2006 Elio Altare Larigi

14.5% abv. 100% Barbera. Produced from 50 year old estate vines.

Exceptional balance and beautiful tertiary complexity.  Delicious black fruit and spice, but the star of the show that makes everything fall into place is the elegant acidity. Tannins have melted, and this wonderful acidity makes the other red wines just recede into background when paired with homemade pizzas. 

The most enjoyable Barbera I've ever had. Shows the great aging potential of the varietal. Bravo.

2012 Cédric Bouchard Roses de Jeanne Blanc de Noirs Presle

Disgorged April 2016. Zero dosage. Raised in stainless steel (no wood used at all). 

Remarkable out of the gate. A beautiful, terroir-driven blanc de noirs (100% pinot noir). Beautifully cut palate of orchard fruit complemented by mouthwatering salinity and super-refined minerality. Subtle nose. 

Very fine bead that dissipates quickly, with small red fruit dancing across your tongue. With aeration, hints of anise on the finish. 

Delicious. This stuff will spoil you. 

Paired nicely with an Asian-inspired preparation of a shrimp and scallop dish.

2001 Pegau, 2006 P. Scavino Cannubi, 2006 Mastroberardino Taurasi Riserva

2001 Domaine du Pegau Chateauneuf-du-Pape Cuvee Réservée 
Double decanted. Modest amount of fine grained sediment. Aerated in decanter for 90 minutes or so before pouring back into clean bottle.

Beautifully florals leaping from the bottle upon pulling the cork bode well. Over the course of the evening, the wine gained presence in both palate and nose. 
This 2001 does indeed rival the magnificent 2004 we enjoyed several weeks ago. A bit more ethereal and elegant, thanks to the additional bottle age.

Mostly Grenache with some Syrah and Mourvedre as well as 13 other permitted grape varieties. Laurence Feraud produces some of the most ageworthy, complex wines in the southern Rhone. 

Alluring lavender nose with hints of spice. Mouthwatering black cherry fruit, anise and game with signature black tea and garrigue. Long and complex finish that makes the dream of perfectly aged Chateauneuf-du-Pape a reality.
Excellent info on vineyards and terroir here:
http://www.pegau.com/crbst_15_en.html



A 2006 Paolo Scavino Barolo Cannubi followed the Pegau. Aerated for a couple of hours in decanter, it shows the classicism of the vintage.. This settled down nicely over the evening. Very fine tannins that have started to show early hints of sweetness. 

Indeed, the perfumed nose is exemplary. Silky, refined palate of black fruit in balance with hints of tar, roses and cassis. A very well rounded and complete wine that will continue to evolve nicely. 

Vineyards are situated on a southeastern exposure, just upslope from the Bartolo Mascarello holdings. I always enjoy Paolo Scavino wines.





What could possibly follow these two wonderful wines and keep the momentum going? The 2006 Mastroberardino Taurasi Riserva is a superb choice. 

While being at a slight disadvantage in terms of pop and pour, this evolved spectacularly over several hours. Damn, I love this Riserva vintage. It is one of the most complete and satisfying wines of any genre for me.

The first thing that comes to mind when describing this wine is an aura of burgundian elegance. 

Deceptively light bodied when opened, it slowly reveals an inner beauty of quality red fruit coupled with sophisticated balance of acidity and underlying minerality. 

Gaining serious, noble presence over the evening, this is a wine that you can't put down. Perfectly balanced dusty tar and licorice on the mid-palate, give way to gossamer accents of tobacco and Taurasian sottobosco. 



The wines were enjoyed with a first course Arancini followed by main course of grilled bone-in Berkshire pork chops, broccoli rabe with roasted garlic, mashed potatoes with proscuitto and garlic, and a roasted beet salad.