Awesome review Anders!

I will be on the lookout for this. http://delinea300.com/

2005 Duckhorn Cab.

Popped and poured and I gotta tell ya I’m not at all impressed. I’ve had many of their single vineyard and they have been outstanding so I’m very disappointed at what this bottle has to offer at 55 bucks ….. Maybe it will open up in a bit and it becomes great on day two 😉

TTF …. Rock on !!!

Hi there, TP!
Glad to see you’re still around.. Was going to send a search party to look for ya!

Too bad about the Duckhorn! Hopefully will taste better in a day or two.

I’m drinking a Buehler 2009 Napa Zinfandel Very nice wine for under $16.. not too jammy or hot. Nice fruit. Wine Spec gave it 91 pts. Agree.

Miss too! The duckhorn did not improve… oh well that happens sometimes ;-(

Opened a nice Spanish wine, 2005 caro dorum toro, that parker rated 93 pts. I agree and all is good now 😉

TTF .. What is your go to Cab from Napa if you drink Napa Cabs ? If you don’t what is your go to Cab from around the world. By go to I mean what wine brings the biggest bang to your taste buds ( price no worries ) Same for your best white wine. xmas is coming soon and I want to try something great based on your replies 😉 Keep rocking it here !!!!

Okay that’s it.. the next Napa cab I buy is Corison! I’ve wanted to try them for a long time. Just recently tempted by this one:
http://www.klwines.com/detail.asp?sku=1034309&cid=EML-Corison04

Anders, Did you try any cabs at Chateau Montelena? I have two bottles of their Estate cabs 2003 and ’05 but have not tried them yet.

Yes, their 2008 napa valle cab and their 2007 estate cab. Actually didn’t get me worked up, nice, good structure and earthy with good acidity to compliment, but thats it. The Zinfandel was better, on my palate that day, anyway.. Their Chard was on the other hand very appealing for a francophile like me. Macon feel all the way.

I bought Corison 2005.75 dollars at the winery. It is laying in my winecabinet as we speak. tasted the 2002, 2005, 2006, and it was a toss up between 02 and 05 but the 02 wasn’t for sale so …

Wow.. you bought the 05 Corison? At my local wine shop, they have the ’01, ’04, and the ’05 for $75. The 06 and 07 are both $65.. I may have to buy either the 05 or 07!

Interesting about the Montelena cabs… The 03 was a Christmas gift last year and the ’05 was a deal on WL (3-pack). I hear their zin is good. Still can’t believe the chardonnay is burgundian like. 🙂

Way to go Big !!! 😉

that’s my plan.

Notes from Saturday

Nils Oscar Jubileum 15 ( a lager)

This brew is kind of a Saison beer. They have used coffee cherries so that is some notes of that. Nice acidity and lots of herbs and white pepper. Streaks of tree sap, lemon grass and some dried apricot and orange. Good start

Chateau Haut-Brion 1991

Opening to decant one hour before serving ( all according to the Chateau?s instruction) I pour a strawberry pale liquid that reeks… of strawberry, wild strawberry, raspberry, all the sweet kind. Then there is a layer of oak followed by a faint note of earth and milk chocolate. On the palate is silky smooth and bombard the tongue with sweet red fruit on top a firm base of oak, vanilla, earth and even some juniper wood. Mid on there is very soft tannins with a hint of white pepper and then the back end comes with a dry chalky taste combined with that seductive red fruit and woody spicy thing. Beautiful balance throughout For a wine of a relatively poor year, this has lasted exceptionally well and my guest stopped in there tracks just sitting there sipping. I guess that?s a good sign 🙂

Chateau Pichon-Loungeville Comtesse de Lalande 2001

Next up a 10 year younger wine. Big difference in color, this dark plum, blue red. Nose is more the same, dark fruit, and red flowers mixed with dirt, oak, spice. This one also decanted one hour prior serving. Velvet , not silk on the tongue, black fruit, almost chewy fruit, also some graphite and clay component. Mid palate give good firm tannins with nice black pepper heat. Back end a bit chewy as well and have a youthful sting to it, brings chocolate to my mind too, which is not a bad thing.. Long finish. Not as feminine as I had expected.
Also an off vintage I guess but this one is really good too.

Bodegas Toro Albala Montilla-Moriles Don PX Gran Reserva 1971 (a dessert wine)

Opened and served as is. Almost black in appearance. Motor oil or strong coffee type, kind of. The tears on the glass is insanely black coffee colored

Nose of raisin and dates , some melted black licorice, roasted nuts and definitively some tobacco.
Good flavors of black dried berries, licorice , roasted nuts. Liquid raisins, mmm. Medium acidity, full bodied. Do you like sugar? The raising sugariness almost overpowers you. No trace of alcohol despite 17%Drink … Very intense and unique

Krohn Colheita 1961 (port)

A port from one vintage, same age as me. This I have been looking forward to taste for the last 2 years. (bought it in 09). Dark amber color with hints of coffee black. Seems kind of light pouring. Strong smell of alcohol (20%) Nose is full of fig, dried plum, raisin and some cough syrup. Taste is strong, al lot of alcohol heat mixed with dried fig, toffee, coffee and caramel. Mid on a red fruit acidity kicks in and balance the w´sweet and alcohol. Back end is lean and in very good balance between sweet and acidity. Long finish with a strong note of white pepper and a hint of alcohol. Long in the glass the alcohol goes away in favor for a bit more sweetness. This kicked ass with the very high cacao count chocolate cake I made.

Roseanne 1981, 25 years old (whiskey)

Not being a whiskey drinker, nor taster ( have maybe tasted 5 all in all) this one have a interesting nose. Citrus, roses?, smokey wood and something I would say is a mix between chocolate and dried dates.
Tasting I have big problems getting flavors at first, the alcohol is a whopping 61,4%, but it sort of evaporates in the mouth and I survived that attack ( I do not like strong alcohol flavor) and I can sense smokey barrel, then oranges on acid, than chili pepper mixed with chocolate and again a flowery note. Roses? From Rosebank?. Well if whiskey can deliver things like that I may have to take up tasting more

It went as good as I hoped. All guest delighted, me just plain exhausted and happy. This was a night to remember, even the food I made was good 🙂

G-Men squeaked by the Fins but my boys kept with winless streak alive!

Andrew Luck, here we come! 🙂

THE FOO FIGHTERS tonight….. The concert went 3 plus hours. Way to bring it boys !!!

Wine of choice for this event ????

2006 Eponymous – Napa Cab 😉

07 good vintage, 06 bad vintage, 08 ok vintage

TONIGHT! It’s Riesling vs. Grüner in battle of the Smaragd’s!
In one corner you have Pichler, Dürnsteiner Hollerin Riesling Smaragd 2006 and in the other you have Weingut Jager, Ried Achleiten Grüner Veltliner 2007.
Both contenders are weighing in at a healthy 13.5%.
However both are coming with a cork closure and will have to be tested for TCA before they are allowed to square off.

you sniffy sniff or actually use chromatography?mass spectrometry to decide?

What’s a FOO FIGHTER? Ninja game? 🙂

So this is where you all hang out! You didn’t think to let me know? I like tacos. Lisa’s here! I thought you all said she creeped you out. (phone rings) Text reads, “Tacos outside Bill’s office Now.

Only if your in the mosh pit 😉

Fed or kei ???? Fed at home 😉 but the kid can play ball as the jokester knows now.

Hey!!!!! 🙂
I thought we told you?

And I thought I had the wine of the night! Rats.

’03 Chateau Montelena Estate Cabernet Sauvignon. This was a gift last Christmas from my brother.. Had dinner at a restaurant tonight with a friend and brought this along. (I love it when there is no corkage fee.) Wasn’t able to decant but opened it for 4 hrs before drinking.. On opening it was very closed.. not much of a bouquet at all. After 4 hrs it opened up nicely.. Very aromatic wine.. (great sniffy sniffs!) violets all over the place. On the palate, nice cherry fruit, tannins are a bit strong (this wine could last another 10 yrs).. Cedar, a bit of tobacco and chocolate. Elegant wine and perfect with the filet mignon, roasted potatoes and asparagus. (Compared to the ’01 Dominus we had last June – the Dominus wins hands down), but this is very nice. (My friend loved it.)

Looking forward to hearing about your Opus 1. I haven’t had one in 10+ yrs. Cheers!

I think we did too. If not, we kneel before the king.

Opus one! How did it hold up?