WTN: Rhones

Notes from a would-be bocce lunch, had the rain held off…

2006 Bastianich Vespa Bianco – an Italian non-traditional white blend from Friuli, named after a motor scooter. Chardonnay sauv blanc blend offered mostly chard character, some colour, and a full interesting mouth full with good length.

1998 Dom. La Roquette CNduP – full fruity Rhone nose with fruit and black pepper, dark colour and sweet clean entry, soft tannins and good length. Maybe the best bottle I’ve had.

1998 Dom. de la Vielle Julienne Vieux Vignes CNduP – good nose with blood, earth and coffee, very bright, smooth and long.

2005 Ch. de la Negly La Clape Cot. du Languedoc – ripe sweet warm nose, dark wine, little complexity, ripe fruit in the mouth, black raspberries, pruney at the end.

2003 Vieux Telegraphe CNduP – primary fruit nose with bloods and bret, lots of acidity in the wine, but the tannins are soft and this drinks well now.

2007 Vieux Telegraphe CNduP – funkier nose, not as ripe,, though more ripeness on palate as well as more tannin, excellent length. Too young to really assess yet, I’d taste again in 2-4 years.

1995 Penfolds Bin 389 Cab Syrah – as bocce was rained out and we needed a cribbage wine….Mellow but still sizeable wine with very good fruit level, now coming into prime drinking territory. Kind of a give away with the minty nose.

Notes from a would-be bocce lunch, had the rain held off…

2006 Bastianich Vespa Bianco – an Italian non-traditional white blend from Friuli, named after a motor scooter. Chardonnay sauv blanc blend offered mostly chard character, some colour, and a full interesting mouth full with good length.

Also, I believe, named after a NYC restaurateur.

[Jenise]

Also, I believe, named after a NYC restaurateur.

Correct, also Vegas and god knows where else. Mario Batali's partner in most, if not all (I'm thinking he may not have a share of Pizzeria Mozza in Los Angeles), of the restaurants Mario opens.

[Jenise]

My notes:

2006 Bastianich Vespa Bianco – A superb example of Italian chardonnay (I know there's SB in there, but it didn't show). Rich amber color and good honey notes from bottle age.

1998 Dom. La Roquette CNduP – this was that rare thing: a perfect bottle at the perfect moment in time. Sweet feminine nose, and seamless on the palate with almost barbaresco-like florals and spice tea notes. Ethereal. My WOTD.

1998 Dom. de la Vielle Julienne Vieux Vignes CNduP – No less excellent than the Roquette, really, but this wine was more youthful and primary on the nose with boysenberry fruit and the more usual earthy qualities. A joy to drink now but it will reward even further cellaring.

2005 Ch. de la Negly La Clape Cot. du Languedoc – the longer it sat in our glasses, the more evidence it offered of heat damage. Sappy, with a decided pruniness on the finish.

2003 Vieux Telegraphe CNduP – what you said, but I must add that it shows a lot of alcohol heat. Much more than the 07, though the label indicates identical percentages. What was it, 15.5?

2007 Vieux Telegraphe CNduP – again, what you said, and I need to add that this bottle showed younger than the bottle Bob and I opened last weekend.

1995 Penfolds Bin 389 Cab Syrah – Excellent bottle from your very interesting cellar. One sniff and I knew it was Australia, one taste and I was onto the Penfolds brand trying to decide which cab blend we had in our glasses.

[David M. Bueker]

So Jenise - was that bottle of 2007 VT fromthe same source as your prior bottle?

[Jenise]

So Jenise - was that bottle of 2007 VT fromthe same source as your prior bottle?

Indeed it was.

[David M. Bueker]

So Jenise - was that bottle of 2007 VT from the same source as your prior bottle?

Indeed it was.

Curiouser and curiouser Pooh said.