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Great evening everyone, thanks for including us in the Maryland group again.
My top three where the 2004 Sea Smoke Southing, the 97 Chateau St Jean Reserve, and the Cain Concept. Food was really nice, and some nice champagnes to start. I though our Syrah barrel sample was still suffering from racking and sulfuring. Next time a debate breaks out in reduction in wine, you guys will all have a reference point  Paul Romero (tlily)- Owner, Winemaker, Tour Guide Stefania Wine http://www.stefaniawine.com |
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Wow. Another killer offline!
Great to finally meet the incomparable Stefania. Even if she did waggle her finger at me!  As always, great to raise a glass with Paul. He's been to more MD offlines than many of the MD cru!I really enjoyed the Windy Oaks Pinot. A bit more subdued than the Sea Smoke, which was a very big, rich Pinot indeed. The Hendry was a nice surprise. Big wine and still youthful. The 1995 Heidsieck BdB was delighful as always. I do need to find a few more of these. Great to meet jfoobar. Hope to see you at future offlines! Jules has now made 2 of the last 2 offlines. Hope she becomes a regular! Will post pics tomorrow probably. Looking forward to March!! PH |
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Yes, quite an evening.
 It was great to see Paul again and a distinct pleasure to meet Stefania. Thank you for sharing the bottle samples, especially the cabernet. It has such balance and an incredible mouth feel. An outstanding effort!With so many wines last night, I tend to agree with Lentini on the “one bottle limit” suggestion. There were way too many for me to fully enjoy let alone evaluate properly. Be that as it may, my "favorites" were (in tasting order): · 1995 Charles Heidsieck Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne Blanc des Millénaires · 2003 Windy Oaks Pinot Noir · 1997 Hendry Block 8 · 2001 Shafer Relentless The venue was delightful as usual and I was particularly impressed with the terrine appy with crusty bread. The dessert of dark chocolate mousse made for a perfect final act to another great evening. I’m glad jfoobar was able to join us and it is always a delight to relax with you folks. Jules, I’m ready for that cheesecake! ------------------------------ "Hey Man, I'm drinking wine, eating cheese and catching some rays." Oddball |
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I take back my wimp comment in the MD - March Offline thread.
 Y'all rock. Looking forward to meeting Paul & Stefania in April, as well as (hopefully) spending mucho time with the MD degenerates. Love you guys! |
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We resemble that remark! |
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Klymkev, I very much look forward to seeing you again. But, it seems that you and the Mrs. don't tend to travel...off-line travel, that is. And too would also love to meet the infamous Marylanders I've yet to hang with "in person"... I hope you are well! Still have fond memories of the wonderful off-line you helped put together last July. Cheers!! |
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Here's some pics:
http://www.jfoobar.com/winepics/ws_offline_0208/006.jpg http://www.jfoobar.com/winepics/ws_offline_0208/007.jpg (PH lost the duel, muahahaha) http://www.jfoobar.com/winepics/ws_offline_0208/009.jpg http://www.jfoobar.com/winepics/ws_offline_0208/011.jpg http://www.jfoobar.com/winepics/ws_offline_0208/012.jpg http://www.jfoobar.com/winepics/ws_offline_0208/013.jpg http://www.jfoobar.com/winepics/ws_offline_0208/bottles1.jpg http://www.jfoobar.com/winepics/ws_offline_0208/bottles2.jpg http://www.jfoobar.com/winepics/ws_offline_0208/bottles3.jpg This was a test photo that I thought turned out kind of cool. No flash, high shutter speed with my 50mm fixed aperture lens of the empty table before we sat down: http://www.jfoobar.com/winepics/ws_offline_0208/test.jpg |
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Jeez Skosh, you sound just like a MDer! Givin me crap for lack of attendance! Well deserved, I must add. The wife and I do seem to prefer the "home field" advantage of DC for these events. As you can see by the generosity being close to home can sometimes be a good thing. I'm planning on attending more in the future. I'm afraid that if I don't I might forget the secret handshake. Oh, and if there is a CdP this year, I already have the wife sold on the idea of a road trip to Chi-town! You may be seeing me again soon, Shosh, don't you worry! |
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Masterful use of the emoticons, Skoshy!
I don't know what the one with the shades means, but it looks like you do! Here was the final lineup, btw, in reverse of the approximate order they were passed around: 2006 Uvas Creek Vineyard Cabernet barrel sample 2006 Eaglepoint Ranch Syrah barrel sample ---Loads of fruit as "usual". These will be very tasty. 2003 Bravante Simpatico Reserve Howell Mountain 2002 Bond (Harlan) The Matriarch Proprietary Red Wine Napa Oakville ---The Bond and the Hendry below were two wines that just seemed to have a more refined character that was slower to come out, but worth the wait. The Bravante I didn't give proper due to with my fatigued palate. I remember it was good, and that's about it. 2002 Quixote Petite Syrah Napa Valley Stags' Leap Ranch 2003 Neal Family Napa Valley Petite Syrah 2001 Shafer Relentless Napa Valley ---The Shafer showed very well. I thought it would seem more brutal, but it was smooth and tasty. The two hour decant PH put on it helped I think. My Neal was my least favorite wine of the night- couldn't hold up to the big flavors of the competition, but I had some the next night and it was pretty good in the end. The Quixote had lots of good flavor and showed well. 2004 Cain Concept The Benchland Napa Valley 2002 Seavey Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 1999 Monticello Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Corley Reserve ---The Cain Concept was very fruity and sweet, like a fruit bomb syrah almost in style. The Seavey was a more subtle style than most of the other wines that night, but was easy to drink and I really liked it. The Corley Reserve had a great mix of flavor. 1997 Hendry Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Block 8 1997 Chateau St. Jean Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma County Reserve 1997 Newton Cabernet Sauvignon Le Puzzle Unfiltered ---Like I said above, the Hendry was slow to show its best, but you could tell it was coming, and patience was greatly rewarded later in the night. To me, the Chateau St. Jean had the most typical Cali Cab Sauv character of all the wines. A very well done version, but most middle of the road in style. Newton was very good - but see below as I took some home. 2004 Sea Smoke Pinot Noir Santa Rita Hills Southing 2003 Windy Oaks Estate Pinot Noir Henry's Block ---The Sea Smoke was a very concentrated, dark and big style of pinot. I think it was a little too young, but it was really fun to try. The Windy Oaks, though super light in color, had some very powerful flavors and a nice finish. That night the Windy Oaks was my favorite... but if I was drinking both over the next few years, I'm not sure which would be my preferred style. I did sign up for the Windy Oaks mailing list, if that means anything. 1998 Charles Ellner Brut Champagne NV Bollinger Brut Champagne Special Cuvée 1995 Charles Heidsieck Brut Blanc des Millénaires 1996 A.R. Lenoble Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne ---All very excellent champagnes. The Ellner was more similar to the blanc de blancs than I expected with its 80% pinot content. The Heidsieck was really special. Love that style of bubbly. I think this is the most consensus we've had on WOTN... Heidsieck, Windy Oaks and Hendry were three standouts for me (and PH and GF), too. Although I'll tell you... I took the Newton left-overs home and had it the following night. WOW. It was awesome. Would have been my WOTN if it had opened that much at the offline. I'd wager nearly all of these wines would have been better the next night. This message has been edited. Last edited by: Lentini, |
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My recap (truncated from this postwhich includes a small intro: http://foodandwineblog.com/?p=336)
My wines of the night (based on personal preference, not necessarily high score): 1. 1997 Chateau St. Jean Cabernet Sauvignon Cinq Cépages 2. 1997 Hendry Cabernet Sauvignon Block 8 3. 2001 Shafer Relentless Honorable mention: 1999 Monticello Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Corley Reserve Appertif: Quote of the flight: PH: “I learned a long time ago from StefaniaWine that regardless of the theme, you always have to start with Champagne” 1996 A. R. Lenoble Champagne Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru: No notes taken, it was good though 1995 Charles Heidsieck Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne Blanc des Millénaires: A touch of yeast on the nose with aroma’s and flavors of apple, pear, some citrus. Less structured than the 1990 but still quite good. Medium finish with lasting grapefruit notes. My rating: 90 pts 1998 Charles Ellner Champagne Brut Millésimé: Tight nose at first. A lot of light red fruits coming through, as well as yeast, almond and mineral notes. Light body, crisp, evolved nicely over time. Interesting mineral notes on the somewhat abrupt finish. My rating: 90 pts N.V. Bollinger Champagne Special Cuvée Brut : Consistent with previous notes - a very good NV Champagne with plenty of small bubbles, a blast of grapefruit, yeast notes, subtle nuttiness to it as well. Great finish that smacks your mouth with some more citrus! Round 1: “Pass the Pinot” Overall: The Sea Smoke was good, but I have to go with the Windy Oaks as my WOTF (Wine of the Flight). 2004 Sea Smoke Pinot Noir Southing: Nice ruby color. Nose filled with sweet cedar, vanilla, and tightly wound red fruits with some dark cherry, and a burnt rubber component. Big style, good structure, with flavors of young, ripe fruits, with an appealing toasted vanilla bean component on the medium finish. Needs time. My rating: 90 pts 2003 Windy Oaks Pinot Noir Henry’s Block (Santa Cruz): Much lighter in color than the Sea Smoke, but don’t let it fool you! Cherry, raspberry, sweet wood notes, just a lot of ripe fruits on the nose and palate. An earth/leather component comes through on the mid-palate with cherry notes carrying it through very smooth tannins and a long, generous finish. My kind of Pinot - My rating: 92 pts Round 2: “Flight of the Night” Overall: This was a serious flight of wines, as well as an interesting transition from a couple of Champagnes and Pinot’s. This flight begged for my ribeye steak to arrive…but with Fois Gras in front of me, I was lucky to have kept a glass of the ‘98 Ellner around to wash it down (which as PH predicted, opened up quite nicely). The winner here? The ‘97 St. Jean…with the Hendry a close 2nd- two of my wines of the night. 1997 Hendry Cabernet Sauvignon Block 8: A bit of heat at first on the nose, big dark fruits, blackberry, currant, some earthiness to it as well. After a while in the glass it became quite better with nice layers of fruit and a dirt meets chocolate component. Giant yet elegant tannins, long finish that dries your mouth out all the while revealing subtle fruit flavors. Quite good and should get better with a few more years. My rating: 93 pts, #2 WOTN 1997 Newton Cabernet Sauvignon Le Puzzle Unfiltered: The nose revealed a bit of brett, which subsided with time. Blackberry, leather flavors, as well as hints of butter/oak. Less complex than the Hendry, with more mild tannins and a medium finish. I’d drink this one now. My rating: 89 pts 1997 Chateau St. Jean Cabernet Sauvignon Cinq Cépages: Flavors of anise, oak and toasted nuts. The blackberry, currant, dark raspberry fruits are layered into notes of spice and dried dirt that just seem to work well with the acidity and tannin structure. The tannins are silky, elegant and in harmony with the rest of the wine. Very interesting acidity near finish that was a pleasant surprise. Might improve with age but no reason to wait! My rating: 93 pts; #1 WOTN Round 3: “Could someone pass the water, please?” Overall: At this point we all realized were weren’t even half way into our tasting and had already had some incredible juice. I thought these were 3 very different wines, but they worked side by side. CS was right on in saying the Seavey would open up into a different wine with some air. My WOTF based on it’s unique flavor profile was the Monticello Corley Reserve…just some really interesting things going on in there. That said, the Seavey was definitely a great wine (rated it the highest) and the Cain Concept may become a 94+ point wine in a few years. 2002 Seavey Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon: An interesting wine that showed flavors of blackberry, Worcestershire sauce, green peppers, and cigar box. Very tight at first, with rough tannins. After 30+ minutes in the glass, the wine completely changed: dark fruits emerged and the tannins really mellowed out. Initially gave it an 89, but it transformed into 92+ pts. My rating: 92 pts 1999 Monticello Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Corley Reserve: Interesting flavors here as well that made this wine a lot of fun. Tomato, celery, red pepper, black pepper, and dark red fruit flavors. Good overall structure and balance, with medium length finish. My rating: 91 pts 2004 Cain Concept The Benchland: Loads of blackberry, currant, anise, dried herbs, and vanilla. A sweet cedar/oak/cigarbox type component stood out as well. This one’s a bit young, but showed good structure and acidity suggesting a very nice wine to come. My rating: 91 pts Round 4: Battle of the Barrels Overall: When the mailers go out for the Cabernet, order a 6 pack and the day they arrive, open a bottle immediately. Don’t check your e-mail, don’t do housework, don’t do anything else. Immediately open a bottle and enjoy a lot of fun flavors and great balance in structure in a young Cali Cab 2006 Uvas Creek Vineyard Cabernet Cabernet Sauvignon (Barrel Sample): Light in style, lots of red fruit, pink starburst on the nose, sweet oak notes and showing very good balance now. 2006? Why wait! No rating as it was a barrel sample. 2006 Eaglepoint Ranch Syrah (Barrel Sample): Bubble gum, red fruits, black pepper and other spice notes. No rating as it was a barrel sample. Round 5: Are we there yet?: No! If we were, I would have missed out on a very good WOTF and 1 of my top 3 Wines of The Night (WOTN). Overall: At this point of the night, the wines just kept coming. My formal notes went from detailed analysis of the wines components and structure, to a few words such as “good”, “big” or “wow”. As far as the wines in the flight goes, the Bravante was out of place in this flight and definitely overshadowed. The Shafer showed very nice complexity, good focus and was elegant. Notes on the last three wines were not taken. 2003 Bravante Simpatico: Inconsistent with my previous notes. Dark fruits, less focus or character, oaky with a bit of heat. Still good balance and structure, smooth tannins. My rating: 89-90 pts 2001 Shafer Relentless: Lovely, wonderful nose. Put your head in a bucket of freshly cut dark fruits mashed together with shavings of a cigar box, some dirt, a few tobacco leaves that is topped with diced bell peppers. Very nice balance and structure, fine tannins with rolling spice notes, a very nice effort. My rating: 93 pts, #3 WOTN 2005 Stefania Syrah: Notes taken on Night 2: Dark red fruits, plum, blueberry, earth and spice notes. Good balance and structure noted on the first night which showed in its ability to drink very well on night 2. My rating: 90-91 pts 2003 Neal Petit Sirah: Only a few words written down, overall impression was a decent Petit Sirah with loads of fruit 2002 Bond Matriarch: A few notes: Deep purple color, serious dark fruits, cigar box and dark chocolate flavors rolled into medium tannins. Not properly evaluated for a real rating. that lacked real elegance or finesse. Not properly evaluated for a real rating. 2002 Quixote Petite Syrah: No formal notes taken but recall a lot of dark fruit, medium tannins and a long finish. Not properly evaluated for a real rating. This message has been edited. Last edited by: sarbuze, Quickly, bring me a beaker of wine, so that I may wet my mind and say something clever. - Aristophanes foodandwineblog.com |
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Nice posts, boys. I really need to remember to bring a pen and some index cards next month. My memory ain't what it used to be!
One minor correction. The "Start with Champagne" credit should go to Stefania Wine. It took a few minutes to find, but this is the post that stuck with me so long ago! PH |
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Some Pictures as Promised!! Remember to click on the i in the middle of the first pic when running the slide show for captions. Or not!!
 PH |
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Jeebus guys. Why hasn't anyone told me I am that ugly??? |
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Wow, jfoobar and PH! Great pics! The line-up is spectacular. You all hold quite a court! |
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You know where to find us, Darlene. Hop a plane and come on down!! PH |
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PH, you do know you were blocking the Henri Toulouse-Lautrec print in the photo... right?
Art, give me art man, ART! |
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Nice! Great essence of space. |
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Sorry, I'm a bit slow this week. Here is my recap, which relies on Sarbuze's recap to do most of the heavy lifting. |
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