Flight one: Chardonnay
Ceritas Porter Bass Chardonnay, 2007 (13.7% abv)
Crisp and clear colour, this has a super-sophisticated and exotic nose, but is leaner and more nuanced on the palate revealing the other side of its complex personality. Cool and crisp with a fine texture this has a kaleidoscope of flavors - pear drops, peaches, citrus, hazelnuts; minerals and slate. Complex, nuanced and lifted; exuberant but restrained at the same time, this did not have the power of the Aubert, but is perhaps the classiest new world chardonnay in the world. 97 points.
Aubert Ritchie Chardonnay 2008 (15.1% abv)
This was slightly cloudy because it is unfiltered in the Aubert mode. The nose was more closed than the Ceritas, but had faint hints of tropical fruits, which became sweeter and honeyed over the night. This is much thicker, more viscous and expansive and on the palate. It fills every crevice. It is a heavy weight not a middleweight like the Ceritas. But neither is it a hippo on ice…it is more like Muhammad Ali (whereas the Ceritas is Sugar Ray Leonard) …it is remarkably light on its feet and well balanced. It had an even longer finish than the Ceritas. Terrific stuff. 96 points
The Aubert won the flight five votes to two. I marginally preferred the Ceritas - much as I loved the Aubert - because I could sit down and watch a football game and drink the whole bottle, which would be more of a struggle with the Aubert.
Wines in the foreground, Stuart and Pierre in the background
Reds ready to go
Flight two:
Stag’s Leap Cask 23 1994
Sensational nose, which brought back memories of the extraordinary 1985 (with its ‘olfactory overload’)…really interesting notes of lead pencil and iodine – this was as close to Bordeaux as we were going to get all night. Drinking beautifully, we caught this one right at its apogee. 94 points
Silver Oak Cabernet 1994
A nose of pickles, dill and other herbs. Smoother, sweeter and more seductive on the palate than the Stag’s Leap, this was most popular around the table and overtly Californian. My only gripe would be the low acidity, but a very pleasurably wine and like its flight-mate right at its peak. 93 points
The table preferred the Silver Oak five votes to two
Flight three:
Pahlmeyer Proprietary Red, 1997
Purple at the rim, really delicious and slutty…it doesn’t pretend to be anything other than what it is. Wave upon wave of layered black and red fruits, with chocolate and vanilla notes folded in. It sends the pleasure-meter spinning wildly off the scale. A Californian Le Pin? 98 points
Philip Togni Cabernet 1994
Also purple and opaque…I adored the oxtail/cow’s arse nose. The palate is thick, dark and impenetrable - like a black hole. It shows little sign of evolution and I get plenty of squid ink – it’s that concentrated. It is opulent with earth and mineral nuances. This has a lot of power and complexity and requires a ton of patience – a behemoth! 96 points
The Pahlmeyer won five to two
Flight four
Peter Michael Les Pavots, 2005
Also light-suckingly opaque, with a purple rim. On the nose I get a lot of new American oak - lashings of it, but also some raspberry and dill herb nuances. On the palate it is smooth, silky, seamless and never ending. This wine surely pushes technological frontiers and clearly needs more time. 96 points
Shafer Hillside Select 2001
And so we saved the best to last. Put simply, this meets then exceeds all parameters for judging wine. It combines the hedonism of the Pahlmeyer with the structure of the Togni and is surely the benchmark for Californian cabernet. 99 points
The Shafer won six to one
Wine of the night (reds only)
Shafer – 15 points
Pahlmeyer – 10
Silver Oak – 6
Stag’s Leap – 4
Peter Michael - 3
Togni – 1
Thanks Jacques for another splendid evening.
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