Moe's Milestones

As part of his 50th birthday celebration, Chris Gross brought along some wines from vintages that coincided with special years in his life. He had this to say about them:

"It was my pleasure to share these with wine buddies I care about, and there was a fair amount of research into the wines I chose, mostly because I sort of knew what the whole Toledo group would appreciate.

1953 - birth year – Chateau Climens.  Figured that a Barsac/Sauternes would have the best chance of having some life in it - and it certainly did.  This could be equally nice in another 10, 20 or 30 years.  May I live so long!  Went really well, I think, with the Fois Gras Pate.  This wine is still a "kid", and so am I, in many ways, but getting more mature every day.

1970 - graduated high school - Fonseca.  Again, a port is a crowd pleaser, and the '70 vintage was classic year in oPorto.  I had heard good things about the Fonseca, though I should've decanted it on Friday.  It was very tight all night. 

1974 - graduated college.  David Bruce Zin (Hecker Vineyard).  Thin and alcoholic.  I went to school during the height of the Vietnam War.  Maybe it was a good thing that the David Bruce Zin showed little, 'cause there weren't a lot of good memories from college, either.

1974 - got married.  Simi Reserve Cab.  While the label on the bottle was faded and torn, the seal was tight, the wine inside was very nice, and had more staying power than I thought it would when I first poured it.  Maybe this says something about our marriage?

1979 - son Andrew born.  Champet Cote-Rotie, Brune et Blonde.  Hard to draw the analogies of the wine and our son, but from what I remember about the wine, there was a lot of funk and stink, and hey, Drew's a 23 year old live-at-home male who needs reminding about washing clothes, picking up after himself, hygiene, etc.  He's a good kid, though, and so was the wine.

1982 - daughter Amy born.  Chateau Canon, St. Emilion.  This wine was all about class, elegance, balance and style.  And while Amy is not what I'd call prissy by any means, she is one elegant young lady who is well-balanced in her life.  I tease her about being a "high - maintenance" woman.  Well, she and the Canon are a lot alike.  They know their style without having to flaunt it.  They want to be treated with respect, and will respect those that make her acquaintance."

Chris Gross aka Chairman Moe

Chris Shearer, Andy Keillor, Mark Horvatich and Brad Ballinger,
with John Blackwood and Moe's disembodied hand behind.

2000 Sandstone Niagara Chardonnay Reserve: Always the champion of the wines of the Niagara Peninsula, Alan Kerr brought along this pale to medium straw, and frankly, it wasn’t bad at all.  It features somewhat earthy flavors and aromas of musky beeswax and pears on a medium bodied frame.  It finishes fairly long, and while there’s some noticeable oak, it’s relegated to the background.

2000 Prager Weissenkirchen Klaus Riesling Smaragd Trocken Wachau: Pale straw in color, this shows pretty floral and mineral elements in the bouquet that contrast in an appealing way.  It’s stony and dry on the palate, and while there’s good acidity, it’s not racy.  A nice wine that shows best on the nose.

1993 Trimbach Riesling, Cuvee Frederic Emile: Petrol, pear, big mineral and a little beeswax make this medium straw my kind of Riesling; it’s very dry, yet has nice fruit at the same time.  Strangely, I’d forgotten having ever bought this wine, until a recent appraisal of the cellar uncovered it, so it must have had plenty of sit and develop, because it’s drinking really well right now. (An ’87 version of this wine was opened before we arrived, and was reported to be excellent for the first fifteen minutes of so; then it just fell apart.)

1993 Kalin Sonoma Chardonnay: Medium straw to pale gold, this features pretty pear with a subtle floral nuance, perfectly integrated oak, excellent acidity and a nice note of mineral that adds interest and complexity.

2001 Mouton Condrieu Cote Bonnette: Honeysuckle and pear dominate the delicate feminine bouquet here, with flavors that generally echo, turning bone dry on the finish.

1999 Zind-Humbrecht Riesling Herrenwag de Turckheim: Not much nose to this medium gold, just a little petrol, but there’s big bright spicy pear and green apple flavors punctuated with zippy acidity.  It’s a horse of a different color from the Trimbach, which I prefer, but still, it’s not bad.

There were more whites open, but by this time, we’d moved to the main lounge and corks were coming out of the reds.  I felt that I’d better make the switch, especially since I didn’t want to miss the next two.

1992 St. Francis Sonoma Zinfandel Old Vines (Pagani Ranch): There’s some rust and cloudiness to this dark garnet, and it exudes a nice perfume of spicy multi-dark berries that carries over into the big mouth filling flavors.  Mark Horvatich noted that this saw only 25% new oak, rather than the 100% that made later models taste like coconut milkshakes.  Alan Kerr noted “tons of coffee, balsa wood, chocolate, black raspberry, and a caramel finish.”  There are still tannins to resolve here, but Alan thinks that the fruit is fading.  I’m not so sure of that.

1992 Ridge Pagani Zinfandel ATP: Dark garnet with no rust to speak of, this epitomizes “Draper perfume,” with its huge blackberry and black raspberry aromatics.  It features sweet, beautiful fruit, silky tannins and a long lovely finish.  Larry characterized it as “milky and creamy, but in a pleasant way.” 

Mark called both of the Paganis “magnificent,” and while I’d agree, I preferred the Ridge, which probably isn’t surprising.  It is quintessential Mr. Ridge, and in fact was my Wine of the Night, proving to be a fine match for the seared tuna and caramelized onions.

1953 Chateau Climens Barsac: The first of Chairman Moe’s Milestone Wines, this amber gold shows tons of smoky dried apricot flavors and aromas, and what Alan described as “Robertson’s Marmalade, treacle (light molasses) and mango chutney.”  Rich, sugary and viscous, with a long finish, it pairs well with duck fois gras pate wraps.