One of the very cool things about working where I do is that there are lots of people with interests similar to ours around. Wine is one of those common interests, and for some time now, on an unfortunately irregular schedule (note to self: need to do something about that) we get together in someone's office and open a bottle or three.
I mentioned in my last post my fascination with wines made with the fruit of the DuBrul vineyard to which I was was introduced by a colleague whose family owns the vineyard. Well, last night, said colleague brought a couple of estate bottled wines for the group to enjoy.
The first was the the 2006 Côte Bonneville Chardonnay, which really tasted like what the tasting note says -- it was bright, with notes of pineapple and just a touch of oak with a finish -- oh, the finish! -- that lingered like a lover's goodnight kiss on the doorstep...
The second was one I've had a number of times before - the one that's got me on my DuBrul kick, the Côte Bonneville Carriage House. Very dark, very deep and another lovely long finish. I want more of this.
In contrast, we finished with something we're not likely to ever have again, largely because we're not ever likely to see it again. This was a bottle with a tattered label; a bottle with some personal history for some of our friends. As we opened it, we didn't know if it was going to be a great experience, or whether it was going to be like the moment on "Frasier" when they opened a bottle they'd been saving for years only to find it was better used for paint remover.
Well, fortunately, the 1982 Chateau Plagnac Medoc didn't disappoint. An aged brown color - and a bottle full of sediment - the wine was quite pleasant for something 25+ years old that appeared in the "Caveat Emptor" section of wine auctions nearly 10 years ago.
As time went on, the wine opened up nicely in the glass - I think this one had a chance at greatness if we had been able to give it some more time in a decanter. I think it would be interesting to try some more recent vintages of this one and see.
