Last night GF and I opened a 1988 Opus One. Not a great vintage, but the wine surprised us by its elegance and Bordeaux style. I guess Rothchild's influence on the wine was big "back in the day" when they were not caught up in as much glitz and glamour.

It was a great accompaniment to our farmer's market ribeye steak and Lyonnaise potatoes...mmm.

2004 J.J. Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Spatlese.

I forget if all those words should go in a different order, but wow! this wine was terrific.

I was in Gomer's Midtown (a local KC liquor store) picking up some Cynar and Pimm's for a Fox Hunt. I rifled through the end of bin basket and found the above selection and an Auslese, also, each for under $20. Astounded, I sought out the owner, who assured me they really just had that much on stock to get rid of, he'd already stashed away a good bit, and it hadn't been sitting out in the heat for two years or some other such atrocity.

I'm no riesling expert, but man this was good. Sweeter than I thought it would be, but not at all cloying. What delicate balance, great fruit flavors that were more specifically apparent to me last night though are escaping me right now. It had a slight, very pleasant effervescence, and was delightful to sip a glass before dinner, and as much or more so with the Indian dinner my wife prepared, featuring butter chicken and some spicy fried green beans.

After the previous post, I decided to have a bottle of 2006 Hirtzberger Riesling Hochrain. It weighed in at 14% alcohol. I read a tasting note that talked about red fruit, yellow plums, almonds, flowers and citrus. I'm not sure I got any of that (except the citrus) but it was a really great bottle. The 2006 Austrian wines I have tasted have been really remarkable. I also think they will benefit from a few more years in the cellar. They are not inexpensive, but well worth the cost for a splash out occasion. Look for Hirtzberger, Prager, Rudi Pichler or FX Pichler.

Mrs. Davooda and I recently opened a 2006 Resonance Vineyard Pinot Noir from Sineann of Yamhill, OR. This was an elegant wine ($42) that complemented the gaminess of the dijon/lemon/rosemary racks of New Zealand lamb. The cherry pie filling and black cherry notes, just the right amount of tannin and a lengthy finish impressed us. Also, when I read my Sineann newsletter this past week I learned that Sineann makes a pinot noir that is exclusively for French Laundry and Per Se. Thankfully there are several others available for retail!

Davooda

I grilled a ribeye cajun-style last night and paired it with a 2005 Cliff Lede Stag's Leap District Cab Sauv...drinking very well but will definitely age for many years to come! It was about $50ish retail at Whole Foods.

last night at Vinci
we had a bunch of magnums

1996 Launois Le Mesnil Champagne x 2 750ml
1993 Vilmart "Coeur de Cuvée" Brut, 1500ml

2002 H Lamy St Aubin 1er Les Murgers des Dens de Chien, 1500ml
1997 Peter Michael Chardonnay, 1500ml

1997 Riecine La Gioia , 1500ml
1997 Ch Leoville Las Cases, 1-750ml + 1-375ml
1995 Lewis Reserve Cabernet, 1500ml

1996 chateau Soucherie cuvee de la tour, 375ml

the PM was my favorite white and the LLC the best red

mhill95149 wrote:last night at Vinci
we had a bunch of magnums

1996 Launois Le Mesnil Champagne x 2 750ml
1993 Vilmart "Coeur de Cuvée" Brut, 1500ml

2002 H Lamy St Aubin 1er Les Murgers des Dens de Chien, 1500ml
1997 Peter Michael Chardonnay, 1500ml

1997 Riecine La Gioia , 1500ml
1997 Ch Leoville Las Cases, 1-750ml + 1-375ml
1995 Lewis Reserve Cabernet, 1500ml

1996 chateau Soucherie cuvee de la tour, 375ml

the PM was my favorite white and the LLC the best red

Wow, must have been a big occasion. Congrats on whatever it was.

I know this will sound really wierd, but this seems like the thread (if any) to post that I had a dream a few nights ago about participating in an odd kind of wine tasting. It was a church parish center basketball gym type of venue. One walked around the perimeter, tasting reds and whites of all classes and sources, in no particular order, with the producers sitting at folding tables nearby trying to talk you into voting for their wines as the best.

It adds nothing to this conversation, I know. I just mention it because, the weird thing is, it was only today, a few days later, that I realized that this had never actually happened and therefore must have been a dream. You people are having an effect on me.

JLenart wrote:
Wow, must have been a big occasion. Congrats on whatever it was.

one of our tasting group members had a birthday...
so, we brought out the big bottles.
here's a shot from Sunday

Last night I had a forgettable White Burgundy, but I also had a bottle of 1997 Rosso from Gagliole. It was wonderful - firm, structured, good fruit, and just beginning to reach its peak (will probably drink well for another 5 years based on this bottle).

Not cheap, but well-priced - it was about $50 at release. We had it at the Tavern in Libertyville, a place that has, IMO, the best wine list in Chicagoland - and not just because it includes over 1000 different choices, including an impressive selection of Burgundy, but also because of their pricing. This gem cost about $70. Think on that for a moment - a ten year old wine, released (probably around 8 years ago) at $52 going for around $70 now at a restaurant.

The first time I went to the Tavern they refused to let me open my own bottle, "because of the investment in our wine cellar." Okay, fine (grumble) until I looked at the list and prices. Then I had to ask where the wines came from (it is the combination of wine from two or three places the owners formerly had, including Ivanhoe in the city) and why the prices are so attractive (because "this is not downtown and we want to sell these wines.")

If you choose not to go because you don't want to spend $70 on a bottle of wine - reconsider. They have many, many bottles in the $20-$30 range, some of which are pretty interesting. Can't say I have tried them because they have amazing choices in the $50-$100 that are not only half the price (or less) you would pay elsewhere, but are almost impossible to find anywhere else.

As for food, they seem to specialize in sauteing in garlic and butter, often finished with a touch of truffle oil, or broiling steaks. Decent seafood selection, including a reliable soft shell crab special, good list of steaks at reasonable prices (choice or prime, with one each Wagyu and Uruguayan grass fed) ranging from about $30 to $65 for the Wagyu. The food has been reliably good, if uninspired, but the place belongs here because the wine list is so good. The Uruguayan, grass-fed strip is an interesting piece of meat, both in terms of flavor and texture - more of a livery, meaty flavor with a chewy, coarse grained texture, versus the buttery, silky texture and cleaner beefy flavor with corn-fed beef. I enjoyed it and am glad I sampled it, though I will not be searching it out again.

The wine is the star, and the food is a good supporting character.

Will cross post to this thread, too where Laz mentioned this place with a similar opinion.

Fabulous wine list, indeed.

Last night I had a 1995 Haut Brion (it was my b-day). The finish was so long, I'm still thinking about it this morning. I've had this wine on many occasions. I think I'll leave it alone for another 5 years, as it's less open than it was 5 years ago. Still showing well. 95 points with upside in the future.

On Tuesday we had a 2001 La Spinetta Barberesco Valeiriano, a 2001 Sandrone Barolo Le Vigne, a 1996 Gaja Sori Tildin and a 1985 Conterno Barolo Monfortino. The first two were quite the mouthful, but still very tannic and primary. The Sandrone shut down hard after an hour or so. Loved the Gaja (wine of the night). One of the sexier wines I've had in a while. The Conterno is made in a very rustic style. I liked it better the second day, after it slept in the decanter.

Nice notes!

it's a

weekend for me and my frozen bag of peas.....
no wine till Tuesday

mhill - LOL! I, too, am cozying up to a frozen bag of peas and planning to reward myself with a 1997 Schramsberg Late Disgorged Brut on Monday, but really hoping for Sunday

Getting by on the much more pedestrian "generic" for Vicodin until then...

Davooda wrote:mhill - LOL! I, too, am cozying up to a frozen bag of peas and planning to reward myself with a 1997 Schramsberg Late Disgorged Brut on Monday, but really hoping for Sunday

Getting by on the much more pedestrian "generic" for Vicodin until then...

I laid the ground work for better pain meds at the first meeting with the dr.
got THREE refills to boot. No pain so far! good luck to you

My favorite with Thai food - Malbec, Terra Rosa 2004. Retails somewhere between $14 and $18. I'm new to this topic, but will be sure to report in the future. Incidentally, does anyone know if there is a similar thread for beer?

hungryinchicago wrote:Incidentally, does anyone know if there is a similar thread for beer?

This isn't beer specific, but check out "What are you drinking?"

1993 Quintarelli Valpolicella...along with roasted rack of lamb. I need say no more. Okay, it was outstanding, and at it's peak.

Took my wife to Davis St. Fish market in Schaumburg last night. The wine list did not look interesting and they were out of the one wine I would have ordered so I switched gears and went with Three Floyd's Alpha King and then a 60 min IPA from Dogfish or Doghead?? both paired nicely with the seafood etoufette.

How about Dogfish Head?

Sean Thackery Pleiades XV. Very interesting wine- insanely complex for a CA wine. I think this stuff is like 20 bucks or so, even if it were 50, it would be worth every single penny. Syrah and Barberra are the primary grapes, though I think the nose may make you think of old vine temperanillo. Good stuff indeed.