Another epic SF wine meetup, our theme this time was 20 for 20! Full notes inside!

Here's a quick video showcasing the entire lineup, minus a couple.

After a phenomenally successful first meet-up three months ago (see here), we decided to uplevel things a lot!

First, we shifted to Friday night instead of Thursday, which means less fear of hungover work the next day.

But more importantly, we added a theme, which was 20 for 20. Meaning bottles that are 20+ years old and $200+. Obviously these are guidelines and not rigidly enforced.

But what an insane experience this was and a great illustration of why wine can age so well and also so differently.

Below are my notes, with some caveats.

First, these are just my notes and my personal opinions. Also remember, I'm a pretty strict grader, so anything 90+ is a great score to me.

Second, unsurprisingly, my notes got harder to read and less detailed over the course of the evening.

Also, we're doing this at Saison and we're currently capacity constrained, but hopefully will be able to expand our group over time!

Hard to pick one single WOTN here, I'd say the Diamond Creek and Dunn are up there, but not a single dud in the lineup and some surprised me!

2004 Tarlant Champagne La Vigne d'Antan

Candied lemon peel and orange notes.

Surprisingly lower in effervescence.

Somewhat toasty, less briochey than expected.

This was a lovely start to the evening.

91 points.

2002 Bollinger Champagne La Grande Année

First time trying LGA from Bollinger, James Bond's favorite champagne (see my user name).

Toasty with nice effervescence and balanced acidity. Some toasted cloves notes, but also key lime pie.

Bitey and zippy, in a good way.

92 points.

1998 Domaine Philippe Naddef Mazis-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes

Fun experience trying a 27-year-old Burg!

Red cherry candy, slight strawberry, basil.

Slight funk, but still tasting fresh.

A little surprise by the presence of tannins, in a good, which tells me this can age a while.

92 points.

2006 Dujac Fils et Père Chambolle-Musigny

A little tight initially, but some time and swirling opened this up.

Strawberry jam and slight saunf (fennel) notes, along with a little bit of barnyard funk (but not overwhelming)

90 points.

2005 Château Beychevelle

Soft and silky tannins, which I did not expect in a 2005 St. Julien!

Red cherry, raspberry, and blueberry notes.

Nice acid on this that balances it all out.

91 points.

2005 Domaine Jamet Côte-Rôtie

Plum, plum skins, and pluots (yes, there's a theme here).

Blueberry candy, pomegranate, and leather as well.

Solid tannins on this.

92 points.

1999 Diamond Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Microclimate 2 Volcanic Hill

I absolutely love Diamond Creek and was so excited to try this!

Still drinking young!

Perfumed nose with potpourri and violets.

Dark cherry, pomegranate, and blueberry notes as well.

Candidate for WOTN!

93 points.

1989 Dunn Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain

I'm a little surprised by the more muted notes on CT, I thought this was a fantastic wine and potential WOTN!

Still drinking young and probably in its peak drinking window, but lots more time to go.

Solidly balanced tannins and acidity.

Dark cherry, blueberry, grapefruit (with skin), and forest floor notes.

Slightly perfumed notes.

94 points.

2005 Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select

Never had an aged Shafer before!

Red plum, blackberry, dark cherry, rose petals, and slight perfume on the nose.

This is drinking absolutely beautifully!

93 points.

2004 R. López de Heredia Rioja Blanco Gran Reserva Viña Tondonia

This was a lovely bonus wine and a rare one at that.

This needed time to open up, but displayed some lemon, stone fruit, and raw almond notes. A little oaky still, but I have a feeling that will mellow with age.

I'm not a big white wine drinker, but I really enjoyed this!

90 points.

2004 Domaine Auguste Clape Cornas

This was an enjoyable wine, still drinking young.

Mellow tannins and balanced acidity.

Still some fruit, but almost was more dominated by savory notes.

My notes said "bruschetta" with olive, tomato, basil, and lemon.

92 points.

2001 Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco

Lots of acidity with grapefruit and elderberry notes.

Mouth-drying with lots of tannins.

Barbaresco can age for a long time and this is great proof of it! I believe this one got a long decant before serving.

92 points.

2006 San Giusto a Rentennano Percarlo Toscana IGT

This needs lots more time to open up. But even a half hour decant woke this up.

Tannins still pretty strong.

Blackberry, dark cherry, and rosemary notes.

Slight rose petals on the nose.

92 points.

2001 Luciano Sandrone Barolo Cannubi Boschis

Probably my favorite of all the Italian wines from this night.

Still drinks young and a decant really helped.

Blueberry, red cherry, an dark chocolate notes.

93 points.

2005 Dunn Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain

What a wine!

Still drinking young, but somehow, the 1989 was drinking younger.

This received a two hour decant before serving and that was the right amount (along with getting an additional hour of slow ox).

Still powerful, lots of dark fruit, not too much tertiary development yet. This can probably age for a lot longer.

93 points.

1979 Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon

You know how they say that old school Caymus was something special? I think this bottle is evidence. This tastes nothing like the manufactured and extracted Caymus of today.

Cork came out in one piece with a Durand, which was nice to see.

Initial taste was a little thin on the palate, which worried me, but no flaws to speak of.

With some air, it actually got better, with solid acidity, very mellow tannins, and cranberry and red currant notes.

I would easily drink this again, it was a lovely surprise.

93 points.