2010 La Peira Matissat

Pluperfectly delicious.

Slow-o in bottle for 3 hours. All Mourvedre aged in barrel. 14.5% abv and very well balanced. Rich plummy kirsch-like fruit is kept fresh by a dusty chalk minerality. Beautiful layers of complexity on an intriguing finish that lasts and lasts. Refined aromatics with interplay of florals and spice. The quality of this cuvee is evident with the excellent 2010 vintage.

I am also a long time fan of La Peira's Las Flors cuvee, which is syrah, grenache and mourvedre.  Wines from this estate are a must have for Languedoc aficionados. 

Paired beautifully with ravoli stuffed with A.B. Vannoy ham, and fennel sausage bucatini.

2006 Vieille Julienne Chateauneuf-du-Pape

Popped and poured. Nose to die for and palate to match pretty much sums it up.  A winner drinking at peak.
Delicious red raspberry fruit with burnished tannins thst create a texture like cashmere. Beautiful garrigue character and a minerality that conjures up visions of galets roules  :) 
Made with grenache, syrah, mourvedre, counoise and cinsault that are destemmed and cofermented. Vineyards are located in the northern portion of the appellation.
Jean-Paul Daumen's efforts honor the uniqueness of terroir in Chateauneuf-du-Pape.

Day 2
No significant signs of fading. Just a bit more mellow since yesterday. This could easily last another few years and still be at peak, I would expect.  
Beautiful fruit, and really a lovely nose on this wine, that says classic Chateauneuf-du-Pape. 
2nd half of bottle went well with grilled veal chop.

1998 Chateau la Graviere Tirecul Cuvee Madame (Monbazillac)

My first experience with this sweet dessert wine. Definitely recommend trying it. Impossible-to-resist hazelnut and honeyed tropical fruit. Deftly balanced. Not cloyingly sweet but more on the refeshing side with an underlying streak of minerality that peeks through on the finish. Scintillating bit of spice on the nose. Varietals are Muscadelle, Semillon and Sauvignon. Made from 80 year old vines. Benefits from being served at around 55°F.
Hard to put down once you get started.

1999 Chapoutier Ermitage Le Pavillon

Opened and double decanted back into clean bottle.  Aerated in a decanter for about an hour and a half. Served for dinner at 60°F. 

Initial impression was very positive. Beautiful fruit and balance except a bit of warmth on the finish that seemed somewhat out of place for 13.5 abv.  (the slightly too warm finish moderated over the evening as the wine was exposed to more air.)

The professional  review notes that indicate an inky quality to this wine were spot on. Very unique palate that combined an inkiness and salinity which reminded me a bit of squid ink.  Not unpleasant at all when put in context of the delicious fruit and subtle garrique notes (yes, more of a southern Rhone trait yet it seems reflective here at least to my taste).

Gained significant presence over the course of the evening and became incredibly 
savory. The nose is quite elegant with floral and herb notes. Note that wine showed better after it warmed up as well.  Serving temperature of 65°F to 70°F is just right IMO.

 Balance and pure fruit are the words that come to mind that best describe this wine.  Impressive flavor without heaviness.  Blackberry and cassis and wet stone.  I like this style.  

Parker apparently enjoys this cuvee as he has awarded it a perfect score in eleven vintages since 1989 ... which unfortunately drives up the price.  It is too bad that Hermitage and Cote-Rotie have gotten so expensive...

Paired nicely with grilled pork tenderloin. 

2010 Domaine des Baumard Savennieres Clos de Papillon

This Clos de Papillon exhibits a fascinating, alluring musky spicy nose .  Moderately crisp palate that probably showed more fully a couple of years ago.  Enjoyable pear with peach pit ... interesting bitter mineral driven notes on the finish, although the mid-palate falls a bit flat.  Drank quite well with a Vietnamese pork fried rice dish. Baumard represents solid value .

2011 Domaine Drouhin Oregon Pinot Noir Laurene Dundee Hills

Wow! Great from the start (PnP).  
Drinking very well right now. This cuvee represents the pinnacle of pinot noir in Oregon. Compares very favorably to 1er Cru Cote de Nuits.
Pure and very elegant Rainier cherry fruit, refined tannins that bode well for future development, Balance is top notch.  Nice secondary nuances of sandalwood and sous bois. Hints of anise after a couple of hours of opening up.  
The florals on the nose are just as elegant. Not overpowering, just right.
Highly recommended.

1996 Produttori del Barbaresco Moccagatta (Muncagota) Riserva

(Note that this cru is currently called Muncagota)
Double decant back into clean bottle after 1.5 hours of aeration in a decanter. Modest amount of coarse grained sediment.
Showed very well from initial opening. Somewhat reticent nose of florals and leather that opened very gradually over several hours.
Burgundian in style, elegant and quite translucent in color.  Slight browning in color shows advanced age. Beautifully burnished tannins have mellowed and pleasingly complement the aged fruit. Faint touches of mint and sage. I very much enjoy tertiary development exhibited here.  There is a very attractive inner sweetness to this wine's palate that manifests over the evening, especially with food.
Wimemaker Aldo Vacca has described Moccagatta as a female version of Rabaja.  It is situated on a southeastern exposure, which is cooler since it does not receive as much western sunlight late in the day.  A higher degree of limestone content in the soils provides structure and age-ability.
I opened this bottle to check on the condition of a batch of the nine cru's from 1996 and 1997 that I recently assembled from a reliable source.  While the label on this bottle was not in pristine condition, the provenance appears to be acceptable. 
I will be opening the rest of these in June with my wine group for a comparative tasting of various Produttori del Barbaresco cru's.
One of the dishes at dinner was a surprisingly unique complement to the wine: charred Broccoli in a Romesco sauce garnished with a fried egg (perfectly cooked runny yolk) and Manchego cheese. Romesco is a nut and red pepper based sauce that originated in Tarragona, Catalonia in northeastern Spain. The dish was served in a small cast iron skillet.....wonderfully executed and delightful.