Some very good wines at my blind tasting lunch this month! We were impeded by the closure of a major bridge for six hours due to a jumper I suspect they close the bridges when that happens to avoid frustrated motorists yelling “So jump already” at the would be high diver.
2016 Vieux Pin Ava – a BC wine blended from Viognier, Marsanne and Roussanne, this was pale and showed distinct but not excessive oak in the nose, and some sweet lime, was round on palate and finished with good clean acidity. Refreshing well made wine.
2016 Paul Cluver Chardonnay Seven Flags – interesting first impression from this pale wine – an initial whiff of what could have been Semillon, but after that all that stood out was the high level of oak that obscured anything else that might have been there. Slightly off dry on entry but balanced by slightly high acidity. Not my idea of a good chard, but I know many people prefer oak juice….
2014 Faiveley Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru – Pale, with an interesting cooked apple and butter nose, weighty in the mouth with clean acidity at the end. Excellent wine that is perhaps still a bit tight.
2016 Greywacke Sauvignon Blanc – one of my favourite SBs from New Zealand. Notable grapefruit nose with tons of acidity on palate and a lengthy clean finish. Made me lust after some oysters!
2014 Domaine de la Côte Pinot Noir Santa Rita Hills– a wine that showed clear edges and bright light red colour, good varietal nose of cherries with some Burgundian funk, a smooth tasty wine and the only kind of American Pinot I would hunt down to drink.
2008 Domaine Rene Leclerc Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Prieur – obviously another Pinot and obviously older with more development. Slight funkiness, bright acidity and slightly low fruit levels, but enjoyable nonetheless.
1995 Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco Riserva Rio Sordo – as I had just finished acquiring my stash of 2013s I thought it would be nice to take a look at a mature vintage and chose this less commonly seen vineyard. The wine was in excellent shape, darker than the Pinots and with a slightly paler edge with no browning. A dark cherry nose with tar and earth, and in the mouth it was balanced with good fruit and had soft tannins and good acidity and length. I expect that this wine is at peak now and will probably coast for some time, but should be enjoyed sooner rather than later as it won’t get any better. Made me feel better about the 2013 I stashed.
2007 Di Majo Norante Molise Don Luigi Riserva – still a dark ripe wine with some serious black cherry in the nose and oak, and in the mouth I thought it a tad ponderous, but still showed enjoyable dark fruit. Maybe I was too critical because of all the elegant wines that preceded it.
2004 Terredora di Paolo Taurasi Pago Dei Fusi – another dark wine with tar and iron/blood in the nose and big fruit, albeit not nearly as dense as the previous wine (a good thing), but with tons of structure and a long finhish. Very enjoyable wine. And a great lunch!
