Still on holiday break. Dinner at the nearly empty Pinot with a couple of winos. Nice to have a bit of time to put some half-decent notes here again.
Taittinger Millesimé 2004 - Deeply flavored, yeasty, sourdough, bready champagne in a style I favor. Pretty good now.
Figuero Noble 2005 - Very modern, heavily oaked Spanish wine from Ribera del Duero. Needs a long time to get the oak integrated. Just too much wood and vanilla at this point.
Biondi-Santi Brunello di Montalcino 2008 - Youthful but just about approachable now. Lovely nose - lactic notes followed by potpourri. Black cherry, raspberry, and strawberry. All fruit now. Leave alone for 10 years or so.
Duca Di Salaparuta Duca Enrico 1995 - 100% Nero d'Avola from Sicily. Started with a strange, slight prickle on the tongue. Good nose, but lots of acidity. Opened up nicely after about 2 hours will all components coming into balance. Probably better to drink up although there might be a chance for some marginal improvement with aging.
Château Mouton Rothschild 1994 in magnum - Still quite a bit of tannin. Needed about half an hour in the glass to soften sufficiently. Textbook Bordeaux nose. Cedar and pencil shavings. Quite dense. Very dry attack, leather and charred wood, although there is a touch of ripe berry at the end. Decent length. Started to die in the glass after about 3 hours. Probably as good as it gets. Not a bad showing for a '94, and definitely better than I expected.
Inniskillin Cabernet Franc Icewine 2007 - Not bad, although the acidity on this is pretty shrill. Leaves your throat scratchy.
Sigalas Vin Santo 2013 - Raisins and dates. Well balanced and not cloying. A good dessert or cheese wine.