Pre-Halloween Dinner

It is the day before Halloween and it is a Friday! So off we go to perennial favorite, Bobby Van's on Park for a 7pm reservation. We will be drinking older (ten plus years) red wines from both WA and CA for this event!

Here is a link to their menu...
Bobby Van's on Park Menu

Just a reminder of our usual rules:

** The cost of this event is $44 and is for the cost of the wines only.

NOTE: Meetup has started charging a "Partner Fee" that is above and in addition to the listed price of the event. It comes to approximately $4 more for each RSVP. You will see this charge when you complete your rsvp and pay for the event. Sorry! Meetup+ members are exempt from this charge.

You will also have to pay the cost of your food (plus 33% for tax and tip). Please order at least two courses (i.e. a main dish and either appetizer or dessert) for your dinner. There are very few restaurants that allow us to bring our own wine for a Zero corkage fee. We must be good guests to encourage the restaurant to continue to be generous to us.

Please read and understand the group's cancellation policy. If you take spot, then cancel, and no one else takes the spot, you will not receive a refund or credit. No refunds or credits will be given for no-shows or late cancellations (unless someone else takes your spot). All cancellations are subject to a $6 service fee.

Please use public transportation - NO DRINKING AND DRIVING!

The Wines :
2024 Ridge Historic Vines Blanc ($25) - To start us off, this oddity from Ridge, here is what they said about it, "52% Palomino, 41% Muscadelle, 3% Semillon, 2% Chenin Blanc, 2% Burger. 13.2% Alcohol.
Winemaker Tasting Notes
Nose of vanilla, spiced pear and honeysuckle. Full-bodied with layers of complexity on the palate. Notes of banana cream pie, ginger and wet stone on the finish. SR (2/25)
Fermentation: 100% natural primary fermentation in stainless steel.
Barrels: 100% neutral American oak barrels (five-plus years old).
Aging: Eight months"

2010 Joel Gott Cabernet Sauvignon Gott 10 ($50) - I've been saving this for someone in our group and tonight we try it! WA 94 points, "The 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Gott 10 impresses for its focus and cut. There is beautiful delineation in the aromas and flavors. Blackberry jam, grilled herbs, smoke and melted road tar are all layered into the precise, yet powerful finish. This isn’t as generous as many other 2010s, but it is quite beautiful just the same as it continued to open up and flesh out with time in the glass. The 2010 is 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2025. (drink starting 2015)"

These next 2 wines come from the same vineyard, it should make for an interesting comparison.

2012 Andrew Will Sorella Champoux Vineyard ($75) - JD 97, WA 96 points, "the 2012 Sorella is up with the creme de la creme of the vintage. Its deep ruby color is followed by a full-bodied, rich and layered 2012 that boasts fabulous notes of creme de cassis, lead pencil shavings, graphite, mineral and toasted bread. Like all of Chris's 2012s, it's still a baby, yet its impeccable balance and purity allow it to dish out tons of pleasure, even today. Nevertheless, it needs 3-5 years of cellaring and will have 25-30 years of overall longevity. (drink 2020-2037)"

2015 Quilceda Creek Cabernet Sauvignon ($150) - Quiceda Creek's flagship wine! JD 99, WA 96 points, "The 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon shows the intensity of the 2015 vintage with robust, dark red and black fruit tones that sway in the glass with aromas of crème de cassis, Chambord and black raspberry jus, with an open-knit nose that's generous, juicy and hedonistic. Full-bodied, the wine is drinking great now as it offers up juicy tannins with a quilt of baking spices that floats on top of the dense richness that the warm 2015 vintage delivered to Washington. Ripe and juicy, the wine concludes with elevated alcohol on the finish that continues to offer up flavors of Chambord with sweet oak tones of cinnamon and nutmeg over the elongated finish. I will tip the age range two more years, capping it at 2030, giving it a 15-year lifespan. Overall, the 2015 vintage presented several challenges, the intense heat being the main concern, yet Quilceda Creek still managed to deliver quality and made a wine that delivers pleasure. (drink 2021-2030)"

2016 Soos Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Terrible Beauty ($35) - WA gave this "only" 89 points, I think they underestimated it, but here is their review, "Mainly Cabernet Sauvignon, with 8% Merlot and 4% Cabernet Franc blended in, the 2016 Terrible Beauty opens to a nose of black and blue fruit, with sweet expressions of dark chocolate and hints of oak spices. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is open-knit with an expressive and robust profile of juicy blackberry and blueberry skin, mocha essence and cinnamon-spice flavors across the mid-palate. The finish is clean and correct, balanced and complex, delivering pleasure and lingering flavors of juicy plum. 150 cases produced. I’m impressed. (drink 2020-2025)"