2007 Uccelliera, 2007 Cepparello, 2010 Cayuse Callioux

These three wines stood out at an informal dinner last Thursday night.  No particular theme (just bring a favorite wine).

The 2007 Uccelliera Brunello di Montalcino was double decanted into cleaned bottle.  It aerated in a decanter for a couple of hours. A wonderfully hedonistic wine without being over-the-top. Tannins have melted into the beginning of a prime drinking window on this wine.  The bouquet leaps forth ... savory sous bois notes mingling with alluring florals.  Black cherry, cedar, tobacco leaf, spice, faint anise. The impression is of high quality, luscious Sangiovese fruit from the vineyard handled with loving care. A very, very nice wine.

The 2007 Isole e Olena Cepparello was slow-o'd for about eight hours in bottle.  Always a favorite, this bottle is very tasty, but will improve over the next few years. Black fruit with more acidity than the Uccelliera. Unique espresso and spice component. Nose is a bit reticent at this stage. Provided an excellent counterpoint with more structure than the Uccelliera.

The 2010 Cayuse Callioux is a fascinating wine.  My experience with Cayuse has been limited to just pop and pour, which is a disservice to such a great wine IMO.  This one was a pop and pour as well, so it was pretty closed for the first hour.  Once it started to open up, I realized what a tribute to the Northern Rhone that Christophe Baron has crafted. Inky blackberry and mineral. Tellicherry pepper, lavender, hint of goudron. I would love to taste one of these wines next to a Chapoutier Le Pavillon. Interestingly, I did not get much impression of the Viognier that is co-fermented with the Syrah for the Callioux cuvee.  It seemed more Hermitage in nature than Cote-Rotie.  The Cayuse paired perfectly with wagyu steak. The 14.8% abv is somewhat surprising for such a beautifully balanced wine. (I would have guessed in the 13% abv range).

2015 Pieropan Soave Classico Calvarino

PnP 12.5% abv.  Green apple and subtle spice muskmelon with saline finish. Not complex. Would likely benefit from a few years of cellaring. Nice quaffable wine.

2014 Fritz Haag Brauneberger Juffer Sonnenuhr Riesling Spatlese A.P. #7

My first foray with this producer.  PnP with dinner.  Explosive burst of ripe pineapple fruit on the palate that is very pleasing and impressive in its depth. Glycerin mouthfeel with only modest level of acidity gives way to a somewhat hollow mid-palate, and clean but uncomplex finish.  Modest tropical nose with none of the petrol notes that I enjoy in Riesling. 
The wine's simplistic character may be due to the challenges of the 2014 vintage. Alternatively, its shyness could be indicative of youth, or perhaps going into a closed phase.

....great notes in the Mosel Fine Wine Report with Oliver Haag discussing the 2014 vintage:

"....Oliver Haag describes the 2014 autumn as being tough but with a happy end: “I hope not to have to work like mad like we had to do in 2014 or 2013 any time soon! Everything was actually looking fine until the autumn. Bud break was early, always good sign, and the summer was very nice, even if quite wet but not too wet to affect Riesling. The issue was the rain combined with warm temperatures at the beginning of October. 

Fortunately, the grapes were already ripe by then and we were able to start with the harvest right away. But we had to push the pedal to the metal to get through it and the 35-man strong harvest team grew to 50 by the end of the harvest, around October 23. The issue was that the selection had to be done in the vineyards. The grapes were splitting open in the buckets and any bad grape would immediately spoil a complete basket! ...."

2000 Calon Segur and 2002 Dunn Howell Mountain

Thanks to Scott Nelson for bringing these beautiful wines to dinner at Acqua Al 2 in Washington D.C. (located next to the Eastern Market in the Capitol Hill area).  Opened both wines at table, we decanted the Calon Segur and poured the Dunn Howell Mountain from bottle.

The Dunn was fairly ready to drink from the start and opened up quickly. 2002 has a reputation for being a supple, earlier drinking vintage in Napa, I believe.  Rich blackberry and cassis set with sweetly aged tannins. Nice finish with mellow plum and spice notes. Although not all that complex, it was the favorite wine of the group at dinner. 

The Calon Segur (St. Estephe) was tight, and started to open up after an hour in the decanter. It was my favorite wine of the two.  60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc. Let this sit open for a day if you try one.  It is still just a bit early in the drinking window. I drink Bordeaux infrequently so this was a real treat. Black cherry with really nice tobacco notes as it opened up over a couple of hours. Super tasty bit of minerality along with still firm, yet elegant tannins.  Paired incredibly well with filet mignon in a crazy good blueberry reduction (sounds weird but it was executed perfectly) and roasted garlic potatoes. 

The Dunn went better with the charcuterie plate at the beginning of the meal, which had an incredibly beautiful mortadella as a component. 

2006 Ornellaia

I rarely get a chance to taste this wine, so this was a treat.  Excellent showing just on the cusp of its drinking window. And what a gorgeous showing.  56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc, 5% Petit Verdot. 

Slow-o'd in bottle all day. The most impressive thing about this wine is the beautiful minerality coupled with the precise cut of high quality fruit.  It will be fascinating to see what this is like in 10 years.  The Cabernet Franc lends an interesting smoky component to the vibrant fresh black fruit.  The finish kept evolving over the evening, gaining in complexity.

Those seeking a jammy fruit experience will likely find this style too tightly wound.  Paired beautifully with grilled prime NY strip steaks and garlic risotto. 

Based on this experience, I am impressed by the wines from the Bolgheri region.  AG has an excellent write up on the history of the estate and detail on vinification methods.