Longtime reader, first time poster. I used to post notes frequently on the Parker board when it was thriving. I met some of my best friends from all over the country and discovered fantastic wines thanks to the community. I decided not to post on berserkers for a variety of a reasons, but as a longtime lurker I appreciate what I gain from all of your posts. I recently had a conversation with a friend I met via the Parker board about all of the good things that have come from online wine forums. I decided I’d give the posting another go.
I had a bday lunch on Saturday. The theme was Barolo, but things got pretty loose - so by the end of it <50% ended up being Barolo.
2013 Cantina Terlano Winkl Sauvignon Blanc. I love Terlano, and this is becoming my favorite of their lineup. Awesome acid and the most passionfruit I’ve ever tasted in a wine. If you like SB, seek this out.
1964 Dellavalle Spanna - light rosé color. clean pour. Aromas of Cigar smoke and anise. I doubt it is going to improve, but never faded over the course of a few hours.
1978 Gaja Barbaresco - Insane amount of color for this '78. It is my birth year, so I drink a lot of '78s, and this one was great. This came from a excellent collection with questionable storage conditions, ~50% of the wines are DOA. Lucky break on this one! Smells like mushroom and tobacco and has savory long finish.
2001 Giuseppe Rinaldi Brunante le Coste - cork appeared intact and came out fine, but the wine was totally brown and oxidized. Not sure what happened. It was my only bottle. Oh well.
2001 Giuseppe Mascarello Monprivato. This was a superstar. Floral, cedar and baking spices. I could smell this wine all night. The tannin profile and finish are what pushed this to an elevated status. Barolo perfection. Big and rich, but not over the top.
2001 Bartolo Mascarello. Had some nice fruit and concentration, but it was hard for me to get past the major VA that came across as balsamic and pickles. I’m not particularly averse to VA - but this was strong.
1995 Gaja Sperss. Dark inky power. Street tar and smoky dense fruit. Hard not to love it. Someone thought it was too young. When something is so complex and delicious I don’t think there is any harm in opening it. Drink with no regrets.
2011 Burlotto Monvigliero - I’ve never smelled such a strong olive aroma in a wine. It also had fresh strawberry and black pepper. Fascinating and one of the most interesting and unusual Piedmont wines in recent memory. Everyone loved it.
2004 Conterno Fantino Sori Ginestra - Not a shy wine. Actually quite tannic and massive. There was a little left on day 2 and it didn’t budge. No rush to open these.
2006 Flaccianello. This is where the Barolo theme started coming off the rails. Primary aroma is oak, very modern dense concentration with tons of sediment. Still youthful and just entering prime drinking. I had one earlier this year with similar impressions.
2004 Bond Melbury. Delivered exactly what you might expect. Smoky, fruit forward, meaty and lush tannins that coat your palate. Bond really has this style dialed in.
2014 Hammell Wine Alliance Amphitheatre 1. Baking spice, incense, massive fruit, everything in balance. Unfortunately I was not quick enough to order the second release and missed out. I won’t make that mistake again. Love this wine.
2003 Sine Qua Non Mr K Nobleman - Chardonnay from Alban vineyard. Very dark, almost like cola. Not sure what the RS is, but it is viscous and crazy and tastes like honey drizzled raisins. Still has acid to balance, but a thimble full is all you need.
At this point a surprise visitor came. The Chateuneuf du Pape winemaker Anne Charlotte from Font du Loup. She has north facing sandy soil vineyards and makes beautiful and restrained wines. I first had them at a panel tasting at Hospice du Rhone and was thrilled when she turned up at my place! I happened to ask what her favorite wine is, and luckily I had one. Egly Ouriet (Vignes de Vrigny). The champagne really hit the spot, so we followed with '06 Gimmonet Special Club and Krug Rosé. I wasn’t jotting notes at this point. Most of my friends are not much into bubbles, but no one seemed to mind sipping them at this point.
After all of that, we went to see Depeche Mode(first time for me). I have been listening to DM since I was a kid, so it was all around a perfect bday. Hard to nail down favorites on a night when many of the wines showed so well.
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