What Wine Did You Drink Today #1? 2015-2020

I dunno . . . I can see them . . . . site issue?

Could be site issue . I’m not seeing the pics . All others on the thread are visible .

Hmmmm, now I cannot see the first one . . . one more try:

I see all three Jason . More fabulous wines from you . A OK

Served Saturday night with roasted stuffed quail, and pappardelle with a fresh tomato-and-herb sauce . . .

1997 ChĂąteauneuf-du-Pape, Domaine de la MordorĂ©e (RhĂŽne): This is the “regular”/normale cuvĂ©e from this relatively new (1985, IIRC) but top-notch estate, located actually in Tavel but with great vineyard sites in the southern RhĂŽne. Garnet-hued with some bricking at the edge, clear and clean after decanting off the amble sediment; the bouquet was an enticing mĂ©lange of blueberry, raspberry, strawberry, lilac, lavender, herbs and spice, light earthiness, and that classic garrigue; on the palate, the wine is round and silky, with finely integrated tannins, abundant flavors and layered complexity revealing itself throughout the evening as the wine continued to open up, all carried through the very long, flavorful finish. Truly a wonderful ChĂąteauneuf!

Following dinner Saturday night, some friends dropped by and so I opened this . . .

Niepoort 1999 ColheitaÂč Porto, bottled in 2015 (Douro, Portugal): Amber-mahagony in color, clear and bright; the rich, forward bouquet is a delightful mix of ripe fig, dates and other dried fruits, coupled with freshly shelled walnuts, caramel, spice and more; medium-light in body but with a silky, supple mouthfeel, the wine fills the mouth with generous flavors of fruit and spice, accented with hints of cocoa, vanilla, coffee and more – very complex indeed – with moderate sweetness and good acidity to carry that sweetness through the long, lingering finish without being cloying or syrupy. This is a brilliant wine!


Âč For those who may not know or fully understand exactly what a Colheita Porto is, it is – in a sense – exactly the opposite of a Vintage Porto. By law, a Vintage Porto comes from grapes harvested in a single year and ages in wood for two years and then bottled (technically the wine must be bottled between July of the second year following the harvest to June of the third year – but in common parlance, it’s “two years”). A Vintage Porto needs time in the bottle to age and mature properly. A Late Bottled Vintage Porto ages between four and six years in wood, after which it is bottled. But a Colheita Porto is from a single harvest (all the grapes come from one year), but must age a minimum of seven years – the definition of a Tawny Porto – but is bottled whenever the winemaker deems that it’s ready to drink. In the above example, all the grapes were from the 1999 harvest and the wine was bottled in 2015, so it spent (approximately) 16 years in wood prior to bottling. But a 1999 Colheita could have been bottled in 2006 (after 7 years), or in 2010, or not until 2020, or maybe 2049 – after FIFTY years in wood: it all depends upon the specific wine and the winemaker. But because there can be multiple bottlings from a single harvest, it is always important to note both the year of harvest (1999) and the year of bottling (2015).

Served Sunday night with kofta (lamb meatballs), roasted vegetables and an arugula-watermelon-mint salad . . .

2000 Ridge Vineyards Zinfandel, “Sonoma Station” Sonoma County, California): Ten different vineyards (located in the Russian River, Dry Creek, and Alexander Valleys) were sourced for this wine, which is – in a sense – the antithesis of Ridge’s “normal practice” of producing wines from a single vineyard. This is a blend of 75 percent Zinfandel, 16 percent Petite Sirah, and 9 percent Carignane, bottled in late 2001 or early 2002. The wine was a blood garnet in color, showing some bricking at the rim; the bouquet is unmistakably Zinfandel, with olallieberries, black raspberries, blackberries, oak, generous spice and earth; all this is echoed on the medium-full palate – ripe fruit, loads of spice and a touch of earth – and carried through the long finish, which shows just the tiniest bit of drying at the edges – really its only sign of age. Just delightful, and shows that every once in a while, Paul Draper “gets it wrong” (his notes on the label said best by 2006 – but this was pretty damned good a decade later!

1 Like

Saturday , Had a bottle of 2014 Ridge Geyserville . A little young but really enjoyed it .

In Las Vegas . . . served with a variety of appetizers (including tomato tartare, beef tartare, grilled octopus) and the main course of roast suckling pig at Bazaar Meat by José Andres at the SLS Hotel.

2005 Bodegas R. LĂłpez de Heredia Viña Tondonia “Viña Gravonia Crianza” (Rioja Alta, Spain): This “entry level” white wine from LĂłpez de Heredia is not released until it is 10 years of age (the 2006 is the current vintage). Produced solely from Virua grapes grown on the estate, the wine is racked into American oak (from the Appalachian mountains) for a period of four years prior to an egg-white fining and bottling; it is then aged for 5+ years in bottle prior to being released. Decanted 30-45 minutes prior to being served at “cool room temperature” (not chilled), this wine is positively gorgeous – straw-gold in color, clear and bright, with a forward aroma of fresh fruits (fig, melon, a touch of pear and apple) and fresh, suns-dried linens; medium-full in body, with generous flavors and already showing nice complexity which carries through the long, lingering finish, but there is no hurry to drink this one – it will still continue to improve for several years!

We picked this up a year ago on a visit to the winery. It was served with some halal chicken and saffron rice.

Just visited Kynsi last Sunday. Some very nice wines and a fun venue. Lots of people brought little kids.

1 Like

2007 Skewis Corby Vinyard (Anderson Valley) pinot. Sadly, it was over the hill, with strong oxidative notes. Hank used to say that five years from bottling was about right for his wines, but I still have some 2008s that are fresh.

2005 Ridge Buchignani Ranch Zinfandel . Wonderful , soft , and , supple .

Friday we had a fantastic private tasting and tour of Williams Selyem. The winery is beautiful and the wines were a treat. Our pick of the lot was the Westside Road Neighbor.

Went to a Bar Mitzvah last Thursday?!?!?!, and decided to open a 13-year old wine with dinner to celebrate . . .

2013 Ramos-Pinto “Duas Quintas” Vinho Tinto, Reserva Especial (Douro, Portugal): Simply put, this was a classic Douro red, with good fruit, spice and a long finish . . . great with a charcuterie platter of various meats, pĂątĂ©s, and cheeses . . . .

OK, so while the Bar Mitzvah itself was on a Thursday (who knew?!?!?), the party itself was on Saturday night . . . so, prior to attending the festivities, we stopped at my brother-in-law’s house for some refreshments . . .

2006 Pahlmeyer Red Table Wine (Napa Valley AVA, California): Lush, aromatic, flavorful, and smooth, yet still with lots of potential development with added bottle aging . . . but a damned good bottle of wine!

2007 Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon, Fay Vineyard, Estate (Napa Valley AVA, California): Truly an excellent, indeed wonderful, bottle of wine – but on this day, it pains me to say it was overshadowed by the Pahlmeyer . . .

Friday night: NO PICTURE . . .

Since the Bar Mitzvah was on a Thursday (honest!), and the party was on Saturday night, we HAD to do something on Friday . . . so, a dozen of us had dinner at Alfred’s Steakhouse in San Francisco, now owned by the Daniel Patterson Group.

2014 Andrew Will Cabernet Sauvignon (Columbia Valley, Washington State): VERY young, but the sommelier assured me it was drinking well, and it was . . . albeit very young and primary . . . but good!

Monday night, and we had a skirt steak, combined with a fresh corn salad with freshly shelled peas and fresh herbs, served over a bed of arugula and pecorino . . .

1995 Andrew Will Cabernet Sauvignon (Washington State, USA): Deep garnet in color, with slight bricking at the rim; clear and clean after decanting (10-15 minutes before service); ripe fruit and spice, with the classic cocoa/cola notes accenting the nose; on the palate, the wine was medium-bodied, smooth and supple, with lush fruit, spice, vanilla, moderate oak, all carrying through the very long finish. Simply put: this was excellent!

With a simple charcuterie Wednesday night . . .

2010 Beaujolais, “L’Ancien,” Vieilles Vignes, Jean-Paul Brun (Beaujolais, France): This wine should be the “poster child” for those who don’t think a Beaujolais will age. This is a “straight” Beaujolais, the lowest appellation from the region, and yet this wine, produced from old Gamay noir au jus blanc vines, is simply stunning – supple, smooth, complex, and delicious!

Served last night with teres major cooked on the grill, with roasted vegetables and a salad . . .

1994 Leonetti Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon (Columbia Valley AVA, Washington State): Decanted approximately 15-20 minutes before serving; garnet-hued with slight bricking at the rim, clear and clean; the bouquet is filled with currants, cassis, cedar, oak, light earth and spice – all seamlessly harmonized through the supple, satin-smooth mouth, with generous flavors and a moderately long finish. Hard to imagine a better wine – very close to perfection . . .