the dregs of the cup

One of the few consolations of restaurant work is the opportunity to try wines you could never afford to buy in a store. With unfinished bottles lining the bar on Saturday night, I had the opportunity to try three wines in small quantities that I'd never splurge on myself.

Opus One, as groundbreaking as it was in its marriage of two giants, one from the Old World, one from the New, has acquired the reputation of a nouveau-riche brand-name wine for well off oenelogical zeros, but the 2004, with its nose of blackberries, leather and charred meat, confounds this reputation, and speaks to the realized potential of a once-daring gambit. The palate delivers espresso, cocoa nibs and more blackberries, while the supremely long, balanced finish is full of ripe blueberries and bramble.

A few guests were waxing rhapsodic about Duckhorn's Three Palms Merlot about a month back, and last night I got to draw my own conclusions. The nose of the 2003 is full of bacon and cassis, while the palate, a little hot at 14.5% alchohol, boasts saddle leather, smoke and more cassis juiciness. There is a slight acidity to the finish which is more assertive than the fairly smooth tannins.

Finally, I got to taste the true second label of Chateau Lafite-Rothschild, the Carraudes de Lafite, 2003. The nose was full of sage and thyme, while the palate, even after three years in bottle, was soft and fruity with blackberries, blueberries and violets balanced by the baking spice richness of a graham cracker crust. A 2003 Lafite would never be this amiable, but the second label displays developed fruit and fairly well-integrated tannins for a wine so young.