Today was the first day of the High Museum Atlanta Wine Auction, the 4th largest wine auction of its kind in the US. Proceeds from the auction benefit the High Museum. Kicking everything off was the Thursday afternoon tasting for those in the trade... With a connection to the wine business in Atlanta, a $15 donation got you an afternoon of tasting and a nice Riedel glass. Proceeds from the tasting go to assist Metro Atlanta Public Schools' access to the arts.
Between the crowds and the sheer number of wines that I was trying to taste, I decided to forgo writing any tasting notes. However I did have a few favorites- Au Bon Climat, Brewer-Clifton, Melville, Peay, Russian Hill, and Van Duzer (the 2007 making up for the 2006!) topped my list in Pinot Noirs... I was stoked to try the new 2008 Melville small lot Pinots- Terraces and Carrie's. Peay was new for me as well- loved their Sonoma Coast trio of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Syrah- all from the 2008 vintage. They had great balance along with vibrant fruit. Their Syrah was awesome, balancing the full gamey and spicy fruit with cool climate finesse. Speaking of Syrah, K Vintners and their 2007 Walla Walla Valley Morrison Syrah was pretty special... full on waves of black fruit, savory spice, and earth- fully balanced with precision. I guess this is one of the entry level Syrahs from K and Charles Smith... pretty heady.
I tasted a fair amount of big Napa Cab's and Merlots from the 2005 - 2007 vintages, most of them needing time to mellow out and settle in. Caymus, Kathryn Hall, Pahlmeyer, and Pride all were pretty dark, loud, and brooding wines- intense on the palate with all the components fighting for airtime. I'd need to sit down with these and either give them time, or a lot of air to get a fair assessment. A few of the Cabs that were already showing nice refinement were the 2005 Grgich Hills (awesome 2007 Chardonnay as well), the 2006 Ramey Claret and Napa Cab, and both of Silver Oak's 2005 Cabs.
The biggest disappointments were probably Kosta Brown's 2008 Sonoma Coast and Russian River Pinot Noirs- good wines but didn't impress me as much as the Pinots mentioned earlier; some of the aggressive Cabs listed above (like I said, they need more time with me or I need more time with them...), and some high alcohol mashers from Martinelli- a Russian River Chardonnay and Pinot Noir that were both north of 15%, along with a Zin that came in at nearly 17%! Too much body and sweet gnarly fruit, they were like drinking fruit splinters and cotton candy.
There weren't too many imports, a few Australian and Chilean wines that I didn't get to. Maisons Marques and Domaines were pouring some of their portfolio- a beautiful Domaines Ott Rosé from Provence and a 2006 Pio Cesare Barolo. Very nice indeed.
So there you have it, a layman's view of the High Museum Atlanta Wine Auction trade tasting all from memory, shoddy note-taking, and wine-stained brochures. Here's to next year!
Nice reflection.
ReplyDeleteWish I could have made it.
Used to be a big fan of Melville Pinots. Just don't buy them much anymore.
Coincidentally, had my first K Vintners Syrah last night. The 2007 Phil Lane...it was good, but huge. A massive Syrah.
Cheers.
Thanks Dude- I've been on those Melville small lot Pinots for 3 vintages now... Ordered the 2008's without tasting until today- they did not suck. I love Greg Brewer's Chardonnays and Viogniers as well... lots of mineral and floral fruit... really reminds me of visiting Santa Barbara. All of the Pinot producers that I was into today had great Chardonnays too.
ReplyDeleteMan, I'm on those K Wines now... Can't wait to get my hands on some. The Charles Smith "Chateau Smith" Cab was pretty awesome too. $20, as enjoyable as any of the Cabs that I tasted today.
Cheers!
I (of course) went for the bubblies and found the selection very limited, at least in terms of things I'd not yet tried. I did find the Gruet table after snaking through the tent and that was a score, as they were pouring two vintage sparklers I've never seen in this market. The Blanc de Blancs was really quite tasty. I also appreciated the Scharffenberger rose, as it was very refined and full of nervy acid.
ReplyDeleteWith a 2 hour window and having to be sober when I got in the car, I didn't taste a whole lot of the still reds, which was a shame because there were a bunch there I wanted to get to, including the Melville stuff. My standout was the 2009 Sineann Pinot Gris, which I think is the best domestic white wine made for the money.
I also tried the KB lineup and liked them all, especially the new single vineyard from the Sonoma Coast. Different strokes for different folks.
I had the SB single vineyard Pinot as well- and liked it alot. I didn't mention it in the post because I couldn't find what it was online. Their two appellation pinots were really good, just didn't stand out to me like the others. It's probably a bit unfair for the call them disappointments. That just goes to show you how good the field of Pinots were.
ReplyDeleteI'll have look for that Sineann... Chalk Hill had a good Pinot Gris as well. I didn't get to the bubblies... I'm sure the Gruet was good. And the Scharffenberger as well... Good to see you there Kevin... cheers!