 Guigal La Landonne was tremendous, as well as the Beaucastels '88 and '98. And the '98 Pavie Decesse was modern but unmistakeably Bordeaux-- outstanding Bordeaux-- and its distinctiveness was just so evident in this potpourrie of wines. That decanter of Rick's ink black beauty from Spain was sitting in front of me all night and I finally got to it with the food-- perfect timing-- loved it!
Friday was a great night.

[DavidG]

Yeah, it was a very lively and fun dinner. Great pick on the venue Jay.

Jim we were at the same table so probably trying the same wines. My favorites were almost the same. I also liked the '88 Vieux Telegraphe, in addition to the Beaucastels, the La Landonne, and also the Pegau, and the Pavie. I liked a couple of the Barolos but can't remember which ones were which.

[Rick]

Jay and Peggy thank you for Friday night - the food was great
The close quarters allowed us to talk easy

I sat across from Jim and David and my favorates seem to be similar. I pretty much focused my attention on the French wines and the Numanthia
The 96 LaLandoone was tremendous as Jim stated and just got better all night long - Nick you picked a winner
The 88 Beaucastel was very nice (skiped the 98 Beau as i have many of these) and my favorate S Rhone
The 98 Pavie Decesse was a real treat near the end of the evening - told Jim now here is a real wine !!....I suppose why we are called BWE..the bordeaux came across as more complex ...it just grabbed my attention even after many previous wines
Numanthia was a beast and also got better and better - the decanted was permanently stained

The 88 Guiraud Sauternes was light and just so easy to drink - elegant vary nice wrap up wine. This would be a great wine to kick off a dinner

rick

[aimeedogdogdog]

It was great to see the BWE family on Friday night! We had a lot of fun there in the restaurant. The food was good, as well the wines, but the people and the conversation were the best. Thanks Jay for organising the event!

I managed to tast a few wines (less than half of all wines I guess.) The '98 Beaucastel was very good and surpringly very approachable. The '98 Giacosa Barolo was great -- elegant and yet powerful, pure and very penetrating (one thing I found out about Bruno Giacosa's barolos and barbarescos that they are always approacable and get more complexity in aging.) A few of the rhones were flat and even had a watery finish but I couldn't remember which was which now without having taken any notes. The '82 Leroy still amazed me how young and penetrating it was, although was overpowered by the rhone and italian muscled guys, and most food. The '93 Rene Engel was still close/not ready but I didn't have time to decant it either as being very late to the dinner. The '96 La Landonne Nic saved for me was closed I guess at the time I tasted it (given the reviews above), so I didn't get anything from it. The italian wines generally showed better than other wines in this night.

Oh the '63 Taylor was... not ready! It needs another 30 years. It was very good and better than any young ports I have tasted so far (any port under 70 years is young and not ready.) So what's missing in these young ports? Not sure but there was one mature port I tried in 1996 (first ever port) in an italian restaurant. The restaurant offered a very small glass of this port, which they said was from 1920s, to our table to go with the dessert. It was smooth like silk, everything was integrated, round, supple, not heavy like a lot of young ports nowadays and a long finish. Just delicious.

Werner