TNs: Another month, another wine and poker tournament

[Michael Malinoski]

It was another month, another wine and poker tournament, another inevitable loss for yours-truly. But, as usual, the great wines and great friends made up for that, and it was a fun day all around. As is our custom, the wines were all served blind.

1996 Henriot Champagne Brut Millésimé. This has yeasty but crisp aromas of lemon rind, toasted bread, light caramel and steely minerals. In the mouth, it’s pretty densely-concentrated, with toothy, grippy-textured flavors of dark grapefruit, lemon, smoke and graphite. It’s broad and at times a bit heavy-bottomed, showing its age around the edges, but otherwise with plenty of round and giving flavors.

2008 Paul Pernot et ses Fils Bourgogne Blanc. This is kind of reserved but gently pretty on the nose, with floral, powdery aromas of orange blossoms, cantaloupe and limestone. In the mouth, it’s easy-sipping and subtle, with soft acids and modestly creamy flavors of melon, tree fruits, citrus and kiwi. Nothing really stands out, but it’s pretty enjoyable.

2002 Dominique Laurent Volnay 1er Cru Clos des Chênes Vieilles Vignes. This is well-aged and interestingly-layered on the nose, showing off earthy, funky aromas of porcini mushroom, rawhide leather, decayed earth, old wood, dusty barn, red currants, dried cherries and black raspberries. In the mouth, it’s got a real nice core of sweet cherry and raspberry coulis fruit supported by funky earth, cedar and menthol bits that give it a sense of leafy underbelly. It’s medium-weighted, beautifully-textured, gently tannic and totally ready to drink right now. I like it a lot.

1996 Isole e Olena Cepparello Toscana IGT. This is just a bad bottle. It’s nasty on the nose, with a big dollop of volatile acidity to go with aromas of sewage and rotting vegetables. In the mouth, it’s thin, insipid, cooked-down and stewy—with no redeeming qualities at all. Too bad.

2001 Bodegas Valsacro Rioja Dioro Seleccion J&D. This is dark-scented and serious on the nose, emitting aromas of black currants, plums, dark chocolate, toasted spices and eucalyptus. In the mouth, it’s plummy and plump with flavors of blue and purple fruit right up front. It has good acidity, fine length, but also drying tannins. It’s pretty good, but I might wait another 2-3 years to try it again.

1994 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape. This smells pleasantly old-fashioned--with finely-done aromas of red currants, cranberries, old leather, dried sweat, carob nut and fireplace ash that still show good life and vibrancy despite the mature profile. In the mouth, it’s enjoyably savory and also a bit salty—delivering flavors of cassis, dark chocolate, tobacco, plum, earth and smoke. It’s pretty consistent from entry to finish, with a bit of a leathery texture but very nice balance and a tasty savory-spiced finish. It may not be a profound Beaucastel, but I find it quite tasty.

2000 Fratelli Revello Barolo Vigna Giachini. With a slinky, powerful, lifted and serious bouquet of blackberry, black currant, star anise, black leather, toasted oak, purple flower and chocolate-covered cherry aromas, this is engaging and inviting on the nose. It’s slippery and lithe on the palate, with a youthful sense of power and push to flavors of black currants, blackberries, chocolate and licorice rope. It’s gripping and a bit tacky-textured, with tons of drive but also loads of drying tannins. It needs several more years to come around, but it has excellent stuffing and overall make-up.

1999 Ridge Monte Bello Santa Cruz Mountains. Seductive and sexy on the nose, this wine is beautifully redolent of spicebox, cedar, menthol, black currant, sweet oak, mincemeat, allspice and jalapeno pepper aromas. In the mouth, it’s seductive, smooth and plush, with pure blueberry, black currant, crushed nut and spice flavors. There are no hard edges, lovely texture and subtle framing all the way through. This is excellent stuff and my wine of the night.

1996 Château Bahans Haut-Brion Pessac-Léognan. This is really fine on the nose, with classy aromas of menthol, cedar, tomato plant, green pepper, tobacco, black currant and gravel stones. In the mouth, it has a refined texture that turns a tad pasty at the very end, but otherwise delivers smooth and silky flavors of black currant, blackberry and earth. It’s medium-weighted, with fine acidic undertow, and excellent balance. This is a very well-made wine with plenty of life left.

2007 Ridge Geyserville Sonoma County. This is young and a bit woody on the nose, but pushes out appealing scents of black cherries, black raspberries, charred wood, menthol and toasted spices. It’s a bit thick and densely-concentrated on the palate, maybe a tad raisiny at times, but otherwise full of chewy black fruit and fig flavors accented by loads of toasted brown spices that are rather tasty. It finishes with a brighter, zestier edge, but I would suggest giving this a little more time.


-Michael

[AKR]

Odd spectrum of wines. I have always been amazed at how long B-H-B can age despite being a second wine.

[Michael Malinoski]

We'll often do more structured flights at these events, but sometimes it is just a bit of a random assortment, which suits me fine most of the time. This was my very first Bahans experience, by the way, and I definitely enjoyed it. I believe the name was retired 7 or 8 years ago. Le Clarence de Haut Brion doesn't sound quite as sophisticated to me, though I can appreciate the sentiment behind it.

[stefan]

What you said about the Dominique Laurent Volnay caught my eye. A decade or so ago I found his wines too oaky and have not bought any since. Based on your note, I'll retry when I come across some. Thanks.