1997 Rocche Manzoni Barolo Vigna Cappella di Santo Stefano

Slow-o for 2 hours and then decanted at dinner. Classic structured Monforte profile with earthy tannins being an important and very tasty part of the experience.  Big dark cherry fruit with come-hither tar & roses. Sweet , rich florals on the nose. 

I believe that this wine was made in barrique.  The oak is subtle and fairly well integrated at this stage. Drank over the course of a couple of hours at dinner.  Could've benefited from more slow-o early on. 

Paired very very well with prime filet mignon and braised collard greens.  Overall this was a very enjoyable example from the '97 vintage.  It still has plenty of life left. 

Would be interesting to try a '96 and a '98 for comparison.  A '99 would probably be a bit young to drink now.

2007 Radikon Ribolla Gialla

Wow! This is a huge wine with surprisingly modest 13% abv.
Spicy, orange fruit and orange zest with hints of apricot and cinnamon.  Big mouthfeel with framework of tannins that will become more satiny with time.  
There is something about Ribolla Gialla that is addictive.  It kind of precludes drinking anything else for the evening... you keep coming back to this intriguing wine over and over.   Sort of like Marius' theory of a great Riesling pretty much taking over the show..

2012 Merry Edwards Pinot Noir Russian River Valley

This is a masterful blend of fruit sourced from six different vineyards (Meredith Estate, Klopp Ranch, Flax, Georganne, Olivet Lane, Coopersmith).  Having only tried an older vintage of Klopp Ranch (2005, I think) which was rather uninspiring,  I was very pleasantly surprised with the success of this '12 Russian River cuvee. 

Extremely well-balanced and expressive.... very precise black cherry fruit with come-hither sous bois... fennel and spice complement.  Subtle attractive florals on the nose. 

Paired well with mushroom agnolotti. ... 

Am quite impressed with this wine.  One of the better Russian River blends ...the bottle disappeared quickly with a bit left over for day 2 notes..

2005 Calera Pinot Noir Mills Vineyard

Let me state for the record that Calera wines represent the gold standard for California pinot noir, IMO.

14% abv .    90 minutes of slow-o and enjoyed over the course of 4 hours.  

Inimitable expression of "Mt. Harlan dust" from limestone-influenced terroir. Very tasty red and blue fruit with a hint of clove and fascinating complexity on the finish. Nose is very mellow at this stage. Kept gaining presence over the course of the evening. 

Paired with spicy grilled shrimp. 

Very highly recommended.  Josh Jensen is one of the pioneers of world-class winemaking in California.

2004 Felsina Chianti Classico Riserva Rancia

This is a big wine just entering into its window of optimal drinkability.  

Layers and layers of depth to the robust cherry fruit. Fine-grained tannins are much more mellow and ready for drinking than a couple of years ago when I first tried this vintage. Spicy with a nice pucker factor upon opening.  Slow-o for an hour and a half,  then drank over the course of 4 hours from bottle. Everything came together very nicely after a few hours. Minimal sediment at the end of the bottle.

A more seriously big CCR compared to the '04 Fontalloro from two days ago. The Fontalloro is lighter on its feet and a bit more aromatic.  Both wines are very good right now.  Just depends on what kind of mood you are in. At this point, I may have a slight preference for the Fontalloro. ... a testament to blending of fruit from different vineyards ....

Paired the Rancia with grilled rack of lamb, herb risotto,  artichoke salad. Finished up with aged Stilton embedded with small chunks of mango. A curious sounding cheese concoction,  but it is awesome. 

2004 Felsina Fontalloro

Love this vintage of Fontalloro!   Drinking really nicely now. 
Slow-o for an hour and a half. Decanted at restaurant.  Gorgeous aromatics and delicious balance of fruit and high-toned tannins.
 Sourced from Fontalloro,  Casalino and Arcidossino vineyards. 
 Opened up over the course of dinner where it was hitting on all cylinders with locally sourced bone-in pork chop.  
Am getting to where I prefer the expression of Sangiovese from Chianti Classico over that of Brunello di Montalcino.  
Highly recommended. ..

'06 Bergstrom Shea, '09 Big Basin Lester, '12 St. Innocent Zenith

Paired with crab cakes (1st course), sauteed scallops (2nd course), rack of lamb (3rd course), creme brulee and Illy espresso (4th course).

2006 Bergstrom Pinot Noir Shea Vineyard
Popped and decanted at the restaurant.  Definitely benefited from enhanced aeration.  A bit tight at first.  Blossomed over the course of the next 3 hours to be voted favorite for the evening. Raspberry, plum and sous bois.  Shy nose at first. Subtle violets as it opened up. Very nicely done balanced Burgundian style. While the Big Basin was gorgeously alluring from the start, the Bergstrom just paired beautifully with the cuisine.

2009 Big Basin Pinot Noir Lester Family Vineyard
Wow! I love this wine for its upfront gorgeous aromatics and succulent strawberry fruit with anise accents.  Popped and poured.  Big fan of all of Bradley Brown's pinots. While this seductress captured everyone's attention early, the fruit forward nature detracted slightly from cuisine pairings.   This may change as it mellows with more bottle age.

2012 St. Innocent Pinot Noir Zenith Vineyard
Popped and poured. I have had better showings in the past from this wine.  Seemed thin compared to the other wines this evening.  A lighter style with balanced Rainier cherry fruit and earth. Subtle,  attractive aromatics.  May improve with age.

Overall, an interesting evening comparing terroir from Santa Cruz Mtns and Willamette Valley. ....