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Wines for Your Feast
Most agreed: the wines were very good.
November 6, 2019
Some were on the young side of drinking. Although they were not harsh they needed air to really show their stuff. We double decanted several four hours prior to the tasting. Double decanting is when you do not have enough decanters, so you pour the wine into a decanter, swirl it around aerate it, and then pour it back into the bottle.
There is no set rule, as to when to do this, but roughly speaking the more concentrated a wine is and the younger it is in terms of its lifespan the more air you should give it ahead of time. Well give you our best estimate if you ask.
This is not just for reds. Wev decanted the 2014 Château Simone Blanc well ahead. At first dullish out of the bottle, itblossomed with floral, herbal notes that gave a layer of delightful complexity and interest to a very substantial body. This less well-known Provençal wine was new to most tasters. They were surprised at how good it was
Good comments also for the Terlan Nova Domus. A blend of northern Italian white grapes, it too showed a zingy spice and intensity that would go well with many white wheat holiday meals.
The 2017 Ridge Geyserville is that winery’s top Zinfandel blend. It jumped out of the glass with warm modulated spicy notes that needed no decanting. Ridge is famous for nuanced and elegant wines. This interpretation of Zinfandel was like no other. It was warm and softly spicy, a rendition of its grapes that tasters found very appealing.
Some preferred the bold richness and depth of the 2016 Nicolas Jay Pinot Noir it is a young wine that we did decant well ahead. The deep fruit it showed at the beginning of the tasting began to show toward the end how well-made Pinot can be great. To its richness came a layered complexity of fruit and texture. Decant two or three hours ahead, but seller some for a Thanksgiving a few years from now.
We were not sure how the 18-year-old Pomerol would behave, so we did not open it ahead of the tasting. We needn't have worried. The 2000 Clos René was strong and vigorous, still dark with hearty richness and depth burnished by the patinaof mushroom like bouquet that only comes to fully aged wines. People found it fascinating
Giorgio Pelissero's 2005 Long Now, his Nebbiolo-Barbera blend, was probably the favorite of the tasting. It was sumptuous with deep fruit notes nicely complemented by well integrated wood accents. We did decant it ahead which made it delicious now, but it has a long future still.
White
2016 Terlan Nova Domus Riserva: Majestic, powerful, complex. Full bodied and multifaceted Excellent 68; Mixed Case, 61.2; Case, 57.8
2014 Ch Simone Palette Blanc; Aroma: fresh very pretty lifted clean fine, rather pretty, very clean, heady lifted clean fresh, very pretty; Mouth: clean firm, rather dense, full, sweet very dense tannic, firm a monumental wine of dense body dry affect, imposing; Excellent - Outstanding 60; Mixed Case, 54; Case, 51
Red
2017 Ridge Vineyards Geyserville; Color: medium dark, dense,; Aroma: lightly heady , deep, nicely herbal, very rich, , evocative, ; Mouth: clean b right direct now, mouth not so open as the nose, fruity, forward, bright tight underlying acid, very long; Excellent 52; Mixed Case, 46.8; Case, 44.2
2016 Nicolas Jay Pinot Noir- Organic; Aroma: light clean m rather rich full, fruity, very dense, juicy, oaky, nicely herbaceous; Mouth: smooth textured fine acids, fine grained tannins and bright acid under a cloak of very deep, rich dense; finely delineated, both thick and tensile,; Excellent 79; Mixed Case, 71.1; Case, 67.15
2000 Clos Rene (Pomerol) Excellent 75; Mixed Case, 67.5; Case, 63.75
2005 Pelissero Long Now: Organic Deep violet color. A panoply of fruit, cherry, blackberry and plum with notes of roses and lavender. Open, full bodied and velvety with savor and elegance. Richness, nuance and detail combine in the harmonious finish. Amazing. Excellent 64; Mixed Case, 57.6; Case, 54.4
11-6 Feast Case: Special, two each of the above wines - $677
I11-6 Feast Pack: Special, one each of the above wines - $359
Or mix any 6- 11 of the above for 10% off
any 12 or more for 15% off
and if you want champagne to start
Labruyere Brut Prologue Grand Cru Extra Brut
Regularly $55 per bottle, Special through December $50 per bottle
Six bottle case $259, (43.17)
Order by phone at 617.367.8605, or reserve here: order@federalwine.com
Please pass this on to any friends who are wine enthusiasts!
- Len Rothenberg
