Jay,
Does the “P” in Champagne count?
Does Krug Brut Champagne qualify?
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1994 Ridge Monte Bello - USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains (12/7/2017)
Out of 375 and slightly more mature than a 750 bottle tasted a couple months ago. Good richness remaining in the fruit that is starting to show mature cedar and dried tobacco notes. Plenty of freshness and softening tannin, so this is aging in proportion. In a very good window now and don’t see this getting much better from here. (92 pts.)
I fixed it for you. I believe the wine you had was actually the Ridge Ponte Bello - the beautiful bridge - in order to get Jay to make the additional $5 donation.
(The Ponte Bello was a small side project of Paul Draper.)
The wine must have the P and the R in the name and, of course, the Ridge Ponte Bello does fit the category.
The lack of knowledge of the alphabet among Berserkers is truly amazing.
P and R, not P or R — now I get it. Well how about, Ridge Monte Bello by Paul Draper?!
Posting a link to the TN I just posted about regarding the 1990 Prunotto Cannubi, which is drinking very well tonight and will soon be joined by my better half’s homemade pizza (this week with Pancetta, Kalamata olives, onion, garlic and fresh basil) ![[cheers.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/0ff9bfcdb0964982cd3240b6159868fbdf215b1a.gif "cheers"){kind=small}
I am one of the more technically-challenged Berserkers, but I was going to attempt a picture to boost Jay’s contribution - unfortunately, my phone died this afternoon 
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’85 Billecart-Salmon Grande Cuvee Brut Champagne Jeroboam - this is the fourth jero that I’ve opened of this Champagne over the past six or seven years and it is just starting to gain some complexity and a level of maturity. Aromas of stone fruits with some yeast and toast. Barely a hint of oxidation. The format has had a not unsurprising impact on the evolution of this bottle as none of the 750mls or even magnum of this that I’ve recently consume are nearly this youthful. Excellent plus
’90 Henriot Brut Champagne Jeroboam Perfect party wine as it delivers quality in a festive bottle at a reasonable price, especially since I purchased it over 10 years ago. Yellow fruit mixed with a bit of bread and toast. The 1/8 of the remaining jero was still going strong at lunch the following day. Excellent
’95 Henriot Brut Champagne Magnum - one of the better recent magnums of this that I’ve had. It helped that it was consumed within 15 minutes by 16 people as some previous mags have fallen apart within a couple of hours. initially, lively effervescence, but this tapered within several minutes. No oxidative notes, but the fruit slowly fades in front of you. Very Good Plus
’95 Henriot Brut Champagne Jeroboam - youthful bump up from the previous wine. I purchased this and the above two wines all at the same time. While the effervescence in the magnum was slowly dissipating, this remained lively over several hours. Similar flavor profile as expected. Excellent minus
’95 Cristal Brut Champagne - Darker color than I had hoped giving some trepidation. A bit skunky on the nose, but the palate was significantly better with plenty of fruit and no dirtiness or oxidation. Excellent minus
’96 Cristal Brut Champagne - One of my favorite '96’s and my favorite Cristal since at least 1990 and it might be as good or better than that vintage. Effervescent, very light yellow in color with bright fruit and perfect acidity. One of my favorites of the evening. Staggering
’95 Krug Champagne - Never been a fan of this wine, but I was surprised it could even hang with the other Champagnes opened this evening. A bit oxidative as expected, but enough fruit to buttress it. Didn’t get any signature Krug green apple. Excellent
’96 Krug Champagne Another of my favorites from the vintage and one of my favorite Krug’s. A powerhouse of a Champagne with tons of yellow fruit but with this vintage the signature tart green apple is in the forefront. Will be a sixty plus year wine. Staggering
’95 Krug Clos du Mesnil Brut Champagne - At least Krug was consistent in 1995. Imo, both this wine and the regular '95 underperformed for the vintage. It’s a solid Champagne, but given the vintage, pedigree and especially the price, it no longer holds a place in my cellar. Excellent
’96 Krug Clos du Mesnil Brut Champagne If the regular '96 is a 60 year Champagne this may well be an 80 year Champagne. I always open this well before serving and tonight was no different. Layers of fruit that come in waves and linger seemingly forever. Doesn’t seemed to have aged a bit over the past ten years. Staggering plus
’95 Salon Le Mesnil Brut Champagne - It’s good to see that Salon seems to have cleared up its premox issues from the previous decade of vintages. Pure Chardonnay fruit with a laser of acidity. Very clean. Excellent plus
’96 Salon Le Mesnil Brut Champagne - If the previous champagne had a laser beam of acidity, the '96 had a higher intensity laser. Once in a while this Champagne can’t hang with the '96 Krug or the Clos du Mesnil, but this was one of more of the norm. Not much effervescence in the glass, but lively on the palate. Another Champagne that will have a very long life. Staggering
’14 Patricia Green Berserker Cuvee Pinot Noir While I like the 2013 version of this a little bit better, this still a solid wine especially for its purchase price. One of my go to reds to serve to guests who “don’t like Champagne or white wine”. Good fruit but a touch of heat on the finish even when served at 55 degrees. Very good
Balance of the photos to follow shortly
Hopefully this counts, despite the silent p.
2010 Domaine Faury St. Joseph - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, St. Joseph (12/8/2017)
Someone posted that they thought this wine was past peak on CT. Ha! Not even close. It’s still an adolescent. It does show lots of wild and spicy tones, but there is still a firm core of red fruit that is not willing to unfold without significant air. The overall balance is lovely, with bracing acids and solid framing tannins. This has at least 10 years of positive development. Drink now with lots of air, or hold for a while.
Blind Pinot night with Scott Christie. 2013 Inman Pratt Vine Hill.
TN: Light, subtle, feminine red fruits with vanilla undertones.
RT
Family dinner with the crazy Italians. It’s the way they do it…
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2015 Apothic Dark - USA, California (12/9/2017)
Very dark, motor oil color. Sweet fruit liqueur aroma. Redwood shavings and Vick’s nitequil. Sweet and creamy.
Posted from CellarTracker
A few nice wines shared with good friends.
1999 Bouchard Vosne Romanee Reignots - This wine needs lots of time. The structure and tannins are hiding the fruit and it is unyielding at this time.
1983 Pichon Lalande - Very pretty sweet fruit anchors this wine. Elegant and ready to drink with a bit of upside.
2006 Pax Griffin’s Lair - This wine came out punching from the bell. Nice olive component rounded out the sweet and youthful fruit. Ways to go on this one.
2001 Artadi El Pison - A little closed and structured but fared better when combined with lamb chops. Good, not great.
2006 Pierre Usseglio Chateneauf Mon Aeuil - Liquid comfort food. Warming notes of Christmas cake combined with baking spices gave depth to the Grenache. Extremely elegant and complete wine.
Cheers.
2010 ArPePe Rosso di Valtellina
A light translucent ruby in the glass (light enough to be mistaken for a Nerello Mascalese). Sweet/ripe cherry fruit on the nose, with a menthol note in the background.
Light-bodied, with good acidity on the palate. This wine is drinking well now, but can probably still be held and enjoyed for another decade. I would buy more ArPePe wines were the distribution mark-up here in the states not quite so hefty.
1998 Veuve Clicquot Posardin Vintage Reserve Brut - baked bread, strawberry and a touch of sherry on the nose. Nice balance of sweet strawberry fruit with underlying mineral structure on the palate. Fully mature to my tastes, but certainly not over the hill.
2002 Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin Vintage Reserve Brut - More in my wheelhouse - still young, dynamic, with lots of yeasty bread, limestone and green apple on the nose. Nicely structured palate with very similar flavors to the nose. Still young and coiled up, but drinking very well and great with the assorted cheeses
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2014 Primarius Pinot Noir Reserve Willamette - USA, Oregon (12/10/2017)
Dark cranberry color. Light cherry nose but the palate comes across as Oregon. Tart raspberries, cranberry and lots of earth notes. Good clove / spicy backbone. Very nice for $20
Posted from CellarTracker
2016 Massican Colli Orientali del Friuli Gaspare - Italy, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Colli Orientali del Friuli (12/10/2017)
This is Dan Petroski’s actual Italian venture (as opposed to his delicious Cal-Ital wines), and it is wonderful in two ways. First it shows pretty floral and citrus fruit with fine acidity, making it a very tasty drink. But it also serves as a point of comparison, that shows he really knows how to do this in California, as well as Italy. The wines are very much equivalent quality. I am happy to drink either rendition of these lovely blends…or all of them!
Bonus cash for a double mag?
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2007 Copain Syrah Spirit Rock Alder Springs Vineyard - USA, California, North Coast, Mendocino County (12/8/2017)
Out of 3.0L. Good richness and concentration of savory black fruit. Dense but balanced with lightly fresh acidity. Lots of violets and white pepper notes throughout. (91 pts.)
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2014 Cave de Saumur Saumur Rouge Les Pouches - France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Saumur (12/10/2017)
Ruby at the core, see-through with lifted noted of dark fruits, blueberries, dehydrated meets, gravel, and faint bell pepper. The palate leads from mildly vegetal as it transitions from bell pepper into black berry, tobacco, and cacao. Light-medium body, med acidity, med- tannin, and a short finish. An excellent entry-level Saumur for $12.
Posted from CellarTracker
2013 Monte Volpe Peppolino Red Wine Mendocino County
Pop n pour. It’s an I feel a headache coming on after drinking one glass wine. I’ll just cook with it. Sorry, none of my other 3 nottles open have a P in the name of the producer, vineyard, ava, variety etc.
Apologies for the absence of a photo, but the restaurant frowns on camera usage. All wines purchased on release in Tokyo and stored lovingly since.
93 Rouget Cros Parantoux: Just a killer. Sure, it’s a bit more lean compared to something like the 90 or 02, but man is this a great wine. Projects such depth of flavor and yet seems weightless.
01 Rouget Cros Parantoux: Such a lovely nose, complex, evolving and haunting. A touch lean on the palate with very firm acidity, which, to me, is in character for the 01 vintage. At this point, this wine aspires to be as good as the 93. Clearly some family resemblance.
06 Rouget Cros Parantoux: oddly floral (roses?) note in the nose, surprisingly a little more evolved than the 01 on the palate, not exactly sure where this one is going.