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 Louis Benton Steakhouse

November 02, 2005 - Big Fat Reds Part One

The first BFR tasting frankly exceeded my expectations, each wine was stellar and they all showed fantastic. The room was full and excitement was in the air. The wines had been open about half an hour when we began. It took about two hours to get to the final wine, so take that into account when reading on here.

Montepeloso 2001 "Eneo" Tuscany, Italy $39.00
This super Tuscan blends Sangiovese with Cabernet Sauvignon and immediately set the bar very high for the night. Deep garnet with little variation, the Eneo showcased aromas of black cherries, dried rose petals, earth, minerals and vanilla. It was ripe with solid acidity, big flavors of black cherries and black berries with notes of spicy toast and leather, and firm, chewy tannins. I was blown away with this wine and at night's end it challenged to be my favorite.

Clarendon Hills 1998 "Sandown" Cabernet Sauvignon $55.00
Trying a world famous Clarendon Hills wine for the second week in a row was a total treat. This Cab has about five years of age on it and while still youthful, is drinking like a championship contender in the stretch run. It's a brooding ruby with slight variation and sports very Old World Cab notes of black cherry, black currant, cedar, spice box and freshly fallen leaves. The flavors are still very bright, with red cherry, kirsch, black currant and spicy vanilla permeating through the layers of silky tannins. Fairly awesome.

Rostaing 2001 Cote Rotie "Classique" $74.00
100% Syrah from Northern Rhone, this wine was a lighter ruby with little variation, and as such seemed initially underwhelming. With aeration, nuanced notes of spicy blackberry, burnt brown sugar, asphalt and raw beef began to emerge. On the palate the wine was super silky and smooth, with flavors of spicy blackberry, bacon fat, leather and caramel riding overtop of medium tannins. This was received a sort of split decision, half the crowd loved it and half didn't respond as well to it. I thought it was lovely.

Four Vines 2003 "Anarchy" Paso Robles $33.00
This unique blend of Syrah, Zinfandel and Mourvedre is deep ruby with little variation, and leaps out of the glass with boisterous aromas of roasted black cherries, black plums, black raspberry, tree bark and vanilla. On the palate it's discernibly sweeter than the other wines tonight. The flavors are super ripe with notes of black berries, kirsch and vanilla. This became a crowd favorite, in part because of the punk rock inspired spray painted "A" on the bottle, and in part because the wine is so silky and velvety, truly a fruit bomb. I believe this was the most ordered wine of the night.

Alvaro Palacios 2001 "Finca Dofi" Priorat $70.00
This stunning Spanish red blends 55% Grenache with lesser parts Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot with a touch of Syrah. To the eye it's deep ruby fading to peony on the edges, with little variation. Gorgeous and vibrant, the aromas sport notes of black cherries, blackberries, bacon fat, fresh mulch and saddle leather. It has fine grained tannins, with rich, ripe flavors of red cherries, black cherries, black currant and vanilla bean. As the wine breathed more it revealed more notes of mineral and fallen forest leaves. Truly unique and one of the great wines of the world, this had to be the wine of the night for me.

Altos 2004 Malbec Reserve Mendoza $28.00
Wow this was big and fat! The brand new release from Argentina, this 100% Malbec was inky, inky purple with aromatic notes of blackberry, black currant, plum and spicy vanilla. In my notes I jotted down "rippin' tannins" as the first flavor note. On the palate it boasts chewy flavors of blackberry and elderberry with hints of spice and earth. Way too young to be drinking right now, this wine will need about 2 to 3 years in the cellar to ease up. Right now it's simply a monster.

This was an incredible tasting with spectacular wines, most of which were a little young to be drinking this night. However, what was evident was the amazing diversity of style and flavor the wines exhibited. It was a truly special tasting.

*All of the wines we taste, no matter what night we tried them…even if it was over a year ago…are available either on our shelf or to special order. We are always very happy to special order a bottle of anything you’re looking for. If you are interested in trying some of these, please email or call us anytime and we will include it on our next order – almost always delivered within two to three days!
 
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