This wine has settled down and entered into its drinking window since I last tasted it two years ago. The flavor profile has La Crau terroir written all over it. Reviewer notes indicate it is 100% Grenache, but it seems to me that it has a bit of Syrah or Cinsault in the blend. Michael Tardieu works with Philippe Cambie to produce this wine.
Opened and slow-oxygenated in bottle. Bigtime garrigue influence on the palate .. very nice. Blackberry, creosote and hints of anise. Muted nose at first. 14.5 alc. Gorgeous translucent ruby color. A solidly enjoyable CdP, even if it does seem a bit warm on the finish after a couple of hours.
Really chewy texture (in a good way) after a couple of hours when the Grenache opens up.... a bit sweeter fruit character develops. This wine is in a good place now, and will drink well for several more years. Paired with ravioli Bolognese.
Popped and poured... beautiful Meyer lemon and hazelnut with an extremely attractive minerality and food-friendly, very mellow tartness ... 13.5% alc...
The 1996 vintage of Chassagne-Montrachet and Puligny-Montrachet premier cru chardonnays are a joy.
This one opened up over the course of the next 2 hours, divulging its depth and smoothness from age. Paired with Sunday evening chicken Dijon, lemon-herb risotto and artichoke salad.
We have enjoyed this wine several times over the past couple of years and its track record of success for an older white Burgundy is admirable.
A beautiful, mature expression of Grenache. Pegau is one of my favorite producers in Chateauneuf du Pape. I would say that this one might go another year or two for optimal drinking, but I recommend drinking now if you have it.
Slow-oxygenated in bottle for about 1.5 hours prior to dinner. It was a hit at dinner and went very quickly... wish I had had a second bottle with me...
Lovely aromatics. The fruit was lush with tannins smooth as silk (a Pegau hallmark, IMO).... very seductive garrigue and earth... quite a bit of sweet sediment at the tail end of the bottle... great stuff!
To describe this wine in a word: Harmony...
Uncorked for slow-o in bottle 2 hours prior to dinner. Although registering at a modest 14% alcohol, this wine is all about lovely fruit ... rich and gorgeous. Ruby color with garnet robe... attractive floral aromatics with a hint of menthol.
Re-corked, took to dinner and decanted at the restaurant... it became apparent early on that the '97 vintage of the Brich Ronchi deserves its special reputation ... IMHO, as classic of a flavor profile for great Barbaresco as you can get....
Plush blackberry, hints of mocha & spice ... with hauntingly pretty finesse and elegance... what more can you say about a great wine? ... you know it when you taste it.
Paired with marinated short ribs and bacon-sorghum glazed Brussels sprouts (an incredibly delicious dish)...
Here are the notes from the 1996 vintage we enjoyed last weekend: http://lestastevinsdulac.blogspot.com/2014/02/albino-rocca-barbaresco-vigneto-brich.html
Both are gorgeous wines, but I have to give the edge to the 1997 bottling...
This is the finest example of this wine we've had. Whenever a 1990 vintage wine is opened from one of the major wine producing regions (Tuscany, Piedmont, Burgundy, Rhone or Bordeaux), it is often a very special bottle of wine. Based on recent experience, I would say that Tuscany has slight edge over any of the other regions just mentioned for the 1990 vintage. This Sangioveto is made only in harvests deemed to be excellent.
Uncorked for slow oxygenation in bottle. First impression is cascading red fruit with wonderfully lithe kirsch-like intensity of flavor. The tannins seem to be quite a bit softer than when I had the 1990 vintage of this wine in June of 2013.
Old school 13.5% alcohol (love it) with graceful balance in acidity and tannins ...translucent ruby color with attractive bricking at edges.
As the wine opened up over the next couple of hours, the fruit became quite plush and was complemented by very pretty sous bois with hints of coffee and spice ... Very soft aromatics ... Paired with spicy ravioli Bolognese for dinner.
Looking forward to trying the 1985 vintage of this wine soon ...
Interesting experience juxtaposing this wine after the wonderful 1996 Albino Rocca Brich Ronchi from yesterday. One takeaway is not to open anything from Piemonte younger than 2000 vintage :-D This may be too much of generalization, however recent experiences with 2001 vintage Barolo and 2003 Barbaresco indicate that the 2000 vintage and older make for much more satisfying drinking at this point in time.
Opened the '03 Rabaja 2 hours ahead of dinner and decanted. Initial flavor profile is quite tart compared to the voluptuousness of the '96 Brich Ronchi. Alc. 14.5%, deep ruby color. Nose is actually forthcoming with floral notes, but the wine seems way too young on the palate.
Took to dinner at a restaurant and decanted. Fruit has opened up slightly but the wine is still tight. Nice acidity, tar and minerals. I'd take a another look at this wine five years.
Of the Barbaresco I have enjoyed over the past year (Sottimano, Elia Pasquero, Elvio Pertinace, Bruno Rocca, Cortese), the '96 Albino Rocca Brich Ronchi is my favorite with the '98 Elia Pasquero Sori Paitin coming in a very close second. The Brich Ronchi and the Sori Patin are two different styles... the Brich Ronchi is the elegant jazz artist and the Sori Paitin is the rock & roller.
My first experience with this producer... read about Albino Rocca wines in a book by Joe Bastianich. Opened and allowed to slow-oxygenate in bottle for 2.5 hours prior to dinner. 14% alc. Good clarity, translucent garnet color with soft lightening at the edges. Subdued yet attractive nose at first. The palate informs a classic & well-balanced Barbaresco profile, signaling this will be great with dinner.
Took to dinner at a local restaurant, and served from bottle with no decant. Violets and purple fruit delightfully enveloped the table upon pouring. Like many '96 vintage wines from Piemonte, this one still has many delicious years ahead and is in a really nice spot right now. Rich pure fruit, sottobosco and a bit of mint... lovely acidity made it a great companion to pan seared duck breast. Very well balanced and nimble for a '96. Interestingly, there was virtually no sediment at the end of the bottle.
Not readily available on the market, this wine is from the family estate of famed vigneron, Mark Aubert, which is situated adjacent to the Grace Family vineyard.
Popped and poured at a restaurant for dinner. 14.5% alc. Rich deep color with no signs of fading. 2002 vintage is a favorite of mine for Napa cabs. Mostly Cabernet Sauvignon with some Merlot and Cabernet Franc. It sees around 30 months of oak (half new).
Bit of initial funk which blew off, giving way to an alluring nose . Ultra-smooth texture (typical of many 2002 Napa Cabs) .... luscious blackcurrant, cedar and cacao. Attractive and in an optimal drinking window now, it disappeared quickly.
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