Musings from Wine Expressions

We all sat down to watch the events of the second round of the NCAA tournament.  We decided steak was in order and California Cabernet was the wine of choice.  We selected the 1990 Stag’s Leap and the 1991 Beringer Private Reserve.  Both wines are from Napa Valley.  Why these?  Two reasons; I have two bottles left in the cellar of each selection and they are wonderful wines.

What were you doing in March of 1990 or 1991?  I was working for Accenture, living in Bangsar in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia and working at Telekom Malaysia and Petronas.  Seems like a century ago at this stage.

Back to the NCAA.   1990 was  an exciting year - they all are.  The final game was Duke v. UNLV.  Yes, Tarkanian coahed the Runnin’ Rebels and Krzyzewski coached the Blue Devils.  The real drama this year was the death of Hank Gathers of Loyola Marymount in the conference tournament.  Loyola Marymount was an 11th seed and advanced to the West Region finals against eventual champion UNLV.  Loyola scored more than 100 points in 3 of the 4 games they played.

The Stag’s Leap scored 100 points with us as well.  This is not Cask 23, or Fay.  This is the regular bottling. What a joy.  Great all by itself and magic with the steak.   Both Parker and the Spectator would say this wine is past it’s prime.  I beg to differ.  The wine still had wonderful fruit aromas of black cherries, smoke, earth, currant.  The tannins were beuatifully balanced and very subtle as one would expect from an 18 year old wine.  I am certainly glad I have another bottle.  One thing is for sure; I will not wait another 18 years to enjoy it.  Paker rated this wine 89 and Spectator gave it 91.  Spectator made it #76 on the Top 100 wines in the world for 1993 and a Spectator Selection.  Maybe not as impressive as Loyola Marymount or as memorable as Hank Gathers but a wonderful wine nonetheless.

NCAA 1991 - not as much drama as the 1990 tournament but memorbale nonetheless.  UNLV, undefeated until they met Duke in the Final Four, lost.  Duke defeated Kansas for the national championship.  Memorable upsets in the first round with at least one team from every position except 16 advancing to the second round.

The Beringer Private Reserve was amazing.  A symphony of black and red fruits wrapped around a tannic structure that any producer would envy.  Silky smooth with hints of chocolate and smoke.  The balance was nearly perfect.  A great match for the steak and for the games.  Parker gave this wine 95 and tasted it three times between 1993 and 1995.  Specator gave this wine 94 and suggested drinking through 2010.  They rated it four times between 1994 and 2001.

I am looking forward to the Final Four in 2009 as I do every year.  My brackets were busted long ago so any hope of winning enough to buy a bottle of anything memorable have been dashed.  I will enjoy the weekend games and some additional bottles.

May your team and/or the best team win.              

I have tasted two cabernet sauvignon based wines over the last few days that truly stand apart from the field. The first is an Australian offering, 1999 Henry’s Drive from the Padthaway region in South Australia. The second is a French Bordeaux, 2001 Chateau Rauzan Gassies from Margaux. Both are excellent examples of how this varietal can shine.

While the Henry’s Drive is 100% cabernet, the Rauzan Gassies is a blend. The exact blend was not exactly clear but the vineyards are planted 65% cabernet sauvignon, 25% merlot and 10% cabernet franc. The French wine is a second growth in the 1855 classification. However for many years the chateau has significantly underperformed it’s high status. Clearly that has changed.

The French wine was a beautiful offering of ripe black fruits, tar and silky smooth tannins. I decanted this wine one hour before drinking. The nose was full and fresh with black current, tar, and chocolate. The palate was rich and full bodied with black fruit predominating and a hint of raspberry. I drank this wine with steak and chicken fajitas (why is another story) and it paired equally well with both meats. There is some left so I wil be enjoying it again this evening.

For those interested in ratings, Parker gave the wine 88 and rated it in 2002, 2003, and 2004. His suggested maturity is 2006-2014 so I was drinking this one near its peak maturity. Wine Spectator gave it 87 and said best after 2006. 12,500 cases were made.

The Henry’s Drive is an admittedly older vintage and Parker says past its prime. I thought it was delicious. Not at all tired as I had feared. The nose was again black fruit predominant with hints of earth and chocolate. The tannins were silky smooth as you would expect in a 10 year old wine. I had originally tasted this wine at a tasting event at Sweet Alyssum Wine Shop. The biottle sat in my basement until I opened it Saturday night to pair with a steak.

The winemakers were Sarah and Sparky Marquis lately of Marquis Phillips and Mollydooker fame. This wine was rated 90 by Parker and 87 by Wine Spectator. 1,000 cases were made.

It is unlikely that you can find The Henry’s Drive 1999 for sale at retail but I sure did enjoy opening it, drinking it, and writing about it. The Chateau Rauzan Gassies 2001 is available as are the 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006. As you might imagine, the 2000 and 2005 vinatges are by far the most expensive. The 2001 will likely be in the high $30’s to mid $40’s.

We had many people who asked us about the risks and rewards of opening older bottles.  While this is a subject that could be discussed at length, the best way to discover is to pull the cork.  I did just that over the weekend.  As some of you know I lived in Australia for a couple of years in the early 1990s. I had a love for Australian wines before moving to Melbourne.  This love only grew stronger and deeper as I experienced the elegance and power of Aussie reds.

When we moved back to the US, I had to “import” a few favorites.  We drank a few in the late 1990s but since opening Wine Expressions in 2002, I have not had the occasion to open many of these older wines.

I decided to try a 1988 Lindemans Limestone Ridge Vineyard Shiraz Cabernet to complement a piece of grilled tenderloin.  This wine is from the Coonawarra region in South Australia.  In short it was drinking very well at 20 years old.  The cork extracted very smoothly.  Quite unusual in my experience lately with older vinatges.  The wine was a rich ruby red with a bright fruity nose that called to mind a mixed berry carnival.

The wine was aged for 13 months in American oak before bottling.  Surprisingly there were none of the aromas of leather, chocolate or tobacco that are often found in these blends.  It was pure fruit.

The palate offered smooth tannins and more delicious fruit flavors.  As you might imagine, it was a perfect match for the grilled meat.

I had a little left at the end of the night and the last glass accompanied a late night pizza snack on Sunday evening.

I have several more bottles that I brought back from Australia dating from the late 1980s and early 1990s. I am looking forward to opening these bottles over the next few months.  One of particular interest is the Barossa Valley Estate E&E Black Pepper Shiraz. I have opened several of these over the years and found them to be excellent.             

Today, we’re wrapping up operations in the store.  Many of you have been nice to come in and say offer “I’m sorry”, “we’ll miss you”, and “what’re you doing next?”.  All of which are very welcome sentiments. 

We will miss you all as well - for the moment.  We’d like to say specifically what’s next, but I’ve learned that sometimes it’s important to finish one piece of business before we start the next.  Ideas Abound!   We’re considering the principles of what Wine Expressions was all about and how we move forward with the best parts of that, while leaving behind what simply didn’t work for us - the retail shop in Lisle.

What did work?  Customer relationships.  Wine Knowledge.  Continual research. Picking through 30+ labels to find one gem.  Education.  Commitment to quality.  Interesting (we hope) presentation formats.  Explaining to customers at their level of interest.

These are the principles we hope to carry forward into the next incarnation of Wine Expressions.  We hope you’ll stick with us through this journey and we hope we can service what you need.

So, stay abreast.  We promise to continue to give you our insights on wine, recent favorite picks, thoughts on the industry, and pointers to good specific bottles - even if we’re not selling them.

And, I have a question for you:  what will you miss most?  What service can we provide - either virtually or more directly with product that would still offer value?  How can we best bring our community online?  Do you want information about the industry, wines, items for purchase?  Do you want us to offer items for sale? 

We have ideas, and probably more than we can act on.  Help us hone that - what are yours?

Looking forward to staying in-touch,

Brad