Thursday, February 5th, 2009

WOW! This event was called Cults and Classics. It was mostly Cults, and mostly 100 point wines.

Chateau Margaux, 1982 - So pretty. This bottle was drinking in its prime right now. It just had light, soft tannin, pretty red fruit, it was awesome in a very elegant way. This was the WOTN for many.

Chateau Lafite Rothschild, 1986 (Magnum)- Weak follow up to the '82 Margaux. This was more rustic and cedary, less fruit.

Chapoutier Cote Rotie la Moedoree, 1991 - This was thin and light with a little brett going on. Not great.

Guigal, La Turque, Cote Rotie, 1995 - This was awesome. It is super dense, viscous and rich without being overripe. It's a great wine.

Gaja, Sori San Lorenzo, 2001 - Obviously still very young. It was pretty amazing. The tannin wasn't harsh so it was still enjoyable in it's youth. It has a lot more acidity than the previous wines and is so polished that it's hard to claim any flaws. This was a near perfect wine.

Kutch, Pinot Noir, Kanzler Vineyard, 2007 - - Good. I'll need more experience with this.

Kutch, Pinot Noir, (Not sure which vineyard), 2007 - Also good.

Sine Qua Non, Papa, Syrah, 2003 - This was my WOTN. Perhaps because I donated it, or perhaps I wanted to love it, but it simply was the finest California Syrah I've ever had. Other people claimed it to be their favorite as well. Coffee, cedar, red fruit, black fruit, density, plushness, finesse, candied lavender. Indescribable.

Sine Qua Non, Into the Dark Grenache, 2004 - Ultra ripe, Still showing tons of oak. Almost not drinkable . . . yet. I'd give this 3 years. It's super opulent.

Sine Qua Non, Ode to E Grenache, 2004 - Very good, but again, Ultra ripe. The Grenache (as opposed to the Syrah) shows more juiciness and candied character, whereas the Syrah has the meatiness and structure to balance out the ripeness. Still an amazing wine though.

Sine Qua Non, Ode to E Syrah, 2004 - Loved it. Only outdone by the Papa.

Sine Qua Non, Atlantis Fe Syrah, 2005 - This was good, but I can't remember details about it.

Quilceda Creek, Cab Sauv, Washington, 2002 - Awesome, awesome Cab. Super polished and much more refined than the Colgins.

Quilceda Creek, Cab Sauv, Washington, 2003- Only outdone by the 2002.

Quilceda Creek, Cab Sauv, Washington, 2005 - This was still showing a lot of oak, but it was a great wine.

Colgin, Cab Sauv, Cariad, Napa, 2001 - Well, this is my first really experience with Colgin. It's massive, ultra ripe, heavily oaked, but stunningly good. Really a near-perfect wine.

Colgin, Cab Sauv, Cariad, Napa, 2002 - This is the quintessential Colgin. It has all the massiveness of the other wines, but just perfectly tailored, perfectly balanced, and everything in the right place. This is possible the best Napa Cab of the style that I've tasted.

Colgin, Cab Sauv, Cariad, Napa, 2003 - Also very good.

Colgin, Cab Sauv, Cariad, Napa, 2004 - This vintage has a lot of charm. It was my second favorite.

Colgin, Cab Sauv, Cariad, Napa, 2005 - Are we done yet?

Shafer, Cab Sauv, Hillside Select, 2002 (Magnum) - This was surprisingly a little out of balance. It was showing a bit too much oak and a little heat. Of course, it's in the context of all these other great wines, so perhaps it'd be the highlight of any other Thursday night.

Hundred Acre, Cab Sauv, Kayli Morgan, 2001 - This was really, really impressive. Late in the night, but stood out as being awesome.

Hundred Acre, Cab Sauv, Kayli Morgan, 2002 - Corked. Don't you hate when that happens to your $300 bottle?

Modus Operandi, Cab Sauv, Napa, 2006 - This was just out for people to have at will. It was good.

Maybach, Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville, 2005 - We drank this after the tasting, during dinner. Surprisingly, it was one of the best Cabs of the night. Right up there with any of the Colgins or QCs, perhaps even better!

Abreu, Cabernet Sauvignon, Madrona Ranch, 1989 - This wine was just tired. It wasn't very good. We left almost the whole bottle.

Covenant, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa, 2004 - Very good showing.

All in all, this was a stellar event. I was pretty drunk in the end. I'm not going to lie to you.