Nomadic Wines

ERI pre-auction tasting

Thanks to Alder Yarrow from Vinography for letting everyone know about this event. And thanks to my friend James for pointing out the posting. Congratulations James and Ace! It's about time... too bad they didn't have vintage champagne.

The event was a pre-auction tasting for the Edward Roberts International (ERI) auction. It was held at an art gallery near Union Square in San Francisco. When auction houses hold wine auctions, they usually invite heavy hitters to events in advance to sample wines from the collection. I think they also hope to loosen wallets, which I think is a good idea. In addition to the invited patrons, ERI sold tickets to the public... which is how I ended up there.

The tasting was not very crowded at all (maybe 25 people), so I was able to taste as many wines as I wanted. In retrospect, I should have taken my time and spent more time with each wine. Even though I only spent a couple minutes with each wine, it was definitely $50 well spent. I wouldn't be able to afford many of these wines on an individual bases.

Here are some notes. I wasn't writing anything down, and many of these wines seemed to be evolving rapidly. All of the younger wines were decanted, as were some of the olderwines. I didn't make note of which older wines were decanted.

2000 Fisher Chardonnay O'Conner Vineyard - holding up quite well but not memorable. Some other imbibers noted an oak that wasn't quite elegant nor was it over-the-top.
1966 Pierre Gelin Fixin Clos de Chapitre Domaine Marion - I wasn't a fan of this wine, but this may be an example of Burgundy I do not understand. It was a little muted on the nose, with sweetness and earth on the palate.
1966 Jean Grivot Vosne-Romanee - very sweet nose and short finish; it had a very distinctive nose that I couldn't quite place.
1967 DRC Echezeaux - this was the wine everyone wanted to taste... and the nose didn't let us down. Forest floor, pine needles, roasted vegetables, and sour cherry. The palate was zippy but the finish was not up to the rest of the wine.
1990 Domaine Chantal Lescare Vosne-Romanee Les Suchots - surprisingly, this was sweet and not as balanced as I expected.
1965 Inglenook Pinot Noir - much rounder on the palate than the Burgs, but it tasted like Pinot - cherry and earth. This was a pleasure to sample, but I would not seek it out.
2002 Kistler Pinot Noir Kistler Vineyard - pure fruit and not too sweet, but more monotonous than the W-S.
2003 William Selyem Pinot Noir Westside Road neighbors - I thought this was good young Pinot - lots of mushroom and spice... very pleasant.
1949 Chateau Gruaud-Larose - this was one of the wines everyone was talking about... it was holding up very well, with classic Bordeaux nose and a little bit of coffee. The fruit was there along with some tannins holding on for dear life. I think this was a highlight was a less experienced wine geek like myself - I don't know enough to appreciate the aged Burgs, but I have tried enough old Bordeaux to know this was special. I was thinking about how I wanted to call an unnamed family member (to protect the innocence of age) and let her know I was tasting a wine from his birth year. And it was alive!
1964 Chateau Latour - this was another one of the highlights for me. This old man was still dark in color and it had a nose of black fruit. The finish was long and while I wish I could remember the taste of this wine, I know it was great.
1966 Chateau Ducru-Beaucaillou - this wine might have been off - there was no finish and the fruit was overly tart.
1967 Chateau Lafite-Rothschild - the Lafite was not quite fulfilling of its name, but it was a nice mature Bordeaux. It had pencil lead and grippy tannins with a little bit of sweet currant fruit.
1994 Chateau Mouton-Rothschild - nothing special -- I was wondering whether I missed something.
1995 Chateau Calon-Segur - a spicy nose which immediately announced its St. Estephe breeding. I expected more power; otherwise, this was exactly what I expected from this wine. It was crying out for a food pairing.
1999 Banfi Brunello di Montalcino - this was very young and the big fruit/oak overpowered the subtleties of this wine.
1987 Groth Cabernet Sauvignon - excellent! I believe this was the Reserve (if there is a difference). I think this was the over-achiever of the tasting. Some mintiness, plum fruit, and long finish. I think I will remember this wine. I was surprised to see the low opinion from Tanzer.
1997 Viberti San Pietro Barolo - this was added to the tasting, but I didn't write down the producer. Thanks to James for the reminder. The nose was amazing - like candied flower petals. Delicious satiny palate and a finish that says it will meet me in middle-age.
1995 Plumpjack Cabernet Sauvignon - not tasted.
1997 Heitz Cabernet Sauvignon Bella Oaks - this was outclassed by its twin sister. There was simply less complexity and the fruit was getting tart. I am not sure if this wine willgo the distance.
1997 Heitz Cabernet Sauvignon Martha's Vineyard - this had pleasant plum fruit, but it also had elegance and complexity. The tell-tale eucalyptus was there, side-by-side with some spice and light oak. I think I enjoyed the Groth a little bit more, but they were close.
1998 Hanna Cabernet Sauvignon Bismarck Ranch - a bit more restrained than the three 2002 California Cabs, but it still had mocha, coffee, and dark raspberry fruit.
1999 Bacio Divino - not tasted.
2000 Selene Merlot - not tasted.
2002 Paul Hobbs Cabernet Sauvignon - big wine - loads of bright black fruit and gobs of chocolate. I don't see how this will age like the Groth, but I can see why Cali Cab lovers would gush over this right now.
2002 Piedra Hill Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain - too over-the-top for me. After tasting all of the aged mature wines, this just didn't seem worth drinking.
2002 Behrens and Hitchcock Les Chats du Monde - same as the Piedra Hill but even more syrupy. Just not worth the price of admission.
2003 Pax Cuvee Moriah - I think my palate was shot by this point, but I wasn't getting many secondary characteristics. I don't know how they restrain the heat on these wines.
2004 Pax Syrah Walker Vine Hill - loads of blackberry and raspberry... what else is going on?
1962 Jaboulet Cornas - I don't purport to understand Cornas, but this was one of my least favorites. Just dirt and sweet-n-tarts.
2002 Parsons Flat Shiraz//Cabernet RTW - didn't try this. I have decided not to buy any expensive Australian Shiraz, so no need to try.
1983 Schloss Schonborn Hattenheimer Nussbrunnen Riesling Kabinett - this didn't have much fruit or weight. It was light and zippy, but I'd rather drink a younger Kabinett.
1976 Schloss Eltz Eltviller Sonnenberg Riesling Spatlese - just lovely - not too much sweetness.
1976 Schloss Schonborn Hockheimer Domdechaney Riesling Auslese - lovely gold color and a wine at its peak.
1985 Erben Hockheimer Holle Riesling Auslese - supple tropical fruit, some bottle funk, and minerality.
1996 Trimbach Gewurztraminer Cuvee des Seigneurs de Ribeaupierre Vendange Tardive - big flamboyant fruit compared to the '85 Auslese, but still with verve and acidity. I could see some folks loving this wine.
1994 Graham Vintage Porto - not tasted.

Labels: auction, ERI, wine

posted by nomadfromcincy @ 5:36 PM