Convergence

An observation about red wines as they age: often there is a convergence in character...   This was evident at a dinner that showcased older pinot noir alongside older sangiovese.  Whites were paired with first course of cheese and serrano ham.  Reds were paired with grilled yellow fin tuna.

1996 Domaine Emile Jobard Meursault-Poruzots

Rich, golden color, 13% alc. ... on the far side of drinkability at this stage. Still decent aromatics with tropical notes. Very mellow and enjoyable. Gained presence over the course of an hour.

2012 Forman Chardonnay

Pale crystalline straw color.  Attractive floral nose with very tasty fruit.... really underscoring that the Meursault is a quite tired.  Just a kiss of oak that it could've done without in the interest of purity.  Very good California chardonnay and nicely balanced at 13.5% alc.

1986 Badia a Coltibuono Sangioveto

Produced only in better vintages, I have always liked this wine.  This '86 was showing decently.  Nice floral nose upon opening, however the aromatics faded over the course of the evening.  Fortunately, the palate held up and even gained a bit of strength through the evening. Red fruit with mellow spices and decent finish with 13.5 alc. The fruit on these wines in their prime is gorgeous.  This one was clearly past its prime, yet very nicely complemented the grilled tuna.

1999 Martinelli Blue Slide Ridge Pinot Noir

WOTN for me.  This one lived up to its hype.  I had a 2007 Martinelli Blue Slide Ridge a couple of years ago and it was way too young to drink.  I have also enjoyed a 2000 Marcassin Blue Slide Ridge, which would have easily been taken for a Vosne-Romanee grand cru in a blind tasting. This 1999 Martinelli version echoes the Marcassin's elegance but falls short of the grandeur. 

Blue Slide Ridge Vineyard was planted by Lee Martinelli in 1995 to Helen Turley's specifications, who made her Marcassin wines using Martinelli's facilities up until 2011when she completed building her own winery.  Turley's influence as consulting winemaker at Martinelli has been evident over the years. Martinelli pinot noirs are some of my favorites (and are far more available/affordable than Marcassin). 

There's no reason to further cellar the '99 Martinelli BSR ... it is drinking extremely well now (perhaps a tad past its peak). Red raspberry fruit is still bright complemented by a mouth-watering melange of acidity, minerality and spices.  Manages its 14.7 alcohol nicely. A fair amount of very fine grained sediment.  Definitely the most alluring aromatics of any of the wines this evening.

1999 Siduri Shaw Vineyard (Oregon) Pinot Noir

Adam Lee is known for his negociant style of winemaking, drawing on some of the great terroirs in California.  My first experience with one of his wines sourced from Oregon fruit, this version from the Shaw Vineyard was a bit past its prime. Faded, yet enjoyable, black fruit (14.2 alc.) with a bit of tasty sous bois that is evident in many Oregon pinot noirs.  Very faint aromatics.  A good deal of sediment (bottled as unfiltered).

2010 Kosta Browne Russian River Valley Pinot Noir

This was a late addition to the line-up, popped & poured.  Classic satin mouthfeel that characterizes Kosta Browne wines. Dark cherry, balsam and spice. Clearly young, it will benefit from additional bottle age. 

Dunn Vineyards Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1987, Rockland Petite Sirah 1994, Melville Estate Pinot Noir 2004

Have been wanting to try an older Dunn Cab since the historic vertical tasting in NYC earlier this year that spanned vintages of the Howell Mountain bottling from 1979 to 1999. 

This 1987 vintage bottling was really nice. The fruit is 85% Howell Mountain and 15% Napa valley floor.  Opened about 2 hours before dinner and fully decanted.  This wine had the most significant olive influence on the nose and on the palate as any California Cab I've had.  Quite strong at first and then gained balance with air over the next couple of hours ... settling into a wonderfully mellow-aged black currant palate complemented by olive and earth influences along with tasty minerality (almost blood iron in nature)... decent complexity from start to finish with each sip... compelling aromatics. Fine grained tannins and still robust color with slight bricking. Modest 13 % alcohol,  which I really enjoy.. contributes to the overall elegance of the wine. It was very enjoyable over the next 5 hours before we had the last of it.  Talk about a perfect match with steak....I rarely get a chance to enjoy a California Cab from the '80's... this is certainly a noble one.

Also paired with the steak was a 1994 Rockland Petite Sirah that was showing well.  This wine is sourced from Mark Aubert's family vineyards.  This example had aged nicely. Briary, dark fruit with a mellowed peppery twang ... the aromatics were somewhat reticent. Interestingly, alcohol % was not shown on the label.  I would guess it to be in the 14% range .. pretty well balanced.

As a prelude to dinner, we had a 2004 Melville Estate Pinot Noir that was really showing well. Excellent purity of fruit... it was paired with prosciutto, cheese and fresh cherries. 14.9% alc but it managed it well.  This is a blend.  Sometimes I enjoy the pinot blends from different vineyards more than the single vineyard wines (I find this to be the case often with Kosta Browne wines).

Big Basin Vineyards Pinot Noir Alfaro Family Vineyard 2009 and Chateau Pesquie Cotes du Ventoux Cuvee des Terrasses 2007

Grabbed a bottle of the '09 Big Basin Alfaro along with an '07 Pesquie Terrasses to take to dinner recently.  Popped and poured at the restaurant. 

This was my first experience with the Big Basin Santa Cruz Pinot from winemaker Bradley Brown.  The 2009 Alfaro was a beauty right from the start... really an uneven playing field for the Terrasses to play on... The Alfaro is made with some whole clusters (not sure what he is using regarding specific clonal selections).  I am increasingly drawn to pinot from the Santa Cruz Mtn appellation.  This bottling shows excellent purity of fruit, overall balance and a gorgeous nose.  It is eminently drinkable now but easily has another 8 to 10 years prime time enjoyment.  It's really nice to find a new (for me) California pinot that is so appealing.

It's been a while since I have had a Pesquie Terrasses ... despite being a higher-end bottling (Grenache and Syrah blend) from Cotes de Ventoux, it just seemed a bit coarse and perhaps one-dimensional compared to the recent slate of great CdP we have enjoyed.

Friuli and Burgundy

Had the opportunity to try these three wines side by side recently.  It was an illuminating experience...

1996 Jadot Chassagne-Montrachet Les Caillerets ... very pleasant showing, still retaining a bit of stony minerality complemented by brightly aged fruit.  I always enjoy the lack of oak in older white Burgundy.

2005 Vodopivec Vitovska ... an enjoyable orange wine with that intangible essence that can beguile ... this bottling seems a bit tired compared to the brilliant Borgo del Tiglio.

2010 Borgo del Tiglio Tocai Ronco della Chiesa ... my first foray with this beauty, thanks to the recommendation of Mark Scudiery.  Wow, this is a stunning wine made from old vine Tocai Friulano...  Refined citrus fruit with hints of sweetness ... amazingly elegant minerality and striking balance .. compelling aromatics.... a new favorite white wine.  Definitely on par with grand cru white Burgundy.

... Sometimes you just need a Beer (Part Two)

Stone IPA has been a favorite since I discovered it during a visit to San Diego (Stone's home base) several years ago.  The Ruination is a more robust version of their standard IPA, yet is very well balanced ... not too dry or bitter, with gorgeous golden-orange color and nutty aroma. Not quite as extreme in hoppiness as the Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA.  The Ruination is a winner (pictured with fried pickles)... 

Tuscany and Piedmont - an interesting comparison...

Had the pleasure of serving a 1990 Badia a Coltibuono Chianti Classico Riserva (13% alc) and a 1998 Marcarini Brunate (14% alc) at dinner recently. Both wines paired well with steaks on the grill.

The Badia was slow-o'd in bottle for a couple of hours.  The Marcarini was fully decanted for a couple of hours.  I have sung the praises of the 1990 Badia vintage before and this bottle showed extremely well..

http://lestastevinsdulac.blogspot.com/2013/11/sangiovese-at-its-best.html

The Marcarini was a bit reticent from the start.  Elegant, yet lighter presence than the Badia. It never seemed to gain strength (as one would expect) over the course of the evening, which was surprising given the Brunate heritage. Actually,  this example did not have the depth and allure that has been the hallmark of Brunate I have had in the past.

By the end of the evening,  the Badia had continued to blossom and was totally rocking.   It was hands-down the consensus favorite.   The aromas of leather and earth coupled with blue-black glorious aged fruit from the hallowed 1990 vintage put huge smiles on everyone's faces!

Southern Rhone Retrospective 2001 - 2007

We had the pleasure of hosting two of our favorite nephews who were visiting us from NYC and Omaha last week. One evening we decided to get into some Southern Rhones with dinner, which provided an interesting opportunity to compare & contrast styles and vintages.

The 2001 Lesec Marquis Tonneaux is a perennial favorite of mine. A nice wine at a very reasonable price.   The '01 is classic CdP with relatively modest 14% alcohol.  It is still in a good place for drinking but there is probably not a lot to be gained from further cellaring.  Well-rounded fruit, sous bois and light creosote.  About 70% Grenache and 30% Mourvedre which gives it a kiss of sweetness that I especially enjoy in well aged southern Rhones. The tannins have really mellowed over the years and provide a nice easy going structure at this juncture. 

The 2003 Sabon Prestige benefits from longer aeration to open up.  Exhibiting a delightful CdP flavor profile, the most alluring aspect is the tasty tar component that serves as a foil for the fruit. This wine could benefit from a couple of additional years of bottle age.  14.5% alcohol ... mostly Grenache with some Syrah and Mourvedre. 

The 2004 Janasse Chaupin (from magnum) is amazing.  I have been following the development of this wine in magnum for while now.  This is my last of six magnums and I am really sorry to see it go.  The wine is in a great place now, and will stay in a peak window of drinkability for at least another 5 to 8 years. The most attractive aspect of this bottling is the concentrated yet balanced fruit. Kirsch-like intensity with an elegance and purity of fruit that belies its 15% level of alcohol. Made from 100% old vines Grenache. I am definitely going to have to find some 750ml bottles of this stuff...

The 2007 Raspail-Ay Gigondas is certainly the most modern styled of this group of wines and thus quite a departure.  On its own it is quite tasty,  but typifies the lament that has been expressed by many on the move away from tradition that seems apparent with many Southern Rhones as of 2007.    Mainly Grenache with small amounts of Syrah and Mourvedre... 15% alc .... tasty raspberry and garrigue with robust floral aromatics. Average age is wines is around 40 years.