1999 Giovanni Manzone Barolo le Gramolere Bricat

It was snowing on a Tuesday evening, so that's all we needed for an excuse to tap into a weekday Barolo.  Enter Manzone's '99 Gramolere Bricat, sadly my only bottle of this wine that is at a wonderful stage of development now.  Paired with eggplant parmesan alongside heirloom tomato & mozzarella di bufala stacks with basil and 20 year old balsamic.
Decanted and let this open up for an hour and a half prior to dinner.  It was pretty seductive right from the start.  Incredibly smooth texture and balance, especially for a wine from a higher altitude portion of the vineyard and known to be sometimes more rustic in style.  Dark cherry and plum fruits, very rich and smooth (tannins are gorgeously mellowed out).  Earthy and tarry with herbal tones (in a very good way) ... alluring and robust floral nose.
What is it about Barolo that delivers on the promise of what we are often chasing with Burgundy?

1999 Paolo Scavino Barolo Carobric

A popular conversation these days among Barolo aficionados is based on the merits of vineyard blends vs. single vineyard wines.  Old school Barolo bottlings were sourced mostly from multiple vineyards prior to the 1980's.  The single vineyard Barolo is really a modern-day occurrence.
The 1999 Paolo Scavino Carobric (14.5 alc.) is an excellent example of how good a multi-vineyard Barolo can be.  Made from a blend of Rocche di Castiglione, Bric del Fiasc and Cannubi, it's more modern in style with delicious up-front fruit (although not a kirsch-monster) complemented by earth & balsam.  Classic profile of tar and roses with attractive mineral delineation.  Still quite dark in color with no appreciable amber at the rim.
Opened about 3 hours prior to dinner and did slow-oxygenation in the bottle.  Decanted at the restaurant and there was very little sediment.  Drank over the course of a couple more hours, and it just kept giving more and more.  Paired with paella, butternut squash risotto and grilled escarole with garlic & parmesan.  All in all, a very approachable 1999 vintage Barolo with at least another 10 years of solid drinking window remaining.  This was my first experience with Enrico Scavino's wines, and I am looking forward to trying his single vineyard wines as well.

1995 Badia a Coltibuono Sangioveto di Toscana

Was looking forward to trying this vintage of the Badia Sangioveto ... have a vertical going of this wine (1985, 1990, 1995)... have enjoyed the 1990 vintage on several occasions ... this wine is made only in better vintages.
The 1995 Badia Sangioveto is a mellow, gorgeous 100% Sangiovese (14% alc.) with mature dark cherry fruit complemented by fine - grained tannin and well-balanced acidity. The nose is very attractive leather and earth with cedar and floral notes.  The bottle was opened and decanted about 2.5 hours ahead of dinner ... chicken Dijon with grilled veggies followed by cheese course (asiago and gouda)... Color is still fairly dark with a translucent tawny robe.
The 1995 is more approachable than the 1990 vintage at this stage ... exhibiting more mellow fruit and less tart structure ...
After 4 hours, it had really opened up and was totally addictive ... managed to save the last quarter of the bottle for follow-up another day.  Actually, the 1995 Badia Sangioveto reminds me of an elegant older Brunello...
As a side note, if you happen to look at Parker's review from 1999, this is a classic example of why wines like this should not be reviewed until they are at least 10 years old ... IMO, the review really missed the mark.

Luigi Pira Barolo Marenca 2000 and Damilano Barolo Cannubi 2000

After 14 hours of air travel and even with clogged up sinuses, I wanted to treat myself.  Very enjoyable teeing up modern and traditional wines from the 2000 vintage side by side... paired with grilled lamb chops, sauteed mushrooms, lemon-herb risotto and marinated artichoke salad for dinner, followed by 70% cacao dark chocolate for dessert.  Both wines were decanted and followed over the course of several hours as they opened up.
Luigi Pira is the only producer to make a wine from Marenca vineyard (2 hectares) in Serralunga d'Alba... this is a very nice example of a modern-style Barolo ... it is a big and bold black cherry statement with really tasty earthiness... nose of roses and leather  ... oak is noticeable but not too obtrusive.  Just entering its window of approachability now ... very dark garnet, quite brilliant color...
I believe that I have read that the Damilano Cannubi may be made from the "lesser" portions of the Cannubi appellation since this is a rather broader classification these days.  However, this wine is extremely good and is made in more of a traditional style.  The nose is off-the-charts alluring with marvelous sois bois complemented by flowers and anise.... the wine is lighter in color (more of a ruby) than the Marenca, and is quite cloudy (unfined and unfiltered...?) ... Lots of sediment, but drinkable sediment.  I didnt want to filter it because this wine is so good. Soft, sweet tannins in this cherry fruit ... this is a rounder and more elegant wine. 
The Marenca is good, but is slightly more angular compared to the Cannubi.  Can't get enough of this Cannubi beauty ... wow!  I have got to find more of this stuff...

Weekday Cotes du Rhone

2010 M Gassier CdR Cercius (consulting winemaker is Cambie)... mostly grenache with some syrah. Sourced from old vines and aged in concrete tanks for a quick six months.
Let this open up for about 2 hours. I understand why people rave about this wine and it is a great bargain at $17. Not your father's CdR for sure. Actually tastes like a new world grenache but does have a bit of nice mineral underpinning. Big raspberry and spice with about 15% alc. 

2012 Chateau St. Cosme Little James Blanc

Incredibly tasty "weekday" white wine for around $12.  I was really surprised at how good this was. Made from 55% Viognier and 45% Sauvignon that have been fermented and aged in vat.   

Here are the notes from winemaker Luis Barruol:

"The Minervois mountains offer a fantastic cool microclimate very well adapted for Sauvignon growing…Our Viognier is a 'selection massale' made in Condrieu: it does give another dimension, a great aromatic complexity, which allows us to avoid the uncomplex varietal character. We make this wine on a very simple and classical way. We look for energy, freshness, aromatic expression. It can be tasted as an apéritif, or be a nice accompaniment to many different dishes such as grilled vegetables, fishes, stilton, blue cheeses, asparagus, chicken with morels, or risotto with truffles…Lemon skin, cooked tangerine, watermelon, peach."

New Year's Eve Wines

Thanks to everyone for making the New Year's Eve gathering so much fun with the great food and wines ...
2008 Gimonnet Gastronome .... this wine is just a baby right now ... really needs a couple of hours to open up, but once it does it is quite nice ... big up front apple palate with slightly bready nose.... delicious with goat cheese and onion tarts for one of the appetizers
2011 Carlisle Derivative ... very interesting aperitif wine .... previously reviewed http://lestastevinsdulac.blogspot.com/2013/12/2011-carlisle-winery-derivative.html
2009 La Peira Deusyls  ... Viogner / Roussanne blend from Lanquedoc ...
1998 Azelia San Rocco ... gorgeous and drinking perfectly now ... this wine is great in any vintage ... tied with Sanguis Bossman Syrah and Pride Cabernet Franc for WOTN ... paired perfectly with Chateaubriand served as the main course for the evening ...
2007 Cortese Rabaja  .... lovely but young... previously reviewed http://lestastevinsdulac.blogspot.com/2013/12/1997-silvio-grasso-barolo-ciabot.html
2004 Pride Cabernet Franc (magnum) ... Bob Foley's wines are always delicious ... this magnum was really in a nice window for drinking ...
2009 Booker Alchemist ... I always enjoy Eric Jensen's wines from Paso Robles ... this one is a blend of Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Grenache...
2008 Lenne Pinot Noir ... Steve Lutz is a small batch Oregon producer
2007 L'Aventure Estate Cuvee ...Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot blend from Paso Robles made by St. Emilion native Stephan Asseo... good stuff
2005 Sanguis Bossman ... a fantastic syrah that no one at the party had ever tried before ... a Paso Robles beauty from Matthias Pippig ... 
2009 Beast ... Cab Sauv, Merlot and Cab Franc blend ... a custom wine made by some friends via Crushpad ... the name is a contraction of the name of their yacht , "Berkeley East" ... which is in the photo on the bottle ...
2006 Scholium Project Margit's Master Blend .... one of the most idiosyncratic wineries that I know of ... Abe Schoener makes this Napa Cabernet Sauvignon ...
2011 Herman Story "On The Road" ... 100% Grenache ...Russell P. From's rhone - style wines from Paso Robles are huge, delicious over-the-top affairs

1999 Aldo Conterno Colonnello, 2000 Artadi Pagos Viejos and 2006 Mastroberardino Taurasi Radici

The 2006 Mastroberardino Taurasi Radici is insanely good. Perhaps because I am typically not a big fan of Aglianico, I was stunned. It was huge yet extremely approachable. .. wild eucalyptus aromas and menthol hints on the palate that seduced everyone
The 1999 Aldo Conterno Colonnello was uncorked for slow-oxygenation in bottle 2.5 hours prior to dinner.  First taste indicated a supremely balanced, gorgeous Barolo.  Decanted at dinner , it continued to develop , but is still just a baby... Loved this wine.
The surprise of the evening as previously mentioned was the 2006 Mastroberardino that was uncorked and decanted at the dinner table.   The Mastroberardino was incredible right from the start , after breathing in the decanter for only about 10 minutes.  It continued to open up and fascinate all evening.  Maybe it was just because I had never tasted a Mastroberardino before, but it slightly eclipsed the '99 Colonnello .   The Artadi is a lovely wine as well , and the 2000 vintage is drinking very nicely now. 
Wines were paired with fresh grilled polipo as an appetizer and stuffed veal chops for dinner ... followed by crème brulee and a 20 year old tawny for dessert...
This was a pre-show dinner for seeing Gregg Allman...  an amazing and legendary talent.