Lots of excellent Nebbiolo to start the month. I really find the Roddolo wines compelling. Some celebratory wines were opened on November 7th including a bottle I have been saving for a special occasion. Let's hope we're back on a path towards civilization. Again, I feel privileged and a bit guilty to eat and drink so well when so many people are suffering. We've been supporting our local food bank with many multiples of our annual giving and have asked our family to make donations there in lieu of any holiday gifts but it doesn't seem like enough. Only structural changes can ameliorate the bleak outlook for so many.
1997 Flavio Roddolo Barolo Ravera - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo (11/1/2020)
This was everything I would hope for from a mature Roddolo Ravera. Beautiful and broad soft spices, cherry compote and a hint of cherry liqueur, dried flowers, rose petal but also others. Beautifully shaped with an unobtrusive tannic structure. Warm and inviting it was lovely to just linger over a glass. I can't imagine this will get any better for me. If you want a more umami old Nebbiolo experience I suppose you can hold this. The oldest Roddolo Ravera I've had is the 1996 so I don't know exactly where this goes from here but my guess is that it will sit at this plateau for a while without a precipitous downward slope. (94 points)
2010 Domaine de la Bongran (Thevenet) Viré-Clessé Cuvée E. J. Thevenet - France, Burgundy, M“connais, Viré-Clessé (11/2/2020)
Consistent with my last bottle, this wine seems to be stretching out and lightening up. It still has the Bongran intensity with exotic and honeyed fruit but there is increasing lift with this that bodes well. I wish I could get my hands on some magnums of this. Great now but it seems like it will continue to evolve in a positive direction. (93 points)
2018 Brendan Stater-West Saumur Brézé - France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Saumur (11/2/2020)
Promising but a bit blocky at this point. It's a block of translucent citrus rock. Everything seems to be in place but tightly bound upon itself. No one has any experience with aging these so we're all guessing but I think that it will be a very good wine in a few years. I put a couple away to see. (90 points)
2012 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Francia - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo (11/3/2020)
I wanted to check in on this because I've had a lot of good luck recently with young Barolo. This was less open and generous than recent 2013s from Roagna and Cappellano but it was well fruited and not searingly tannic; however, the structure was a big part of the experience. Has the signature I find in Francia Barolo of iron and minerals underneath the fruit which are a mix of cherry and berries. Fortunately, this should be really excellent with just a few more years instead of decades. (92 points)
2011 Flavio Roddolo Barolo Ravera - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo (11/3/2020)
Consistent with previous bottles. For whatever reason, despite the high alcohol, this fits nicely in my preference pocket. Those warm baking spice and orange zest notes with the ripe cherry. It all just works well. This is a young Barolo that is absolytely ready to go now. Given a recent 1997 this may be longer lived than I have previously anticipated but I don't plan on holding it for some illusive perfect moment as it is so satisfying now. (93 points)
2016 Az. Ag. Antoniotti Odilio Bramaterra - Italy, Piedmont, Northern Piedmont, Bramaterra (11/4/2020)
This is clenched and intense with a darker color than I expected both of which make we wonder how much Croatina is in the blend (maybe none). Shows promise, but I don't have a ton of experience with this producer. We had a 2014 during our visit that knocked our socks off and then some good bottles of the 2015 Coste della Sesia Nebbiolo that I tracked down when we got back. I got this bottle with the idea of going back for a case. I'm going to grab 4-6 because I think it has the depth to develop but I just don't know as I have no real track history. I've got a 2015 to try as well, so we'll see. (89 points)
2015 Colombera & Garella Bramaterra Cascina Cottignano - Italy, Piedmont, Northern Piedmont, Bramaterra (11/5/2020)
Pale color and aromas of tart red fruits, spices and a distinct ferrous note. The color belies some deep structure but not in the obvious way of a backward wine, it is more of a sense that the true wine was being covered up and thwarted. Will be interesting to follow. I think I'll try another in a year or two since I don't have a firm grasp of the aging curve yet. Works well at the table in a low alcohol style (labeled at 13%) that I appreciate. (91 points)
1998 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Cascina Francia - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo (11/6/2020)
Double decanted about 3 hours before dinner. This was as good a bottle of Conterno Francia as I've had in a while, and that includes much more prestigious vintages. Resolved and gentle but not yet part of grandmothers closet. The cherries are sweet with a bit of kirsch and not yet dried. Sensuous savory notes and dried flowers. Really digestible and fantastic with food. There is that sense of limestone in the lattice of structure to this wine that I find in most Conterno Francia. The bottle disappeared rather quickly. I don't see any reason to wait longer although I don't see it falling off a cliff any time soon. (94 points)
2008 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Cascina Francia - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo (11/6/2020)
Double decanted about 2 hours before dinner. Open this because I was curious and it seemed like a night when one bottle wouldn't quite do it (Stanko Radikon was right about 1 liter being the right serving size). An interesting contrast to the open and generous 1998 this was beautiful, but statuesque and coldly unattainable. Everything was chiseled from marble and perfect in it's form and admirable to behold. All the right aromas and flavors were there in perfect concert and it was enjoyable enough though it became more dense and closed as the night wore on. In size, this is a middleweight but coiled like a boxer. We left about 20% in the decanter and I came back to it over DAYS and it remained a defiant bulwark against oxidation that was remarkable in a throwback way. I think this may turn out to be a great Francia Barolo. I only have a couple more bottles, so I think I'll wait at least 5 years to try the next one. I wish I had bought more at $130 (which seemed high at the time) but won't be buying more at $300. (92 points)
2008 Eric Rodez Champagne Grand Cru Les Beurys & Les Secs - France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru (11/7/2020)
Opened to demarcate the election being finally over so maybe that's why it was the best bottle yet of this wine. Deeply red fruited as befits a wine purely from Pinot Noir. There is a real vinous quality as well as a nice framing of wood spice and autolytic yeasty notes. Ready to drink now although it will probably stay on this plane for a bit although I can't say for sure since this is a relatively new wine for Rodez. Bravo. (95 points)
2016 Domaine du Collier Saumur La Charpentrie - France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Saumur (11/7/2020)
Dense, deep, mineral driven yellow fruits. Flowers in a spring meadow with that haze of greenery around them and a beehive not far away. More reserved than the 2015 version of this but certain to be stunning. Might be my favorite white wine right now. (93 points)
1995 Domaine Bruno Clair Chambertin-Clos de Bèze - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru (11/7/2020)
A wine like this is always framed by expectations and while this was very good, it underwhelmed a little bit. I hand carried a couple of bottles back from a visit to the domain in 1997 and had a bottle in the early 2000s that was great. It was still a lovely, mature wine. Load of sous bois around the dried fruit with the lightest bit of structure. There was almost an umami, truffle type inner-mouth perfume with top notes of dried flowers. This wine is very good and ready to go it just wasn't firework inducing to my chagrin as we opened it to celebrate the fall of the house of Trump so I wanted it to reflect my relief. (92 points)
2017 Hofgut Falkenstein Krettnacher Euchariusberg Riesling Kabinett #12 - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer (11/9/2020)
Consistent with previous bottles. Tart, crunchy, mineral encased fruits. Snappy and pure. (92 points)
2018 Hofgut Falkenstein Krettnacher Euchariusberg Riesling Kabinett #12 - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer (11/9/2020)
Consistent with my last bottle. This has stayed more stretched than my initial bottle. Lovely wine every vintage. (91 points)
1997 Flavio Roddolo Barolo Ravera - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo (11/1/2020)
This was everything I would hope for from a mature Roddolo Ravera. Beautiful and broad soft spices, cherry compote and a hint of cherry liqueur, dried flowers, rose petal but also others. Beautifully shaped with an unobtrusive tannic structure. Warm and inviting it was lovely to just linger over a glass. I can't imagine this will get any better for me. If you want a more umami old Nebbiolo experience I suppose you can hold this. The oldest Roddolo Ravera I've had is the 1996 so I don't know exactly where this goes from here but my guess is that it will sit at this plateau for a while without a precipitous downward slope. (94 points)
2010 Domaine de la Bongran (Thevenet) Viré-Clessé Cuvée E. J. Thevenet - France, Burgundy, M“connais, Viré-Clessé (11/2/2020)
Consistent with my last bottle, this wine seems to be stretching out and lightening up. It still has the Bongran intensity with exotic and honeyed fruit but there is increasing lift with this that bodes well. I wish I could get my hands on some magnums of this. Great now but it seems like it will continue to evolve in a positive direction. (93 points)
2018 Brendan Stater-West Saumur Brézé - France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Saumur (11/2/2020)
Promising but a bit blocky at this point. It's a block of translucent citrus rock. Everything seems to be in place but tightly bound upon itself. No one has any experience with aging these so we're all guessing but I think that it will be a very good wine in a few years. I put a couple away to see. (90 points)
2012 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Francia - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo (11/3/2020)
I wanted to check in on this because I've had a lot of good luck recently with young Barolo. This was less open and generous than recent 2013s from Roagna and Cappellano but it was well fruited and not searingly tannic; however, the structure was a big part of the experience. Has the signature I find in Francia Barolo of iron and minerals underneath the fruit which are a mix of cherry and berries. Fortunately, this should be really excellent with just a few more years instead of decades. (92 points)
2011 Flavio Roddolo Barolo Ravera - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo (11/3/2020)
Consistent with previous bottles. For whatever reason, despite the high alcohol, this fits nicely in my preference pocket. Those warm baking spice and orange zest notes with the ripe cherry. It all just works well. This is a young Barolo that is absolytely ready to go now. Given a recent 1997 this may be longer lived than I have previously anticipated but I don't plan on holding it for some illusive perfect moment as it is so satisfying now. (93 points)
2016 Az. Ag. Antoniotti Odilio Bramaterra - Italy, Piedmont, Northern Piedmont, Bramaterra (11/4/2020)
This is clenched and intense with a darker color than I expected both of which make we wonder how much Croatina is in the blend (maybe none). Shows promise, but I don't have a ton of experience with this producer. We had a 2014 during our visit that knocked our socks off and then some good bottles of the 2015 Coste della Sesia Nebbiolo that I tracked down when we got back. I got this bottle with the idea of going back for a case. I'm going to grab 4-6 because I think it has the depth to develop but I just don't know as I have no real track history. I've got a 2015 to try as well, so we'll see. (89 points)
2015 Colombera & Garella Bramaterra Cascina Cottignano - Italy, Piedmont, Northern Piedmont, Bramaterra (11/5/2020)
Pale color and aromas of tart red fruits, spices and a distinct ferrous note. The color belies some deep structure but not in the obvious way of a backward wine, it is more of a sense that the true wine was being covered up and thwarted. Will be interesting to follow. I think I'll try another in a year or two since I don't have a firm grasp of the aging curve yet. Works well at the table in a low alcohol style (labeled at 13%) that I appreciate. (91 points)
1998 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Cascina Francia - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo (11/6/2020)
Double decanted about 3 hours before dinner. This was as good a bottle of Conterno Francia as I've had in a while, and that includes much more prestigious vintages. Resolved and gentle but not yet part of grandmothers closet. The cherries are sweet with a bit of kirsch and not yet dried. Sensuous savory notes and dried flowers. Really digestible and fantastic with food. There is that sense of limestone in the lattice of structure to this wine that I find in most Conterno Francia. The bottle disappeared rather quickly. I don't see any reason to wait longer although I don't see it falling off a cliff any time soon. (94 points)
2008 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Cascina Francia - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo (11/6/2020)
Double decanted about 2 hours before dinner. Open this because I was curious and it seemed like a night when one bottle wouldn't quite do it (Stanko Radikon was right about 1 liter being the right serving size). An interesting contrast to the open and generous 1998 this was beautiful, but statuesque and coldly unattainable. Everything was chiseled from marble and perfect in it's form and admirable to behold. All the right aromas and flavors were there in perfect concert and it was enjoyable enough though it became more dense and closed as the night wore on. In size, this is a middleweight but coiled like a boxer. We left about 20% in the decanter and I came back to it over DAYS and it remained a defiant bulwark against oxidation that was remarkable in a throwback way. I think this may turn out to be a great Francia Barolo. I only have a couple more bottles, so I think I'll wait at least 5 years to try the next one. I wish I had bought more at $130 (which seemed high at the time) but won't be buying more at $300. (92 points)
2008 Eric Rodez Champagne Grand Cru Les Beurys & Les Secs - France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru (11/7/2020)
Opened to demarcate the election being finally over so maybe that's why it was the best bottle yet of this wine. Deeply red fruited as befits a wine purely from Pinot Noir. There is a real vinous quality as well as a nice framing of wood spice and autolytic yeasty notes. Ready to drink now although it will probably stay on this plane for a bit although I can't say for sure since this is a relatively new wine for Rodez. Bravo. (95 points)
2016 Domaine du Collier Saumur La Charpentrie - France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Saumur (11/7/2020)
Dense, deep, mineral driven yellow fruits. Flowers in a spring meadow with that haze of greenery around them and a beehive not far away. More reserved than the 2015 version of this but certain to be stunning. Might be my favorite white wine right now. (93 points)
1995 Domaine Bruno Clair Chambertin-Clos de Bèze - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru (11/7/2020)
A wine like this is always framed by expectations and while this was very good, it underwhelmed a little bit. I hand carried a couple of bottles back from a visit to the domain in 1997 and had a bottle in the early 2000s that was great. It was still a lovely, mature wine. Load of sous bois around the dried fruit with the lightest bit of structure. There was almost an umami, truffle type inner-mouth perfume with top notes of dried flowers. This wine is very good and ready to go it just wasn't firework inducing to my chagrin as we opened it to celebrate the fall of the house of Trump so I wanted it to reflect my relief. (92 points)
2017 Hofgut Falkenstein Krettnacher Euchariusberg Riesling Kabinett #12 - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer (11/9/2020)
Consistent with previous bottles. Tart, crunchy, mineral encased fruits. Snappy and pure. (92 points)
2018 Hofgut Falkenstein Krettnacher Euchariusberg Riesling Kabinett #12 - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer (11/9/2020)
Consistent with my last bottle. This has stayed more stretched than my initial bottle. Lovely wine every vintage. (91 points)