Castello Banfi Brunello Di Montalcino Wine Tasting 1997 and 1999

1997 Banfi Brunello di Montalcino

Aired for 1 hour. Nose was very open (first time for me). Ripe rasberry and flowers. Open right out of the gate. Tastes of wild berries, spice, slight cherry tartness - in a good way. Tannins are resilient, but integrated with the fruit - a sign we are just about there. Long Finish. Improved slightly over 2 hours, but not too much.

91-92 Wine Review Points

1999 Banfi Brunello di Montalcino

It was opened (not decanted) for 2 hours in bottle. Had with Veal Chop. This definitley has more finesse and grace than the 97 did at the same stage in the bottle. It was not giving at all early on. 3rd glass brought out more classic sangi fruit and light spice. Very "Banfi" (it is the one brunello I can blind peg every year to the producer - Frescobaldi being the other). Tannins were well integrated and polished. Long Finish.

Rating range (92-94 pts)

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1999 La Poderina Brunello Di Montalcino

Brunello Di Montalcino is one of Italy's most wonderful wine varietal. La Poderina is a well respected producer of Brunello red wine.

1999 La Poderina Wine Tasting Review and Notes

Decanted 1 hr. Great clarity in the glass, but tight to start. Early aromas of berries, tobacco, and a little spice. Swirled for another 20 minutes, good legs.

First taste brought flavors of cherries, dates, meat, vanilla. Perfect tannins. Incredibly elegant and balanced. Long long finish. Just when I thought it couldn't get better, an hour later it was better still, never faded. Full throttle flavor. Not even close. Best 1999 Brunello I've had. Classy and delicious.

95 Points

I'd go 2 hours min. in decanter now, but wait this one out.

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2004 Beaux Freres Upper Terrace Pinot Noir

Wine review and tasting notes for the 2004 vintage Beaux Freres Upper Terrace Pinot Noir.

Aromas of cedar, flowers, smoke and a lot more. The aromas are stunning. Taste of ripe and spicey cherries, with some delicious toasty flavor. Long lingering finish. Got better over the 90 minutes it was opened. Great balance. A perfect cross between ripe california and burgundian style. Also a good cross between the denser Beaux Freres Vineyard and the lighter Ana vineyard.

Beaux Freres is an elite California winery of pinot noir. Their wines are largely only available through their mailing list, fine dining establishments and auction.

Production was very low on this.

95 Points

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Classic Bordeaux and California Cabernets! - Wine Notes

This was from an amazing wine tasting party in Manhattan a few years ago.

Well, everyone has their "WOW WINE NIGHT" and this was mine. I was very fortunate to attend a private tasting in NYC given by a portfolio manager of a major brokerage firm that does business with a very good friend of mine.

These all came from his private cellar. The theme was one of his favorite Bordeaux vs. great CA. Cabs. None of the Leovilles were decanted, except the 82' - so you had to sit with these for a while to get some good impressions.

1994 Leoville-Las Cases

This was the first wine we tasted. Aroma of cedar and earth. Leather, cherry, vanilla. Very polished. Long finsh. 92 Points.

1990 Leoville-Las Cases

Great wine! Barnyard scent that eventually gave way to leathery, spicy and old world fruit that opened up later in the night. I did go back to it and glad I did. This was a favorite of many. The BX pros thought the 90 was more gratifying and open than the 89' initially, but the 89 was more preferable to some. Heaven. 95 Points.

1989 Leoville-Las Cases

This was a surprise hit for many (VS. the 82 and the 86) and a few had this as their favorite LLC. More tannic than the 90 with lovely earth, toasty oak, cedar and wonderful sweet fruit just coming out. This was the tightest of the bunch. Very youthfull. Long long life. 95 points.

1986 Leoville-Las Cases

This was a suprise. Wonderful aroma that would set up the taste. After my second sip of it, it tasted very dry, almost a little chalky. Thinking I had a little palate fatigue, I had some water and bread, but it was still there. I commented to someone else and they agreed. Our host thought the bottle was not showing well compared to another he had 6 months ago. Too bad. Off bottle? I was waiting for this one all night (along with the 82). THIS bottle: Still 90 points

1982 Leoville Las-Cases

This is the oldest BX I have ever had and how often do you drink a 100 point RP wine. Me: never.

This was decanted for 45 minutes or so. The anticpated LLC of the evening. Still youthfull nose. Fruit was lush and polished, but the tannins were silky but not heavy and the finish gave a lot but was short of "wow". It was the opinion of many and I that this bottle tasted near maturity - not that the wine itself is, but this bottle seemed slightly peaked to some or at worst, not improving. I still loved it and an experience I will cherish. 95 Points.

2002 Schrader Cellars CS to Kalon Vineyard

Served from a magnum. Awesome nose. Toasty, with huge lush fruit, needed major time, but I wasn't waiting!. A finish that went on and on. A killer wine that wowed many, including me. A decade to go easy. Where do I get some more of this?! 96 points.

1995 Silver Oak CS

A former champ that was simply overmatched tonight. Attractive nose, oak. Full bodied, balanced and polished. Good, not great finish. I have never had a 95 Silver Oak, but I would have liked to have tried this 3 years ago. Aging well, but for the better? I do not think this will improve. Classy cab, I like em' bigger than this. 91 Points.

2002 Switchback Ridge CS Peterson Family

Incredible aroma. Rich color. Crushed Blackberry, mint, dates, long serious finish. Wonderful. Would have loved to have tried this 3 hours later - but alas, the bottle was long gone! Another classic Cab to remember. Major years ahead obviously. 95-96 Points.

2000 Bryant Family CS

I was staring at this bottle all night knowing I may never get the chance to taste this again. WOW. Huge, huge, huge. The color was so deep and lush. Black and purple mix. Big dark fruit, sweet cassis, dark chocolate. Finish was a monster. Easy the best 2000 Napa Cab I have tried. It actually was better than any 1999 or 2001 Napa cab I have ever had! 96 Points

1995 Araujo Estate CS Eisele Vineyard

OMG! Can it get better? Yes! This was my WOTN and probably 1/3 of the rooms too. This is a 95? Amazingly youthfull. Toffee, spice, sweet big big fruit, circled in vanilla, with tannins that say "20 years easy". A finish to die for. 98 Points.

What a night!

2011 Babich Sauvignon Blanc Review

Babich Sauvignon Blanc is a year in and year out consistent white wine from the incredibly consistent Marlborough region of New Zealand. One of many inexpensive, yet zesty white wines coming out of that region and why they are so fun to review. Quality white wines at inexpensive prices. The 2011 vintage seems as solid as years past. The 2011 is the 95th year of winemaking from this producer. 2011 Babich Sauvignon Blanc Wine Review Light pearish color with a very clear body. The nose gives good hints of green apple, lime and citrus. This certainly screams cold shell fish on a warm breezy afternoon! The taste has good acidity with tart fruit and tropical flavors. It finishes pretty well. It has that "zest" you look for in New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. Still, the nose provides more complex flavors than the taste gives you. A good solid white wine at under $12 (for most people). Babich Wine Review Score: 86 POINTS

Bringing Wine To Restaurants - How To Wine BYO = Bring your Own

Ok. One of THE biggest things I complain about to friends and family (who care to listen) are the absolute horrible wine lists at restaurants. Granted, the wine list horror show I describe is probably not an issue for 90% of the diners out there, which is probably why it never gets better and why I will probably BYO (Bring Your Own) for the rest of my life!

I am speaking to "good quality restaurants" and I am not being overly picky here at all. There are certain things I expect when I go out. I know I am spending $1.75 for a coke, $5 - $7 for a beer and so on. I also know I am spending 2 - 2 1/2 times retail for most wines. The ratio on a restaurant list can be smaller for expensive bottles and greater for cheaper bottles.

Selection

I live in New York, so the best restaurants should have the best wine lists with the best selections where BYO shouldn't be needed right? Well - most of the time...no. I have found that most restaurants buy from the 2 or 3 big liquor distributors in the state and most of them have much of the same stuff - on the higher end at least. The selection on the US premium wine end is the most predictable in selection and the most frustrating. Let's take the over $40 retail market for Napa Cabernet for instance. If you are in a good steakhouse (and New York has plenty of great ones), a nice Napa Cab can really do the trick. Sure paying $45 for a T-Bone steak a la carte sucks, but a prime dry aged steak is something special that I usually have no problem paying up for.

What IS the problem? The wine list. The selection more often than not comes down to large production of overrated (for price to quality mostly) known labels: Silver Oak, Silverado, Opus, Frog's Leap, Mondavi Reserve and maybe 3 or 4 others usually. Most of these in good vintages are quite good, but the predictability of these names at double or more retail - sometimes $125 or more for many just doesn't work. When you actually collect wine and you have aged it and know they are better than what you are being offered, I'd rather BYO and pay the corkage. Restaurants do not lose money allowing people who bring good wine to a restaurant vs. buying from their list. The truth is - we come back and I just will not buy an off vintage 2003 Silver Oak for $125. I would rather bring a 1999 Switchback, Pride or other superior cult cab I may have paid $50-$75 for and pay the $20 corkage, and it's a better wine too. It's not really about the money with me when I look at list (most of the time). It's about quality and a list that has thought put into it. I have little kids. I don't get out THAT much, so I want the lists of where I dine to be pretty nice and hopefully offer different or better bottles than what I have at home. Not a lot to ask right? This one of the reasons I BYO.

Vintage

Wow! I have a few pet peeves on this one. Again - not sure how many others do...or care! The first just gets me riled up right away: not having the vintage year on the wine list a restaurant is handing you. Oh man - that just pisses me off to know end. It's actually funny when my wife is with me as she is not the wino geek I am so I try not to overly "Niles Crane" the scene but even if I just say very casually, "I'd like this wine if it is the 2002 or 2001" and the server comes back with a bottle saying "I'm sorry we only have the 2006!", I almost have to laugh and feel like I am on another planet as the waiter AND my wife give me that look of "what's the difference?" WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?!

The other big issue with vintage of wine on most restaurant lists is the fact that many show off vintages of popular names. It's rarely a 2002 Opus (I wouldn't buy that either), it's a 2003 - an inferior vintage, for the same price. Why? Because there are tons of it around and it is a sexy sell for the distributor and most restaurant owners want the hot names on their list and really don't know wine.

The 3rd bad wine vintage issue on restaurant lists is that few carry older vintages. Sure, some classic restaurants do, but most will not carry even 1995 Bordeaux - much less 1989 or 1986. Just trying to find a 2001 Napa Cabernet is a struggle. 2001! That vintage is just starting to drink well - at least on the premium wineries.

The vintage issues is a HUGE reason why I like to BYO.

List Prices

I listed prices last because it really is not the most important reason to bring good wine bottles to restaurants. I understand why a list doubles the retail price for a bottle or more - it certainly does that with food. I doubt a 1 1/2 pound lobster at the fish store costs $32! so I get much of it. I just don't like the gouging and many not even notice it. But when the pricing is really out of whack, it can set me off. Seeing a bottle of Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc, which is a very good white wine from New Zealand going for $36 on a list when it retails for $12 or less will send my wine list blood pressure soaring!

So much of this wine list rant may seem like a group of wine snoot peeves run amuck, but when you have really good wine at home and take the care to hold it to maturity or near in drinking window, you'd like to have some wine choices when you eat out. I usually do and it's not always a problem, but BYO is a nice way to go. Of course even BYO has some basic rules of politeness: Don't bring cheap or overly available wines or wines that are already on their list. I find that to be pretty rude and just screams of cheapness. Most state allow for BYO but it pays to handle it right. Calling ahead and saying "Can we bring our own wine?" is not the right move. It's too easy to say no for them and you sound like, well - a cheapo who may bring in a liter of $5 jug quality wine. "I'd like to bring a special bottle that I have in my cellar to have with dinner, is that ok?" is a much better way to go.

Many restaurants do take the time to put thought into their list - I have several places that do and if you live in Napa or in a top NYC French restaurant, you have no problems with any of this. But, if this rant makes you feel not so alone when you are quietly having a wine snooting rage next to your wife or other non-wino - I'm glad to give you some company!

Nick Hunter is a multiple website owner, consultant and Internet author. He is the owner of Nick's Wine World, an entertaining blog of wine tasting notes from unique and lesser known cult wineries. He also has written many articles on the subject including a piece on How To Buy Wine Online

Best Wine Cheeses

Is cheese the best combo with wine? Well...aside from a medium rare porterhouse steak - YES

The best wine cheese is a matter of taste as far as what people like.

I personally like non-sharp cheeses

Fiore di sardegna and Manchego cheese are probably my favorites to go with good red wine. Well - there's no reason to ever drink bad red wine!

I also love fresh mozzerella