Last night we had some friends over to cook out ribeyes on the grill with haricots verts and truffle-butter mashed potatoes. After enjoying some Schrambsburg rose and Billecart-Salmon Rose (NV) with cheese and crackers, we moved on to the main course with the Togni.
Popped and poured with dinner, the first glass had a herbal (but not off-putting) nose. The wine was so beautifully balanced that I don’t know that I can identify anything specific by way of tasting notes other than it was just beautiful. Seamless from start to finish, and the tannins were very much in the background but not completely gone. Just enough to help cut through the ribeyes and truffle butter. Togni doesn’t get a lot of love these days on the wine boards, but I can’t help but have this experience renew my belief that his wines (with sufficient age) are as good as anything I’ve had from California.
Perhaps, Todd, but if you were to run a search on at least one other board I think you’ll find several threads in which many folks post that Togni is overrated. I think my comment was more directed at the general trend towards the latest and greatest “new” cult/maker/label over some solid performers year-in, year-out.
I have not met Philip personally (though I have spoken with him on the phone a few times). His daughter was delightful when my wife and I visited back in 2005, though.