|
SUNDAY: THE DAY AFTER (or was it…?)
We were up at 8, and in the café by 9, but we only ordered coffee this time. Cardboard doesn’t taste very good for breakfast, as we’d discovered the previous morning. Besides, we were back at the Francisco’s by 11, and there was another incredible spread waiting.
The crowd was smaller than the previous day, but still included Rodney and Victoria, Al and Mindy, Eric S. and Janet, JFO, Chris and little Nick, Mark, Pat and little Tara, Eric B., Dwight, Paul, Michael, dj51, Rob and Joe. The Wheltles stopped in briefly as well, but left early to get back to D.C. There were a number of incredible wines opened again, and I was tasting (and swallering) before noon. I did try to be very selective, however, while we had yet another wonderful (and at times, hilarious) day with our friends. Here’s my short list: 1996 Flowers Moon Select Pinot Noir: Another Pinot with good color, this ruby-dark garnet shows gorgeous perfumed black cherry/smoke/rose petal flavors and aromas, with serious extraction and a few years worth of tannins to resolve. Still, it’s hard to keep hands off now, as this is like creamy velvet on the palate, and already drinking soooo well. 1995 Williams-Selyam Russian River Valley Pinot Noir: Another first for Madame and me, since these never come to Day-twah. The ruby garnet color is a little cloudy, with nice smooth low acid smoky black cherry character, but in truth, the Flowers kicks this one’s butt!
1991 Domaine de la Romanee-Conti La Tache: Yet another first for us, and a much more significant one than the W-S, to be sure! DRC’s are rare and expensive; this listed at around $300 at release. It’s a smoky ruby garnet with smooth, rich flavors and aromas of earthy smoke/black cherry, and hinting at mushroom/forest floor, which I’d guess will become accentuated as it ages. JFO found a note of caramel, while Al mentioned beet root. Dwight went on a roll, calling out "roasted corn nuts/hay/cherry liqueur", and Eric B. added "gamy; silky tannins." I’d love to try another of these five and ten years down the road to see what develops here. A special drinking experience. 1990 Zind-Humbrecht Riesling Clos Hauserer Vendange Tardive: We brought along a couple of these; hopefully, the second bottle is tucked safely in Aris’ cellar for some occasion in the future. The wine is a pale gold with some initial earthy petrol notes on the nose. Eric B. took a few whiffs and declared "honey wax; fresh slices of glazed pineapple," and damned if he didn’t hit it right on the…er, nose! Extremely rich, rather oily, and somewhat fat and sweet on the palate with fairly low acidity, I got some lime undertones, while JFO said lemon, as well as "mineral and ammonia; honey on the palate; Granny Smith apple finish." That finish is good and long, and this opens and opens and opens. Typically over the top for this producer, we have a few more that we’ll sit on for a few years to see what develops. Terrific stuff!
1992 Ridge Lytton Springs: When I saw Dave Janelle bring this out, I could have kissed him, but as you can see, someone beat me to it! Rumors of this wine’s demise on some of the wine boards have been GREATLY exaggerated! Typically dark garnet, this shows all that lavender/black raspberry Draper perfume, with a bit of the barnyard to boot. It gains some plum/chocolate/ black cherry on the palate; JFO got some pepper as well. As it opens, the bouquet takes on an almost candied aspect. The finish is long, but perhaps just a little drying. Still, I was absolutely delighted to see that Mr. Ridge stood up to some real heavy hitters and more than held its own. 1995 Ridge Pagani Zinfandel Late Picked: This dark garnet needed a few hours for a funky sulfur element to recede on the nose, and it never did quite blow off completely. One taster mentioned having had it very recently with none of the funk, so there is some bottle variation, but then, this has been noted before. Flavors and aromas of lavender/brown sugar/raspberry/black raspberry/mocha are very appealing. Another fine Ridge Zin that made a solid stand on behalf of California’s "unique" varietal. 1985 Tignanello: After loving the ’90 "Tig" the day before, this was a no-brainer, and it was a particular pleasure to enjoy a glass with JFO, a staunch champion of Italian wines. Dark garnet, with "nice black licorice" according to the FO-man, and "a bit more herb and tobacco nuances than in the 1990." Eric B. mentioned chocolate/cherry, saying "it smells how it’s supposed to." It also shows some coffee/nutmeg/cedar notes, with good acidity and a smooth, velvet-y texture. Absolutely delicious. 1985 Ruffino Chianti Classico Reserva Ducale: JFO encouraged me try a glass of this and I’m glad he did. It’s a ruby garnet with a smoky dried cherry nose that he described as "musty sweat socks." He liked it though! This is medium full bodied, slightly raisined and prune-ish and very nice. JFO says a bottle opened the day before was not nearly as good. 1978 Cos d'Estournel St-Estephe: Yet another first, and what a beauty! Dark garnet with the slightest hint of rust, this has great presence with earthy/herbal/leather/sea air/cedar/cigar box over cassis/tar characteristics. A wonderful 21 year old claret that was a great accompaniment to stuffed mushrooms.
1995 Tirecul Cuvee Madame Monbazillac: The final selection before we took our leave, this rich gold was heaven in a glass. All ginger and apricots, nectar of honey, we were told that it's a Parker 100, but all we needed was a taste to tell us what we needed to know. Better than the d'Yquem? I'd take this first, and what a better way to top off what had to be the finest wine weekend that Kim and I have ever experienced. Aris and Jean Francisco’s generosity cannot be overstated. According to Rodney, Aris "opened four bottles of each wine that we tasted. That's sixty bottles just for the 94 Cab tasting. Add to that a mag and two 750's of d’ Yquem. Plus bottle after bottle of older Bordeaux and Italians that he poured. All totaled he popped well over 100 bottles with an average cost of easily over $65. He purchased 100 Reidel Bordeaux Vinum stems." Add to that the tremendous effort in obtaining, preparing and serving a seemingly endless amount of wonderful foodstuffs, running people back and forth between their home, the hotel and the airport, and all the sundry logistical details that needed attention to make a three day event like this work, and perhaps you get an idea of just what they accomplished. To me, one particular quote of Aris’ says it all about the man. "My lifelong objective has and always will be ‘Whoever has the most friends wins!’ " Aris and Jean Francisco win by a mile! |
