Before we left, we opened a Dirty and Rowdy Mendocino County Cabernet Sauvignon, Alder Springs Vineyard. Delicious, transparent, sort of a Loire-Cab-Franc style Cabernet Sauvignon, and perhaps the only (?) one I've ever tried that tasted like it didn't see any new wood. Doesn't have quite the same energy as D&R's Mourvedres but I like it. Will hold remaining two bottles for at least 3-5 years.
First night by the ocean, went for a Lusenti Gutturnio Superiore "Cresta al Sole"; can't recall the vintage for sure but it might have been 2013. In any case, the interesting thing here was just that it was a new-to-us DOC (in the Colli Piacentini of Emilia-Romagna) and blend (60% Barbera and 40% Croatina, known locally as "Bonarda" but not the same as the "Bonarda" grown in Piemonte), and it was really good, bright and vibrant with some good dark depths too, and a good match for a meal that included seafood and vegetables but with a lot of deep, earthy, wintry flavor accompaniments (lentils, olives, etc.).
Second night by the ocean, we'd spent three hours on a vigorous redwood hike and had a casual meal with, basically, a good but unmemorable house red -- something southern Italian, IIRC, since I was having cannelloni and Andrea was having cioppino.
The next day, we managed to sneak in an appointment to taste at Ridge in the Santa Cruz Mountains, where, astonishingly enough, we'd never been, despite having a cellar full of Ridge and having visited the Lytton Estate tasting room several times. A fun hour's drive up and over two ridges to the highway, south on 280, and then snaking back up the (relatively recently repaved) four and a half miles of Monte Bello Road. Man, what a location! And a lovely, chill, 2-hour sit-down tasting and vineyard walk. Really gave me a sense of the place, of exactly where it is in relation to the ocean and the bay, and of where the various estate vineyards are in relation to each other. We tasted the 2015 Estate Chardonnay, relatively forward and tropical for this wine, with a strong American oak signature at this point, but still with excellent energy and balance that will repay some time to let the wood integrate; the 2015 East Bench Zinfandel, a wine I don't think I've had before, and which is unusual for Ridge in being 100% Zin; good rich raspberry liqueur with a brambly, spicy edge, carries its 14.7% well; the 2015 Lytton Springs, very young, kind of big and glossy right now (14.4%) but with an undercurrent of black fruit and pitch that suggests some complexity to come; the 2014 Estate Cabernet, I think we tasted this a year ago, right after it was released, and it seems to me to have shut down; and the 2014 Monte Bello, which, by contrast, was surprisingly open for business, though still way too young. Great verve, stunning persistence, took the opportunity to pick up two bottles at a discount to fill in a gap in the cellar (I've been in the MB futures club for a couple of years but missed this vintage).
That night, we had the Burgaud 2009 Morgon Côte du Py I reported on in the France thread, chosen to pair with Andrea’s cassoulet and my diver scallops with blood sausage and smoked potatoes. Ripe but brisk, still very primary, with blueberry, flowers, gravel, and smoke; still a bit of grip on the back end but not seeming especially stern or inaccessible, and makes an excellent pairing with both dishes — particularly with the smoked pork belly in the cassoulet. We also had a couple of glasses of Far Niente [2015?] Napa Valley Chardonnay to go with crab: relatively strong oak treatment but suppressed malolactic gives this strength without flab; not my everyday style but well-made and well-matched.
At a family dinner a few nights later, my father-in-law pulled out a couple of California Cabs he thought needed to be consumed -- he doesn't drink much anymore, so he enjoys having the occasion to dig up bottles for others. (These have been passively cellared at warmer than ideal temps, though still protected from serious heat.) A BV 2001 Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve was drinkable but on a steep downhill slope, some sweet California fruit left but mostly leafy-mulchy. A Clos du Val 2004 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve was much better, with a lot of life still in it, deep currant and plum on a brisk frame.
At a dinner on our own, we had a Castello di Ama 2010 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione San Lorenzo, which we enjoyed but which was still way, way too young -- very tightly wound, showing intense tart cherry and black fruit up front, great concentration and depth, but almost nothing but sheer structure on the back end. Decanted, and by the last glass it had begun to relax, but all in all this was an unfortunately timed bottle of what seems like it will eventually be an outstanding wine.
Out to dinner on Christmas Eve with Andrea's folks, we had a half-bottle of a Verdicchio, identity unknown, and a bottle of Pietradolce 2014 Etna Rosso "Archineri", 100% Nerello Mascalese, which was really lovely: aromatic purple fruit and earth, gentle and giving without being soft (in fact, it has the structure to improve, I think).
Since being home, we've had a Felton Road 2010 Central Otago Pinot Noir, "Bannockburn," which I think we opened at just the right point, as the fruit is melting into a broad mushroominess but the basic shape of the wine is still visible; perfect to dress up the frozen porcini ravioli we made when we got back from the airport; with a roasted beet salad, a Brun 2015 Beaujolais VV "L'Ancien," first bottle of this vintage, quite clean, ripe, and forward fruit -- concentrated fresh and cooked strawberry -- but well-balanced by acidity and minerality.
And, finally, last night, with homemade (and home-ground) kofta and roasted potatoes, a Chateau Musar 1999 Bekaa Valley Red. I've been reading notes about Musar for years; never had a drop of the stuff, but I know my palate and Andrea's well enough to be confident we'd enjoy it, so when a batch came up for sale here earlier this year, I got a couple of bottles each of the 1999, 2001, and 2004. Well, I wasn't wrong. Seems to be in comfortable early middle-age, definitely showing some tertiary character, but with a lot of depth of fruit remaining; terrific interplay among the fruit, gaminess, leather, and sweet spices. There was just a tiny bit of VA detectable. Great bottle -- not necessarily by comparison with other Musars, because how would I know? -- but on its own terms. A perfect match with the kofta; and also a nice occasion to try out my new Durand -- thanks, Andrea!
Happy New Year to all! Wherever you are, I hope it's warmer than it is here!
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