2012 Ornellaia and 2012 MacDonald

 Both opened for slow oxygenation in btl for around 5 hours. 

Tasted these single blind side by side and actually mixed them up trying to guess which was which.

I'd never had a MacDonald that was ready, but this one is. It's a blockbuster of a wine.... very much in the zone for enjoyment.  100% Cabernet Sauvignon. 

The Ornellaia was more reserved and not showing as readily. Cabernet Sauvignon (56%), Merlot (27%), Cabernet Franc (10%) and Petit Verdot (7%).

2024 Clos Cibonne Rosé Cuvée Tradition

Importer notes...
"...Tibouren (a local Provençal rosé variety) spends a year in 100 year old barrels covered by flor to protect it from oxidizing.  As a result, the wine drinks more like a fine white wine than a typical fresh, light and lively rosé.  The color is different, too, a light copper hue.  About 10% of this wine is Grenache which I suspect adds a hint of freshness to it.  The result is an original work that is absolutely delicious to drink..."

Billy Norris, Vinous , June 2026 notes...
“The 2024 Rosé Cuvée Tradition is a wild, exotic wine. Aged sous-voile in foudre for one year, this blend of 90% Tibouren and 10% Grenache unleashes a heady array of beeswax, stewed peach, chamomile, toasted bread and wild herbs. It’s a waxy, enveloping, utterly distinctive Rosé that is very much on the cerebral side, and also pushing the limits of VA. Quite honestly, the Tradition is unlike anything else I’ve ever tasted. Readers who haven’t tasted these wines before owe it to themselves to do so.”

Showing very well right now. This is a very dry and balanced wine at a young age. Paired nicely with spicy grilled shrimp. 

I'm picking up some of the 2023 Spécial des Vignettes and 2024 Prestige Caroline to compare... 

2008 Mastroberadino Taurasi Naturalis Historia & 2010 Pavelot Savigny-Les-Beaune Aux Guettes

 Pre-show dinner for North Mississippi Allstars.. 

The Mastroberadino was decanted for several hours and is open for business....100% Aglianico, sourced from vines around 60 years old in Mirabella Eclano. Tannins have aged beautifully, supporting a glorious mouthful of blackberry fruit. 

The Pavelot was decanted and aerated for a couple of hours. Ideally, it needs more time in the cellar like most 2010 burgundy does. Tart morello cherry with mouthwatering acidity. Delicious even though it's still at least five years away from peak drinking, I would guess. 

Both wines paired well with kimchi shrimp and filet mignon "surf and turf"...

The Mastroberadino gets the nod as favorite since it was in the zone for enjoyment! 

https://youtu.be/j0n458Y6vQI?is=UTpS0xmaELGYZ1ay

https://youtu.be/cGSt34hrmK8?is=to3tH3KIYu6jAqu7

2016 Produttori del Barbaresco Montestefano Riserva

 This bottle confirms the @"Philippe Richer" rule of thumb that outstanding PdB crus are often best enjoyed 20 years after vintage date. Save a few of these for 2036 and beyond👍🍷

Paired with some garlic-ky fingerling potatoes and kona peaberry cappuccino.  
I have some of this bottle left over for tomorrow's dinner plans. 

2018 Keller von der Fels

 

An underwhelming vintage sums it up.

2006 Mastroberadino Taurasi Radici Riserva

 Sadly, I bought a half case years ago that was quite possibly exposed to non-standard temps of some sort for wine transport. 

For many years, this 2006 Riserva was the essence of a Burgundian style Taurasi Aglianico .... I hope to find some again... 



The evening is not a total loss with Pharoah from 1975 in Paris playing..

Pharoah Sanders – tenor saxophone, vocals

Danny Mixon – piano and organ

Calvin Hill – bass

Greg Bandy – drums

2016 Felsina Fontalloro

 Delicious. Early peak? Easily cellar-able another ten years..the best vintage of Fontalloro I've had (my experience only goes back to 2004 vintage). Incredible fruit supported by still forward but structurally elegant tannins. I enjoy the relaxed stance of Fontalloro compared to the more structured Rancia. But appreciate them equally in terms of understanding Felsina Sangiovese offerings. 

Paired with cheese + Serrano pepper biscuits (buttered,  one of them clesrly drenched) and grapes.

2015 Paul Jaboulet Aîné Crozes-Hermitage Domaine de Thalabert

 Popped and poured. Definitely young. 

First impression, too polished for my taste, even though the use of new oak is modest. 
Opened up only slightly after a few hours. 

My favorite Crozes-Hermitage is Chapoutier Les Varonnières which is sourced from old vines on a hillside as shown in this video:  https://youtu.be/9xL_HOmzD1w?is=uVZnGTlVv2GHC1JH

2016 Castello Colle Massari Poggio Lombrone Montecucco Sangiovese Riserva

 

Very young showing with a blast of fruit and tannin. Needs another 10 years. I vacuum sealed it and stored in the wine fridge for about three weeks, checking on it occasionally.  Finally, it started to mellow and reveal its delicious potential. 

2022 Domaine Huet Vouray Le Mont Moelleux

 

Way too young... significant wine with lots of potential ... bury it..

2023 Deiss Engelgarten and 2023 Deiss Rotenberg

 Based on these two wines, I think the 2023 vintage for Deiss is pretty top notch.

The 2023 Deiss Engelgarten is a field blend of Riesling, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir and Muscat from alluvial gravels mixed with clay and marl in Bergheim. It drinks young now, obviously, but does open up providing a glimpse of a beautifully balanced citrus tropical palate with the fruit positively vibrating. A stunning wine, IMO, that will very much benefit from aging.  Paired with fried pickles, and mango bango fried shrimp..I think a maple Manhattan snuck into the early line up, too. 
I think this may be the best Deiss Engelgarten I've ever had. Just a stunningly crisp audacious palate that smooths out over a couple of hours...really a pleasurable bottle of wine, but then I am partial to Deiss wines.

The 2023 Deiss Rotenberg is a field blend of Pinot Gris and Riesling grown on south facing , red-tinged Jurassic limestone. This is an earthier wine than the bright Engelgarten but as impressive nonetheless. Drank this after dinner at home paired gouda and asiago cheeses and some water crackers.

It was a great learning experience drinking these two heroic wines.... so powerful yet lithe... these wines should be on everyone's buy list....

Sonoma Coast and Côte de Beaune

 

2012 Kutch Pinot Noir MacDougall Ranch Sonoma Coast
Double decanted back into bottle. 
Wow!!!!!
This is an elegant, yet showy mouthful of briary sous bois, whole cluster, impeccably grown black fruit. Reminds me a of a Dugat-Py cru hitting on all cylinders. This wine could easily be cellared another five to ten years and the tertiary development would be fascinating on the palate. 

2012 Kanzler Vineyard Pinot Noir Estate 
Goodness from Sonoma Coast, absolutely beautiful right now.
Comprised of clones 667, 115 and Pommard-4 on Goldridge soils. 

2005 Vincent Girardin Volnay 1er Cru Les Santenots 
One of the best bottles I've ever had of this wine. In a beautiful peak zone of development. The nose, the fruit, the acidity,   The elegance and balance of Les Santenots on full display. WOTN. A favorite pairing with blackened catfish étouffée.

Celebration Wine Dinner

 Celebrating being pretty well recovered from full knee replacement surgery (avoid ar all costs, by the way), we dipped into delicious wines and cuisine....

Creole bbq oysters chargrilled in the shell
Octopus confit
Scallop toast
Paired with 2009 Alexandre Le Brun Révélation Blanc de Meunier Extra Brut
Showing beautifully,  it was very bracing upon uncorking it. Intense yellow orchard fruit, quince and apricot... a big wine.... this will age for years longer... nose of brioche and baking spices.... I don't get a chance to drink much 100% Pinot Meunier wines.... this was a treat. 

Fresh picked heirloom tomato sandwich with homemade mayonnaise 
Vermouth Bianco

Segue to....
2005 G D Vajra Barolo Albe
2017 G D Vajra Barolo Bricco Delle Viole 
Paired with
Chargrilled whole Branzino
Pan-roasted scallops over rock shrimp risotto 

The 2005 Albe is a blend of grapes from Fossati, Coste di Vergne and La Volte (all in the Barolo commune) , and it was showing spectacularly. Tannins have fully integrated to support beautiful red fruit, tar and roses accented Nebbiolo.  Long complex and satisfying finish. 

The 2017 Bricco delle Viole is clearly young ... actually opened it a couple of days early to breathe a bit and then vacuum sealed it till the dinner. Wow, beautiful high toned fruit supported by such a finely chiseled structure of filigreed tannins and acidity. Ideally hold another ten years but it was a delight to check in on now.

Later on, a 2007 Mt. Veeder Winery Cabernet Sauvignon was uncorked.  Ricotta cheesecake and Peaberry Kona espresso was served with it. The 2007 Mt. Veeder Cab was a blast of deliciously mature Napa fruit, black cherry,  cassis, hints of mellow cacao nibs. Wow... scrumptious. 

2020 Marcel Deiss Grasberg

 

Showing beautifully tonite with a spicy fried Bahamian conch dish. 

-------------------
"...The 2020 Grasberg is from the plateau of Jurassic imestone of the Altenberg, sloping slightly north at 350m, a late: ripening site. The field blend is Riesling and Gewurztraminer fermented and aged in foudre. The nose has golden, juicy glints of peach compote edged with lemon. It has the inherent coolness of imestone and vivid freshness, but there is a kiss of honeyed potrytis without it masking the fresh fruit, lending a subtle sweetness (35g/L), rounded and peachy. (Medium)..."
Anne Krebiehl MW, April 2023
 ------------



Producer background...

"...Today, Mathieu Deiss, born in 1984, runs Marcel Deiss. The Deiss family has been in Alsace since the 17th century, always making wine a part of farming. In the 1950s, Mathieu Deiss’ great-grandfather and grandfather, Marcel and André Deiss, respectively, decided to focus on wine. Marcel Deiss’ wife Maria Milan ran the local restaurant Le Tilleuil, so wine was made both for the inn and to sell, helping the domaine to grow slowly. Mathieu Deiss’ father, son of André, Jean-Michel, took over in 1976. Jean-Michel Deiss started to plant field blends in 1990, and he made his first, and at the time groundbreaking, Grand Vin de l’Altenberg in 1994. In 2004, this grand cru’s cahier des charges were exceptionally changed to allow field blends. The seed for the idea of field blends, or complantation, was sown in Jean-Michel Deiss’ mind in 1984 when he bought a big parcel of the Schoenenbourg Grand Cru, planted on one side to Riesling, on the other to an almost century-old field blend. “My father vinified these parcels separately and let critics taste them blind. People could identify Schoenenbourg, but people could not necessarily tell which was the field blend and which was the Riesling. This is what convinced him that that site was stronger and that compelled him to also plant field blends in other locations,” recounts Mathieu Deiss. There has been a lot of expansion. They moved from 24 hectares/59 acres in 2014 to 39 hectares/96.4 acres today. “Over the past six to seven years, we continued to find new terroirs. We also had the opportunity to reorganize the vineyard we had historically. We had parcels on the plains and the foothills, vulnerable to frost and drought, which we exchanged for plots on hillsides,” Mathieu Deiss says. “That was a key point for me for the future.” Mathieu Deiss joined the domaine in 2007. He followed a chemistry and physics degree in Strasbourg with a viticulture and oenology degree from Toulouse. He worked one harvest at home, then for Geoffrey Grosset in the Clare Valley in Australia, then for Brian Croser at Petaluma in the Adelaide Hills. He also interned with the consultancy team of Stéphane Derenoncourt for six months before spending three months in the US with an importer to learn about distribution. Mathieu Deiss and his wife Emmanuelle Milan also run Vignoble du Rêveur in Bennheim. The domaine is based on 8 hectares/19.77 acres of vines belonging to Mathieu Deiss’ mother, which his uncle farmed until his retirement. Both estate’s wines are vinified in Bergheim, but the domaines are kept separate. Vignoble de Rêveur makes more alternative styles using skin maceration. “We are taking more risks, but some terroirs are simpler than here at Deiss, and we find that maceration gave a little more density.” The wines are presold on allocation, just like Domaine Deiss. The domaine is certified biodynamic. Today, Mathieu Deiss likes to play with skin maceration for small portions of his wines; he thinks it helps their balance. He has shifted to a drier register than his father and reduced the use of new oak. However, even if the style is now fresher and brighter, the mesmerizing aromatic nature of the wines and their textural richness are still the same..." -- Anne Krebiehl MW, April 2023

2012 San Fereolo Langhe Rosso

This stuff is pretty good... a bit unique... 

Currently,  it's showing delicious aged fruit up front... high toned red berries.. but the finish doesn't really pan out ... it's a bit too sour (?) On the back end... at this stage... let it sit in the cellar and see what develops over the years..

Actually stood up quite well to a spicy rendition of shrimp and grits ...

Importers notes.
"...1593 refers to the date of the first written documentation of Dolcetto in the archives of Dogliani. It’s a fitting title, since Nicoletta Bocca has made it her life’s work to reveal this grape’s profound connection to her special zone and its proud status among the most expressive and age-worthy wines in the Piedmonte. Made from her best and oldest parcels only in the best vintages, this wine results from grapes sourced from “Cerri Sottani”, a sub-zone of Valdibà. Bocca utilizes long aging to maximum effect, letting the wine rest for 6 years in 15HL and 10HL barrels before being racked into stainless steel for further aging. After time in bottle, this wine is released more than 10 years after the harvest..."

2022 Huet Le Mont Demi-Sec

 Way too young... a bit disjointed upon pop and pour...

...gives a peek at the goodness to come after an hour or so of air... sometimes it's instructive to crack open obviously young stuff... 
Hold for at minimum another 3 to 5 years ...

I'll crack open some younger Deiss next..👍



Paired extremely well with this 1972 recording from Paris where Jarrett played piano, alto sax, flute and even tambourine.... no other recorded performance in Jarrett's 50 plus year history had him playing all of those in a show ... the alto sax laid down a template for the collaboration with Jan Garbarek a few years later... 

Jarrett - piano, alto sax, flute, tambourine.

Paul Motian - drums 

Charlie Haden - bass

Tracking the development of the 2017 Bodegas Cota 45 UBE Maina La Charanga

 Update.... this is absolutely hitting on all cylinders right now. Now you can taste this brilliance of this effort .... paired with soft shell crab and roasted Brussels sprouts with a dash of balsamic...yummy cuisine...100% dry Palomino...

Notes from 2021

http://lestastevinsdulac.blogspot.com/2021/08/2017-bodegas-cota-45-ube-maina-la.html

Notes from 2023

http://lestastevinsdulac.blogspot.com/2023/05/bodegas-cota-45-ube-maina-la-charanga.html

2011 Rivers-Marie Pinot Noir Silver Eagle Vineyard (Sonoma Coast)

 I've found Rivers-Marie pinot noir to be a bit over-the-top for my tastes and this bottle has done nothing to change that. This is a massive wine that is still early in the drinking window. I'd recommend holding for at least another five years. It's a very well made wine, exceptional fruit with quite an assault (in a good way) on the palate. Complex finish with sous bois notes. It's really not a food wine... more of just a wow statement on its own. 

Silver Eagle Vineyard is owned by the family of the late great Thomas Rivers Brown collaborator and farmer, Ulises Valdez..  

2005 Vincent Girardin Auxey-Duresses 1er Cru Les Breterins

What a treat to try this wine. I've such limited experience with wines from Auxey-Duresses.  
The palate exhibits a finely chiseled framework of elegantly restrained red fruit with beautifully balanced acidity and a lacy savory long finish. Actually quite irresistible. 
Paired deliciously with blackened catfish with shrimp and andouiille sausage étouffée over piping hot locally made grits.