What bottle of wine did you open today?

[Jdbramm]

2019 G.D. Vajra Langhe Nebbiolo Clare J.C.
2017 Vietti Langhe Freisa Vicace
2015 Brigaldara Amarone della Valpolicella Classico
NV G.D. Vajra Barolo Chinato

I’ve got a couple different bottles of Chinato I’ve been waiting to try. How’d you like it? Could it work as an aperitif as well as an after-dinner beverage?

[Brian Pinci]

2003 Gallet Cote Rotie
2015 Cedric Bouchard Val Vilaine
1998 Peby Fagueres

[Paul @bbott]

Christmas Eve, 2010 Fourcas Dupre and 2010 Croizet Bages. The Fourcas was less hard and tannic than previous bottles, but the Croizet was the more attractive and interesting of the two.

[Joseph Grassa]

2019 G.D. Vajra Langhe Nebbiolo Clare J.C.
2017 Vietti Langhe Freisa Vicace
2015 Brigaldara Amarone della Valpolicella Classico
NV G.D. Vajra Barolo Chinato

I’ve got a couple different bottles of Chinato I’ve been waiting to try. How’d you like it? Could it work as an aperitif as well as an after-dinner beverage?

I am a big fan. It's not like anything I have had before. Very rich, very aromatic and very very herbal. I had it with dark chocolate and with cannolis. It's hard for me to imagine as an aperitif, because of how rich it is, but I've read things saying to have it with ice, a splash of soda and an orange peel. I may try this today since there is still some left. Spritzers or mixed drinks are not usually my cup of tea though, but if I try it that way I will report back.

[Jdbramm]

2019 G.D. Vajra Langhe Nebbiolo Clare J.C.
2017 Vietti Langhe Freisa Vicace
2015 Brigaldara Amarone della Valpolicella Classico
NV G.D. Vajra Barolo Chinato

I’ve got a couple different bottles of Chinato I’ve been waiting to try. How’d you like it? Could it work as an aperitif as well as an after-dinner beverage?

I am a big fan. It's not like anything I have had before. Very rich, very aromatic and very very herbal. I had it with dark chocolate and with cannolis. It's hard for me to imagine as an aperitif, because of how rich it is, but I've read things saying to have it with ice, a splash of soda and an orange peel. I may try this today since there is still some left. Spritzers or mixed drinks are not usually my cup of tea though, but if I try it that way I will report back.

Sounds good! That’s how I usually enjoy amaro.

[jtfriedman]

2015 Pauillac de Chateau Latour

More elegant than I expected after reading a few shoddy reviews. All blue and black and gravel. Decanted for 1 hour. Not sure the wine is going to improve much with more age, so drink up.

[TimF]

1983 Talbot. Really nice with prime rib. Drink ‘em if you’ve got ‘em.

[Dave McIsaac]

I have a 2007 Virage red and a 2015 Frogs Leap cab in the decanters to go with the espresso crusted beef tenderloin, and a Goodfellow 2018 Berserker Cuvee Chard to go with the Alaskan King Crab legs.

[Frank Smith]

Opened a 2012 Kutch Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast to have with dinner. Sadly it was corked, so I opened another one, which is lovely.

[Paul Miller]

2008 Quilceda Creek, Cab, Galitzine Vineyard
Drinking beautifully. Had it with a steak dinner for Christmas.

[Morgan S]

2016 Tobias cabernet, opened it 10am and was planning on drinking at 3 or 4pm.. Ended up having to go out and come back 8pm, just tasting it now. Had got one at garys in napa when was there, and enjoyed it. Thought of buying some direct, but then saw it pop up on wtso and grabbed half a case. Solid napa cab.

[Ron Erickson]

2005 Bouchard Chateau du Beaune. Delicious right now,but it still has years to go. Amazing qpr. It's never a profound wow, but always a huge smile. Unfortunately, I haven't seen recent vintages in my area.

[LMD Ermitaño]

With dinner last night (25th December 2020):

[Joseph Grassa]

I’ve got a couple different bottles of Chinato I’ve been waiting to try. How’d you like it? Could it work as an aperitif as well as an after-dinner beverage?

I am a big fan. It's not like anything I have had before. Very rich, very aromatic and very very herbal. I had it with dark chocolate and with cannolis. It's hard for me to imagine as an aperitif, because of how rich it is, but I've read things saying to have it with ice, a splash of soda and an orange peel. I may try this today since there is still some left. Spritzers or mixed drinks are not usually my cup of tea though, but if I try it that way I will report back.

Sounds good! That’s how I usually enjoy amaro.

This can totally be drank as an aperitif, as described above. It was very good that way, but hard for me to justify because of how good it already is on its own. Chinatos are about to start finding a new home in my collection!

[Joseph Grassa]

2016 Cesari Valpolicella Ripasso Superiore Mara
2007 Tommaso Bussola Amarone della Valpolicella Classico
2015 Tommaso Bussola Recioto della Valpolicella Classico

another great day to be grateful for, with some solid wines to pour over it.

The ripasso was out of balance, too acidic, but with a bit of Soppressata became good qpr.
The Amarone very good, well balanced
The recioto was the standout, didnt expect so much acidity, but it worked incredibly.

[Jayson Cohen]

Cross-posted on the Christmas drink thread:

We were missing the traditional Chinese and a movie out on Christmas, so I opened 1996 Broadbent Madeira Colheita, a Tinta Negra, to ease the disappointment. I used a Riedel Vinum Port glass.

Somewhat subdued maple syrup, mocha, bake shop spice, old wood barn aromatics. More intense in the mouth adding a hint of lemon-leaning citrus peel on the finish. A nice Madeira at a good price for vintage Madeira these days.

Of course, there’s more left in the bottle to give it some air and close out 2020.

[Robert.A.Jr.]

Quite the juxtaposition.....

Ironically, the Vatan showing sucked, was premoxed; and the Ovid was quite good. The Loc Sit is a special bottling that Ovid does randomly from 100% Pritchard Hill Cabernet. The massive tannins and decent acid kept this wine in balance with the big fruit. Just so that my reputation as a Yak, as Craig G once labeled me, remains intact, I did not bring the Ovid to this dinner.

[TimF]

I opened a 2015 Béatrice et Pascal Lambert "Les Perruches" Chinon with Ooni pizza last night. After a little while of drinking and eating I said to my wife, "this is really good." She agreed. Better than your average Chinon for sure. Wish I could buy more...

[Bud Carey]

On deck... Ancillary Sangiacomo vineyard pinot noir 2014.

[Ramon C]

1979 Ch. Haut-Bages Liberal, Pauillac

Drank on Dec. 20.
An apprehensive B that’s teetering on B- rating.

[Jon H]

My better half and I are starting dry January early so we can get 30 days in before a ski trip at the end of January. Went out with a bang last night:

2006 Veuve La Grand Dame
1997 Heitz Trailside
2011 Alain Voge Cornas "Vieilles Vignes"
2016 Barnett Rattlesnake
2017 Realm "The Bard"

[Brian S t o t t e r]

2014 Beta Cabernet Sauvignon Vare Vineyard

Let this one sleep, it demands time.

[AD Northup]

2012 Pierre Peters Les Chetillons BdB
2018 Dirty and Rowdy The Legends Rosewood Vineyard

Both are absolute fire

[Ken Strauss]

Dumol Chloe 2013

The wine is virtually perfect!

Sometimes We all get lucky to open a wine at its peak.

This wine is in my top echelon of all time!

I think it will provide satisfaction for a few years.

The nose is a little honeysuckle. Lots of rich transcendental chloroform!

[Brian S t o t t e r]

Dumol Chloe 2013

The wine is virtually perfect!

Sometimes We all get lucky to open a wine at its peak.

This wine is in my top echelon of all time!

I think it will provide satisfaction for a few years.

The nose is a little honeysuckle. Lots of rich transcendental chloroform!

So sedating?

[JBrochu]

2010 Virage Napa Red Blend
2014 Gross Vosne-Romanee

[Ken Strauss]

Dumol Chloe 2013

The wine is virtually perfect!

Sometimes We all get lucky to open a wine at its peak.

This wine is in my top echelon of all time!

I think it will provide satisfaction for a few years.

The nose is a little honeysuckle. Lots of rich transcendental chloroform!

So sedating?

For sure!

[Kurt_L]

2006 JC Rockpile Haley Syrah. Was an awesome bottle! On the short list for my WOTY, and certainly one of the better QPRs I've found.

[Joseph Grassa]

2017 Chateau Mont Thabor Chateauneuf du Pape
not quite ready yet.

[Jayson Cohen]

2017 Sylvain Pataille Marsannay Les Longeroies.

Over four days, this wine really showed its quality and fine, integrated acid-tannin structure. It’s a savory, meaty medium weight Burg that has strong ripe midpalate fruit as well. I would love to see this again after about 8-10 years in the cellar, when I think the aromatics will pop, but this was my only bottle. I might try to change that despite my resolution that it’s time to slow down my buying (again).

Among this, the Bourgogne, and the Bourgogne La Chapitre in 2017, I liked the straight Bourgogne for its playful, transparent, energetic fruit making it a joy to drink now and this Marsannay for longer term. La Chapitre was a little chunky and foursquare and didn’t have either the fineness and depth of the Marsannay or the playful transparency of the straight Bourgogne.

[bob parsons alberta]

2011 Kurt Erbes Urziger Wurzgarten Riesling Kabinett..last bottle for the year..As expected a tad low in acidity and quite sweet but typical for vintage, at least some of them! Will see whats`up day 2

[Brian S t o t t e r]

2019 Nigl Riesling 1ÖTW Privat Hochäcker

[Brian Pinci]

2014 Lawer Estates Chardonnay Cannon Block - someone took a chainsaw to the huge oaks behind my house and gathered all the sawdust into this bottle. I was afraid to light a match. Although, tHere was some nice fruit showing thru.

[Andrew Demaree]

2012 Rivers Marie Napa cab sauv - Good fruit, but not showing the complexity of some of their other vintages. I think this is at peak, so drink up.

[Ramon C]

1998 Ch. Leoville-Barton, Saint-Julien

Supposedly a strong vintage for Right Bank wines, but I thought that this and another from St Julien, the consistently-good Ducru, did fine in 1998.

Helped close out the year on a higher note with ouf stay@home NYE dinner of Beef Wellington.

[D@vid R0sewater]

New Years Eve, with a steak dinner and a couple of socially distanced friends...the HB had a beautiful nose of tobacco and leather and black cherry and the palate unfolded similarly with air over about 4 hours. The Henriot was very good but not sure more age will improve it.

[Robert.A.Jr.]

New Years Eve, with a steak dinner and a couple of socially distanced friends...the HB had a beautiful nose of tobacco and leather and black cherry and the palate unfolded similarly with air over about 4 hours. The Herriot was very good but not sure more age will improve it.

That 2001 HB is beautiful, had it last month. Nice NYE GAME!

[Joseph Grassa]

1.5oz of Nespresso's Roma

dry day 2...

[P L owet]

EMH 2014 Black Cat
Lovely first experience with this producer. Decanted. Terrific aromatics with black cherry. Elegant mouthfeel with mostly resolved tannins and good acidity.

[LMD Ermitaño]

With dinner at home tonight.

[Robert.A.Jr.]

2001 Chateau Leoville Barton

Very very good, just not great.

[MikeL238]

With dinner at home tonight.

How did Bonnes Mares show?

[Jayson Cohen]

Thursday Night Zoom Tasting:

The 2019 Beaujolais (not blind):
Cambon
Foillard
Lapierre Morgon
Jean-Louis Dutraive Fleurie Clos de la Grand’Cour (stay away: the mouse is in the house)

The Double Blind:
2007 Trimbach Riesling Cuvee Frederic Emile
1998 Latour a Pomerol
1998 L’Evangile

[Ethan Abraham]

2016 Fevre MdT - not surprisingly given the vintage this resembles a cdb more than a chablis (esp with some reduction on night 1) but it's still very delicious.

[LMD Ermitaño]

With dinner at home tonight.

How did Bonnes Mares show?

Decanted for around 1&1/2 to 2 hours (in cav) before serving (accompanied the main course of pan-grilled duck breast with seared foie gras, port-cranberry sauce): between medium to full-bodied, decidedly dry, savoury, earthy and masculine, a touch rustic, good length, precise acidity, admirable over-all balance. I had bought these at under $500/bottle and am happy with it. Current prices show $700 and up - at that price range, honestly, in my opinion, there's better stuff to be had.

[NED VALOIS]

'18 Aubert Sugar Shack

[Bruce Rudman]

Last Couple of Days:

'17 Riverain Sauv Blanc
'17 Rivers Marie Summa Pinot
'17 Eric Kent Sascha Marie Pinot
NV Salmon-Billecart Rose Champagne
'14 Sea Smoke Ten Pinot
'10 Myriad Georges II Cab (drank very nicely)

[Bud Carey]

On deck... 2013 WesMar Russian River valley pinot noir.

[MikeL238]

2017 Bernard Levet Côte-Rôtie Améthyste
The nose is bright and full of spice, herbs and dark fruit. The palate is well balanced and sweet with good acidity and notes of black cherry, spice, dried herbs and meat. A tasty young syrah.

Did it have that Levet funk that you usually find in their upper cuvees? Curious if Amethyste has that wild funk as well.

[Jayson Cohen]

2016 Hofgut Falkenstein Niedermenniger Herrenberg Riesling Spatlese Feinherb (AP No. 3)