....Here are the wines:
'01 Sine Qua Non Albino
Not exactly sure what this is composed of but it was very nice. It had a lot of Viognier like characteristics. Very heavy duty, but light on it's feet. Full of resiny citrus oil, jasmine/white flowers, macadamia nut, and finishing with a tangerine rind slightly bitter finish. Impressive....I think this wine could have used more air time. 93 pts. for me.
'01 La Mondotte
This sucker is nowhere near ready to drink. Laser sharp focus, and very tight. Notes of melted asphalt, smoke, tar, violet and plum on the nose. Very firm tannin and fresh acid on the palate. The tannins are definitely controlling the fruit right now. Notes of black cherry, white flower aromaticity, tobacco, fresh juicy cranberry, a small hint of bacon and a touch of mocha. This should be far more interesting in about 10-15 years. 93+ pts for me.
'01 Cloud View Cab./Merlot Blend
I had never had a Cloud View prior to this. Located up on Pritchard Hill I think this wine does a fairly good job competing with it's neighbors. Lots of fresh blue/dark red fruits. Vanillin, blueberry pie, sweet black cherry and baking spices dominated the wine. Low acid and mod. tannins. I thought this was very well balanced. 92 pts. solid.
'01 Clark Cauldon Cab.
I'll have Orlando fill in the blanks here. I was't paying much attention with this....the company was too good. But, I don't remember being bowled over.
'01 Surh Luchtel Sarache? Vineyard (Napa) Cab.
I think "Sarache" is the name of the vineyard designate we had. I hardly ever take notes, so the name is escaping me. Plus we had a LOT of wine! Very nice. Lots of vibrant fruit...juicy currant, blackberry, cinnamon, and a creamy vanilla element to it. Nice palate presence with low acid and mild/mod. tannins. Very tasty. 92 pts.
'95 Harlan Maiden
Corked. Not terribly bad, but the fruit was pretty muted and the wine became more and more astringent as the night went on. Bitter notes of olive pit and black tea leaf dominated the wet cardboard/newspaper aroma. I hope to try this again one day....
'95 Harlan Estate
Shear power right out of the gates. Very intense on the palate. This wine creeps into every nook and cranny and then shocks the tastes buds. Beautiful cassis, black cherry, blueberry pie, and red rose petal on the nose. Thick vibrant black cherry pie, baking spices, gingerbread, toasty vanilla oak, toffee, and cocoaish coffee grounds on the finish. Very long. As the night went on, my only criticism is that the alcohol became more dominant on the palate. This wine will be a testament to Harlan's agability. At nearly 10 years old, it is showing NO signs of maturity. The color is deep blood red/black with no ambering, and the tannin and acid is very prominent, as well as the fruit! This is the most monstrous Harlan I've ever had. Sadly, it was my last one. I'd love to see what it's like in another 10-15 years. 98+ pts. for me.
'95 Araujo Cab.
If the Harlan was Pam Anderson, this would be Halle Berry. More elegant, and refined, but still very full bodied. Notes of clove, baking spices, milk chocolate, and sweet tobacco on the nose. The palate was a cross between Bordeaux and CA but more so CA. Wet earth, cinnamon, milk choclate, provencial herbs, sweet black cherry pie, blackberry, cigar spice, sandalwood, and vanilla bean dominate. The palate crescendo's beautifully, and the wine became more and more integrated as it decanted. The Harlan barely budged. This is a fantastic wine, and I'm thankful I FINALLY got to try a representative bottle of this as the last one I had (thanks again R4L!) was corked. 97 pts. solid. I think the '01 will give this a run for it's money once it gets a little more age on it.
R.L. Buller "Calliope" Muscat
By the end of the night, I could barely drink anymore. This stuff would be great with a raisin based bread pudding. I only had a couple of sips, so no real notes or points. I dug deep into my coffee at this point!
Thanks again Orlando!
Cheers!
-DRAB
