WTN: Luce Asili Rust en Vrede Pedestal Taurasi + Ports

Monthly blind tasting lunch notes

Early arrivals shared a bottle of Gardet Brut, as we did last month. This bottle seemed much better than last months.

2014 Sella & Mosca Terre Bianche Torbato – this one was a lot of fun – a new wine (to us) from Sardinia, the only place where this varietal is currently grown (if they are smart, the French will start up again in the Roussillon, where it is known as Tourbat). Nicely calculated light oak, full mouth feel and pleasant kiwi fruit on palate.

1995 Luce Della Vite Luce - warm mellow nose of earth and dark fruit and some cedary components, soft tannin, good length and acidity. Nice wine.

2001 Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco Riserva Asili – last had this 8 or 9 years ago and it wasn’t ready. It is now, though. Dark garnet colour with mahogany edges, nose of sweet nutty fruit and tobacco, and very good acidity in the finish. No rush at all.

1994 Rust en Vrede Estate Red Wine Stellenbosch – my wine. This cab/syrah/merlot blend becomes more and more claret like with age. This one was still fairly dark in colour, with a slightly sweet wood and mint nose, smooth on palate and still bearing soft tannins that asserted themselves along the sides of the mouth and tongue. Long finish. No rush.

2003 Long Shadows Wineries Merlot Pedestal – a Roland wine made in Washington State from the cinq cepages of Bordeaux. Toasty vanilla nose with currant overtones, and hints of chocolate. Good fruit concentration and long finish, Nicely done.

1997 Mastroberardino Taurasi Radici Riserva – well tempered ripe fruit here with mushroom and earthy notes in the nose, and bright juicy acidity at the end. Excellent.

1987 Quady Starboard – the person that brought this our resident Port maven, was a tad unsatisfied with how it showed when he opened it earier in the day at home, so he also brought another wine. This one had apparently improved with air, as it showed light colour, slightly spirit nose, ripe fruit and a fairly long finish with quite a bit if acidity.

1985 Smith Woodhouse Port – still dark in colour, with a nose both ripe and slightly hot, dark cherry and spice, and on palate excellent fruit levels and a smooth long sweet finish. Superior to the last bottle of this I tasted. I preferred this wine but a couple of people opted for the Quady!

[Jenise]

My thoughts:

2014 Sella & Mosca Terre Bianche Torbato – My wine. This is the kind of wine geeks live to find to ace stumping the chumps with: a near one-off of a grape that nobody ever heard of but that's actually exceptionally good. In this case, not only is the grape very rare, this one estate is the only place it's grown in anything close to commercial quantity. Nose of both diesel, like a reisling and flint like a Chablis, with vermentino-like fruit of apple, lemon and kiwi on the palate. A light touch with oak tames the acidity. A delicious wine I'd love to drink any time; and I hope the tiny retailer I got it from has more. Might not--I bought this three months ago with the intention of opening it at a lunch, but various events conspired to thwart that until now.

1995 Luce Della Vite Luce - What you said. Lovely wine that showed many years younger than your Rust-en-Vrede though they're only one year apart. One of my favorites of the day.

2001 Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco Riserva Asili – Canned Queen Anne cherries, ash, cocoa, orange rim, would have guessed older. Good, but it's bringer thought it showed past peak.

1994 Rust en Vrede Estate Red Wine Stellenbosch – Plummy fruit with an overtly minty nose which suggested it might be an 'elsewhere' wine vs. Bordeaux which in all other ways it seemed like. Someone guessed Australia but it didn't have the sweetness for the Oz. Just a little hollow on the midpalate but otherwise nice showing.

2003 Long Shadows Wineries Merlot Pedestal – Bob's wine. Not as advanced as the last bottle we had 3-4 months ago--the fruit here sweeter and more primary, less leather and orange hue the rim, though from the same source and cellared by me since release, and decanting was needed to relax the tannins. Otherwise a very good bottle of that strange category some geeks hardly acknowledge exists: a serious merlot. If we had another, I wouldn't hesitate to cellar for up to five more years.

1997 Mastroberardino Taurasi Radici Riserva – What you said.

1987 Quady Starboard – I agree with you but I'd point out that the fruit here was more of a pure simple sugar taste than the caramel and dried fruit on the Smith Woodhouse.

1985 Smith Woodhouse Port – Like you, this was my preference between the two. But I think we were the only ones. Les, anyway, preferred the first one. Makes one wonder--Les has a sweet tooth and eats a lot of sweets; you and I don't. Is that the difference?