2018 Castellare Chianti Classico

 90% Sangioveto, 10% Canaiolo

Absolutely classic blend.
This is very structured dark red cherry. 
Too young based on pop and pour.
But a beautiful wine. 
Plenty left for day two assessment. 
Enjoyed solo. 
Seems robust enough to complement braised beef short ribs...

2018 Marcel Deiss Grasberg

Companion planting of Riesling, Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer in Alsace.

Always enjoyable. This bottle showed more broadly and less succinctly than other vintages I've had. 

Paired scrumptiously with crab and chorizo croquettes with pepperjam garnish.

2008 Léon Beyer Riesling Comtes d'Eguisheim

 

This was fun and showed quite well. More about nicely aged tropical oriented fruit.... light in acidity...paired nicely with a really tasty marinated tuna poke. 
First time trying this Alsatian producer. I sort of prefer the complexity of palate that Deiss provides with his field blend methodology. 

Even though the wine doesn't indicate Grand Cru on the label, the fruit was sourced from Pfersigberg and Eichberg Grand Cru sites..

2007 Rochioli Pint Noir Little Hill Vineyard

 2.8 acre parcel Russian River Valley, Sonoma County 

Little Hill Vineyard is planted to Rochioli West Block selection, Pommard, and a small amount of RC selection.(see accompanying map)

Double decanted back into clean bottle. Minimal amount of very very fine grained sediment. Drank over the course of a couple of nights. The first go round was closed with a shy nose. More savory character than fruit character.... gives the impression of maybe being a bit past prime drinking window. Not a lot of complexity on the finish, but well balanced with no heat.

The next day or two saw it open up and become more generous with its charms. Still primarily savory in character but tasty red/blue fruit filling it out. ...

Eventually paired well with lobster and filet mignon surf and turf dinner. ... 

I've ALWAYS enjoyed these wines...

2016 Pierres Seches St. Joseph Blanc Saint Epine

 100% Roussanne 

I usually prefer Marsanne, but this actually worked out pretty good. I like it better than the 2016 rouge version of this wine, which I thought was a tad oaky. 

Nice florals leapt out right away, but the palate took time to open up ... like it needs a couple of hours of air to show well now.

Paired well with a squid ink bucatini seafood dish (clams, squid and sausage (not chorizo)... very Spanish style dish. Also flounder filet over slow cooked grits.. killer flavors... 

The brilliance of Deiss 😊

 

https://cluboenologique.com/story/wine-photographer-of-the-year-2026-shortlist/

Jean-Michel Deiss Foot-Treading his Pinot Noir in Bergheim, Alsace



Please, oh lord, let him be wearing a speedo or something under there! 😲

2007 Produttori del Barbaresco Ovello Riserva

 This showed just flat out elegant and delicious. Probably the most refined Ovello I've ever had... lighter in color, clear ruby translucence in the glass.. a joy to drink.... still good to cellar for another few years but I think it's at peak now. I love these wines. 

2004 Calera Pinot Noir Jensen Vineyard (Mt. Harlan)

 Interesting,  but a ponderous (not uplifting fruit) finish for this particular bottle... glad I had a chance to try it... pretty good paired with BBQ sandwich and greens... 

It's just not elegant, really...