My friends and I try to meet once a month. The cadence doesn't always work out, but we try. We never aim for a perfect wine night. We aim for a perfect friends night. This time, it was both.
As eclectic as the lineup below reads, our hearts and glasses gravitated towards the classics: Bordeaux and Rhone.
d'Arenberg, Dead Arm, 2001
Turns out I still like this Australian icon, but I have to say my first thought when I tasted it was, it feels like the kind of wine we used to love twenty years ago. It's tannic and ripe at the same time - the nose suggest the Rhone, what with its black pepper and olives, but it feels too sweet to be one of the good northern appellations. It lacks the subtlety and finesse of a great classic, but twenty years ago, we were less attuned to those qualities and less exposed to them.
Aalto, Ribera del Duero, 2008
I'd group this with the Dead Arm as the kind of wine we loved twenty years ago. Aalto wasn't imported at the time, but in general, I think Israeli Wine Geek liked Ribera in the early 2000's. I can't warm up to it now. I like the black pepper and dark chocolate on the nose, but I'm uncomfortable with how its sweetness is constantly on the cusp of breaking out of the cocoon of acidity and tannins.
Chateau Figeac, Saint Emilion Premier Grand Cru Classe (B), 2007
2007 is one of those Bordeaux vintages no one talks about. I always knew it was off, but hardly ever read up on it and had to google what went wrong there (cold weather resulting in wines low in alcohol as well as just about everything else). But it seems things turned out alright at Figeac. I found a Jancis Robinson article about a tasting in 2015, where it got her vote as a keeper that needs more time in the cellar. It's really drinking well now and doesn’t show any glaring faults. It's tasty and has that charming Old world crude elegance, showing iron and black pepper and small amounts of brett, which ornament the fruit rather well, in this case.
Chateau Troplong-Mondot, Saint Emilion Premier Grand Cru Classe (B), 2000
Classy, elegant, yet tannic, it's only halfway to maturity, holding a lot of its ironclad power and presence in reserve. I wrote down "pepper, iron, a touch of exotic spices", but that hardly conveys its majestic finesse and restrained elegance.
Chateau Branaire-Ducru, Saint-Julien 4me Cru, 2000
Oozing hedonistic charm and outright sexiness, it's drinking better than the Troplong-Mondot (even though the Troplong will trounce it when it peaks).
Dense and lithe at the same time, 0erfectly shaped and expressed, balancing power and elegance. Endless flavors (mostly olives and black pepper) resolving in a virtually infinite, tannic finish. A glass the next day was even better, as the flavors became more distinct and complex, combining elegance and brawn in a way epitomic of Cornas.
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