Not 93, but I had a fantastic 94 tonight
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2014 Canon-la-Gaffeliere
2018 Sadie Family Treinspoor
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Wow, great to hear. I always wonder about the longevity of 1990s era Branaires. Glad yours was singing.
My favorite wines from a dinner featuring 12 Cali (mostly) Pinots:
2004 Calera Pinot Noir āSelleck Vineyardā
Stood out for being particularly forward and accessible, with plenty of sweet reddish fruit - though verging on jammy - and a distinct sarsaparilla note; some complexity to the flavors too; this is C Major; good plus
2011 Chanin Pinot Noir āLos Alamos Vineyardā
Dark and so stemmy that itās a little unpleasant at first, though that lightens up with air; layered and lively fruit with a real driving acidity to it; similar in expression to its neighbor (the 2016 Young Hagen Riddle Vineyard) but with an extra sparkle, and I gave the edge to the Chanin in the end; my spouseās favorite; good plus
2016 Au Bon Climat Pinot Noir āIsabelleā
A serene, monolithic black hole of a wine; my reference point for this is the 2005 Roumier Bonnes Mares; it does seem a tad low on acidity but not distractingly so; who knows what this will become in the future?; good with upside
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Beautiful image on the 2nd photo 
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2000 Pontet-Canet in 375ā¦unfortunately feeling a bit tired. Drank over 2 hours and still just not really coming around
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2017 Burlotto Monvigliero
It was very good. Tannin was surprisingly integrated. The most pronounced strawberry notes Iāve ever tasted in Barolo.
I also had one of these. Forest floor and mushrooms. No fruit leftover but the texture was superb.
I am a big fan of La Mission Haut Brion, but I opened this with low expectations because of the vintage. And while it wonāt match the ā89 version, it surprised by showing a classic LMHB flavor profile and a moderate level of intensity. Ready now with only a minimal decant, it was worth paying attention to.
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2007s get a bad rap. Pretty decent young drinking vintage in Graves and Right Bank.
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Thatās the signature of Burlotto Monvigliero!
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The HB is not bad too, if somewhat overwhelmed by sweet oak when I sampled it ~6 years ago
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I opened a 2008 Broc Cellars Luna Matta Vineyard (Paso Robles) Mourvedre last night. Seven years ago, this was quite shrill with acid. Last night, it was ripe, grapy and slightly jammy ā a little two ripe for my tastes, in fact ā though there was also a fair deal of acid. (This was 14.5% per the label.) I have a hunch it was acidified, and that wasnāt integrated when I bought this in 2015. It stood up to turkey chile, but wasnāt too exciting on its own.
Iām always interested in new generation California wines ā folks who are trying to throttle back a bit. Iāll check in on the leftovers tonight, but for my tastes, this wasnāt a great success.
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Two wines opened tonight, since there were three of us grazing on a goat cheese dominant cheese plate. . .
2019 Champalou Vouvray (Dry)
An easy wine to say yes to. Fruit leaning to demi-sec for me, despite the dry labelling. Enjoyed by all.
2018 Thomas-Labaille Sancerre Monts Damnes
Very nice, fine-ish example of Sancerre. Encourages pondering and teasing out the taste profile, not just straight enjoyment, although it was enjoyed AND āappreciatedā by all.
Both wines were great companions (in different ways) to the goat cheeses.
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2005 Le Gay (Pomerol). 1.5 hr decant. Initial blast of dark cherry and earth. Settled down with air time. Big but not flabby or tiring to drink. The bouquet spent all night flirting with us - appearing and disappearing. Tannins softening but not fully resolved. Tons and tons of fruit left. Probably not at peak yet, nowhere near cracking up.
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2019 Vilefonte Seriously Old Dirt. South Africa. Says CS but definitely a blend as Iām picking up some CF and maybe something else. Website says Bordeaux Blend as a generic statement but the label just says CS.
Iām really surprised by this one. It shows spirit and stuffing with great acid and mouth drying tannins. Call me a fool but I think this could really be something. Ordered a few more bottles to lay down for a while and I will be watching for more from this producer. Definitely recommend giving it a try.
2020 Donnhoff Estate Riesling
2019 Borgo Scopeto Chianti Classico
2018 St Francis Old Vines Zin, Sonoma County
Marietta OVR lot #72
2021 Domain Lafond Rose Roc Epine Tavel
The Donnhoff is basically our āhouseā riesling, We reload annually,when out stash has been depletedā¦The 2015 Borgo CC was a pleasant surprise while foraging around in the back roads of New Jersey with my SIL a few years ago, have been buying it ever since, I go back to the single digit lot #'s with the OVR, can never rememeber whather it was lot #4 or 7, it had a plain blue label back in the dayā¦The Bilbros at Marietta have consistantly churned out full bodied,satifying reds for a number of years, not just the OVR lineā¦The St Francis is anther old friend, a solid wine for pizza, burgers, etcā¦The Lafond rose is new discovery for me, will buy againā¦All the these wines are food friendly and great QPR pricewise.
2007 Rivers-Marie Summa Old Vines Pinot Noir
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not sure where it is now, but I think it the best SOV weāve ever made
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2021 Maison Clavelier & Fils Maranges 1er Cru Le Clos des LoyĆØres - France, Burgundy, CĆ“te de Beaune, Maranges 1er Cru (3/1/2023)
Not a fan. The nose is nice enough and āpinotteā nicely. However, there is a predominant green aspect to it which continues on the palate. The palate is just too green from entry to finish. The mid-palate is rather hollow and the entire ensemble is thin with a short finish. I have another bottle but hold little hope that it will show betterā¦
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