Another Denver area tasting was hosted by Davidandrose in their stunningly beautiful home in the SE part of town. Forumites in attendance included Thetwood, Sideshow, Mbansek, FreeTheGrapes, and a special guest visit by Stemor.

The theme of the night was, “bring a favorite, sure to be a crowd pleaser”. All wines were tasted blind, with no idea of what we were tasting. The only exception was the “starter” wine, the 2000 Chateau Petit Bocq, a beautiful wine. Notes on this wine are posted separately.

The wines:

1998 TeMata Coleraine Cabernet/Merlot from New Zealand
2000 Hartford Dina’s Vineyard Zinfandel
1997 St. Suprey Meritage
2001 Di Pian Barbera di Asti
1999 Annvers Cabernet Sauvignon from Australia
1997 Behrens & Hitchcock Keneflick Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon
1997 Cornerstone Cabernet Sauvignon
2001 Marquis Phillips Shiraz #9...

...and the “ringer” provided by yours truly: the 1997 Honig Cabernet Sauvignon!

Again, all wines were tasted completely blind, with no idea of what we were tasting. Each taster was asked to rank their three favorite wines. Every wine received at least one vote, but two were clear “winners” or favorites among the group. Ten of twelve tasters, with six first place votes, chose the 1999 Annvers Cabernet Sauvignon as wine of the night. Ten of twelve also voted for the 2001 Marquis Phillips Shiraz #9, which garnered five first place votes. The only other wine to receive a first place vote was the 1997 St. Suprey Meritage.

But the story of the night, if you ask my opinion, was the third place wine...you guessed it...the 1997 HONIG CABERNET SAUVIGNON!!!



Must...resist...must...not...start...another...war...

So there you have it. Nine great wines, with three “favorites”.

For those who care, some notes from my tasting sheets, as well as comments I picked up from around the room, in the order tasted:

1998 TeMata Coleraine Cabernet/Merlot-cedar and eucalyptus on the nose. A medium-weight wine, slightly astringent, with pencil lead on the finish. Improved greatly in the decanter. Almost got my 3rd place vote.

2000 Hartford Dina’s Vineyard Zinfandel-dark fruit and wood on the nose, with a little spice. Rich and bold, with blueberry and brambly fruit, along with peppery spices on a long finish. Clearly a Zin, and a very good one at that.

1997 St. Suprey Meritage-cedar and eucalyptus on the nose. A rich mouthfeel with chocolate, dark fruit and a hint of mint on the finish. Someone said “Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups”. Supple, silky tannins and a nice finish; this was my #3 wine.

2001 Di Pian Barbera di Asti-Not too much on the nose, but blueberry, rhubarb and exotic spices on the palate. The finish is long and smooth. Interesting wine.

1997 Honig Cabernet Sauvignon-Elegant wine, with soft, silky tannins and a long finish. I guessed this beautiful wine was a ’94. My #2 wine.

1999 Annvers Cabernet Sauvignon-Easily the most unusual wine of the night. Closed nose revealing only a hint of chocolate and mint, but the palate exploded with chocolate-mint and cola flavors, with just a notion of sweet vanilla on the finish, which was long and complex. My #1 wine.

1997 Behrens & Hitchcock Keneflick Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon-complex nose of forest mushroom, earth and truffle. Good fruit, with a sweet vanilla-coke flavor, accented by a hint of mint. Nice finish.

1997 Cornerstone Cabernet Sauvignon-closed on the nose, but big on the palate, with blueberry, cassis and cherry cola flavors. Slightly out of focus, I suspect that this wine may be in a transitional phase. Give it a little more time.

2001 Marquis Phillips Shiraz #9-having tasted this very distinct wine, I immediately pegged it as MP. Monster fruit and spice, with complexity and a great finish. This wine is a wild ride now, but I suspect that it is not built for the long haul, and needs to be drunk over the next year or two.

Again, thanks to our gracious hosts, David & Rose, and to Stemor for making the trek from TN to visit our mile high city! For anyone interested, the next Denver area gathering is tentatively scheduled for January, with a Pinot Noir/Burgundy theme. Watch the off-line board for details, or post a reply if you would like to know more...

FTG,

Nice notes on a VERY enjoyable wine evening. David&Rose outdid themselves, and you all have one heck of a friendly, knowledgeable, and fun group. I hope (and expect) to make my way back to Denver to share some more wine with y'all as soon as possible.

Now, if only we knew a few other Forumites that enjoyed Pinot Noir wines ...

I'm willing and happy to contribute one of my soon-to-be-acquired '00 Kistler PN's to the January dinner. jb, Mountainman, PE, Winetex, any other adventurous Pinot-philes out there? Ski weekend, anyone?

any of you guys from Littleton/Arapahoe/Englewood....? I'm from just south of Cherry Creek Reservoir / Belleview. I'll be there for Xmas. Need a reason to go to my favorite restaraunt in the area, Yaya.

-Vitis Vinifera in Lodi

Love that '97 St. Supery Meritage; and excellent wine that is still priced right (around $40).

VV:

I am the forumite who lives closest to that area. Yia Yias is fantastic, and if you have not been around for a while, try Adega downtown (though FTG may beg to differ...). My old office, from which I just moved last month, was a block down from Yia Yias.

If you are going to be around, send me an email. I am sure we can put something together while you are here. mbansek@bansek.com

Mike

FTG:

What, no notes on the port or the Tokay?

Mike

Kudos to FTG and Stemor for posting comments in so quickly after the tasting. That sets a new standard. Rose and I were busy deep in rem sleep while you were typing. Had a great time, and now have the pleasure of enjoying a few leftovers from several different bottles. Really looking forward to the next two months of prep-work searching for a pinot for the next tasting!!

VV-

Would love to get together when you are in town, open a bottle or ten and discuss the Avs current woes.

Saturday the 21st looks especially good for us. Please let us know what works for you!

I forgot to thank David & Rose for opening the wonderful dessert wines; an Aussie Tokay-style and a 94 vintage Port (Warre?). I wasn't paying attention...my bad!

FTG, I'm just getting into Denver on the evening of the 21st. I'm leaving a week later on the 28th. I'll be going to home Avs and Bronco games, so those nights are out, as is obviously Xmas, and things that have yet to come up. My parents will be demanding of my time, so I'm hoping for a dinner at Ya Ya on Belleview, which is like 5 minutes from my parents' house. Myabe I could convince my dad to come, and if so, he'll donate something very nice in a bottle (as will I).

-Vitis Vinifera in Lodi
vitisvinifera98@yahoo.com

Yes, FTG, I think the 20 foot pole corollary would apply here.

I second Stemor's comments regarding our hosts and the quality of the evening. Great wines, davidandrose were most gracious and generous hosts, and good fun. Hope to see you in January Stemor.

I'll just add a couple of notes on the fine 1994 Warre Port. Luscious chocolate, macadamia nut and cherry, it was extremely complex and long on the palate. This was a very nice treat topping off an already exceptional evening.

I wish I had notes on the Tokay which was very nice also, just too enamored with the Port.

Almost forgot, Excellent notes FTG!

DavidandRose - Thank you again for hosting in your beautiful home. The food, wine and setting were all great; as was the company.

FTG - Great notes again, though I don't know about the Honig . You've got way too much energy staying up to post notes after a long night of drinking.

Stemor - Great meeting you and thanks for making it out to Denver. Sorry about the comment about not bringing to last place wine. I wasn't trying to throw a jab; I was actually just happy. As the new guy to wine in the group, I'm always a little nervous. Hope to see you in January.

VV - I'll jump on the bandwagon here. Would love to meet up with you around Christmas for a little food and wine.

To all - Looks like the wife and I are hosting in January. Look forward to seeing everyone again, along with any other forumites interested in making the trip out here. A night of food and wine followed by some skiing? If Sunday was any indication, could be a good year on the slopes. I'll post later in Offline Events with details.

Thetwood,

I was kidding in my abrupt East Coast way. Sorry to confuse you!

davidandrose:

Once again, thank you for the hospitality. Sorry we had to leave just as the dessert wines were being opened...

It was certainly an eclectic evening, enhanced of course by the presence of the great Stemor. Hope you have some of those vouchers that do not expire until late January or early February, and can join us for the next one!

Adjunct to the notes: the zin stuck out like a sore thumb amidst these great wines as being very different. I rated this my number three, which cannot be considered independent since I brought it! I rated the Annvers number one and the 9 as my number two WOTN.

And the Honig was a great surprise! I had toyed with the idea of tracking one down, which would have made the evening even more interesting.

Having the Annvers rated number one was especially surprising, since one of the two bottles opened was oxidized.

Looking forward to having the great Pinot tasting with TheTWood, and helping him stock the new cellar Hope it is completed on time...

Mike

The walls of the cellar are framed in now. Wiring starts tomorrow. Should be finished by mid-December. Of course, with the money we're spending to put in a nice wine cellar there may still not be much wine in it by the time we have the next tasting.

Will look really good, though

A blast from the past, with our good friends Davidandrose once again hosting in their beautiful home. Tonight's theme was Merlot, with several exceptional offerings. I'll leave it to the other distinguished guests to post notes, but for one exception; yet a repeat ringer dropped in as a surprise by yours truly.

Yep, the 1997 Honig Cabernet Savignon.

Elegant and well-balanced, with good fruit, integrated tannins and a long finish. Drinking exceptionally well at age eleven, whether or not an old friend (who goes by just three letters) would ever admit to such a possibility (sorry, just can't resist the dig). Still a great value for Napa Cab in almost any vintage.


It was great to see some old friends as well as furthering our friendships with some new.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: FreeTheGrapes,