So...these are highlights for me. Gobelsberger Riesling 2006-Very nice dry Riesling. Went quite well with baked Ham!
Chateau Thivin Brouilly 2006. What a delicious explosion of berry fruit, along with bitter herbal notes, savoryness, and a delicious mouth feel! Happily, Corti Brothers in Sacramento carries this producer-easier to get to than the San Francisco wine shop where I found this first bottle. A party favorite for both casual wine drinkers and the apprentice nerds like myself! I note that in December Decanter, Ch. Thivin is one of the wineries Steven Spurrier insists on visiting during his trips to France. I like his taste!
Cru Beaujolais rocks!Mas Igneus Priorat 1998. Blast of earthyness when the wine was opened. Nice savory underpinnings, but this is all about black fruit. I love the thick and rich mouthfeel, without it tasting oaky or heavy in any way (under 14% abv, I recall). My very first Priorat. I hope the second bottle I picked up is good as well-the wine manager at Nugget warned me he had drunk a very tired bottle. Mine was not tired at all-although it was also stored over the past year too cold.
Chateau Beau Sejur Becot 2000 Blech. So much raw bell pepper I thought this would make a better starting point for a salad dressing than a wine. Thin and acidic, too. What happened-I loved the 1999? Bad bottle? Not enough decant? Maybe it is too young, but will raw bell pepper be absorbed? I thought 2000 was a warm year, even on the right bank? The 1999 was much better. Even the French make mistakes!
Chateau L'Arrivet Haut Brion 2000. Much better. Dark, rich and savory. I know Rolland is disliked by some, but to my California palate his Bordeaux wines are very enjoyable.
Mio Soave 2006. There is almost nothing on the web about this label, which I understand is a second label/negociant label for Allegrini. My first Soave, this is 80% Garagnolo????? and 20% Chardonnay. Doesn't taste like much, if any at all, oak was used. Very floral nose and finish. Crisp apple fruit with an interesting tang. Not a profound wine, but boy did it hit the spot. $14 at WINESTYLES.
Marchessi Antinori Chianti Classico Riserva Tenuto 2001. Lovely CCR, with leather, tobacco, black cherry. Good acidity and a nice savory and bitter note on the finish. Is it worth the painful $30+? Probably not, but I did enjoy it quite a bit.
Clos du Caillou Cotes Du Rhone 2004. Drinking very well right now. Nice grenache cherry-strawberry fruit with a smooth mouth feel. Not as much savory goodness as some CdRs I've had, though. Very pleasant. Would probably buy another Andre Brunel wine first, although I would never turn this one down.
Bonny Doon Le Cigare Volante 2000 Another nice hommage to Cotes du Rhone/Chateauneuf du Pape. Not as much garrigue as the heavier and richer 2002 I drank last fall with friends. More strawberry/cherry with a light mouth feel and very little alcoholic burn. Nice wine-but QPR?