2008 Rochioli Pinot Noir West Block

A testament to the greatness of California pinot noir. I consider Rochioli to be among the Grand Cru's from Sonoma. Having enjoyed many of the Rochioli cuvee's through the generosity of friends over the years, I believe that this 2008 West Block may be one of the most beautiful wines wines from this estate.

Popped and poured at the restaurant,  the bouquet leaps from the bottle. As it opened up, it became apparent that this is a special vintage of West Block. Incredibly savory black rasberry fruit, silky texture and wonderfully intriguing spices... (difficult to express the quality of this fruit in comparison to other estates ... it is absolutely exceptional ).  Lush, yet not ponderous. Has  underlying minerality and tension that indicates very solid potential for aging at least another 5 years or more. Right in a sweet spot right now, try one if you have it.

Paired with:
First course of seared foie gras
Second course of Cassoulet Campagnard
Final course of pear clafouti
.... all flawlessly executed by Chef Nicholas Tarnate at Aix en Provence Restaurant 

Tour of Bordeaux-blend and Cabernet Sauvignon based wines

Co-hosted a tasting for our wine group recently. Thanks to Steve Dunn for providing a most excellent 2nd flight. 

1st flight
1999 Fisher Wedding Vineyard  (favorite of the flight) - Sonoma - Cabernet Sauvignon with a bit of Cabernet Franc (14% abv)
1998 Chateau Gomerie - St. Emilion - Merlot (13% abv)
1998 d'Arenberg Coppermine Road - McLaren Vale - Cabernet Sauvignon  (14% abv)
1997 Concha y Toro Don Melchor - Maipo Valley - Cabernet Sauvignon  (13.5% abv)
1997 Le Macchiole Paleo - Tuscany - mostly Cabernet Sauvignon with a bit of Sangiovese and Cabernet Franc (13% abv)
1992 Ferrari-Carano Reserve (2nd favorite of the flight) - Sonoma - Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Merlot, Malbec (13.5% abv)

All wines showed well in the 1st flight. Fisher Wedding Vineyard is a personal favorite. It is often compared (humbly, though) to the style of La Mission Haut-Brion. The '92 Ferrari Carano was excellent, attesting to the longevity of this cuvee. The '98 Gomerie still had lots of upfront fruit. The '98 Coppermine Road was the most viscous palate-wise reflecting the huge vintage inn Australia that year. 

2nd flight
2006 Dunn Howell Mountain - Napa - Cabernet Sauvignon (13.8% abv)
2006 Leoville Las-Cases - St. Julien - Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc (13.5% abv)
2007 Quilceda Creek - Columbia Valley - Cabernet Sauvignon with a bit of Merlot in this vintage (15.2% abv) 
2008 The Mascot - Napa - Cabernet Sauvignon (2nd favorite of the flight )
2009 Groth Reserve - Napa - Cabernet Sauvignon (favorite of the flight )
2009 Shafer Hillside Select - Napa - Cabernet Sauvignon 

All wines in the 2nd flight showed well. This flight perfectly showcased some of the best of new world and best of old world. The Leoville Las-Cases was nowhere near its prime, showing the most structure. A beautiful wine, but hold for another decade at least. 
My personal favorite of the 2nd flight was the Quilceda Creek.  What a unique wine! Intriguing minerally fruit with a complex finish that included hints of eucalyptus that I particularly enjoy. Quilceda Creek has received some huge ratings from professional critics, which it deserves but unfortunately catapults the price of the wine. 
My 2nd favorite of this flight was the Dunn Howell Mountain. What a wine! The flight was served blind and I would never have guessed an '06 Dunn HM would be so approachable.  Kudos to my co-host who poured this flight. He aerated the wines extensively throughout the day to prepare them to show their best. The '06 Dunn HM is a beautiful balanced wine with impeccable quality of fruit and surprisingly smooth,  integrated tannins at this juncture.  If you have a few bottles, then it is worth trying one now with lots of air. 
The Mascot is made by Will Harlan (Bill's son), comprised of a blend from younger vines that supply Harlan, Bond and Promontory. 
The Shafer Hillside Select was the most controversial wine (for me at least). The Shafer HS has been referred to as a blueberry milkshake by some members of this board. I wouldn't go so far as to describe it as milkshake-like in viscosity,  but it definitely has a thick lushness to it. I have enjoyed much older vintages of Shafer HS that showed more traditionally.  This young version needs a lot more time to settle down. 

All in all, a very fun evening ...

2009 Domaine de Marcoux Chateauneuf-du-Pape Vieilles Vignes

Even with years of great development ahead of this wine, I couldn't resist trying a bottle. Lush blackberry fruit with subtle creosote. Soft, slightly angular tannins yet well balanced. Somewhat shy nose at the juncture. Sourced from prime parcels in La Crau, Gallimardes and Esquirons lieux-dits. Telltale La Crau signature garrigue is present but will hopefully manifest itself a bit more as the fruit portion of the palate matures. 
Drink now or hold for another 4 to 5 years for tertiary (secondary or tertiary? ?... I get those terms confused..) development. .. Manages its 15% abv well.

2013 Domaine des Baumard Savennières

Lovely pear and apple... alluring hint of bitterness on the finish (like the pit of peach?) that reflects the schistose terroir of this tasty chenin blanc from the Loire ... sourced primarily from the St. Yves vineyard,  I believe. .. 13% abv... 

Visit to Santa Cruz Mountains

Scott Nelson and I visited Big Basin Vineyards and Ridge Montebello on a day trip to Santa Cruz Mountains from Palo Alto.  
Bradley Brown  (owner & winemaker) and Jim La Mar (Sales Manager) provided wonderful hospitality at Big Basin Vineyards. 
I've been a fan of Big Basin pinot noir for several years after discovering them through the Vinous reviews.
The style is terroir-driven and the pinots are sourced from several different vineyards, including Woodruff,  Alfaro and Coastview. Pinots are usually made with a significant percentage of whole clusters. 
The conversation with Bradley was very helpful in understanding the timing of harvest in relation to opitimal ripeness of fruit along with maturation of stems.  Whole cluster doesn't work well if the fruit is left to hang too long. 
We also discussed stylistic differences inherent in Santa Cruz Mountain pinots as compared to Central Coast pinots. 
The estate property at the winery in Boulder Creek is beautiful.  The estate vineyards proximal to the winery are planted to primarily Syrah (rootstock originally sourced from John Alban) and Grenache, with some pinot noir on steep mountain slopes. Soil is sandstone, clay and shale. 
The 2013 Woodruff pinot noir was pretty much closed at this stage, yet quite lithe and minerally. Balanced at 13% abv.
The 2012 Grizzly (Grenache and Syrah) was a bit more open but still has a ways to go for optimal drinking. 
The 2012 Old Corral Syrah was open for business,  exhibiting luscious fruit and aromatics. Mostly Alban rootstock syrah cofermented with Grenache and Viognier.

2006 Martinelli Pinot Noir Moonshine Ranch Vineyard

It's amazing to me how Martinelli can produce a pinot noir in a ripe style with 15% abv, yet without heat affecting the palate of the wine. Must be something to do with the more northerly location of the vineyard in Sonoma (?)...
In any case this '06 version drinks like a nice Pommard.... luscious, nicely aged cherry fruit, allspice and a very intriguing sous bois influence on the finish that contiributes to its expansive complexity... this bottle was really in a nice place for drinking now. 

Enjoyed with dinner at Joe and Katy Kindred's eponymously named restaurant in Davidson NC. 
Calabrian chile spiced oyster appetizer,  Morrocan inspired pork dish and tasty mushroom ravioli. 
Love this restaurant and the wine list is inspired (Katy , a certified Sommelier,  does an amazing job putting together an eclectic list). I mention this because chinato is on drinks list.  I don't remember the producer, but I had to try a glass simply because I have never had chinato.  Interesting stuff... enjoyed the front end, but its the cough syrup finish that takes some getting used to. Not entirely offensive but IMO an acquired taste. 

1970 Giovanni Manzone Barolo

Purchased from Chambers Street. Great QPR. Wish I'd bought more. 1970 is a solid vintage overshadowed by the great 1971 vintage. I don't run across many 1970 Piemonte wines so when I saw this one being offered at a good price, I jumped on it. 

The current Gramolere cru bottling from G. Manzone is sourced from higher altitude parcels which are more tannic in style and long-lived. Not sure where the vineyard source(s) are for this '70 normale bottling but I thought: "characteristically more tannic and higher altitude equals longevity in a good vintage". Plus the provenance seems to be good because when I opened the wine, a beautiful nose of florals sprang forth, which boded well.  The wine was sound with that graceful elegance one looks for in 40+ year old Barolo  :)  

 Fruit still hanging in there with hints of brett that were not off-putting  (and dissipated over the course of the evening).   I've had better bottles from Piemonte's 1971 and 1978 vintages, but this 1970 is a very likeable wine that beautifully complemented grilled bone in pork chops, arancini and shrooms oreganata. 

Lots of sediment. Double decanted back into clean bottle.  This wine didnt need a lot of time to open up, but the gossamer tannins did take on an ethereal sweetness as the evening progressed. Photo captures my "coffee filter press run" process that works well for extracting the portion of the wine with the best flavor without the sediment! 

There was some nice complexity to complement the elegance. Intriguingly delicious so that it was nice to roll it around and appreciate its history unveiled. 

What can I say? ... I enjoy old wines !

As a great counterpoint in age, we popped and poured a 2011 F. Alessandria Gramolere.  Taking Marius' advice, we eschewed decanting and just let it open up in the glass. About an hour later it was drinking beautifully. I love this wine. We've gone through a half case recently and are going back for more. 
http://lestastevinsdulac.blogspot.com/2016/04/2011-fratelli-alessandria-barolo.html?m=1

Clos Erasmus Vertical

Vinous member, Leonard Taylor and his wife, Jill, recently hosted an epic tasting featuring a vertical of the famed Clos Erasmus wines. 

The evening was doubly special in that Clos Erasmus owner/winemaker, Daphne Glorian, and her husband, Eric Solomon, were in attendance, as well as fellow Vinous member, Kelly Walker. 

Daphne was incredibly charming and shared marvelous stories about getting her start in Priorat in the late 1980's. Eric (founder/owner of Charlotte -based importer European Cellars) was in fine form providing unique insight and anecdotes. 

Clos Erasmus is a very limited production cuvee from Priorat that is mostly Grenache with some Syrah. Earlier vintages contain a dollop of Cabernet Sauvignon. It typically sees about 20 months in French oak (60% new).  These are beautiful wines and I've heard them described by the fairer sex as being "orgasmic", which clearly makes this cuvee a solid choice for date night  :) 

I did not take detailed notes, and the wines were served double blind. I do remember thinking that the wines were all comprised of Rhone varietals,  however I picked the first two as being from California (Paso Robles),  the second two as being from Spain (Priorat) and the last two as being from France (CdP). This highlights the different characteristics introduced from aging, I suppose. 

1998 Clos Erasmus 
2004 Clos Erasmus 
2007 Clos Erasmus 
2013 Laurel (2nd wine of Clos Erasmus)
2010 Clos Erasmus 
2013 Clos Erasmus 

My favorite of the flight (and the favorite of the group) was the 2010 Clos Erasmus. The beautifully precise expression of fruit and overall balance amply demonstrated the unique character of this hallowed vintage. 

Bravo to a very special evening!