Summer wines

2015 Kanzler Rose (Pinot Noir)
Wow, what a nose!  Spectacular  :)  True to the varietal, this is a compelling rose of pinot noir. Mouthwateringly delicious fruit and enough acidity to keep it food friendly.  Great QPR.

2013 La Chablisienne Fourchaume 
Nicely serviceable Chablis. Citrus fruit, softer edges that become more delineated with exposure to air, enough minerality to keep things interesting. Elegant and pleasing nose that gains in complexity with time. 
I believe that La Chablisienne is a cooperative  (similar to Produttori? )

Comparing '06 Mastroberardino Taurasi Radici and '06 Mastroberardino Taurasi Radici Riserva

Had the '06 Mastroberardino Taurasi Radici a couple of years ago and it was ridiculously good at that time

http://lestastevinsdulac.blogspot.com/2014/01/1999-aldo-conterno-colonnello-2000.html?m=1

It has evolved nicely since then with its edges rounding off nicely and exhibiting lush black fruits.  Aglianico's acidity makes it very food friendly and a very attractive nose completes the picture. Highly recommended and drinking well now. 

The Riserva presents an interesting contrast. Leaner, classic profile and lighter in color. Overall, a more traditionally balanced wine and still young. It could benefit from another 3 to 5 years of cellaring to let everything come together.  We did get a nice glimpse of the future after aeration in a decanter for several hours. Delicate florals, black fruit, spice and hints of menthol.

Great to get a chance to compare these two bottlings from the same vintage.

1990 Produttori del Barbaresco

Opened the '90 Produttori several hours ahead of dinner. Double decanted back into clean bottle. Lots of sediment. 

Really nice florals upon opening the bottle and everything was sound.  Enjoyed it over the course of several hours. It would be interesting to understand what the blend from the various vineyards are for the normale. Do they use fruit that has been declassified for single cru bottlings? 

While this will never be a great wine, it was quite satisfying and enjoyable to partake of its charms. Sour cherry (almost Burgundian in nature) with tasty tar accents. Not a lot of complexity but the tannins have melted nicely. 

Before the Barbaresco,  we served an '06 Lopez de Heredia Vina Gravonia Blanco, which was decanted and left to aerate for an hour or so. Still a youngster, its best years are ahead. Quite bright with nifty salinity. .. tropical honeyed fruit, exotic herbal notes and fascinating texture. Very attrractive petrol notes on the nose. 100% Viura. I love this stuff.

Popped and poured into decanter late in the evening, the '11 Donatella Cinelli Colombini Brunello di Montalcino is massive at this juncture, although quite drinkable with softer tannins and robust black fruit. Prominent licorice component and a nice balsam spice nose. It will be interesting to see how this evolves over the years. This wine has a lot of stuffing to carry it easily through another decade. 

Lunch with Rob Lloyd

Fellow Vinous member, Rob Lloyd, was in town visiting (along with his lovely wife, Alice, his mother, Patricia, and his father, Bob).  Steve Russo attended as well.

Here are Rob's notes:

Yesterday my family and I had the pleasure to meet Steve and his friend at Restaurant Zebra for lunch and a few bottles of wine. The venue was quite good and the staff did a reasonable job preparing the wines. Meeting up was less about the wines and more about getting to know a fellow board member but we did open some interesting bottles! Steve brought a white Rioja and an 04 Quintarelli which was a real joy to drink - I rarely get the opportunity to try these. I brought a PYCM Embrazees which I posted on before (as did Mark) and a Nuits Saint George which showed rather nicely. All in all a fantastic lunch and a real pleasure to meet yet another friend from the board!

2011 PYCM Embrazees 
Good tension of fruit and minerality and definitely fine to drink now. Agree with Philippe that the 11 whites are good wines across the board. 

2008 Meo Camuzet NSG Murgers

Darkish color, nose had cherries and strawberries with some vanilla and on the palate there was a nice balance of red fruits and some oak sensations as well as turned soil. I felt the wine had muscular tones without being overly ripe. 

2002 Vina Tondonia Blanc Riserva

Very intriguing wine and if tasted blind would have no idea what it was. Color was crisp gold and there was an oxidative sweetness on the nose as well as some honey orange peel alongside a dry Reisling petroleum smell. The palate showed an interesting blend of some mineral characterics with darker tropical flavors such as sliced papaya and mango. A real pleasure to taste an aged white from Rioja!

2004 Quintarelli Rosso Ca' Del Merlo

Double decanted for an hour or so. Dark color and youthful aromas of dried cranberries, dry chocolate, and rosemary herbs. The palate was still very big and powerful. Secondary flavors included a hint of gravel, dried tomatoes and kale with an underlying sweet blackberry character. I assume this unique wine will last for an incredibly long time. 

Here are my notes:

The '08 Méo-Camuzet NSG Murgers held my rapt attention throughout lunch (and was my overall favorite). I thought it was very accessible.  It kept opening up and revealing more depth. Rainier cherry fruit with an ethereal sweetness  (in a good way as opposed to tartness often found in a young red Burgundy), complemented by notes of roses, sandalwood and hint of anise. Loved the nose... lilting, yet still somewhat shy, florals ....
A hauntingly beautiful elegance in this wine. It very much embodied what I love about red Burgundy.  

'02 López de Heredia Vina Tondonia Reserva  Blanco is mostly Viura with a dollop of Malvasia Riojana.  It spent two hours aerating in a decanter before I brought it to the restaurant. This is a white wine that really benefits from lots of air. I look forward to visiting LdH this fall in Rioja.

Your notes on the '04 Quintarelli Ca del Merlo very much capture the spirit of this wine. While it was very tasty, it still has a ways to go before reaching maturity. I aerated it in a decanter at home for about 3 hours before bringing it to the restaurant . This is is first time I've tried the '04. IMHO, the '03 vintage is more open for business at this point.