This was our third iteration of the “blind tasting roulette” we have had now three years in a row before Christmas (NB: meaning Christmas '23 here!).
To those who are interested, here are the notes from the two previous sessions:
1st roulette tasting
2nd roulette tasting
The idea of the tasting, copy-pasted from the 1st session report: every attendee has 30 “chips” with which they can place their well-educated (or not) guesses. You could bet with one and up to five chips and correct guesses yielded (per chip) 2 points for the country, 3 points for the grape variety, 4 points for the region or style, 5 points for the vintage and 10 points for the correct producer. The attendees know nothing about any of the wines beforehand; the bottles are opened and double-decanted shortly prior to the tasting and they were all served from a generic 1-liter glass bottle (apart from any sparkling wines, which are poured from a bottle masked in a bottle sleeve that disguises the bottle shape entirely).
The “roulette” part comes from the logic that the role of the first guesser rotated around the table, so that it would be different every time. Naturally!
Additionally one can also place bets against other players - for example if somebody guesses that the wine is Merlot and you think it is obviously a Riesling, you can place a bet that the player isn’t correct. If the wine isn’t Merlot, you’d get a point - and if it is, the person who guesses the wine correctly would gain an extra point for any bet “against” them.
As we were interested more in wines than in gambling, the evening was all about having fun with a very un-serious guessing game, not having a life-or-death gamble. Yet even when it was still just a silly game to have fun while guessing wines, all the attendees took the game seriously enough, which really made the whole thing even more fun - it would’ve been quite boring if most attendees just fooled around and didn’t the game too seriously!
As the game went along, yours truly was slowly but steadily cementing his place as the indubitable winner of the evening - and things seemed to be even better when one of the last wines was obviously a Piedmontese Nebbiolo. Some easy points to add to my final tally! I placed my final three chips for “Piedmont” and at this point was pretty sure of my victory.
Then the person, who was at the time in 2nd place, did an all-in. He didn’t really drink Piedmontese wines nor wasn’t sure if it was Nebbiolo, but since he saw how I was so sure the wine was a Piedmontese Nebbiolo, he put all his remaining five chips on the bet with highest reward: the producer. He said the wine must be Produttori del Barbaresco - which was the only producer he could actually name from Piedmont.
The wine was 2014 Produttori del Barbaresco Riserva Asili.
And that was the story how I lost our annual Christmas blind tasting roulette for the second time in a row to this same guy. 
Anyways, here is the lineup:
And here are my notes:
- 2008 Agustí Torelló Mata Cava Brut Nature Gran Reserva - Spain, Cava (12.12.2023)
A blend of Macabeu (42%), Parellada (33%) and Xarel-lo (25%). Minimum aging 36 months - this bottle was disgorged in 9/2014, thus the wine has been aged on the lees for approximately 65-70 months. 11,5% alcohol. No dosage. Tasted blind.
Lemon-yellow color with faint greenish highlights. Quite rich, expressive and somewhat autolytic nose with aromas of leesy creaminess, some evolved nutty tones, a little bit of ripe citrus fruits, light sweeter notes of juicy Golden Delicious apple, a mineral hint of chalk dust and a touch of crunchy Granny Smith apple. The wine feels bright, brisk and somewhat evolved on the palate with a light-to-medium body and layered flavors of chopped nuts, some mineral notes of salinity and chalk dust, light autolytic leesy tones, a little bit of apple peel bitterness, evolved hints of darker fruits and raisiny notes of Sultanas and a touch of custard pastry. The mousse feels rich, gentle and silky, while the bright acidity lends good sense of structure and precision to the wine. The finish is crisp, long and acid-driven with a layered aftertaste of sharp Granny Smith apple and apple peel bitterness, some autolytic notes of nuttiness and French bread, light mineral notes of chalk dust, a little bit of leesy creaminess and an evolved raisiny hint of Sultanas.
A wonderfully crisp, racy and nuanced Cava. However, I didn't really pick up any obvious Cava qualities here - with its brisk acidity, crunchy Granny Smith apple tones and a cool streak of minerality, I thought this was a Blanc de Blancs from Champagne with some age. It seems the wine has continued to evolve and improve slightly from my last taste (7 years ago) and as the wine still doesn't feel particularly mature, I can imagine the wine will continue to develop further with additional aging. A well-crafted and thoroughly enjoyable Cava and a screaming bargain at 14,90€.
(93 points) - 1982 Giuseppe Contratto Reserve For England - Italy (12.12.2023)
Not 1982 vintage, but sboccatura in autumn 1982, ie. this is an older wine. Tasted blind.
Medium-deep straw-yellow color. The nose feels ridiculously cheesy and funky with aromas of Camembert and Comté cheese, some rancid nuts and a little bit of bruised apple. The wine feels dry and rather old on the palate with a mellow, gently tingly mousse and tertiary flavors of cheesy funk, some steely mineral tones, a little bit of stony minerality, light raisiny nuances, a hint of rancid nuts and a touch of lemony citrus fruits. High acidity. The finish is old, tertiary and somewhat steely with a long, funky aftertaste of rancid nuts, some raisiny notes of Sultanas, a little bit of lemony citrus fruit and a hint of bruised apple.
This must be the cheesiest wine I've tasted! The funky Comté aroma and flavor was just way too much for me - I guess this could've been a lovely aged sparkling wine, had it not been so overtly cheesy. However, in its current state the wine wasn't particularly appealing, which is why I'm leaving the wine unrated. I guessed this was an old Italian sparkling wine (correct), or an even older NV Champagne (incorrect). - 2017 Cantina Terlan Pinot Bianco Terlano Riserva Vorberg - Italy, Trentino-Alto Adige, Alto Adige, Terlano (12.12.2023)
The grapes are harvested from the Cru Vorberg. Fermented in old 7000 to 3000-liter oak casks, full MLF, aged for 12 months in oak casks. 13,5% alcohol, 1,2 g/l residual sugar and 5,9 g/l acidity. Tasted blind.
Intense yellow-green color. The nose feels quite ripe, open and expressive with rich aromas of peach and some concentrated waxy tones, a little bit of salty sea air, light sweet Golden Delicious apple or even apple jam notes, a mineral hint of crushed rocks, a smoky touch of struck flint and a whiff of ripe pineapple. The wine feels ripe, broad and even slightly oily yet still surprisingly firm and muscular on the palate with a full body and intense flavors of white peach and ripe yellow apples, some concentrated waxy tones, a little bit of cantaloupe, light mineral notes of crushed rocks, an extracted hint of phenolic bitterness and a touch of fresh pineapple. Despite its obvious ripeness and big body, the wine packs an impressive backbone of fresh, incisive acidity. The finish is rich, concentrated and slightly extracted with a long, intensely-flavored aftertaste of ripe peachy fruit, some chalky phenolic bitterness, a little bit of spicy red apple, light mineral notes of wet rocks, a hint of fresh pineapple and a touch of honeyed richness.
A big and ripe but also impressively structured and balanced powerhouse of a wine. My immediate gut feeling was an Italian Pinot Bianco from Alto Adige, perhaps Vorberg, so that's what I went with. Bingo. This is an excellent wine by all standards - at least if you can appreciate bigger and more opulent wines. Most likely the wine will evolve and improve for at least another decade and keep just fine after that for much longer. However, the wine is pretty darn great already now. Drink or keep - you can't go wrong. Highly recommended. An absolute bargain at 24,90€.
(93 points) - 2010 Weingut Baron Knyphausen Riesling Auslese "Edition Royal Blue" - Germany, Rheingau (12.12.2023)
100% Riesling from Erbacher Michelmark, harvested at Auslese ripeness. This one-off wine was supposed to be fermented dry, but the fermentation halted right before full dryness. Only one 300-liter barrel (ie. 339 bottles) made. 13% alcohol, 10,9 g/l acid and 11,8 g/l residual sugar. Tasted blind.
Deep, luminous and moderately evolved golden yellow color with faint lime-green highlights. The nose feels expressive and attractive with intense, somewhat evolved aromas of lemon marmalade, some beeswax, light petrolly notes of diesel, a little bit of ripe peach, a hint of dried pineapple and a touch of fruit cocktail syrup. The wine feels very crisp, robust and rather tightly-knit on the palate with a medium body and very intense, just barely off-dry flavors of stony minerality and honeyed richness, some lemon marmalade tones, a little bit of that steely minerality typical of Rheingau, light sweeter notes of dried yellow fruits, a hint of tangy salinity and a touch of developed nuttiness. The bracing acidity lends a tremendous amount of structure and energy to the wine, keeping almost all of the sweetness from the residual sugar at bay. The finish is crisp, long and lively with an intense, acid-driven aftertaste of lemony citrus fruits, some steely mineral tones, a little bit of tangy salinity, light sweeter notes of ripe peach and honeyed richness, a hint of fresh pineapple and a touch of developed creamy character.
I guess the bottle we tasted earlier this year was just prematurely evolved or otherwise less representative, because this bottle was again as astounding as the bottles I've tasted before: full of fruit, power, energy and minerality. I guessed this was a German Riesling, but if I had had to make a guess about the region, I would've gone with Rheingau - so many times I wrote "Rheingau steeliness" in my notebook. Although the wine is starting to show some evolved signs, it is still relatively youthful with lots of upside. A very singular powerhouse of a Riesling, very highly recommended. Great value at 35€.
(95 points) - 2011 Château Carbonnieux Blanc - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan (12.12.2023)
A blend of Sauvignon Blanc (70%) and Sémillon (30%). Aged for 10 months in barriques and foudres (25% new). 13,5% alcohol. Tasted blind.
Pale neon yellow-green color. The nose feels youthful, very tropical and ridiculously aromatic with exuberant aromas of passion fruit, some granny perfume, a little bit of crushed nettles, light sweet notes of ripe yellow apples, a hint of wild green herbs and a touch of juicy gooseberries. The wine feels dry, fresh and youthful on the palate with a medium body and brisk flavors of passion fruit and crushed nettles, some ripe Golden Delicious apple, a little bit of steely minerality, light cantaloupe notes, a hint of tangy salinity and a touch of grassy bitterness. The high acidity lends good sense of freshness and precision to the wine. The finish is fresh, lively and youthful with a crunchy aftertaste of tart passion fruit, some ripe gooseberries, a little bit of steely minerality, light sweeter notes of cantaloupe, a hint of grassy greenness and a touch of salinity.
A crisp and refreshing wine that was a textbook Sauvignon Blanc to me. The wine showed somewhat sweeter, more tropical notes and less of that vegetal leanness typical of the variety, which I (incorrectly) attributed to a more ripe style of Sauvignon Blanc - however, in retrospect I believe it was all due to the Sémillon component, which I didn't pick up separately. I guessed this was a Styrian single-vineyard Sauvignon Blanc - and was surprised to learn that not only was this a classic white Bordeaux blend (albeit high in Sauvignon Blanc), it was also 12 years old! Not once i thought the wine was nearly as old as it was, as it didn't really show any obvious signs of maturity. Based on the other notes in CT, I guess there are lots of premoxed wines around, but it the wine isn't premoxed, it is remarkably youthful for its age! Although I'm not a big fan of SB, this was a surprisingly nice effort for the variety (well, I guess partly thanks to that Sémillon component). Priced according to its quality at 33€.
(92 points) - 2001 Weingut Knoll Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Ried Kreutles Loibner - Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau (12.12.2023)
A Grüner Veltliner from Ried Kreutles, a vineyard in Loiben. Crushed and macerated with the skins, followed by spontaneous fermentation. Aged on the lees in old, large Austrian oak casks. 13% alcohol. Tasted blind.
Deep burnished golden yellow color. The nose feels a bit closed and slightly dull at first, but it opens up slowly to reveal aromas of acacia honey beeswax, some sweet and aromatic green herbs, a little bit of ripe red apple, light apricot tones, an evolved hint of woolly lanolin, a mineral touch of wet rocks and a whiff of exotic spices. The wine feels broad, concentrated and slightly oily on the palate with a full body and intense flavors of acacia honey and ripe peach, some wizened apple tones, a little bit of stony minerality, light sweet notes of exotic spices, an evolved hint of caramel and a faint oxidative touch of roasted nuts. Although the mouthfeel is rich, textural and slightly viscous, the overall feel is balanced and structured - not heavy or ponderous - thanks to the impressively high acidity. The finish is dry, long and somewhat concentrated with an intensely-flavored aftertaste of honeyed richness, some peachy tones, a little bit of wizened apple, light stony mineral notes, a woolly hint of lanolin and a touch of lemon marmalade.
Even though I had tasted this very same wine only a year earlier, I had no idea what this was! All I could come up with was "something French" - and I was utterly wrong! Anyways, in retrospect, I felt this was not quite at the same level as the wine we had tasted a year ago. This came across as maybe a tiny bit less evolved, but also slightly duller and less expressive. Maybe the wine is still on an upward track, because I wasn't sure if the wine we had a year ago was already at its plateau of maturity or still had a bit of gas in the tank to evolve further, but even if this wine seemed moderately evolved, it also felt it could age and improve for at least a handful of years more. So, yeah, I guess at this age you might catch the same wine at different phases of evolution. Still a fantastic Smaragd Grüner Veltliner with tons of everything and then some. Superb value at 33€.
(94 points) - 2016 Sadie Family Palladius - South Africa, Coastal Region, Swartland, Malmesbury (12.12.2023)
A blend of Chenin Blanc, Clairette, Colombard, Grenache Blanc, Marsanne, Palomino, Roussanne, Sémillon, Verdelho and Viognier. Pressed directly into clay amphorae and egg-shaped concrete tanks in which the wine is fermented spontaneously with indigenous yeasts. Aged 12 months in clay amphorae and concrete tanks, then blended into 600-1800-liter oak foudres and aged for another 12 months or so. Bottled unfined and unfiltered after approximately 2 years. Bottled in December 2017. 13,5% alcohol, 1,6 g/l residual sugar, 5,4 g/l acidity, pH 3,58 and total SO2 87 mg/l. Tasted blind.
Slightly evolved, medium-deep yellow color with faint greenish highlights. The nose feels ripe, expressive and nuanced with aromas of juicy red apples, some savory old woody tones, a little bit of rich tropical fruit, light creamy custard tones, a hint of juicy white peach, a touch of quince and a whiff of nuttiness. The wine feels ripe yet very harmonious on the palate with a full body and layered flavors of sweet white peach, some juicy Golden Delicious apple tones, a little bit of developed creamy custard character, light floral nuances, mineral hints of wet rocks and salinity and a touch of nutty wood. The high acidity lends good sense of freshness and structure. The finish is ripe, broad and lively with a layered aftertaste of creamy oak and nutty wood, some white peach, a little bit of ripe red apple, light leesy tones, a hint of saline minerality and a touch of apricot.
A beautiful, harmonious and delicious South African white - although my guesses were nowhere near South Africa! My guess was that this was an Italian Chardonnay. Heh. Anyways, it seems the wine has evolved to some degree from the bottle we tasted three years ago. It doesn't feel old yet, but it has lost its youthful qualities and is now probably living its middle-aged phase. Although the wine probably will evolve and improve with additional aging, I'm not sure if the wine is getting qualitatively that much better - just different. If the wine was 93 points three years ago, I'd say it is 93,5 now and will peak at around 94 points after some additional years - however, unlike I said in my previous tasting, I'm not entirely sure if the wine is really capable of aging for decades. My revised view would be that the wine is probably peaking at around 10 years of age and holding until 15 to 20 yo. Nevertheless, this is a terrific wine that is drinking mighty well right now. Drink or keep.
(93 points) - 2002 Domaine Ramonet Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Clos de la Boudriotte Rouge - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru (12.12.2023)
13,5% alcohol. Tasted blind.
Somewhat translucent and moderately evolved cherry-red color with a brick-orange hue and a pale, almost colorless rim. The nose feels rather mature and somewhat tertiary with aromas of wizened dark plums, some licorice root, light savory woody tones, a little bit of gravelly minerality, an evolved hint of gamey meat, a touch of ripe blackcurrant and a whiff of earthy sous-bois. The wine feels evolved, sinewy and quite tightly-knit on the palate with a medium body and moderately tertiary flavors of cherries and soft strawberries, some balsamic notes of VA, a little bit of gravelly minerality, light earthy tones, a hint of sour cherry bitterness and a touch of tart lingonberry. The overall feel is pretty structure-driven, thanks to the high acidity and quite grippy, almost Nebbiolo-like tannins. The finish is long, dry and rather tannic with an evolved, intensely-flavored aftertaste of red plummy fruit, tart lingonberries and wizened redcurrants, some gravelly mineral tones, a little bit of wild strawberry, light woody nuances, a hint of balsamic VA and a touch of ripe blackcurrant.
This was a lovely, evolved wine, but all I could come up with this wine was "French". Well at least I got that one correct. Honestly, the wine didn't really scream Burgundy to me, because its tannins were surprisingly tough and assertive for a Pinot Noir. Plus there was that faint undertone of blackcurrant that kept me away from Burgundy - although the wine wasn't particularly Bordeaux, either, so I never went there despite the cassis notes. Anyways, even if I didn't know what the wine was, I loved it. Terrific stuff. It is more or less at its peak - although the tannins can take on another decade or two, the overall feel is getting so mature and tertiary that I really don't feel the wine is going to benefit from any additional aging. Drink now or quite soon. Fine stuff, worth the price at approx. 55€.
(94 points) - 2008 Chateau Musar - Lebanon, Bekaa Valley (12.12.2023)
The first few months of 2008 in Beqaa weren't particularly plentiful with rain and snow, but after the late February no rains reached the valley for the rest of the season. The temperatures were moderate in March, which was followed by a sunny spring, keeping the humidity (and the amount of unwanted weeds) very low. In mid-August a heat wave arrived, making the grapes reach maturity at the same moment, creating some logistical problems on the harvesting of grape varieties – normally the grapes mature at different times, so there is no need to worry whether some varieties would turn overripe while picking the others. Especially Cinsaut seemed to only benefit from the heat wave. The wines were blended together after 3 years of aging, of which 1 year in oak barrels. 14% alcohol, 2 g/l residual sugar and 6,1 g/l acidity. Tasted blind.
Deep, somewhat translucent and quite dark black cherry color with a blood-red hue. The nose feels sweet, quite sunny and a bit volatile with aromas of ripe red fruits, some balsamic notes of VA, a little bit of savory wood, light inky nuances, dark-toned hints of juicy blackcurrants and dark plummy fruits, a pruney touch of dried fruits and a whiff of wizened strawberry. The wine feels ripe and sunny yet somewhat stern and tightly-knit on the palate with a rather full body and vibrant flavors of clean red-toned fruit, some sweet balsamic notes of VA, light dried-fruit nuances of prunes and wizened cherries, a little bit of phenolic spice and bitterness, a hint of juicy strawberry and a touch of stony minerality. The overall feel is rather structure-driven, thanks to the high acidity and quite grippy medium-plus tannins. The finish is dry, long and grippy with a clean, savory aftertaste of sour cherries and slightly sweeter dried fruits, some strawberry and blackcurrant tones, a little bit of balsamic VA, light earthy tones, a ferrous hint of blood and a touch of rustic funk.
I was pretty sure that this was Musar with the first sniff and I was even more certain with the first sip. That combination of sunny fruit, sweet balsamic VA and stern yet not particularly prominent structure is something you find in very few other wines. I added that if this wasn't Musar, this might be a warmer-vintage Brunello or some Super-Tuscan from some less-interventionist producer, but I was still quite certain that this had to be Musar. Lo and behold, not only was it Musar, it was also one of my favorite Musar vintages this side of millennium! This was a superb wine with everything in place and nothing in excess. Although starting to show a bit of age, the wine is still relatively youthful for its age, having a lot of mileage in the tank. Although the wine is drinking mighty well right now, I'm expecting the wine to keep on evolving and improving with additional aging - at least a bit more. At approx. 20€ back in the day, this has been a screaming bargain.
(95 points) - 2014 Réserve de la Comtesse - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac (12.12.2023)
A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (59%) and Merlot (41%), mainly from the vineyards in the commune of Ste. Anne. Tasted blind.
Rather deep, quite opaque and slightly evolved blackish-red color with a somewhat pale maroon rim. The nose feels dark-toned and a bit evolved with aromas of smoky toasted character, some meaty notes, a little bit of savory wood, light juicy blackcurrant nuances, a hint of sweet dark fruit, a touch of cigar box and a whiff of salty liquorice powder. The wine feels dense, quite chewy and surprisingly ripe on the palate with a medium body and intense, clean flavors of sweet dark fruits, some juicy blackcurrant tones, a little bit of meaty umami, light gravelly mineral notes, a hint of crunchy red plum and a smoky touch of toasted oak. The wine is high in acidity with moderately grippy medium-plus tannins. The finish feels dark-toned, moderately grippy and rather long with a quite intense aftertaste of dark fruits and ripe blackcurrants, some gravelly mineral tones, a little bit of tart red plum, light woody notes of savory oak spice, a smoky hint of toasted oak and a touch of tobacco.
A rather ripe yet not overdone second wine. Although the overall fruit profile is quite lush, sweet-toned and fruity - which feels quite typical of Pichon-Lalande - the wine still retains good, crunchy acidity and some fresh fruit flavors despite the ripeness. Although the oak sticks out a bit at times, the wine doesn't feel overtly oaky. Most likely the wine will continue to age and evolve for some more years, integrating the oaky tones better with the vibrant fruit flavors, but seeing how the wine is already starting to show some evolved nuances and meaty tones before its 10th birthday, I guess this isn't going to be a remarkably long-lived wine. I'd drink the wine before its 20th birthday. I guess I should've identified the wine as a Bordeaux, but for some reason I chose to focus on the smoky, meaty elements and guessed this was a Syrah from a modernist producer in Northern Rhône. Oh well! Anyways, at mere 14€ (from a bin-ends sale) this has been a steal.
(90 points) - 2014 Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Artemis - USA, California, Napa Valley (12.12.2023)
A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (98%) sourced from Atlas Peak District (26%), Arcadia Vineyard in Coombsville (19%), Battuello Vineyard in St. Helena (9%), Shooting Star Vineyard in Pope Valley (5%) and 5% Estate fruit (FAY and S.L.V.), along with Merlot (1%) and Malbec (1%). Aged for 17 months in new French oak (33%), new American oak (10%) and used (57%) barriques. 14,5% alcohol, 5 g/l acidity and pH 3,83. Tasted blind.
Rather dense, youthful and quite opaque blackish-red color with a faint purplish hue. The nose feels ripe, dark-toned and quite sweetly-fruited with aromas of juicy blackcurrants, some red licorice, a little bit of vanilla, light dark plummy notes, a hint of sweet bilberries and a toasty touch of chocolatey mocha oak. The wine feels ripe, rich and very juicy on the palate with a full body and bold, intense flavors of cherry marmalade and sweet strawberry, some juicy cassis tones, a little bit of dark plummy fruit, light notes of vanilla, a toasty hint of chocolatey mocha oak and a touch of boysenberry jam. The structure relies more on the moderately high acidity than on the very light and gentle tannins that provide very little firmness to the texture and not really anything to the structure. The finish is ripe, somewhat warm and very soft with a long, dark-toned aftertaste of sweet blackcurrant and plummy fruit, some bilberry tones, a little bit of vanilla, light cherry marmalade notes, a toasty hint of mocha oak and a touch of strawberry jam.
A youthful, rich and accessible Napa Cab. With its rich, sweet-toned and even slightly jammy fruit profile, somewhat soft acidity and almost nonexistent tannic grip, the wine comes across as quite a crowdpleaser. I've had some very lovely and balanced vintages of Stag's Leap Artemis, but this felt a bit too sweet and soft for my preference. As the wine is still very youthful now, at the age of 9 years, I can imagine it will continue to evolve and improve beneficially for many years more, but I doubt this is going to become a particularly firm and impressive Napa Cab with any amount of aging. Nice, but nothing special to write home about. My guess was this must be a Californian Cab, so at least I got that much right.
(88 points) - 2014 Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco Riserva Asili - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco (12.12.2023)
The Nebbiolo fruit is sourced from the Asili vineyard. Released only after a minimum of four years of aging. Bottle #58 of total 13,333 bottles. 14% alcohol. Tasted blind.
Luminous, quite translucent and still somewhat youthful garnet color. The nose feels fragrant, quite expressive and somewhat dark-toned with aromas of cherries and licorice, some vague rubbery notes of reduction, a little bit of ripe black raspberry, light gravelly mineral notes, a hint of wild strawberry, a touch of wood tar and a ferrous whiff of blood. The wine feels clean, firm and rather tightly-knit on the palate with a medium body and intense flavors of lingonberries and sour cherry bitterness, some gravelly mineral tones, light sweeter notes of wild strawberries, a little bit of crunchy cranberry, a hint of wood tar and a touch of earth. The wine comes across as pretty high-strung, thanks to the high acidity and quite grippy tannins. The finish is dry, stern and rather mouth-drying with the ample, grippy tannins and a long, dark-toned aftertaste of black raspberries, some licorice root, a little bit of wood tar, light tart notes of cranberries and lingonberries, a hint of sour cherry bitterness and a ferrous touch of blood.
Unsurprisingly, my guess was Piedmontese Nebbiolo. This was a stern, tightly-knit and a bit austere - rather than a concentrated - yet still also a very tasty and promising Barbaresco. Despite the flavor intensity here, the fruit department of the wine felt still a bit understated compared to its non-fruit flavors, as the quite prominent and assertive tannins seemed to be happy keeping the fruit as a hostage. However, with this much depth and intensity, I'm sure this wine will make beautiful old bones, once the tannins start to resolve. With its impressive structure, the wine will keep for ages, and seeing how the fruit department didn't seem to show any signs of aging at 9 years of age, I have no doubts the flavors here will evolve beautifully over the years. However, most likely this wine will stay rather stern and unyielding for at least another dozen or so years. Let the wine just wait - it is not built to be particularly enjoyable in its youth! Superb value at 230€ for a case of 6 bottles (ie. 38,33€ per bottle).
(93 points) - 1957 Cantine Cavalier Giovanni Morra Barbaresco Extra Vecchio Riserva - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco (12.12.2023)
Tasted blind.
Evolved, translucent brick-orange color with a pale, syrupy-brown hue and a colorless rim. Lots of bottle stink at first - aromas of sweaty gym gear, jogging shoe soles and gunpowder smoke. However, with air the nose opens up revealing aromas of wizened red cherries, some licorice tones, light smoky nuances, a little bit of truffle and forest floor, a hint of raspberry jam and a touch of tar. This smells like an old Nebbiolo after all! The wine feels evolved, silky and quite resolved on the palate with a medium body and tertiary flavors of wizened cherries and wild strawberries, some smoky notes of wood tar, a little bit of beef jerky, light licorice root tones, a hint of ripe red plums and a salty touch of rancio. The wine is high in acidity whereas the fully resolved tannins come across as very gentle and mellow. The finish is very long, savory and slightly grippy with a complex, tertiary aftertaste of wizened sour cherries and dried red plums, some raspberry tones, a little bit of pine tar, light sweet strawberry nuances, a hint of licorice root and a touch of truffle.
At first the wine seemed like a generic old wine and I had no idea where it could've come from. However, it didn't take much time for the wine to get its game together and soon afterwards I was pretty sure this must be an old Nebbiolo. I thought 40 years was old enough, so I went with mid-to-early 1980's. Well, the wine turned out to be from the late 1950's! I honestly didn't think the wine was 25 years older than my initial assessment, but then again, I've been so many times astounded by Nebbiolo's capability to age that I shouldn't be surprised anymore. At 22,90€, this has been an outright steal.
(94 points) - 2011 Tiefenbrunner Pinot Bianco Anna - Italy, Trentino-Alto Adige, Alto Adige, Alto Adige - Südtirol (12.12.2023)
100% Pinot Blanc from the Kurtatsch sub-region of Alto-Adige. Aged in a combination of large oak casks, French oak tonneaux and concrete tanks. Named after Anna, the Tiefenbrunner family's daughter. 13,5% alcohol. Tasted blind.
Luminous neon-yellow-green color. The nose feels youthful, quite fruit-forward and somewhat Italian with intense aromas of fresh peach and honeydew melon, some stony mineral notes, a little bit of waxy richness, light spicy nuances and a hint of creaminess. The wine feels dry yet richly-textured and balanced on the palate with a full body and vibrant flavors of greengage and juicy sweet apple, some cantaloupe, a little bit of stony minerality, light spicy nuances, a hint of ripe pear and a touch of creaminess. The mouthfeel is a bit oily and viscous, but the rather high acidity keeps the wine balanced and enjoyably structured from the beginning to the end. The finish is juicy and ripe with some waxy textural feel, suggesting higher level of extraction, along with flavors of ripe Golden Delicious apple, some cantaloupe, a little bit of sweet greengage, light spicy phenolic nuances, a slightest hint of grippy feel in the gums and a touch of creaminess.
A rather big but also very balanced and harmonious Pinot Blanc that has a lot of everything. Despite its 12 years of age, the overall feel is still surprisingly youthful, vibrant and full of energy - although the wine is quite impressive already now, it seems to hold much promise for the future. Drink or keep. This has been excellent value at approx. 14€.
(91 points)
Posted from CellarTracker
