Annual birthday WWC hosting. As normal, 1 sparkler, 3 whites, 4 reds, 1 dessert, all presented blind.
As part of my white wine flight theme, I wanted to compare Hyde and Hudson side by side, then finish with Kongsgaard, since it is a blend of both.
Similar to the Hudson before it, I normally like to drink Kongsgaard on the young side, and also similar to the Hudson, on this day…it didn’t seem to have the typical opulent/massive profile. White peach and apricot upfront as well as sweet cotton candy on the nose. Ripe yellow and tropical fruits dominate the palate with sea salt, ginger and lemon cream. Faint note of butterscotch, but not near the amount I’ve found previous vintages to show. What Kongsgaard does well is have a wine of this profile but somehow find a way to have elegant qualities about it. Decant or hold a few years. — 7 months ago
Bizot tasting & lunch. Flight 1
Very rare with tiny production. Whole cluster with 100% new oak. When you taste these wines you can see why they have such high demand almost impossible to find & pricing is sky high. The 18’s were open & seemed ready showing beautiful red cherry, berry fruits showing purity & transparency with Leroy like spice & floral notes. Everything is in perfect balance. The 2020 will also be a great vintage
— 2 years ago
2014, Screaming Eagle 2nd Label is a treat for sure. Color is a semi murky garnet purple. Nose - dark fruits, meaty, herbaceous menthol with floral notes, truffle, and a subtle vanilla kick at the end. Taste - black cherry and plum dominate. Concentrated and well structured, smooth and mouth coating giving it its elegant appeal. Secondary notes of mocha java, black pepper and a cedar graphite adding to its medium plus finish. — 6 months ago
Deep ruby/purple opaque, pepper, tobacco and red fruit, lovely Shiraz — 8 months ago
Deep purple color.
Aromas of raspberry, cherry, candied rose petals.
Dry. Flavors of cherry, oak spice, floral. Rich, velvety tannins.
Intensity: 5/5
Complexity: 3/5
Balance: 4/5
Finish: 4/5 — 10 months ago
Great with shrimp dishes. Very citrus forward. Very refreshing. Frankly would be great on any hot summer day. — 2 years ago
One of my favorite easy rose’s….not anything special, just a solid $16 bottle — 6 months ago
It was wonderfully smooth and worked very well with a pork butt dinner even though not a normal pairing. No bite and wonderful flavor balance. A definite repeat purchase. — 8 months ago
Flight #2 of our 1997 Retrospective and these were the thoroughbreds. Presented single-blind; no formal notes. Wine #1 had great color, was developing, and probably the earthiest of the group but still had a lovely fruit profile. A really nice balance of fruit and non-fruits. Robust structure. Notably, this was the only bottle in the flight that had Brettanomyces…and while I found it to quite charming, this is what ultimately got me hung up on whether I thought this was the Dominus or the Monte Bello. Ultimately I called the later. I really dig this and wish I could afford more Dominus in my life. Drink now and through 2035. — 10 months ago
Norman Gennaro
Screaming Eagle The Flight 2017 - junior version. Excellent with air. — 5 months ago