2000 Graham vintage port from a half. Closer to mature than I expected.
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1998 Chateau St. Jean Cabernet Sauvignon Cinq Cépages
2016 Forge Cellars Les Ailes Riesling. Wow this is really nice. Waxy, oily, citrusy. Touch of funk on the nose. Really, really good.
1997 Lisini Brunello di Montalcino
Wow.
J3
2010 Betz Syrah La Côte Rousse. Slightly tired - good that I didn’t save it for an offline.
2007 Podere Poggio Scalette Il Carbonaione - must be one of the best QPR's. Had my price in at $40 and damn did i enjoy this.
2014 Valenti Etna Rosso Norma - needed time to pick up weight but there's better value out there. It's too bad that most of the Etna wines have had such large increases in our market over the past 5 years.
2017 Ramon de Casar Nobre Treixadura - thanks to OTW and Fut for the tip on this one - great wine.
2018 Tornatore Pietrarizzo Etna Bianco - thanks to Sunny for the tip on this one - a steal at the LCBO price. Very good etna bianco - would like to see how it gets with a bit of age.
2017 Valle dell'acate Il Frappato - off vintage for this wine. A little too cloying for a frappato.
2000 Château Faugères
2014 Domaine Pattes Loup, Chablis, Beauregard
2016 Piron, Chenas, Quartz
Tonight
2008 Stefania, Cabernet Sauvignon, Harvest Moon Special Reserve
2018 Sierra Cantabria Rosado. It won’t get into the 100 point conversation.
Next of Kyn #9
16.4% abv ... surprsingly well balanced but even so, i'm feeling a little hungover
2016 San Felice Chianti Classico.
2004 Karl Lawrence Cabernet (magnum). Outstanding.
2015 Sassetti (Pertimali) Brunello
Cork pulled 4+ hours prior but not decanted. Exceptional. That’s the way I would do it right now.
2011 Domaine Huet, Vouvray, Le Mont Demi-Sec
2010 Domaine Huet, Vouvray, Le Mont, Moelleux Premiere Trie
The demi-sec was more advanced than I expected, but that was my last bottle. The Moelleux is outstanding. No rush.
2016 Columbia Crest H3 Cabernet Sauvignon. This is definitely sporting some mocha on the mid palate.
2019 Fattoria Ambra Trebbiano
2019 Casa alle Vacche I Macchioni Vernaccia di San Gimignano - delicious
2016 Antolini Valpolicella Classico Persega - great value
Wines I served at my wedding last fall on my 1st Anniversary. Nothing crazy special but they were very good and brought back some nice memories of normalcy
2015 Atwater Dry Riesling
2016 Argyle Pinot Noir.
2005 Shafer Hillside Select
2014 Occidental-Cuvee Catherine Occidental Station Pinot
2011 Carlisle Zinfandel Hayne Vineyard
@billhike posted:2010 Betz Syrah La Côte Rousse. Slightly tired - good that I didn’t save it for an offline.
That's a bummer. I don't have a ton of experience with Betz but thought they used to age fairly well. I have a close fried that is on the list and he has gifted me a few bottles over the years. I just checked and have a few 2009 Clos de Betz. I'll have to tee one of those up soon.
Hope you are well billhike!
Lots of whites and rose for the summer:
2018 Tyler Chardonnay Zotovich Family Vineyard
2018 Walter Scott Chardonnay Cuvée Anne
2017 Ceritas Chardonnay Porter-Bass Vineyard
2017 Schäfer-Fröhlich Bockenauer Felseneck Riesling GG
2019 Ceritas Pinot Noir Rosé of Pinot Noir
2018 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Santenay 1er Cru Passetemps Blanc
2018 Weingut Keller Riesling von der Fels
2019 Jolie-Laide Pinot Gris
@glennk posted:That's a bummer. I don't have a ton of experience with Betz but thought they used to age fairly well. I have a close fried that is on the list and he has gifted me a few bottles over the years. I just checked and have a few 2009 Clos de Betz. I'll have to tee one of those up soon.
Hope you are well billhike!
Same to you and your family, Glenn!
2016 Couvent des Thorins Moulin a Vent.
over the past two night - 2017 Eric Texier Brezeme. Now this is a wine I own a few cases of in different vintages and typically enjoy. Some friends of mine split a case of the '17 on my reccomendation and after some time sent me this bottle to try. It's not right. Not flawed - no brett or TCA or VA etc... As Mrs. VeV said "it smells like hot leather and drinks like olive tapenade" and refused to drink anymore of it. I like olive/saline notes in syrah, but this was like drinking a tapenade smoothie. No fruit whatsoever and enamel peeling acidity. I had hoped it would get better overnight but it didnt budge. A shame.
2018 Vinyes Del Terrer, Macabeo, Blanc del Terrer
Only 1 bottle left of my summer house white.
2005 Lewelling Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Wight
2015 Monsanto Chianti Classico Riserva.
To celebrate a father and sons bday,
2015 Simon Bize Savigny-les-Beaune 1er cru
2005 Jacques Prier Santenots 1er cru Volnay
2006 Château Léoville Barton st-Julien
2010 La Tour Blanche Sauternes 1er cru
A friend invited me over to taste with them at his house. Great lineup that included:
1988 Bruno Giacosa Villero di Falletto - I brought this one from my cellar. In a great spot. Decanted first sediment. Wonderful to drink as it evolved over the evening.
2014 Sine Qua Non Grenache Testa dei Cherubini - beautiful wine that was inky black but probably the first SQN wine I’ve tasted that was close to being ready to drink
2014 Sine Qua Non Syrah Piranha Waterdance - still a baby but showing bacon fat and dark fruits. Needs another 5 years minimum
2010 Cune Gran Reserva.
1996 Louis Brochet-Hervieux HBH 1er Cru Champagne. Not having much luck these days with older Champagne. A bit controversial on release, today my other half didn't like it at all. I ended up finishing -- as opposed to enjoying -- the bottle. Not sure what we will do with the other one. Anyone have a boat that needs to be christened?
2008 Le Vieux Pin Syrah. First Syrah release from this Okanagan winery, from young vines. Showed very well on release; the question was how well it would age. And the answer is very well. Lovely wine, that doesn't feel its age. Wish I had more of the 2008.
2019 Domaine La Suffrene, Bandol, Rosé
2009 Faustino, Rioja, Gran Reserva I
2016 Lohan Yardy, Chenas, Les Deschamps
2017 Shane Pinot La Reine
2017 Knudsen Pinot
2014 Wind Gap Syrah
1970 La Brenta D'Oro, Barbaresco, Reserva Speciale....very much alive, showing bitter cherry, graphite tobacco. Fun to drink a birth year wine. Thanks for the present Javachip! Looking forward to the Barolo for MZ's bday.
Also, over the last couple of weeks:
2018 Jermann Pinot Grigio
2019 Miraval rose'
2019 Dom. les Aphillanthes, Nymphea rose....one of the better '19 rose's I've had.
2015 Carpineta Fontalpino Do Ut Des
I didn't find much to like in this wine. It was a fruity alcoholic unstructured mess. I liked the 2007, the only other vintage I have tasted, but this is totally different.
2018 Alta Colina Grenache Blanc Lynn's Cuvee
2018 Waters Prelude - Roussanne Viognier blend. Excellent
2015 Piollot Champagne Les Protelles
2016 Mauritson Dry Creek Zinfandel. I’d never heard of this wine before; Binny’s had a few closed out for $14.99, allegedly from $30+. Pomegranate with ripe berries and good balance from acid - not jammy. Nice enough at the discounted price but I still prefer the base Sonoma bottling from Seghesio
At virtual offline -
2017 Pali White Cap
2014 Domenco Clerico Barolo
2013 Force Majeure Collaboration Serice Vi Ciel du Cheval - GSM blend
2017 Moreau - Naudet Chablis. Good entry level chablis that really opened up on the second day. need to try more from this producer.
2017 Domaine du Chene Collines Rhodaniennes Syrah - ok. nothing special, better options at the price point.
2017 Burlotto Pelaverga - Love this.
2014 Brick House, Pinot Noir, Les Dijonnais
Drinking well with some air but I'll hold my other bottle for a few more years.
2017 Thorne & Daughters, Wanderer's Heart (Grenache blend)
2015 SIXTO Chardonnay Uncovered
2013 Tenet Syrah The Pundit, Columbia Valley. A little shortage of acid is keeping this from being outstanding. Fantastic, complex nose - crushed berries, fig, baking spice, pepper, Turkish coffee.
For Rosh Hashanah
2017 Palmayer Jayson Red
2014 Den Hoed Cab
2014 Stefania Crimson Clover Cab
2014 Agharta Red Label Cab
2015 Eyrie Pinot Noir
2007 La Motte Pierneef Collection Shiraz-Grenache
Went to visit some family in Napa, swung by the downtown tasting room for Mayacamas on Friday. Great little tasting:
2018 Chard was really nice. Refreshing and tons of mineral character.
2016 Merlot was pretty good, though not sure it was worth the price of admission
2003/2005/2014 Cabernet. Really fun to taste these three side-by-side. The 14 was great, but so young. The 03 ended up being my favorite, and surprisingly had a little bit more fruit character than the 05, which had a bit more of the tobacco/leather thing going on.
I have been pleasantly surprised by some 2003's lately. Had a 03 Beringer Private Reserve last night, and I thought it was delicious. For what I thought was supposed to be a down vintage, these two bottles were out of the park.
The best I had in the last week so :
2003 Araujo Eisele Cab
2015 Peter Michael Belle Cote Chard
2004 Clio
2017 Arista-Banfield Chard
2018 Ken Forrester, Roussanne
2016 Whitehaven, Pinot Noir
2010 Nicolas Perrin, Cote Rotie
2014 Francis Boulard, Champagne, Les Murgiers
2001 Casanova di Neri Brunello di Montalcino Tenuta Nuova
1998 Château La Gaffelière Saint Emilion
Yum
J3
DifferentDave popped a 1970 Dows and a 1970 Warres.
Both decanted for 4-5 hours before tasting.
The Dows was slightly greenish, with hints of that condensed milk. This was surprising to me since my bottles of Dow have been much lighter.
The warres are mature and excellent, I acutally had called this btl the dow 1970. Lovely delicate mouthfeel that lingers with just that touch of berry sweetness. The main taste offers red berries cooked with all spice and cinnamon but in a lovely medium light bodied liqour. The finish is a lovely minute long sweet root beer note. Pretty close to a perfect port.
2015 Domaine Chignard, Fleurie, Les Moriers
Quite big for a bojo. Maybe needed some more time, but very enjoyable now.
The 2018 is excellent also, Steve. Drank through quite a few bottles already, and have buried the last few.
2018 Weingut Knoll Riesling Kabinett Ried Pfaffenberg Steiner. Electric.
2009 Domaine Capitain-Gagnerot Vosne-Romanée
2019 Dragonette Sauvignon Blanc Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara
This is a very decent CA SB for under $30. It isn’t in the league of my favorites (Merry Edwards and, though I haven’t had it since the ownership change, Eisele). But it compares favorably with other upper $20s CA SBs I’ve had.
@vinoevelo posted:2018 Weingut Knoll Riesling Kabinett Ried Pfaffenberg Steiner. Electric.
I had the pleasure of having an unplanned visit with Emmerich Knoll after getting into a chat with him at one of his vineyards. It is a surprisingly informal home-centered operation - we sat in his kitchen for an entire afternoon while he led me through a vineyard exploration of his wines. What particularly impressed me was the range of spiciness he gets from all the parcels of land. Unfortunately, some of the quantities are tiny but I managed to walk out with an armful of wines I found especially interesting.
2010 Pecchenino Barolo San Giuseppe - the best wine I have tasted from this producer and great value for money. Classic Barolo with dried roses, truffles, underbrush, cherry.
@otw posted:I had the pleasure of having an unplanned visit with Emmerich Knoll after getting into a chat with him at one of his vineyards. It is a surprisingly informal home-centered operation - we sat in his kitchen for an entire afternoon while he led me through a vineyard exploration of his wines. What particularly impressed me was the range of spiciness he gets from all the parcels of land. Unfortunately, some of the quantities are tiny but I managed to walk out with an armful of wines I found especially interesting.
Very cool.
Last night:
2015 Ferme de la Sansonniere La Lune Amphores - dissapointing. Too much 'natural' lambic funk and zero chenin.
1999 produttori reserva pora - first glass was tannic, with a nice mint lift on the backend with typical barbaresco notes. Unfortunately my only glass as Mrs. VeV decided she 'detected oxidation' and poured it down the drain. A heated exchange followed with accusations of 'its just a bottle of wine' and 'youre the one that turned me into a wine snob'. As dinner was hitting the table i went and grabbed...
1997 Fontodi chianti classico. Lovely. Great reminder of why i cellar chiantis. Not poured down the drain.
Last night;
Frisson Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Stagecoach Vineyard 2015
Quilceda Creek Red 2009
2004 Perticaia Sagrantino - Full blackberry flavour with a bit of spice; in its prime now
2004 Terredora Taurasi Pago dei Fusi - wild dark red berries, underbrush, old leather; silky texture
2018 Jean Foillard Fleurie - excellent.
2003 Montrose - excellent.
My palate has gone so far away from Cabernet based wines that, while the Montrose was clearly superior, my personal preference may have been for the Foillard.
2012 Bressler Cabernet Sauvignon
2009 San Giusto a Rentennano La Ricolma
Riper and rounder than other vintages I've opened, but that's not a bad thing. Still had good structure. Plush mouth feel with plum, dark fruit, sandalwood, spice. Made me think of a really good right bank Bordeaux.
over the weekend...
2019 Eduardo Torres Acosta Versante Nord Uve Bianche
2017 Eduardo Torres Acosta Versante Nord Nerello Mascalese
2018 Rene & Agnes Mosse 'Les Bonnes Blanches'
2018 Rene & Agnes Mosse 'Chico'
Equipo Navazos La Bota Manzanilla 82 'florpower mmxv'
All good. The Versante Nord blanc needed a ton of air. the first glass seemed like another failed experiment in natural winemaking so i put it back in the fridge. The next day it had completely transformed into a lovely etna bianco. Mrs. VeV and I were really pleased with the rosso as well. Not sure if the QPR is there relative to other good etna wines these days. Both Mosse showed well and am going to revisit them this evening. Equipo Navazos is always very good imo and this was perfect for afternoon snacks of nuts, chips and smoked grouse.
1990 Domaine Chenovre Ermitage Hospice de Beaune - classic Beaune pinot taste profile, with nice spicy red cherry flavour and just a little too much beetroot for my taste. That said, it was much better than I was led to expect.
2018 Treasure Hunter Kitfox Vineyards Summer Fling Russian River Vermentino
This is a delightful white that is made from a grape you do not normally see out of Italy. All vermentino lovers should seek this out. Beautiful balance of fruit and acidity. The business model of Treasure Hunter is one that I like. They work with several wineries and vineyards and make high quality affordable wines throughout California. Try and find this. Anyone try this wine recently?
IW
2000 Château Valrose Cuvée Alienor Saint Estephe
J3
2008 Cesari, Mara, ripasso
Lately:
2014 Domaine des Malandes Chablis 1er Cru Vau de Vey
2014 Ch. des Fougeres Clos Montesquieu
2014 Angela Pinot Noir Abbot Claim
2019 Pascal Jolivet, Sancerre (need to get more)
2013 Ridge, Geyserville
2015 Chateau de L'Ou, Cotes Catalanes, Infiniment
2011 Domaine du Gros Noré, Bandol
2013 Paternoster Aglianico del Vulture Don Anselmo
2007 La Pergola Torte - a truly exceptional wine drinking beautifully now
2018 Columbia Crest Unoaked Chardonnay
2015 Intrinsic Red blend - meh
2015 H3 Merlot - better than expected
2017 Duchman Family Winery Viognier Bingham Family Vineyard
2001 Kistler Sonoma coast,
surprisingly in great condition. Lemon curds, buttery rich, but then after 30 mintues in the glass, this falls apart disjointed.
2013 Zenato Amarone Sergio Renato Riserva.
Very young -- took 2 hours in the decanter to really start showing off, and even then it never exploded with flavor the way a few Amarone (especially Quintarelli) I've had have. Shockingly well balanced. Excellent wine. Worth the tariff, but not the hype this particular vintage of this wine has received.
2016 Travaglini Gattinara. One of the best versions ever
This one blew me away! I had a decades long friendship with Willi Frank, son of Dr. Konstantin. The last time I saw Willi, we spent a couple of hours at his Champagne/sparkling wine facility. When we left, we walked over to the winery tasting room and he handed me a bottle of wine and told me to hold it for more than ten years. It was a bottle of their 2001 Pinot Noir Reserve which I removed from storage and stood up early this evening, picking an entirely different bottle when this bottle was shot. My wife and I were shocked at the depth of fruit in this bottle. it was nowhere near tiring and showed beautifully. I wish I had a few more to hold. This was far better than the one I tasted at the winery that year. Seriously 91+ with years of life left ahead of it. RIP my friend Willi- you knew what you had here but I'm betting damn few bottles of this wine survived long enough to strut their stuff.