2014 RAEN Pinot Noir Royal St. Robert Cuvée (Sonoma Coast)

13.3% abv 

Produced by Carlo and Dante Mondavi (sons of Tim Mondavi). The RSR cuvée is named in honor of their grandfather, Robert Mondavi.

Palate of purple berry and cardamom balanced with a savory streak of minerality. Masculine fruit structure framed with fine-grained tannins. Gorgeous nose of violets and sous bois. This is a really nice pinot noir.

Paired beautifully with whole roasted Branzino and to-die-for Pommes Anna.

In 5 years or so it should be at peak with more evolved tertiary development.

In a blind tasting, I would have guessed this to be a Morey Saint-Denis premier cru, possibly Les Ruchots...?

RAEN (which stands for ‘Research in Agriculture and Enology Naturally’) was conceived as a validation of the Sonoma Coast as one of California’s most important terroirs for Pinot Noir.

The vineyard source is located near the town of Freestone in the hills overlooking Bodega Bay. 

ELEVATION: 658 feet
SOIL: Lower parcel: well-drained Goldridge Sandy Loam and Steinbeck Fine Sandy Loam. 
Upper parcel: Iron-rich Franciscan sandstone 
EXPOSURE: SouthEast
CLONES: Dijon 667, 828, Calera, PN-VR1

Vinfied using 70% whole cluster with wild-native fermentation. Aged for 10 months in 60 gallon French barrels and one puncheon with no new oak.

2014 was the second vintage produced at RAEN with 18 barrrels of the RSR cuvée.

2014 Deusyls de la Pèira (Languedoc-Roussillon)

14.5% abv
Roussanne, Marsanne and Viognier 
An estate wine from the Belle Fiole lieu-dit.

Tropical palate, giving way to pear and honey on the finish. Showed its alcohol with a bit too much heat on the finish, then settled down with air. More enjoyable after warming up the the glass. 

I've had younger versions of this cuvee that were disjointed. This 2014 version has had time to come together. 

Paired nicely with potato-flour fried shrimp drizzled with guajillo chili sauce.

2008 Dom Pérignon

Cindi and Brett Ferguson hosted a wonderful dinner featuring paella as the main course. It's been many years since I've tried Dom Pérignon, so based on the glowing reports for the 2008 vintage we popped a cork with the paella. 

Dom Pérignon is sourced from Grand Cru and Premier Cru vineyards located in nine villages: 
Chouilly, Cramant, Avize, and Le Mesnil-sur-Oger in the Côte de Blanc provide Chardonnay
Aÿ, Bouzy, Mailly-Champagne, Verzeney and Hautvillers in Montagne de Reims provide Pinot Noir 

Upon opening, it seemed a bit less dry than I usually enjoy Champagne. With exposure to air, a harmonious and elegant structure revealed itself, seducing with a rich palate of red currant and lemon zest wrapped in a gossamer robe of chalk. Everything seemed to come into balance, offering a thought-provoking level of vinosity complemented by delicately spicey florals on the nose.

I would have liked to have tried this cuvee a year or two prior to release to perhaps get a better glimpse of the early stage tension between the components that gave rise to this beauty.

It will be interesting to taste this in 5 years as a deeper tertiary character unfolds.

The 2008 vintage marks the retirement of Chef de Caves, Richard Geoffroy, concluding an impressive 28 years with Dom Pérignon. Vincent Chaperon assumed the helm in early 2019.

2004 Galardi Terra di Lavoro (Roccamonfina)

This was opened late and decanted to aerate. It followed a beautifully elegant 2006 Mastroberardino Taurasi Radici Riserva.

Very slow to open up.... started to reveal its character after 90 minutes or so. A larger scaled wine built for the long haul. (Mostly Aglianico with some Piedirosso).

Black fruit in balance with tannins that have mellowed, and a nice underlying minerality. Tar and subtle truffle slowly emerge. It's just not showing much complexity at this stage.

First foray with this wine. I believe the vineyards are situated north of Naples on volcanic terroir, located not too far inland from the coast. This cuvee was first produced in 1994.

Hold for another 5 to 10 years.

Zone and Production:  Vulcano Roccamonfina,  10 ha of Vineyards, West and North-West exposed,  planted with 80% Aglianico and 20% Piedirosso
Altitude and System:   400 - 450 msl  /  all Cordone speronato  /  4.500 Plants/ha
Age of the Plants in 2004:  14 Years 25% / 10 Yeras 25% / 8 Years 50%
Harvest:  from Beginning to the End of October 2004
Vinification:  after crushing, Skin Contact for about 20 Days with the Must with dayly Pumpover, malico in stainless Seel, after for 10-12 Month in Barrique from Allier and Nevers.
Alc.  13° vol
Acidity:  5,10 gr./L 
PH.  3,72
Dry Extract:  33,40 gr./L  
Production:  about  20.000 x 0,75L / 611 x 1,50L / 209 x 3,00L

  

2013 Selbach-Oster Zeltinger Schlossberg Riesling Schmitt (AP#13)

Enjoyed the 2nd half of this bottle this evening after being stored under vacuvin for a week or so.

The picture is clearer now with delicious apple flavors on the palate complemented by delicate, savory herbal elements and a pleasing botrytis-influenced finish. 

Paired *spectacularly* well with guajillo chile pork tamales. 

2004 Pisoni Pinot Noir Estate Vineyard

Finally coming into its own. This wine was a monolithic beast for the first decade or so of its life. 

Showing admirable balance now. The greatness of the Pisoni vineyard is evident with savory red and blue fruit, sandalwood aroma, and a nice bit of complexity on the finish.

2016 Cantina Terlano Pinot Bianco Vorberg Riserva

First taste of the 2016 vintage Vorberg.  I usually buy this wine in every vintage. 

Alto Adige at its finest..... the 2016 is creamy in texture, perhaps lacking the classic structure of the 2015 ...

Seems more like the 2014...  

....softer around the edges and quite approachable young... delicious...

....although the 2016 became somewhat reticent about an hour after opening

Will be interested in Ian's perspective. 

Rudi Kofler is a genius in letting the terroir speak clearly through this special varietal..
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Day 2 shows enhanced fullness and depth of character. A relatively big wine for this cuvee, but now we see mineral underpinnings coming to the fore on the finish.

To me, this rendition of Pinot Bianco has shares some characteristics of an excellent chenin blanc (textural mouthfeel and slight hints of sweetness that are offset beautifully by the minerally bitterness on the finish).

The wine's viscosity signals a long life ahead.

Paired wonderfully with goat cheese infused with spices and bits of exotic peppers, and sides of fresh grapes and caramelized pecans. The bittersweet finish on the caramelized pecans was an unexpectedly delicious complement to the Vorberg magic.