Ten days plus 100+ wines = 1 happy wine geek

Some of this will be repetitive of an earlier post, but I thought it’d be interesting to see if I can list all the wines that we sampled during our visit to Walt Disney World back in November. Here we go!

1. El Portillo Cabernet Sauvignon Argentina 2002–Light and fruity, mild tannins, a bit high on the alcohol.
2. Bodegas Salentein Chardonnay Argentina 2004–Crisp and refreshing, little or no oak, plenty of fruit.
3. L.A. Cetto Chardonnay Valle de Guadalupe Baja California Mexico 2005–Very fruity aroma, no oak, perhaps nicer than the Bodegas Selentein.
4. L.A. Cetto Petite Sirah Valle de Guadalupe Baja California Mexico 2004–Soft, big flavors.
5. Hua Xia Cabernet Sauvignon China 1995–Could be mistaken for an Aussie Shiraz, but still quite nice, especially at $14/bottle.
6. Beyond Sauvignon Blanc Coastal Region South Africa 2005–More of a New Zealand style with tons of grapefruit, but not overwhelmingly so. Definitely cleanses the palate in a good way.
7. Moët & Chandon Nectar Impérial Champagne NV–Floral, dry, big bubbles, low on the acid. Quite nice.
8. Roederer Estate sparkling wine California NV–Quite dry.
9. Chateau Montelena Chardonnay Napa Valley 1999–Creamy, but not over-oaked. Notes of fig, perhaps. Still a hefty California Chard.
10. Clautiere Viognier Paso Robles 2004–Orange blossom aromas, quite nice.
11. Ehlers Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2002–Big wine, hefty, drying tannins, but everything was balanced. Notes of chocolate with a long (10+ seconds) finish.
12. Adelsheim Deglacé Pinot Noir Oregon 2005–Salmon color with roses on the nose. A great dessert wine.
13. Anura Chenin Blanc South Africa 2005–Made from 40 to 50-year-old vines, creamy mouthfeel, not what I’d expect from a Chenin Blanc. Nice wine.
14. Anura Pinotage South Africa 2005–Smokey, fruity, firm, drying tannins.
15. Anura Sangiovese Limited Release South Africa 2004–Red cherries, floral notes, low tannins. Quite nice.
16. Anura Syrah Mourvedre Reserve South Africa 2004–85% Syrah and 15% Mourvedre, might come from the Paarl region. Darker fruits and spice flavors with a nice long finish.
17. Francois Servin Chablis Special Reserve 2002–Minerality, no oak, long 10+ second finish. I want more.
18. Domaine Paul Jouard Chassagne-Montrachet 2004–Green apples, great acidity with just a touch of oak. At $40/bottle, it’s not cheap, but it’s awfully good.
19. Domaine Rene Leclerc Gevrey-Chambertin 2004–A fabulous red Burgundy with red cherries, spice, a great nose, and a wonderfully long finish. Great balance. Another good price tag at $54/bottle, but it’s well suited to go up against Burgundies costing three times as much.
20. Domaine Gabriel Billard Pommard Vaumuriens 2003–Only 75 cases made, and this is a stunner. At $50/bottle, it’s the winner of the four Burgundies–hands down.
21. Chateau Ricaud Bordeaux 2000–Light, fruity, decent structure.
22. Moët & Chandon Nectar Impérial Rosé Champagne NV–Great copper colors.
23. Naia Verdejo Rueda 2004–Nice citrusy aromas and flavors with a crisp, decent finish.
24. Trimbach Gewürtztraminer Alsace 2003–Floral and orange blossoms on the nose, citrus palate, a crisp, balanced and long-finishing wine.
25. Nora Albariño Rias Baixes 2004–Pale yellow, soft citrus, good balance.
26. Joseph Phelps Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2003–Intense garnet color, blackcurrant, licorice, dark fruits, an explosion of flavors, with a long, long finish. An outstanding wine. I even took a few drops at the end to “stain” the cover of my tasting journal as a memento.
27. Some kind of Tokay Aszul from Hungary–the only one I didn’t write down that evening.
28. G.H. Mumm Mumm de Cramant Champagne NV–100% Chardonnay, subtle, fruity aromas, very small bubbles, bright acidity. This wine is not made every year. Quite nice.
29. G.H. Mumm Cordon Rouge Champagne NV–the flagship wine, a bit golder, a blend of 30% Chardonnay, 45% Pinot Noir, and 25% Pinot Meunier. Fruity aromas, apples and other white fruits. Lively acidity with a nice 7 second finish.
30. G.H. Mumm Carte Classique Champagne NV–Pale gold, subtle aromas, a bit sweeter than the others. Carbonation almost nonexistent by the time we got to it. Only 10% Chardonnay, a bit lower acidity.
31. Hartford Court Chardonnay Four Hearts Vineyard Russian River Valley–Light in color, white peach aromas. Creamy mouthfeel, which makes sense with the 10 months of oak aging and the 100% barrel fermentation.
32. Hartford Court Chardonnay Seascape Vineyard Sonoma Coast–only 296 cases made, a bit darker, perhaps some minerality, 15 to 16 months of oak aging, yet a bit crisper than the Four Hearts.
33. Hartford Court Pinot Noir Land’s Edge Vineyard Sonoma Coast–cola and blackberry notes, quite nice.
34. Hartford Court Pinot Noir Fog Dance Vineyard Green Valley–spice, red cherry, with a long, long finish. This was a pre-release wine, which will be available in January of 2007.
35. Bodegas Salentein Malbec Mendoza 2004–Fairly nice, nothing to write home about though.
36. Buena Vista Pinot Noir Carneros–overly fruity, over-produced stuff.
37. Stags Leap Winery Petite Sirah Napa Valley 2003–Great color, aromas, flavors and finish. A solid winner with our steak dinner.
38. Bruno Verdi Pinot Nero Lombardia 2004–Nice basic Italian red.
39. Righetti Amarone Classico Veneto 2001–Wow, what a winner!
40. Pommery Champagne NV–A nice simple Champagne.
41. Martini & Rossi Prosecco NV–Almost as nice as the Pommery.
42. Provenance Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc Rutherford 2005–Very nice, moving to screwcaps for the 2006 vintage.
43. Provenance Vineyards Merlot Napa Valley 2003–The winemaker said it wasn’t quite right, but I didn’t think it was all bad. Apparently these bottles weren’t quite as good as they were in the winery. I’ll have to get one to check it out at its best.
44. Provenance Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford 2003–A brilliant wine, lots of flavors and aromas, good structure. This is becoming one of my favorite Cab producers.
45. Guenoc Sauvignon Blanc–maybe from the 2005 vintage. Nice reliable SB.
46. Santori Pinot Grigio 2005–really nice.
47. Greg Norman Shiraz Limestone Coast, don’t know the vintage–Great Aussie Shiraz.
48. Millions of Miles Shiraz, a special blend for WDW. Pretty decent, but I liked the Greg Norman better.
49. Placido, some Italian basic red. Not too bad. Wish I’d gotten the details.
50. Warwick Sauvignon Blanc Professor Black South Africa 2006–massive grapefruit, quite nice.
51. Buitenvervachting Riesling South Africa–Weak aromas, but very nice flavors
52. Warwick Pinotage Old Bush Vines 2004
53. Rudera Syrah, Stellenbosch 2003
54. Valckenberg Riesling Beerenauslese Madonna–nice dessert wine.
55. Argyle Brut NV sparkling wine
56. Three Rivers Estate Rosé, Walla Walla, 2005
57. Domaine Serene Pinot Noir Evenstad Reserve Willammette Valley 2003
58. Maysara Jamsheed Pinot Noir Willamette Valley 2004
59. Flying Fish Merlot Washington 2003
60. Sokol Blosser Meditrina III Red Blend Oregon
61. The Big Kiona Late Harvest Zinfandel Red Mountain 2003
62. Grahams 10 Year Old Tawny Port
63. Grahams 20 Year Old Tawny Port
64. Grahams 30 Year Old Tawny Port
65. Grahams 40 Year Old Tawny Port
66. Boutari Moschofilero
67. Boutari Santorini
68. Kavaklidere Cankaya White
69. Kavaklidere Yakut Red
70. Nobilo Icon Pinot Noir New Zealand (surpisingly good for a NZ Pinot)
71. Nobilo Icon Pinot Grigio
72. Cline Cellars Ancient Vines Carignan
73. Blackstone Winery Chardonnay
74. Wente Vineyards Vineyard Selection Riesling
75. Wente Vineyards Riva Ranch Reserve Chardonnay
76. Wente Vineyards Charles Westmore Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
77. Kendall-Jackson Cabernet Sauvignon Grand Reserve
78. Mission Hill Family Estate Oculus (Canada)
79. Mission Hill Family Estate Riesling Icewine Reserve
80. Miguel Torres Viña Esmeralda
81. Miguel Torres Malvasia de Oro
82. Miguel Torres Mas La Plana
83. Domaine Houchart Rosé (Rhône)
84. Domaine Vieux Lazaret Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2003 (red)
85. Domaine Vieux Lazaret Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2005 (white)
86. Bonterra Vineyards Viognier
87. Markham Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon
88. Covey Run Semillon Icewine Reserve
89. La Crema Pinot Noir Russian River Valley
90. La Crema Pinot Noir Anderson Valley
91. Familia Schroeder Pinot Noir Saurus Patagonia Select
92. Familia Schroeder Malbec Saurus Patagonia Select
93. Familia Schroeder Deseado (absolutely freaking fabulous sparkling wine)
94. E & J Gallo Winery Pinot Gris MacMurray Ranch Sonoma Coast
95. E & J Gallo Winery Pinot Noir MacMurray Ranch Sonomay Coast
96. Gallo Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Northern Sonoma Estate
97. Castello Romitorio Morellino di Scansano Toscana 2003
98. La Meridaina Barbera d’Asti “La Gagie” Piedmonte 2003
99. Tamara Cannonau Sardegna 2002
100. Frei Brothers Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma Reserve
101. Sterling Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2003
102. Albermarle Viognier Virginia 2005
103. Chateau Ste. Michelle Merlot Indian Wells Vineyard 2003
104. Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling Columbia Valley 2005
105. Beaulieu Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford 2003
106. Kluge Estate Simply Red Virginia

I’m missing about 4 wines here. I think three of them were duplicated between a seminar and the big Party for the Senses, and there’s one we just can’t identify. So, the real count appears to be 107 wines. Not bad for 10 days’ work.
My liver is grateful that not all of these were full glasses.

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