2008 Billecart-Salmon "Cuvée Elisabeth" Brut Rosé Champagne
98 D 98 JS 97 RP 97 V 96 WE 94 JD
94 points Jeb Dunnuck
The 2008 Champagne Blanc de Blancs Louis Salmon Brut spent 12 years resting on its lees before release, with 7 grams per liter of dosage, and was disgorged in May of 2021. A medium straw with vibrant yellow color, it is a bit reserved initially on opening, but the nose unfolds to a layered and decadent bouquet with lemon curd, custard, green apple, and dusty earth. As it opens, it reveals more spiced notes that resonate on the palate, with graham crust, orange zest, and a bit of smoke. The texture is supple and inviting, with a long and expressive finish.
Continuing with a recent decision I will only provide one professional review of each wine I review that most closely matches how I would rate the wine. If available I will list all professional review scores. Also in my comments, I refer to these wines as California Cabernets. The predominant grape is Cabernet but they are all a Meritage or Bordeaux Blend style wine.
We started with Champagne with the 2008 Billecart Salmon Brut Rose 2008. My initial and overall impression was that both with the nose and taste a glass of tart nutty champagne with an excellent finish. It had good balance and good acid. For me, the primary flavor was lemon tart but I could appreciate apricot and apple as well. I picked up a fair amount of nutty flavors on the nose including almond and walnut. I scored it 14/20 so in line with Jeb Dunnuck. Overall it is a well-made and very pleasant champagne.
2011 Colgin "IX Estate" Napa Valley Bordeaux Blend
98 JD 95 V 94 JS 94 IWC 92 RP
94 points Int'l Wine Cellar
The wonderfully scented nose offers dark currant, black olive, licorice, smoke, caramel oak, and shoe polish, all lifted by an exhilarating note of tangerine oil. Sappy, sweet, and smooth, showing compelling mineral and floral lift to the intense dark berry flavors. Again, this is not a powerhouse but its penetration and lift are remarkable. Ultimately plusher than the Tychson Hill example and more minerally too. Still a baby.
92 points Wine Advocate
The 2011 IX Estate (66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot) possesses surprising density and richness (then again, it's from a hillside vineyard that was above the fog line in 2011), impressive purity, lots of red, blue and black fruits, and not a trace of herbaceousness. The oak is nicely integrated in this soft, round, generously endowed effort.
We initially were advised by our host that the first wine of the evening was in fact the weakest and lower-scoring wine of the group. He advised us that Horrors Robert Parker only gave it 92 points so I have included his review here. I found the wine for me to be better than described. Immediately upon pouring in the glass, the bouquet burst into the room filling my area. The nose was a large intense different flavor profile that took a minute to comprehend but in the end was a heavy rich licorice nose with a lot of dried fruit that carried on to the taste. One prominent flavor for me was figs. There was also plenty of cedar and cigar in the taste. It was exceptionally balanced with a good finish. Someone asked me why I felt it was one of the better wines of the evening compared to the others going against what had been presented and my answer was good aging. This was the second youngest wine of the night but seemed to have some age on it. I should also mention that it was poured from Magnum and as a general rule the larger the bottle the longer and different the aging is. There is no question that Colgin IX Cab blend is one of the high-end great California Cabs year to year. The vinification and production of these wines is the highest possible year after year. My point, the wine is made almost perfectly. Therefore it will hold up and last decades and over that time frame continue to mature and evolve into something spectacular. I have followed a rule for years now that I do not open a high-end Cabernet for at least 10 years as opening them earlier they are just too tannic and young which will be evident in the other wines for the evening. So the wine was young when Parker tasted it so he would not be expected to taste how it might develop over the years. Trust me this wine has aged wonderfully and is opening a whole new world of complexity and flavor that I don’t think the previous reviews saw. Being a 2011 it is coming at just 2 years after 10 years so close to 10 years.
2008 Colgin "IX Estate" Napa Valley Bordeaux Blend
99 JS 99 WE 96 WA 95WC 93 WS
96 points Wine Advocate
The opaque purple-hued 2008 IX Proprietary Red, a blend of 69% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc, and the balance Petit Verdot (also slightly modified from last year), reveals notes of espresso roast, blueberries, black currants and lead pencil shavings. The wine reveals superb concentration and richness as well as a structured mouthfeel. It begs for 4-5 years of cellaring and should drink well for 20-30+ years.
Up to this point in the evening this was my highest scoring wine as I gave it 18/20. It was an exceptional “alive” wine. One of the guests wanted to know why it had some sediment in it and my answer was it is “alive” and continues to grow and mature. It was very complex. The nose and taste had black pepper, licorice, blackberry, raspberry, and black currants. To me, the predominant flavor was all the dried fruits. The nose was woody and smoky in a good way with a taste of burnt toast and coffee. Even though it was 10 years old it still was a young puppy with rich dark and strong tannins. I totally agree with Parker that it will be great and I would say 50 years from now.
2009 Colgin "IX Estate" Napa Valley Bordeaux Blend
99 JS 97 RP 96 V 94 WS
97 points Wine Advocate
Composed of 69% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc and 6% Petit Verdot, the 2009 IX Estate exhibits a flowery bouquet with notes of subtle smoke, blackberries, black currants, kirsch, and baking spices. Rich, deep, and full-bodied, this voluptuous, sensational blend boasts an inky/purple color.”
Another high-scoring wine for me at 17/20. On my initial smell and taste, I found the wine restrained and holding back creating a mystery. As it opened I could pick up the complexity and tasted licorice, blackberry, black currants, and cedar. It was exceptionally balanced and like others continued to have very young strong tannins. At this point, the taste and texture were not overwhelming but everything is there for this to be an exceptional wine with maybe another 5 years of age.
2010 Colgin "IX Estate" Napa Valley Bordeaux Blend
100 RP 97 JS 97 V 94 WS
100 Points Robert Parker
The 2010 IX Estate is another perfect wine. Its opaque purple color is accompanied by copious aromas of blueberries, cassis, pen ink, asphalt, licorice, and subtle oak. Full-bodied and rich but light on its feet, this spectacular effort was created from a blend of 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc and 6% Petit Verdot. Enjoy this profound wine over the next 25+ years.
The perfect 100-point wine of the evening that for me opened with a soft smoky well balanced nose and taste. Lots of dried fruit flavors with raisins and prunes. I made a comment that it reminded me of an Amarone. There was vanilla as well as cedar. For some reason, I felt instead of cigars I tasted cigarettes. I scored it highly at 18/20 and agree the tannins are good and it will age and develop for decades.
2012 Colgin "IX Estate" Napa Valley Bordeaux Blend
99 RP 96 JS 96 V 94 WS
99 points Wine Advocate
Absolutely spectacular aromatics of spring flowers, blueberry, blackberry, and blackcurrant fruit intermixed with creosote, graphite, and floral notes are followed by a wine of great depth, elegance, richness, and purity. Simply loaded, but with pristine harmony and equilibrium, this is a sensational tour de force and a great tribute to this spectacular hillside site on Pritchard Hill.
Another young wine that in a sense totally blew away my opinion on the 2011 making the 2012 the youngest wine of the night so you would expect it to be tannic and it was and still needs time. I actually said on my scoring sheet that so far the wine was underdeveloped. So in revisiting my comments on the 2011 I still agree with what I said but that year is aging quicker than the others for unknown reasons so maybe it is time to drink the 2011 if you have any. My initial impression of the 2012 was it had an oaky smoky nose and taste that was complex and balanced. I picked up what I initially said was coal but what I meant was charcoal. There was lots of fruit with the usual predominance of dried fruit but primarily because of the tannins, which I said were intense pucker-up young tannin, the fruit was subdued. I did taste dark chocolate that I did not appreciate in the other years along with smoky cedar. It had a velvet mouth feel and I said it was one of the best and very balanced wines of the evening.
1997 Domaine Huet "Cuvée Constance" Vouvray Moelleux (1500mL)
Extraordinarily rich. An amazing amount of botrytis gives this sweet white a powerful, spicy character, its masses of ripe fruit kept lively by electrifying acidity. So concentrated it tastes as though all the flesh has evaporated, leaving only the spirit behind. Will easily last your lifetime and mine. Best from 2005 through 2050.
99 points Wine Advocate
The stunning, virtually perfect, 1997 Vouvray Moelleux Cuvee Constance (named after his daughter) sports 150 grams of residual sugar per liter, 7.5 grams of acidity, and 12.5% alcohol. Tasting this sublime dessert wine brought tears to my eyes. It is so captivatingly pure, focused, and intricate as to be all but impossible to adequately describe. Its green and straw color reveals hints of gold. Aromatically, it titillates with scents of apricot jam, candied grapefruits, quince, bergamots, and flowers. On the palate, fresh peaches, citrus fruits, honey, acacia blossoms, quinine, chalk, and lemony mangoes can be found. Additionally, this medium-to-full-bodied, penetrating, yet perfectly balanced wine has a finish that seemingly lingers forever, revealing even more waves of minerals and fruit. It will require patience yet should easily evolve for 50 years or more. Bravo!
What a special treat to end a special evening. I continue to get to drink what I think is the rarest wine in the world only to find the next one weeks later. A month or so ago I had for the first time Hungarian Tokaij Essencia thinking it was the rarest and then I am presented with this one and one reason this Vouvray is so rare is that it was served in Magnums and as our host correctly stated you do not find large format bottles of sweet wines. These wines are meant to be sipped with dessert and most folks drink maybe 2 ounces if that. So you need a crowd to drink 1500 cc of sweet wine. Another reason it is rare is Robert Parker may have cried over this wine but even he only had it in a 500 cc bottle. It is low in alcohol at 11.5% so the sweetness and complexity of the fruit shine through. A very complex taste of apple, pear, honey, honeysuckle, apricots, and peaches. I tasted some butterscotch. It had an incredible smooth velvet mouth and throat feel. Another problem with this kind of wine, is you sit in a chair drinking it and it is so nice and smooth you have glass after glass along with great conversation, and at the end of the evening when it is all gone you try to stand up to go home and cannot get out of the chair as you are now wasted even though the wine is low alcohol. Low alcohol times 2 bottles is high alcohol.
The Wine Soapbox
No question these are some of the greatest wines in the world. At the dinner, the scores were mentioned as well as whether is there any difference between 99 points and 100 points or 97, 96, etc. Scores are only a guide from one person who probably has more taste buds than you do and certainly more experience drinking probably thousands of bottles over a lifetime. But at this level of wines, those scores are to me are really not important. At this level what these wines offer is the perfect balance of tannin, acid, and complex flavors that blend into a hedonistic experience when drunk and especially when matched with great cuisine. Whether or not it is complex with figs berries, and walnuts as opposed to another wine with pears, cedar, and cigar makes absolutely no difference. Both are exceptional wines just with different flavors and sometimes a different style. One of them you will fall in love with and want to drink all the time. I call those wines my spiritual wines. One of the guests told me they could not tell any difference in any of the wines and I can see that would be true for a lot of people. Interestingly Wine Spectator scored each of these wines at 94 for almost every year I believe. It is OK. Everyone agreed they were exceptional wines because they were. And even though they were different years they were all made from the same vines and the same production facility over the years so for most of us they are all going to be the same. And in that they are made well and stay young seemingly forever it will be decades of maturity before many of us will ever see any differences and sadly most of us won’t live long enough to drink these wines 20 years from now. I met Michael Mondavi years ago and he has said he keeps his cellar at 65 degrees because he knows he will not live forever and wants his wines to mature faster so he can enjoy them with some aging on them. But I also heard from someone that yes they may mature and age faster, but not as well. So in the end we all need to take the scores with a grain of salt. Find the ones you enjoy within your budget and drink them young or old. Wine is made to be enjoyed, not exploited.
