Napa Valley Magnum Party at 1800 East Las Olas

Wine hath drowned more men than the sea.

THOMAS FULLER

This is another in the series of events that we call "Once in a Lifetime" tastings that we do strictly for scientific purposes as we have none of these wines on the table this evening for sale.  We want to know how these wines are drinking today and more specifically how MAGNUMS of these wines are showing at the moment.

At Wine Watch we think that the Magnum is the perfect size bottle and when it comes to wine, more is always better.  You really start to notice the difference that size makes when a wine reaches 10 years old or more.  Wines bottled in Magnum format are always fresher, have more fruit and they have the ability to last sometimes twice as long as their 750ml equivalents.

Join us as we experience some legendary wines out of Magnum format paired to a special tasting menu prepared by Wine Watch Caterings Toni Lampasone.  This tasting is $295 + tax, for reservations call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com.

Napa Valley Magnum Party at 1800 East Las Olas
Saturday, March 29, 2015
7:00 PM

1987 Diamond Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Lake (Magnum)

Very dark color.  Still youthful.  Deep, enticing raspberry and cassis scents and tastes.  A dense, deep, rich, terrific wine, with a long, tannic finish.  A great wine to age easily for 20 or more years.  Tasting notes from: John Tilson- Underground Wine Journal Tasting January 10 and 11, 2003 at the Four Seasons Biltmore in Santa Barbara.

1994 Dominus Estate Napa (Magnum)

(99 Points)  Christian Moueix and his talented winemaking team continue to rewrite the definition of a Napa Valley reference point wine. I have had a difficult time keeping the corks in my bottles of 1994 Dominus. Eight-thousand cases were produced from a blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Cabernet Franc, 12% Merlot, and 4% Petit Verdot. In this vintage, 174 days passed between bud break and the harvest, a remarkable period of time for any wine region in the world. The 1994 is a strikingly thick, compellingly rich wine with the texture of a great Pomerol, despite being made primarily from Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine exhibits a dense purple color, and an incredibly fragrant nose of jammy black fruits, spice, smoke, and loamy, truffle-like scents. In the mouth, it is full-bodied, with thrilling levels of extract and richness, but no sense of heaviness or harshness. This seamless Dominus possesses no hard edges, as its acidity, tannin, and alcohol are beautifully meshed with copious quantities of ripe fruit. This wine offers early drinking, yet has the potential to last for 30+ years.

On what I suppose is a distressing note, I have noticed huge demand for Dominus in recent auction activity. At a Sotheby's auction on October 25, Dominus fetched prices of $23,150 for one imperial of 1991, and $10,450 for two 1991 double magnums. Although none of this is the fault of anybody at Dominus (blame Christian Moueix and his team for producing profound wine) if this trend continues, I wonder how any true amateurs will be able to afford the wine. Wine Advocate #114, Dec 1997

1995 Joseph Phelps Backus Napa (Magnum)

(93 points)  "The 1995 Cabernet Sauvignon Backus Vineyard is a wine of great intensity. A massive, saturated black/purple-colored example, it offers an intriguing bouquet and flavors of prunes, black currants, roasted herbs, chocolate, and coffee, huge amounts of glycerin and body, and a gigantic, oversized finish with considerable tannin. This is one wine where the extract level matches the tannin's ferocity, but readers looking for something to cuddle up with over the near-term should be advised that it needs 5-6 years of cellaring. Anticipated maturity: 2003-2025. Robert Parker's Wine Advocate " (12/ 1998)

1997 Hartwell Cabernet Sauvignon Stag's Leap (Magnum)

Wine Enthusiast: " The word 'black' applies to a number of things here: cherry, coffee, currant. Cola is another part of the fabulous mix. Tons of polish, and creamy and rich. A palate-pleaser supreme; there’s a lot of class and breed here. Fine and fancy, with excellent weight. What more could you ask for? "

2000 Lewis Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Napa (Magnum)

“Generous in its use of creamy oak and no more frugal with fully ripened fruit, this massive, deeply draughted, showstopper is a wine of real intensity...it weaves varied elements of toast, cream, cappuccino and sweet tobacco into its long and impeccably balanced flavors. Serious stuff by any standard and built with sturdy tannins that tag it as one to keep for the long haul, it will improve for upwards of a decade and stay alive for twice that long.”  Connoisseurs Guide

2001 Chateau Montelena Estate Napa (Magnum)

(96 Points)  One might call the opaque purple-colored 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate “locked and loaded.” Fashioned from a blend of 96% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Cabernet Franc (which saw about 25% new oak), it exhibits a tremendously pure, but tightly-knit bouquet of creme de cassis, leather, forest floor, minerals, and licorice. Dense, with layer upon layer of concentrated black fruits intermixed with spice and wood, it displays full body, great purity, low acidity, and a solid lashing of heavy duty tannin in the blockbuster finish. It’s great stuff, clearly the finest Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon since 1997, but patience will be essential. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2030. Wine Advocate #150, Dec 2003

Menu:

Shrimp Cocktail shooters, Phylo purses stuffed with mushroom herb duxelle, Mini Ham and cheese sandwiches,

Duck and Smoked mozzarella Ravioli served over browned butter, garnished with sundried tomatoes, fresh basil and fresh shaved reggiano Parmesan

Braised Beef Short Rib served with Cabernet Sauvignon natural sauce, bacon corn and mushroom succotash

Dark chocolate creme brulee