Let’s get these out of the way before they become lost to history (or the silverfish get their way!). Over the many previous months I dare say…
Dauvissat, Chablis, ‘Le Forets’, 2007
Mushroomy saline scents and lemon-pear, woolen-coat finish. Light and delicate. Wish the price never shot up on these. B+/A-
Domaine Pegau, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, 2011
Slight brett with feral iron and spicy black plums, and furry tannins on the finish. A little muddled and not well-defined this year. B/B+
Benjamin David Duclaux, Maison Rouge, Cote Rotie, 2006
Red fruited with beefy iron notes with tannins that could use a few more years to sort out. Tastes of the soil. Nice notes of peppermint and licorice/fennel seed. First Duclaux wine and I am impressed. 13% A-/B+
Luigi Baudana, Barolo, 2010
Surprisingly accessible. Cherry-plum tart with fine tannins, good but youthful. Drinking more like a Gattinara than a Barolo. 5-7 more years? A-/B+
Biondi, Etna bianco, ‘Outis’, 2009
Mercaptans and lemon oil on the nose, giving way to an herbal base. Loses freshness with time, but still viable. Nice medium weight. B+
[90%Carricante/2.5% Cataratto/2.5% Minnella/2.5% Malvasia/2.5% Muscatella dell Etna) 12.5%
Simon Bize, Savigny-les-Beaune, ‘Les Bourgeots’, 2011
Tell-tale green elevens show, along with light cranberry-pomegranate and raspberry leaf and delicate tannic structure. B+/A-
Jaboulet, Cozes Hermitage, ‘Domaine de Thalabert’, 2010
Firmer, more structured, and stonier than a goopy 2009 tried a few months prior. No harm in drinking now, as the tannins don’t stick out. Full of lovely sour plum and berry fruit with a tangy finish. Medium bodied. 13.5% B+/A-
Domaine Vacheron, Sancerre, ‘Les Romaines’, 2012
Flinty! Drying minerality and boxwood on the end. I imagine this has toned down the sharpness when it was more youthful. Nice, but a little one-note, and pricey for that (what,50-bucks?) B+/A-
Terredora Dipaolo, Taurasi, 2004
Mulled red-and black fruits, clay paper. Classy for a strong wine and in a good place now. Even smoother the next day. A-/B+
Forlorn Hope, Merlot, ‘Onavolk’, Calaveras County, Rorick Vineyard, 2014
Muted nose with some fecal notes. Rough and tumble for a merlot with tough, wiry tannins, thin red fruits and dusty oak. Can time alone make this elegant? B 12.9%
Monteraponi, Chianti Classico, 2015
Raspberry leaf and dusty wood tannin that should integrate in a couple of years. Slightly reduced the second day. 13.5% B+
Gianni Doglia, Monferrato Rosso, 2017
Nebbiolo. A little rough wine, with flowers and stems. Alcohol seems a little much for the size. 14% B/B+
Enderele & Moll, Baden, Pinot Noir, ‘Muschelkalk’, 2009
Raspberry and blackcurrant leaf with a sour green apple finish. More on the savory spectrum of pinot than fruit. Good dose of acid with lighter pinot flavors, perhaps better earlier than now. B+/A- 12.5%
Xose Lois Sebio Punal, Ourense, Ribeiro, ‘Salvake’, 2013
Yellow fruited and savory herbal notes along with hayseed and caraway, very mild lemon wash. Good flavored, even though it lacks a little complexity. 13.5% B+
Passopisciaro, Sicilia IGT, 2010
Very pretty. Flowery and sweetly floral jasmine-rose-gardenia with lightly grippy tannins. Crystalline and red-fruited. Straw-like texture on the finish. 14% A-
Alfredo Maestro, Castilla y Leon, ‘La Vinuela’, 2010
Coconut and red fruit. Plums, smoked paprika, musky with a sweet oak gloss. Tad simple. Blend of garnacha and tinto fino. 14% B+