notes from ultra-premium tasting of mostly cab blends

[newsguy]

here's some TNs from an ultra-premium tasting i attended a few weeks back.

directl link: http://www.examiner.com/a-645159~Terrific_tastings.html

or...

By Keith St. Clair
Examiner Wine Editor

WASHINGTON - A few weekends ago at the huge Washington D.C. International Wine & Food Festival, Friday night’s Grand Cru Lounge event was a smaller tasting aimed at the heavy hitters ($180 per ticket). Here are some notes on a handful of the more than 40 high-end wines being poured. Prices listed are approximate retail in the D.C. area unless otherwise noted.

2003 Opus One ($150) - This Bordeaux blend from Napa is a perennial favorite of expense account drinkers, thanks to the big names behind the winery (a joint venture founded by Robert Mondavi and Baron Philippe de Rothschild). The ’03 bottling was very tight on the nose and it was slightly vegetal, which is fairly common from less-than-stellar vintages. The good news: It drinks better than it smells, with nice fruit and lots of fine tannins that need some time to resolve. I’d wait until 2010 to open a bottle. A nice wine, but for the price you can buy four or more bottles of better wine. Rating: Very Good.

1998/99/2000 Silver Oak Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($60) - Another oft-collected California red, this one hails from Sonoma County. This three-year vertical tasting was educational — and a bit surprising. The ’98 was better than expected, well-balanced with quite tasty fruit and some tannins to let this one age a while still. The ’99, which is the best vintage of the three, was unexpectedly a little vegetal on the nose. I also found the fruit to be nice, but unremarkable. The 2000 had a nice nose, but seemed thin in the mouth and had a shortish finish. Rating: I like the ‘98 the best of trio, but I’d rate all three Very Good.

2003 Phelps Insignia ($135) - Always mentioned among the top California reds, the ’03 will continue that trend. This newly released Bordeaux blend is 84 percent cabernet sauvignon and it shows with aromas of dark fruits and spice, with notes of cotton candy, licorice and caramel. In the mouth, it starts of strong on the entry, softens in the mid-palate, then finishes very strong with lots of very fine tannins. Rating: Outstanding.

2001 Wolffer Premier Cru ($115) - At this premium tasting, this was the best wine that I’d never heard of. Wolffer Estate Vineyards is located on Long Island, N.Y., and its premier bottling is one of the best merlots I’ve had in a long time. It is absolutely loaded with smoky, spicy dark fruits, plus chocolate notes. It has wonderful balance and a very long finish. The winery does not have a retail distributor in the D.C. area yet, but sells off its Web site (www.wolffer.com/store). The ’01 already is sold out, but the ’02 is available at $125 a bottle. It’s definitely worth shopping online for. Rating: Outstanding.

2001 Penfold’s Grange ($200) - This shiraz is Penfold’s flagship wine, and arguably still is the most coveted bottling coming out of Australia. This vintage has been touted as one of the county’s best of modern times, and rightfully so. Huge aromas of dark red fruits and spice leap from the glass, along with oak nuances. It starts off with a big entry in the mouth, and the flavors keep expanding through the very long finish. Still could use two or three more years to really hit its peak. Rating: Classic.

[This message has been edited by newsguy (edited 04-04-2007).]