2004 Fuligni Brunello di Montalcino

If the normale is this good, I'd love to try the Riserva!

One of the most delicious BdM's I've had this year. No need to wait, this appears to be at peak. Satiny tannins frame black cherry fruit, exhibiting mouthwatering tartness that is a key part of the picture. Smoke, allspice, saddle. Classic Brunello nose. 
A great example of the heights that can be achieved with Sangiovese.
Paired with char-grillled NY strip, sauteed baby bellos and spring salad. 
Lovely Stilton with mango for dessert, with a rainbow to boot.

1989 Domaine Marcel Deiss Altenberg de Bergheim Gewurtztraminer Grand Cru SGN

What a treat! This was poured at Cru tasting group recently.  Beautifully clean and elegant lychee and peach palate with hints of stoniness.  Very mellow but refeshing. Not cloying or thick. I would not have guessed 14% abv.  Seems much lower %.  The nose smells sweeter than the wine actually is. Hard to put down once you get started.  

2000 Produttori del Barbaresco Riserva Rabaja and 2009 Manzone Barolo Castelletto

The Rabaja was double decanted back into a clean bottle after 3 hours aeration in a decanter.  The Castelletto was slow-o'd for about an hour.

The '00 PdB Rabaja benefits from a lot of air (at least several hours).  Was served a bit too cool at first, but evolved beautifully in the glass over the course of the evening, revealing an inner sweetness that was very nice.  As it opened up, the richness seemed to balance out.  Very tasty balsamic influenced red fruits with elegant hints of tar and chalky minerality. The nose (which was reticent at first) blossomed slowy with subtle florals and lilting spice.  Color shows the age of the wine with tawny shades.  This is in a very satisfying place right now. Maybe not the most complex expression of Rabaja, but lovely this evening.

The 2009 Manzone Barolo Castelletto is a very approachable wine and is actually a bit lighter in body that the 2000 PdB Rabaja. Leaning more toward the raspberry spectrum of fruit with alluring florals as well.  Very enjoyable and reflective of the increase in quality of Barolo in general from 2004 onward. Manzone's wines are always dependable and offer great QPR.

Once again, the dinner at Joe Kindred's eponymously named restaurant in Davidson NC was superb and the service provided by the staff was stellar.  

The charcuterie plate with in-house cured AB Vannoy ham is the closest I have found in the US to Jamon Iberico de Bellota. Truly delicious along with house made soppressata and country pate. 

2nd courses of :
...charred cauliflower in harissa yogurt and sumac
... wagyu beef tartare with horseradish, egg yolk, truffle and anise hyssop
... cripsy oysters with dill yogurt and Calabrian chile oil 
.... house made milk bread, cultured butter and fleur de sel
.... Appalachian trout (crispy skin) with green garlic yogurt, cucumber and neppitela

3rd courses of:
.... Emmer wheat bucatini pork sugo
... Tagliatelle artichoke, creme fraiche , parmigiano reggiano
... Ravioli country ham, fonduta, pea shoots

Dessert course:
... house made buttermilk ice cream and from scratch chocolate chip cookies
.... 1998 Chateau le Graviere Tirecul Cuvee Madame (Monbazillac) http://lestastevinsdulac.blogspot.com/2017/04/1998-chateau-la-graviere-tirecul-cuvee.html?m=1

And a little later on, a 2007 Selbach-Oster Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling Spatlese to wrap up the evening... This Riesling made me think that this is wine that the Varner Brothers would make if they had holdings in Mosel.  Beautiful tropical fruit and a delightful 8% abv.  Complemented by deliciously rich Yancey's Finger Lakes Champagne Aged Cheddar.

2003 Lopez de Heredia Vina Tondonia Reserva Blanco

This expression of Viura can be, at its best, one of the most unique white wines in the world. However, the 2003 vintage falls short of the glory achieved with the Reserva Blanco cuvee in 2000 and 2002. 

Decanting to aerate for a couple of hours helped to mellow it out.  There is a spiciness when first opened that intrudes somewhat ... Perhaps the oak being a bit overwhelming for the fruit in this vintage. 

Always a lovely perfumed, petrol influenced nose. Dark tropical fruit accented with honeyed marzipan notes. The blend is 90% Viura and 10% Malvasia. 

This is big wine that can stand up to spicy food.  We paired it with crab cakes and grilled redfish with crawfish creole sauce.

With the nearby Cantabrian Mountain range providing a dramatic backdrop, Lopez de Heredia is a magical place to visit in Rioja. Staunch traditionalists, fermentation is done using beautiful 140 year old oak vats. 

2004 Ogier Cote-Rotie

Double decanted, but left in the decanter to aerate for 2 hours.  

This started out with shrill (tart) sour cherry character that never really calmed down. 

Reminded me of a too young Burgundy in an off vintage.  Lacking complexity. I dont think this has the foundation to develop into something better down the road but only time will tell.  Some left over for day 2 so will see what happens. 

Just not a lot of Cote-Rotie character here. A let down after the recent brillant showing from southern Rhone by the 2006 Domaine Vieille Julienne Chateauneuf-du-Pape ...