1999 Dom. Bizot, Vosne-Romanee Les Réas:
12.5% abv; no real secondary development yet but nicely resolved and quite silky; has an overlay of spice/herb that I often associate with the AOC (and perhaps, whole-cluster), savory fruit, a lovely, lightweight texture and good balance; moderate length. Alongside a dish of whole-wheat pasta with caramelized onions, chard stems, mushrooms and parmesan it was deft and provided delicious punctuation.
(Aside: These days, this bottling is out of my price range – as is most of the better Burgundy, even at the village level. Finding pinot with character and charm for $25-$35 has become a mission and frankly, the ones I seem to like are almost all domestic. But once the price goes above $40 or so, I often run into too much oak, too much alcohol and too much sweet. Below that price, several smaller makers seem to keep things balanced and pure; perhaps not as complex as I might like, but even this 14 year old Vosne didn’t have that much complexity. Surely not enough to warrant current prices above $120.)
2006 Overnoy/Houillon, Arbois Pupillin:
12.5% abv; Poulsard; having had several vintages of this wine, I find this one the ripest and probably the most appealing in the long run (several of the leaner versions were full of character but not as pleasurable). We had this with as good a Margareta pizza as I have had (a local restaurant here in Sonoma County) and gnocchi with roasted corn, pesto and tomatoes. And this is where it came alive; depth, texture, complete in the mouth and long on the finish. My posthumous thanks to Joe for suggesting I go long on this wine.
2012 Navarro, Rosé of Pinot Noir:
13.6% abv; light strawberry with just a hint of lavender in color; wonderful nose filled with red fruit, mineral and herb but so integrated and complete as to make smelling almost all one needs; equally good on the palate with clear fruit, nice acid, backing mineral and good length. The best $18.50 anyone could spend but, alas, sold out at the winery. The same balance and finesse as Tempier but more delicate; truly lovely.
2010 Occhipinti, il Frapatto:
12.5% abv; I have written glowingly about this wine a time or two; I will not repeat all of the compliments except to say that it is impossible to have too much of this wine in your cellar. Buy more. Now! To quote a friend, “this is what wine should taste like.”
Best, Jim