It was a humid and sticky Saturday in DC so why not head out to Virginia for the Roagna tasting. For my urban self it was a bit disconcerting to find the tasting nestled in amongst all the trees and single-family houses. But, I survived once the wine started pouring and the various geeks started appearing.
I won't pretend to have detailed notes on every wine but I will say that the standouts for me were the 1999 Barbaresco Paje (which was so pure clear and deep compared to the 2000 and the 1998), the 2000 Barolo Rocca e la Pira (again, clean fresh and bright yet with enough depth to keep me interested), and the 1993 Barolo Rocca e la Pira Riserva which was everything the 2000 was yet finer and more elegant.
There was also a nice 2007 Billard Hautes Cotes de Beaune La Justice that provided fun juicy fresh chardonnay pleasure (I think other folks liked other wines from the Billard lineup, but I can't really speak for them).
Riesling-wise, the 2007 Melsheimer wines were interesting. I thought the QbA trocken had the most energy and expression but Bob Semon told me I was just digging the VA. Nicolas enjoyed the Reiler Mullay-Hopfberg Kabinett the most, but it felt kind of heavy and over-textured for me at the moment so I also enjoyed the sulfury spätlese for its 'typical' Mosel lace.
If that wasn't enough, Jake Parrott led the way towards an Oktoberfest beer tasting and I won't pretend to have the definitive notes on that one except to say that my eyes (and tastebuds) were opened to the glory of Bell's beer from Missouri. Good clean fresh complex stuff.
Wine eventually re-entered the equation with some NV José Michel Champagne Brut Pinot Meunier that was overdosaged for my tastes. Desperately seeking refreshment we stumbled onto the 2007 Verdier-Logel Cotes du Forez Volcanique which was a fresh gamay from a Loire appellation I had not heard of. Hipster label but good fruit and plenty of material for the tongue balanced by fresh acidity. Perfect for the chatty wine bar. We ended with a jet-black Cahors that was a bit too modern for my tastes despite the protestations of its advocate. But I needed to move on and forgot the name, so lots of good that does you..