559104 Sun Sep 21 06:53:59 -0700 2008 18 34 Wine 0 4050754 I went over to Randy and Sasha Sloan’s house in Piedmont for a dinner party last night. Randy is the owner and operator (I don’t think he is technically the winemaker, though he is involved in the process) of Match Vineyards in Napa. I first just have to thank them for being *incredible* hosts. Really, everything was so far above and beyond what it needed to be, it was ridiculous (Choice of braised lamb shanks or bacon wrapped fillets for dinner, ceasear salad, duck confit salad, Israeli couscous, picture perfect sunset view from their patio that I’m sure they had something to do with…) We had several intriguing wines that I thought board members would be curious about. I took no notes, and I may be off on vintage on one or two of these, I’m sure if that is the case, I’ll be corrected very soon. That said… 1995 Schramsberg Reserve: Excellent sparkler. Schramsberg is the only CA sparkler I know of that could be inserted into a vintage Champagne tasting and fool blind tasters. It is excellent and it tastes like Champagne (with, perhaps, just slightly more fruit than many, and less yeast). Apples, oranges, bread dough, minerals, a little Sherry, a little nuttiness. I’m not certain I would take this over all similarly priced Champagnes, but this is unquestionably a fine bottle of wine. 93 2006? Schoilium Project Sledge Hammer White: (I think that is the name)… a little residual sugar, banana, tastes like a Viognier/Sauv Blanc blend – I have no idea what it really is. Better than diet coke. 88 2006 Ladd Cellars Pinot Noir (Sonoma Coast?): I think Eric Lundblad is great (he brought this/this is his wine). We bonded many years ago over our sinus agonies at a dinner party where I gave him one of my breathe-right strips! Eric is also very self-aware and judgemental about his work. He was complaining that this was closed down and not what it “really” is, or ought to be. I loved it. I loved the medium-bright, complex Pinot nose. Yeah, the palate was a little closed, especially compared to the nose. But this is Pinot, when is that not the case? This was decanted for 2+ hours and Eric is of the strong opinion that ’06 Pinots – some of them are going to turn out very well – but that they need serious decanting or patience. Certainly, this was showing better than it did at Pinot Days. 2000 Lafite-Rothschild: Completely closed. Flowers, minerals, a little fruit. I would not even think about opening another one, even if I had a complete case, for 10-12 years, and this won’t start singing for AT LEAST 15 years, probably more like 20, I wouldn’t be surprised if it takes 25 more years to come around. An education at Randy’s generosity, but an education I’d advise against unless you (even after last week) have many many millions. 90(+)ish points right now. Who knows what the future holds? 2003 Leoville-Poyferre: Far better than the Lafite right now. Open nose with menthol and cassis. Very Bordeaux. Nice palate. Long finish. That’s all I really recall. 93.5ish (but I’m not the hugest Bordeaux fan) 1996 Leonetti Cab: Over the hill. I love these wines, but they aren’t agers. Lean. 87.5 2005 Cayuse “Flying Pig”: Overt Cab Franc domination with tons of green bell pepper. Some may like this, but I prefer green pepper on my plate, not in my glass. <straight to the dump bucket for my palate> 2001 Blankeit Cabernet: Band aide. Not drinkable. I’ve had several Bryant’s and a few Blankeits and while I think Helen Turley is a genius with her Marcassin Chardonnays, and an occasional genius with her Pinots, particularly under the Martinelli label, I’ve yet to be impressed with her Bordeaux varietal offerings. As I said, this is not, in my view, a drinkable wine. 2004(5? I’ll check) Spottswoode Cabernet: Very good. Reminded me a little of Seavey, which, if you leave aside the price difference, is a compliment coming from me because I’m a fan of Seavey. Nothing really stood out about this though other than that it is a well made wine. 92 2002 Profile: This is *good*. This is exactly what I want in a CA Cab. Lots of big dark cassis fruit, HOWEVER, kept in check with good acidity and without letting the alcohol creep way up. Great purity of fruit. Very well made. Is this really the same winemaker as for Mondavi? If she is, she is holding back at Mondavi because this is better than anything I’ve tasted from them in a long time. 93.5 2002 Gemstone: The Profile, but not quite as good. But everything I said about it can be applied. Dark rich cassis fruit, velvety tannins. Just not quite as complex or pure. 93 2005 Match Vineyards Cabernet Butterdragon: Very good, but not excellent. Really don’t remember too much else. 91ish 2005 Match Vineyards Cabernet Baconbrooke: Noticeably better than the Butterdragon. Again, I don’t really recall much of anything specific here. 92ish 2004 Etude Cabernet Oakville Vineyards: I may be biased because I brought this, but this was my WOTN. But, again, I brought it because I bought it because it is my style of wine. Walnut, blueberry, black cherry, lots of firm tannins. LONG yet structured finish. A great food wine, actually. Doesn’t pretend to be Bordeaux yet very well balanced. 94 2001 Hundred Acre Cabernet Kayli: Good, not special. I don’t recall anything specific. 92ish 1998 Kracher #10: Kind of Sauternes-like. Am I blaspheming if I say this is about the tenths Kracher I’ve had and I’m yet to be blown away? Orange rind, a little spiced apple, nice brown spice, long finish, well made… Very good wine. 93 I’m sure I’m forgetting some of the wines we had, and I’ll post them and if I have any thoughts about them later. Cheers! Sun Sep 21 06:53:59 -0700 2008 50041 whiner 1 4051313 A Few Ammendments... The "Profile" is actualy "Portfolio": The Spottswoode was deffintiely a 2004 and the Ladd deffinitely had pineapple on the nose... Sun Sep 21 12:50:26 -0700 2008 4050754 50041 whiner 2 4051509 Wow oh wow. Nice report. BTW, I had the Spottswoode '04 and '05 (yet to be released) side by side two weeks ago, and the '05 is opulent -- a huge increase in quality and flavor from the '04. Check it out when you can. Sun Sep 21 16:57:24 -0700 2008 4051313 18222 maria lorraine 1 4052067 A few more amendments... We had an excellent 2004 Realm "The Bard" -- easily best Realm I've had, about a 93.5 point wine for me. 2005 Ghost Block Carin -- Closing down a little. Nice, but not too impressive. 91+ish Apparently, I missed a 1990 Lasalle 1er Cru Blanc de Blancs that was very good, a 200 J Scram that was very good, and an excellent 1995 Kistler Sonoma Coast. And the name of the still, dry white I had was: 2007 Scholium Project Naucratis Lost Slough Vineyards Mon Sep 22 00:44:13 -0700 2008 4050754 50041 whiner 2 4056391 wow...very nice line up! almost open my 01 blankiet 2 days ago...gland i didn't. was it that oaky? i am guessing that this bottle was not in balance at all but not drinkable? was it over extracted fruit bomb? Tue Sep 23 16:58:48 -0700 2008 4052067 79299 rickym13 3 4057129 It was a great lineup. Randy contributed FAR more than his fare share of the wines, too. It was Band-Aid. Randy said it was Brett issues. Hopefully bottle variation... Wed Sep 24 03:49:17 -0700 2008 4056391 50041 whiner 1 4058516 Great line-up! >>> Schramsberg is the only CA sparkler I know of that could be inserted into a vintage Champagne tasting and fool blind tasters. <<< Clearly you have never had Equinox . . . Wed Sep 24 12:24:39 -0700 2008 4050754 28122 zin1953 2 4059097 ^^^ You are correct. Never even heard of it. I take it this is worth seeking out? Wed Sep 24 15:37:44 -0700 2008 4058516 50041 whiner 3 4060520 IMHO, the best sparkling wine produced "in the US" (if not "in the New World") . . . it's produced in the style of, say, a Bollinger RD, in that the initial cuvées are fermented in 10-20 year old neutral oak 120 gallon puncheons. The wine may stay en tirage for as long as nine to 10 years prior to dégorgement, and is finished with zero dosage. Thu Sep 25 07:17:14 -0700 2008 4059097 28122 zin1953 4 4060754 Sounds like I have to try it! Thu Sep 25 08:23:56 -0700 2008 4060520 50041 whiner 5 4061810 Current release is the 1997. Thu Sep 25 14:25:03 -0700 2008 4060754 28122 zin1953 1 4059402 Blankiet seems to raise strong feelings. For my part, I have very much enjoyed all of mine but particularly the merlot. Wed Sep 24 17:34:10 -0700 2008 4050754 31795 ibstatguy 1 4064118 Holy Shamoley - that lineup is crazy! Very impressive and awe inspiring, thank you for posting! Having a Grenache/Grenache Blends tasting at my house tomorrow night - I'll try and post the results here on Sunday. I'm new to the 'Hound and am loving it already. Am a member of a band of wine geeks with limited funds, but what we lack in resources we make up in dedication and time on the glass. Thank you for the inspiration!!! Fri Sep 26 12:30:00 -0700 2008 4050754 200464 Kenois 1 4066714 Awesome report. You had quite the evening!!! Had a question for you re: the '00 Lafite. Have you tasted any of the other '00 first growths, and if so, how did this compare to them? Sat Sep 27 18:25:25 -0700 2008 4050754 11011 Eugene Park 2 4067209 I tasted the Margaux several years ago. It was pretty shut down, too. I really don't recall much of anything. FWIW, I've also had the 2003 Lafite and, while that was *also* quite closed down, I was able to get a little more out of it than I was with the 2000. As I'm sure you know, most of the best Bordeaux require lots of patience, though some when they are first released are spectacular and wothy of lots of consumption... but then those, too, tend to go to sleep for a while. (The '03 Montrose, for example, was truly excellent upon release.) Sun Sep 28 05:50:38 -0700 2008 4066714 50041 whiner 3 4069884 Thanks for the response. Funny how I was asking your opinion b/c I wanted some perspective against the '00 Margaux! I had that a couple years ago, thought it was pretty darn good even in its infancy, and agree that it needs a couple decades to mature. Mon Sep 29 10:15:55 -0700 2008 4067209 11011 Eugene Park 4 4071867 One of the greatest Bordeaux wines I've ever had was the '00 Margaux, amazing life and vitality, depth and complexity at age 75. Phenomenal wine! I can only imagine what it must have been like in its infan -- oh. Never mind. Tue Sep 30 07:10:26 -0700 2008 4069884 28122 zin1953 5 4072126 LOL! I wish!... Tue Sep 30 09:09:09 -0700 2008 4071867 50041 whiner 5 4081549 I know I won't be saving any '00 until '75.... :-) Sat Oct 04 10:45:11 -0700 2008 4071867 11011 Eugene Park