My wife and I visited Chicago Wine Mafia transplants Haggis and his wife in Honolulu earlier this month for a few days before heading over to Kauai. On the last night of our stay with them, Haggis invited some of his island friends for one of a party at his home. Members of the CWM are well aware that Haggis was renowned for his monthly happy hours while he was in Chicago which always ended up lasting all night. Haggis dug deep into his cellar to pull out some very nice bottles for all of us to try and all of the guests pitched in with appetizers. The weather was about 80 degrees and the view from his mountainside home overlooking surburban Honolulu, Kokohead and the Pacific was awe inspring. This party was one of the highlights of our trip and a big mahalo goes out to Haggis and his wife for hosted us and this event. Here are my notes which were obviously influenced by the tropical setting:

Whites

• 2007 Spy Valley Sauvignon Blanc - New Zealand, South Island, Marlborough
  A fresh wine with notes of lemongrass, star fruit and Ceylon gooseberry. A bit low in acidity or it would have scored higher. 86-87 points.
  
  
• 2006 Château Graville-Lacoste Blanc - France, Bordeaux, Graves
  Notes of asian pear, citrus and lychee in this wine. Good acidity and medium body. As Haggis noted a bit austere. 88 points.
  
  
• 2007 Ferrari-Carano Fume Blanc Sonoma County - USA, California, Sonoma County
  Medium to full bodied wine. Notes of lilikoi, breadfruit and honey. Light oak on the finish. 87 points.
  

Reds

• 2006 Dynasty Red Table Wine - China, Tianjin
  Not sure if this is really a 2006 vintage as the date stamped on the bottle may have been a bottling date. Possibly a NV wine. Solid red color. Dark fruit on the nose. An upfront style without much of a finish. Bitter red fruit with some sapote on the palate. Drinkable. 79 points.
  
  
• 2000 Sean Thackrey Sangiovese Aquila Eaglepoint Ranch - USA, California, North Coast, Mendocino County
  I don't get to drink many California Sangiovese. This wine was surprisingly ripe for its age. Good core of fruit with red current predominating. Not the typical cherry and violet profile you'd expect from an Italian Sangiovese. 88 points.
  
  
• 2003 Rosenblum Cellars Zinfandel Rockpile Road Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Rockpile
  The 2003 Seghesio Home Ranch Zin was much better than this wine. A big thick style which I found a bit overbearing. Very fruity with vanilla creme and oak. 87 points.
  
  
• 2003 Seghesio Family Vineyards Zinfandel Home Ranch - USA, California, Sonoma County, Alexander Valley
  2nd time Haggis has opened this bottle for me. I found this bottle much preferable to the first. It was settled and was not awkward like the first bottle. This had notes of mocha, spice and currant. Thick texture which filled the mouth. 91 points.
  
  
• 2004 Penmara Shiraz Reserve - Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley, Lower Hunter Valley
  This wine tasted older than it should. This had just made the trip from Chicago to Honolulu before it was drunk. Possibly a bit cooked. Fruity with strawberry and a musty finish. 84 points.
  
  
• 2000 Greenock Creek Shiraz Alice's - Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley
  About the 5th time I have had this wine with consitent notes. Creamy red fruit. Not the fruit bomb you'd expect from other vintages of this wine. 91 points.
  
  
• 2003 Thorn-Clarke Shiraz Shotfire (Ridge) - Australia, South Australia, Barossa
  This wine is almost always a good value. I've had the 2001 and 2006 vintages before and liked each of them slightly better than this 2003. Medium bodied wine. Notes of cherry and jaboticaba (sp?). Moderate finish. 87 points.
  
  
• 2004 Penmara Reserve MCP - Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley, Lower Hunter Valley
  This was better than the 2004 Penmara Shiraz Reserve. A little funk on the nose but it blew off in the glass. Sharp red fruit with some mocha and berry notes. Medium bodied. They may have used some light Koa wood aging instead of oak here. 88 points.
  
  
• 2003 Neal Family Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, California, Napa Valley
  2nd time I have had this wine. It was my favorite red wine at Haggis' Hawaiian Happy Hour. Reddish purple color. Lush berries on the nose. Rich texture with ripe tannins and notes of black fruit and light oak. 91-92 points.
  
  
• 2001 Château Haut-Bages Libéral - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
  3rd time I have had this wine and I have given it fairly consistent scores each time. The 2001 is a step down from the other more highly acclaimed recent vintages like 2000, 2003 and 2005. Nonetheless it is a very pleasant wine with typical lead pencil notes mixed with berries. A bit thin and lighter bodied than other vintages. 88 points.
  
  
• 2002 Chateau Montelena Petite Sirah - USA, California, Napa Valley
  This was the first time I have had a Petite Sirah from Montelena. Blackish red color. Thick wine loaded with blackberry, cassis and Damson plum notes. Silky texture. 90-91 points.
  
  
• 1998 Horton Vineyards Touriga Nacional DIO - USA, Virginia, Central Region, Orange County
  This was brought to Haggis' Hawaiian Happy Hour by a guest. Musty and old tasting. Held way past its drinking window. Tired red fruit and currant notes. I had the 1997 vintage at the winery when it was released and it was a mid 80 point wine. 77 points.
  

VM

Thanks, VM, for posting these notes and for contributing the Greenock. It was my WOTN (92pts). The Montelena petite syrah (90pts), Neal cab (90pts), and Seghesio Home Ranch (91pts) were all showing very well and would probably improve with a little more bottle time. A great time was had by all, which is what it's all about. Aloha!