Ths long evening we had an old fine wine from Spain (1948!), a wine with an interessting mix of grape varieties (Roussanne & Viognier), a Muscat from California and a rare Heitz.
Booker, California, 2018 White (60% Roussanne, 40% Viognier), 14.1%: We had high expectations because we are great fans of the Kongsgaard Viorous (also Roussanne and Viognier) but this wine from Booker is nice but nothing else. Somehow dull in the nose, with nutmeg and a bit of nuts, it is a overall simple wine. 15/20 points.
Palacio de Arganza, Castilla y Leon, 1948 Bierzo (Burgundy bottle): There are two bottlings, one in the Burgundy bottle and one in the Bordeaux bottle. The Burgundian bottle consists mainly of Tempranillo. The wine has a garnet colour and herbs and red fruits in the nose. It is medium- to full-bodied and has the typical Tempranillo sweetness, a medium to long finish, excellent complexity and minerality and needs a lot of air to open up and to get more sweetness. As all tastings it was served blind and we would never guess the correct age. You would assume a 20 to 30 years old wine, it is really young for its real age. This was a great experience: 19/20 points.
Martinelli, California, 2018 Jackass Hill Muscat of Alexandria Dry, 14.8%: As all Martinelli wines also this Muscat has a lot of alcohol but you don't taste it and the wine seems to be light-footed. We have never regretted being on the mailing list, especially for the Zinfandel but also for Syrah, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. With light gold colour a a little bit carbonic acid, its has nutmegs and blossoms. It seems medium-bodied, it is perfectly balanced and appears light-footed, long, with nice nutmeg notes and golden rain (Laburnum); 17.3/20 points.
Heitz, California, 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Bella Oaks, 14.5%: Although Heitz is famous for its Heitz vineyard, the Bella Oaks is almost equal. It is bottled late in 2011 and it still seems to be a young wine. It is shining ruby and opaque, very youthful, undeveloped, full-bodied, balanced, elegant and complex. It has cherry, cassis, minerality, structure and very fine tannin. It is light-footed and durable and it still needs 5-10 years of development. Currently it has 18.8/20 points but potential for 19/20 points or more.