Cru Tasting Sept 2024

 

No formal notes, however I must give a shout out to one of our Rayas afficionados @"Philippe Richer".

First time I've enjoyed a Rayas wine. This 2012 Pialade CdR (80% Grenache, 15% Cinsault, 5% Syrah) was my favorite of the bunch this evening. Beautifully lithe in body, with raspberry palate up front followed by a complex finish with an impossible to resist garrique accent.... Paired with duck confit hash.

My second favorite was the 2015 Ex Voto with the 2000 Guigal La Mouline in 3rd place. 

That's a white Burgundy shown and it was really nice...

2011 Produttori del Barbaresco Asili Riserva

 

Opened and decanted to aerate this evening ... paired with dry rub smoked pork ribs and collard greens.

Beautiful wine and quite giving at first. Tannins started kicking in and shutting the wine down on the finish after a couple of hours of air. 

Overall, a nice showing with solid balance for a "warmer" vintage. The fruit should outlast the tannins, IMO. A keeper for the cellar. 

2016 Chapelle St. Théodoric CdP La Guigasse

 

Producer notes from Josh Raynolds:

"..One of the most exciting new projects in the Rhône Valley, these wines are the result of a collaboration of Domaine de Cristia’s Dominique and Baptiste Grangeon and American importer Peter Weygandt, who are seeking to harness and express the singular aromatic complexity and delicacy provided by Grenache grown on the sandy soils of the vaunted Pignan vineyard.

To that end no new oak is used, just neutral foudres and the wines are bottled without fining or filtration. The wines are made with whole clusters and their light color belies the flavor intensity that is delivered, making this a highly appealing source for those who usually steer clear of this region’s wines out of fear of their being too rich, too heavy or too dark-fruited in character.."

15% abv. 100% Grenache. Whole cluster.  Decanted to aerate. Paired very well with spicy Asian chicken and steamed pork dumplings. 

Warm, luscious fruit nose. On the palate, the impression is one of very high quality raspberry inflected fruit. The inclusion of whole clusters is a welcome balance to the richness of the fruit. Fine grained, elegant tannins are quite resolved at this point. Although, I would not hesitate to cellaring this wine for another decade or more. 

I'd still appreciate any effort to moderate the alcohol content to perhaps a more reasonable 13.5%.

With this wine, I'm just not getting the beautiful garrigue or black tea notes that I so prize in traditional CdP. 

As a reference point, one of my favorite CdP producers is Laurence Féraud at Domaine du Pégau, who I believe incorporates all or most of the 13 varietals permitted in CdP into their Réservée cuvee to create a truly magical wine.

2018 Masseria del Pino Caravan Petrol Vino Bianco

 

Field blend of Carricante, Catarratto, Minnella, Pizzutella from vineyards situated on the north slopes of Mt. Etna in Sicily.

This is a skin contact white wine, with no sulfur added. It is very cloudy and unattractive.  Tastes OK, but the sediment is suspended and imparts a grainy texture. Not much nose. IMO, this wine's flaws overcome it's potential. Bummer. The winemaker needs to step up their game so people can appreciate the unique field blend.

2021 Pra Soave Classico Monte Grande

 

70% Garganega, 30% Trebbiano di Soave.
@"Eric Guido" nailed it on this vintage of Monte Grande. Very luscious and full bodied with fruit/acidity/salinity in balance. 
Wonderful to drink now with air. Has enough stuffing to really blossom over the next handful of years. Superb lifted complexity on the finish. 

2011 Domaine Pavelot Savigny-Les-Beaune 1er Cru Aux Gravains

 Hint of fizzy feel on the palate that dissipated. Decanted to aerate. Slightly green influence on the finish, typical of 2011 vintage Cote de Beaune reds. Drank with meat ravioli and it improved somewhat over a couple of hours. Green-ness on the finish not as noticeable with food.

2018 Domaine Brégeon Muscadet Sèvre et Maine "Les Vigneaux"

 

Day 1
Pop and pour paired with blackened catfish accompanied by crawfish & sausage étouffée. 
Beautiful nose with ripe and ready fruit. Quite round on the palate. Very nice. Drink up.

Day 2
Not as good as yesterday.... showing much less in the way of crispness.

2014 Kanzler Family Vineyards Pinot Noir Estate Vineyard Reserve

I've always enjoyed the Reserve, which I believe is made from a selection of favorite barrels. Clones represented are Dijon 667, 115 and Pommard 4 grown on legendary Goldridge sandy loam soils.

From a historical perspective, the 2009 vintage Kanzler Reserve has always showed very well, comparing favorably even with red Burgundy from Côtes de Beaune.

https://lestastevinsdulac.blogspot.com/2019/01/2009-kanzler-family-vineyards-pinot.html?m=1

This 2014 bottling showed quite young and tight upon opening. Decanted to get some air which loosened it up a bit after a couple of hours and let the fruit show thru. And oh what fruit! Savory dusty cherry up front with a tart pomegranate finish. Nothing is out of place in this supremely balanced example of top notch Sonoma Coast pinot noir. Right now, it's a wine of beautiful potential. 

I'd give this at least another five years to approach optimal drinking window. It seems to have plenty of structure to easily age another 20 years.

2010 Albert Morot Beaune Toussaints 1er Cru

 

Nicely aged, serviceable 2010 Côte de Beaune Premier Cru that doesn't break the bank..
Benefits from an hour or so of air 👍🍷

Lithe,  elegant..

Fine cherry fruit up front with a cranberry (more acidic influenced) finish, if that makes sense. 

No harm in enjoying now. Hitting the start of peak drinking in another 5 years maybe...

Albert Morot's Beaune reds age extremely well...

http://lestastevinsdulac.blogspot.com/2014/04/albert-morot-beaune-les-bressandes-1990.html

This Cru always makes me think of Allen Toussaint 🎶🎹

2016 La Ca' Nova Barbaresco Montestefano

 

2016 La Ca' Nova Barbaresco Montestefano 

Day One notes:

First time trying this producer. Pop and pour.

Wow! This wine has incredibly seductive fruit... pure, clean, elegant, fruit with robust flavor.... a real treat. 

Seems too fruit driven to be a Barbaresco, but after 20 mins or so, you notice the filigreed fine tannins bringing beautiful structure into play.  The more air, the more the presence of the tannins kicks in... not in a harsh way, but they let you know that this wine will be at its best a few years down the road. A couple of hours later, there's almost a Clerico-like clench to the tannins on the back end.

I have half the bottle left to assess day 2 performance. 

It's worth cracking a bottle now if you have several to hang onto, otherwise wait at least another five years. 

----------------

Day Two Notes:

I need to try this next to a 2016 PdB Montestefano...
... to see where they're at and what the winemaker's goal is for this vintage and vineyard. 

Day X impression...
.... this 2016 La Ca' Nova Montestefano seems a bit too fruit forward.... not enough tannic structure .... only time will tell with regard to aging....  I just expect more more of a foundation for the fruit.... the clench at the end finish on day one with fine tannins seems to have subsided to include a bit  warm-ish fruit finish...

It's always fun to blow a bunch of hot air trying to assess a wines long term potential .... I mean , after all, who knew El Nido Clio, arguably an opulent wine, can age well for quite a few years?

 Will need to delve into harvest date, exposure, vinification process, etc. compared to PdB...

Is 2016 a hybrid of 2000 and 1997 vintages in Barbaresco..

I'd like to hear from the Man with a 12th century traditional palate (@"Philippe Richer") on his perspective for the 2016 Barbaresco vintage..👍🍇

It would be interesting to do a current tasting of 2016 Montestefano across different producers because it's such an opulent vintage... 

As a consumer, I feel it's a best practice to earn a Barbaresco at its peak 😉

2016 Cordero di Montezemolo Monfalletto

Obviously young. This wine is like a comfortable sweater that makes you feel good in the fall. Some of the most robustly noble, intriguing fruit and tannins from this 2016 vintage.  Nice expression of La Morra fruit from an iconically beautiful vineyard. Peak is at least 5 to 7 years away. Well done👍🍇

2017 La Clef du Récit Sancerre Rouge

Day X notes:

This wine needs more cellar time. Revisiting it I found it much more giving. The vegetal finish disappeared and was replaced by a brambly influence. Perhaps indicating some percentage of whole cluster in the wine with the stems being a bit on the green side at harvest. 
In any case, the fruit opens slightly and the finish short and ok... not objectionable as when tasted pop and pour. 

Day One notes:

Lightweight pinot noir with minimal fruit up front dissolving into an unsavory vegetal finish. 

2019 Hofgut Falkenstein Niedermenniger Herrenberg Reisling Spatlese feinherb AP 3

Day X notes:

I believe that this wine is in an awkward phase right now (at least I hope so since I have several more bottles). 
The flabbiness seemed to subside somewhat and a little more of the quality of lime-dominated fruit and salinity showed through. It's still quite a bit sweeter than I would expect. 
Overall, my impression is that the wine is disjointed and should be held for at least another 5 years before trying again.... see what it develops into, fingers crossed..

Day one notes:

Frankly, this is a disappointment compared to the 2019 Hofgut Falkenstein Krettnacher Euchariusberg Kabinett AP 12 we had recently. 
Pop and pour, and we got an assault of flabby lime sweetness and no feinherb to be found. If this wine is a feinherb then I'll eat my hat. Half bottle left for day two. Will report back.
Maybe an off bottle? This bottle had none of the purity and crystallinity that I expect from the Weber's wines.
Go figure...

Cru (July 2024)

First flight

2010 Il Poggione Brunello di Montalcino 

2019 Emmolo Merlot

2018 Black Kite Pinot Noir Kites Rest Vineyard 

2007 Abreu Capella (69% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Cabernet Franc, 10% Petit Verdot, 8% Merlot)

2012 Clos Pissarra La Vinyeta (80% Cariñena and 20% Garnacha)

Second flight

1993 Dunn Howell Mtn Petit Sirah

2020 Justin Isoceles

2014 Opus One

2016 Paul Hobbs Coombs Cab Franc

2014 Justin Isoceles Reserve

2017 Herman Story Cabernet Chelle

2019 Hofgut Falkenstein Krettnacher Euchariusberg Kabinett AP 12

"....The 2019 Riesling Krettnacher Euchariusberg Kabinett A.P. #12 incorporates not just the same old vines in the long-renowned Gross Schock sector that have informed previous A.P. #12 bottlings, but also fruit from two other parcels, one of them the "Gisela" parcel that also informs their Alte Reben bottling. (A cask filled from three different parcels is unusual chez Weber, but the low yields of 2019 demanded some flexibility in that regard..."

"...harvest in mid-September and thus largely avoiding significant effects from the subsequent rain..."

David Schildknecht,  Vinous, 2021

My impression:
Pop and pour. Clearly too young to be in peak drinking window, but the elegant balance of lime dominated fruit, acidity and salinity provides a  delightful framework for further cellaring.
Much improved on day 2 with everything coming together in a mouthful of midweight stony tropicals with a long irresistible finish. 
In a word, Yum.

2021 Manuel Moldes Albarino Afelio Rías Baixis

 This stuff was teeth-clinchingly tight last year. It's approachable now and is delightful. It will give chablis a nice run for the money with its salinity and fruit.

Seems harder to track down this producer in the US these days. Love the pergola trained vines.

2007 Cantine Lonardo Taurasi Riserva Vigne D'Alto

Drank over the course of several days. Very enjoyable right now but has the flavor and structure to age easily another decade. A finely made wine. Seems a bit too polished when it first hits your palate, then the elegant structure shows at mid-palate and provides a platform for really tasty expression of Aglianico fruit. 

14.5% abv and it shows richness balanced with tannins. Perhaps the most enjoyable 2007 Aglianico I've had from Campania. 

Paired well with spicy scallion chicken and steamed pork dumplings..

2012 Pavelot and 2014 Produttori del Barbaresco

 

2012 Domaine Pavelot Savigny-Les-Beaune La Dominode

Young. Needs another 5 years (?) to get into the zone.
.
First impression is of deep Morello cherry fruit that is showing a lot purity and refinement. Superb mid-palate leading into a satisfying finish even at this younger stage. Tannins are exceedingly fine, providing an elegant yet powerful framework. 

2014 Produttori del Barbaresco Rio Sordo

Young. Needs another few years to get into the zone.

One of the most elegant wines Ive tasted from this Cru. Lovely pure dark cherry fruit and fine tannins that start to clinch in a polite way about an hour after opening. Showing pretty early florals on the nose. Beautiful wine, bravo.



Dedicated to Dr. Joe Chandler who passed on recently after 86 years of a life very well lived. He helped to found our wine group back in 1989. A renaissance man and tireless world traveler. 

2017 Kelley Fox Maresh Vineyard and Maresh "Star of Bethlehem" Vineyard

 If you enjoy the style of this producer (sort of analogous to Dugat-Py).... then I think the Star of Bethlehem sub-block of Maresh Vineyard (pronounced "Marsh") is the "1er Cru" to the Maresh Vineyard "Village" designation...

Super elegant wines with power....
Decant with lots of air before serving...
Paired with charcuterie and Delbert McClinton tunes mix for a little post mid-night shaggin' (the dance, not the Austin Powers' version, you dirty dawgs😊)...


Here's a taste from an Austin club gig circa 1988-1989..
https://youtu.be/LyZTqfOJT_U?si=15hhzpkj9eaHZukU

2018 Domaine du Pélican Arbois Poulsard

 First experience with a 100% Poulsard from Jura. Very nice bottle, but needs another handful of years in the cellar to round out. Initial pop and pour revealed a high strung, youthful exuberance dominated by bright red fruit, leaning more toward strawberry, complemented by a melange of tart acidity and spices on the back end. Took the rest of the bottle to dinner a few days later, and now we see where this wine is headed... calmed down a lot and could be inserted as a ringer into a blind new world pinot noir tasting. ..paired at dinner with fried pickles and spicy wood fired seared shrimp. Delicious 👍🍷

2020 Manni Nössing Kerner (Alto Adige)

 May 3rd notes:

My first foray with Kerner. What a revelation. Purchased more immediately. 

Beautiful nose with subtle hint of peach flowers. Palate already exhibits lots of fruit complexity with a tasty finish and mid weight acidity. Quite drinkable now. I think this wine is produced using only stainless steel. Excellent QPR. Damned impressive. 
Paired with blackened catfish with crawfish etouffee.

May 20th notes:

... pairing a fresh bottle of this wine today with a knee-bucklingly delicious chicken and sausage jambalaya served over rice, prepared by Katherine, my niece from Houston,  who is visiting.

Gave this bottle a lot of air and it showed even better than the first bottle of the case a couple of weeks ago. There's an extremely tasty hint of tropical fruit apparent on the finish if you don't drink it too cold. I'm quite enamored of this Kerner varietal, which I believe is a cross between Riesling (white varietal) and Trollinger (also known as Schiava, a red varietal)....

 

2016 Silver Oak Alexander Valley

 

Day One Notes:

Received a few btls of 2016 Silver Oak Alexander Valley as a gift a while back. Decided to open one. I just don't drink much California Cabernet Sauvignon anymore.

This is a meh example, and appears to be quite overpriced. Pop and pour with light decant for aeration. Astringency gets in the way of the fruit. Will check in on it in a few days to see if anything improves...

 The chargrilled steak with caprese salad were tasty, though!

Day Two Notes:

Three days later, this has cleaned up remarkably well. Tasty medium weight black cherry up front with some mid palate spiciness that bodes well for future development... 

Early astringency has subsided... 

Paired with duck confit hash... 

2000 Paolo Scavino Bric dël Fiasc and 2016 Muraje Sumié

 Interesting pair of wines from Castiglione Falletto and Carema. Thanks to @"Werner Van Damme" for introducing me to the wines from Muraje!

I haven't had the best experiences with the 2000 vintage Barolos, however this Fiasc showed extremely well, and will likely continue to age well for another few years. Delicious fruit on the palate supported by filigreed structure and a savory complexity on the finish. 

The Muraje needs another 5 years or so to really get into a sweet spot for drinking. Brisk acidity and higher altitude structure up front buffer tasty fruit. The finish is still somewhat simple at this juncture, but I'll wager this wine will develop into a beauty. Definitely a good candidate for cellaring. 

2006 and 2008 Mastroberardino Taurasi Radici Riserva

 I've followed the evolution of the 2006 Riserva for the past ten years. The positive development of the wine - gaining weight, presence and complexity - has been phenomenal. This bottle showed extraordinarily well. While I haven't had the famous 1968 vintage, I could envision the 2006 aging into hallowed status. It has become increasingly difficult to source the 2006 Riserva. If you find some, snatch it up for sure. I have a couple of bottles left and will continue to hold them.

The 2008 Riserva vintage is a very pleasant, balanced wine with loads of fruit and elegant structure. It lacks the classicism of the 2006. It will continue to improve. 
The 2008 Mastroberardino Riserva was produced to commemorate the life of Antonio Mastroberardino who passed away in 2014.

These wines demonstrate the winemaking heights that can be achieved in Campania with the noble Aglianico varietal.

2017 Bordega Jorge Ordonez (Malaga) Moscatel Victoria #2

Another recent discovery.... 
100% Moscatel de Alexandria varietal ...
Tropical honeyed palate with nice early complexity evidenced by slightly bitter accent and pleasing spice on the finish. Nice QPR.
Collaborative effort between Ordonez and Kracher!

2020 Tenuta di Salviano Rigogoli

A discovery for me...
 Really enjoyable Umbrian blend of Grechetto di Todi and Viognier. 
Tasting blind, I thought Malvasia was part of the mix, but it's not.
Wonderful balance of salinity, acidity and fruit ... a truly intriguing blend. 
Rigogoli = golden orioles
Paired with tempura fried lobster tails. Yum...

Postscript May 18 , 2024

Couple of new things on this wine. It's subtle elegance really shines after being open for a few hours. Very interesting tangerine up front giving way to a pop of pineapple on the finish. Nice mouthwatering salinity. 
Your mileage may vary 👍

2016 Le Cinciole Chianti Classico

Quite approachable now. Tannins have mellowed. Tasty red and blue fruits followed by a deliciously intriguing finish of allspice. The only weakness with this bottle was lack of nose. This should be good for another decade. Interested in what tertiary characteristics develop on the finish. Paired with ravioli stuffed with ground beef, pork and lamb.

Flying Dog "Double Dog" Double IPA

 

With Murray's heritage sourced Calabrese style salami... heavenly... just in time for a norther....brrrr..

2020 Cellar del Roure Cullerot

 

Interesting very cost effective amphorae white from Valencia.... 

Paired with blackened catfish etouffee and hushpuppies ... yum.. 

Cru tasting, February 2024

 

2001 Chauteu Rieussec Sauternes 

2004 Muga Prado Enea Gran Reserva

2007 Domaine de la Janasse Châteauneuf-du-Pape Vieilles Vignes

2010 Quintarelli Cá del Merlo 

2011 Silver Oak Alexander Valley Cabernet 

2013 Cayeuse God Only Knows Grenache

2015 Mas de Boislauzon Châteauneuf-du-Pape Le Tintot 

2016 Clos Mogador  

2016 Vina Diezmo RV Reserva 

2019 Double Diamond Schrader Cabernet 

2020 Sine Qua Non Grenache Distenta II 

2013 Cordero di Montezemolo Monfalletto

One of the most robust versions of this wine I've had, with big time structure and a fair amount of very fine sediment on the tail end of the bottle. With the current state of the delicious tannins, it would be ideal to hold another 7 to 10 years. The fruit should definitely hold in there and contribute gracefully in development. There is a LOT of depth and complexity to this vintage. Impressive. 👍🍷

Paired scrumptiously with prime chateaubriand...