Last night our BacchusBadBoys group got together for a BYOB event. The wines were stellar and the BadBoys well-behaved...as those things go:
1. Domaine Forey Vosne-Romanee (MeBaD; 13%) 2003: Med. color; beautiful fragrant/perfumey floral/Pinot/violets elegant/delicate/ethereal slight earthy nose; soft light bit tannic/tight very perfumed/fragrant/violets/Pinot elegant/delicate beautiful flavor; long slight tannic/tight very perfumed/floral/violets elegant/delicate finish; beautiful ethereal nose of pure Pinot uncluttered w/ oak; dynamite Pinot. Thanks, Gib.
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2. Prunotto Costamiole Barbera d'Asti (14%) 1998: Very dark color; classic Barbera/spicy/Italian sausage bit toasty/oak rather earthy/dusty nose; tart/lean very spicy/Barbera/sausage bit licorice/tarry/pungent light oak bit hard/tannic/tight flavor; long some hard/tannic/tight very spicy/Barbera/classic/tart some earthy finish; a classic Barbera that needs another 4-7 yrs; cries out for pizza w/ tomatoe sauce/pepperoni/mozza and dripping w/ olive oil. Thanks, Steve.
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3. Failla Syrah QueSyrahVnyd/SonomaCoast (13.5%; http://www.FaillaWines.com) 2001: Med.dark color; incredible/beautiful/fragrant/pungent/smokey quite Rhonish/roasted/coffee/mocha some peppery/blackberry/Syrah complex nose; tart bit lean/tight beautiful/roasted/Rhonish/pungent/smokey/espresso some blackberry/peppery/Syrah slight earthy flavor; very long/lingering classic/Rhonish/roasted/pungent/smokey light blackberry/Syrah/spicy finish w/ light tannins; an incredible Rhonish character and an elegance that age brings.
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4. PeterMichaelWnry LesPavots/Kinght'sVlly (62% CS, 17% CabFranc, 16% Merlot, 5% PetiteVerdot; 15.1%) 2002: Very dark color; lovely blackcurranty/Cab/plummy some pungent/toasty/oak strong/fragrant nose; soft/lush plummy/blackcurranty/Cab slight licorice some pungent/toasty/charred/oak rich/ripe flavor; long lush/soft/ripe blackcurranty/Cab/plummy some toasty/charred/oak finish w/ some tannins; soft/lush & drinkable but a balance that will carry it out another 5-8 yrs. This, too, is why I used to drink Calif Cab. Thanks, Ric.
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And a wee BloodyPulpit:
1. Forey: This wine is exactly why I hate RedBurgs. I get soooo tired of being jerked around by them. I'll taste a bunch and not find anything to get excited about...especially at the prices charged. And then I'll hit a wine like this Forey and I'll think...holy $hit...this is why I used to drink RedBurgundy. It doesn't have the smokey oak character I used to know and love and is one of the the purest expressions of PinotNoir I ever done see'd from Burgundy. A NealRosenthal selection...of course.
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2. Failla: This is the last year that EhrenJordan took Syrah from AlRago's QueSyrah vnyd. The grapes now go to KurtBeitler for his Boheme label. They are in good hands and I have little doubt that the Boheme will be every bit the equal of this Failla with age. The QueSyrah is easily one of Calif's (may the world's) great Syrah vnyds. This is one of the 2-3 greatest Calif Syrahs I've had over the last few yrs. It reminds a lot of a Graillot in its perfume, but speaks of Cote-Rotie for its balance and elegance and whispers CalifSyrah w/ its blackberry fruit. Its demise is not emminent but it'd be a shame not to drink it now when it's so beautiful.
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3. LesPavots: My first PeterMichael experience ever. I was fairly impressed. I need to revisit CalifCab (other than MonteBello) more often.
Tom