WTN: Quad Cities Quaffing, Part Two

[Brad Ballinger]

Back tonight from a fantastic meal at what is probably the best restautant in the area, Red Crow Grille. The staff was wonderful and the food first rate. There were four of us total, and the theme (although unplanned) was older California Cabernet.

But the first wine was a starter wine, consumed at the residence of one of the participants.

1998 Laboure-Roi Rully Blanc. This is a fairly large negociant covering a lot of Burgundy. This wine had a mature element to it, in terms of fruit aroma and flavor. The nose also revealed a fair amount of mineral, oak, and butterscotch. High level of acidity that hogged the stage from the fading apple, pear, and lemon fruit. The wine was served quite cold at first. As it warmed, and was exposed to air, it rounded out, developing some complexity. A nice wine for sipping, but perhaps saw it peak a couple of years ago.

Off to the restaurant, and a great flight of Cal Cabs.

1988 Heitz Cellars "Martha's Vineyard" Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley. Earthy elements dominate the nose. On the palate, the wine shows resolved tannins, a small amount of perillance that eventually goes away, and tart, austere fruit. Some air reveals some herbal elements, and helps the wine achieve a greater degree of balance. With continued exposure to air, I'm a little astonished at the degree to which the wine is opening up. My only problem is that there is a VA burn on the finish from the first sip to the last.

1995 Chateau St. Jean "Cinq Cepages" Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley. Minty nose. In the mouth and on the finish I'm distracted by an out of balance alcohol component. Aeration is kind to the wine revealing a juicier character, and diminishing the effect of the alcohol. Sweet tannins, some leather, red and black currant fruits. When I've had this wine most recently I thought it may be time to drink them up. Based on this last tasting, the wine can sit a while.

1990 Flora Springs Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve, Napa Valley. It just keeps getting better. This wine is (was) a stunner. Deep core of cassis coming through on the nose. In the mouth the wine isn't as "thick" as the nose would suggest, but that's nowhere near to being a complaint. The wine reveals a layered and rich fruit profile with lively acidity and sweet tannins. It still has the color of a young wine -- no way you would think it is a 14 year old wine. With air, some secondary elements of coffee, leather, cinnamon, and chocolate emerge. Beautifully layered and complex.

1991 Shafer "Hillside Select" Cabernet Sauvignon, Stag's Leap District. As much as the color of the Flora Springs was not the color of a 14 year old wine, this is so much more not the color of a 13 year old wine. It's incredibly an opaque dark purple. The nose is a powerful one of herbs, oak, spice, and smoke. Structurally, the tannins are incredible velvety, but still gripping. In short, the wine is a behemoth, especially at its age. With aeration in the glass, the wine softens, and the tannins become even silkier, but never lose their grip. The wine has a long life ahead of it, and should still improve and mature gracefully.

1996 Spier "IV Spears" Noble Late Harvest, Stellenbosch. This is a South African dessert wine made from 100% bukettraube. It was delivered to me from a co-worker in the UK who knows what a wine geek I am. The color was a rich amber. The nose was honeyed apricots, botrytis, and some raisin/date. In the mouth, the wine showed lively acidity and what had to be tannin. The fruit profile was sweet, but not cloyingly so, and was a tough pairing for the sweeter desserts. It's a wine that may fare better with cheese. Great structure and layering, though.

1995 d'Yquem. Corked. The last wine of the night and the bugger is nothing but nasty wet cardboard. Makes one question the existence of a higher power.

It may be a while before I'm in the Quad Cities again, but it's nice to know there is a small but dedicated wine community here.