Poggio al Tesoro wine dinner Feb 28, 2024

 Tasted five of their wines with an excellent dinner helmed by Charlie Deal, formerly chef owner of Jujube in Chapel Hill--one of my favorite restaurants in CH. This is a relatively new winery (around 2003) founded by Walter who had already been a vintner if I recall around the Veneto.

'21 Vermintino was refreshing, featuring grapefruit and other citrus nuances, grown on sandy soil close to the coast of Bolgheri.

'21 Mediterra: smoky and a bit of volatile acidity at first. Strawberry fruit with plenty of acid and not much tannin on the palate. 40% syrah, 30 Merlot and 30 Cab Sauv. Young vines. My impression was of a smoky syrah with the other two in the background to provide a bit of acid structure and smoothness. The winemaker confirmed it's blended to emphasize the syrah, grown closer to sea on sand and clay soil (like syrah in the Rhone region). 91 from Vinous. $23

 '20 Seggio: Merlot, CS, CF, Petit Verdot 10%. Spicy along with the fruit, some tannin with a long finish featuring cherry and more spice, a touch of heat. Merlot sets the tone, making it very pleasing. PV adds mineral and helps with the pretty long finish. Totally enjoyable but lighter and doesn't stand up to the steak in the same way as the Sondraia, next. 93 points from Vinous. $40

'19 Sondraia, CS, Merlot and CF. Much more tannin. Pauillac style, CS dominant at 65%. Mint is strong, calling to a CA cab. This will be better in a couple years. Blacks cherry. Hint of green (he says yellow, sweet) pepper. Tannins and aromas with air are dusty, like a Rutherford Bench cab. I suppose this too is a bench-type cab grown mostly on Bolgheri valley floor but farther in from the sea than the others. Goes great with the steak. Will really shine in 2 years. Cherry echoes with the steak's fat and char. My favorite among these. Also 93 from Vinous, which I think is too stingy, 94 from me, clearly better than the Seggio which is also very nice; with age this could go to 95 points. $70

'19 Dedicato a Walter 100% Cab Franc. Less tannic than Sondraia with lots of spice on the finish. Has the herbal note of CF. I prefer Sondraia because it's a bordeaux blend done right. This also has some oak influence. With more air got more interesting and appealing with cherry and black fruit. This is barrel fermented in 100% new porous oak (should not impart a lot of extra flavor to the wine itself). Several different vineyards used around Bolgheri.$170

 

 

2018 Don Melchor Cab Sauv (Chile/Maipo) $100

 Received 96 from Vinous, 95 from Parker.

Quite fruity with gentle tannins that complement the finish. ALcohol in good balance with acid and fruit. Long finish, very little sense of puckering from tannin. Lots of fruits, some tea and mint, yes some sour cherry as Vinous says but also a hint of stone fruit, violet, oak, cassis. Just delicious fruit. Woodsy, piney with air. I have a second bottle of this in the Eurocave.

2016 Mt Eden Cabernet Sauvignon

 Tasted in 2023, note is not dated.

A little lightening at the rim but still deep purple otherwise. Nose on opening lovely creme de cassis, hints of spice, vanilla, blackberry, woodsy. Taste: lots of fruit, lots of acid. Long, warmish finish. Tannins are soft. The taste isn't as complex as the nose, which is really beautiful. I'm guessing this is 100% cabernet sauvignon. Taste is more strawberry/cherry than the nose. I wish I could have a bottle in 3-4 more years--the acid will preserve the wine along with tannins, and then it'll be magnifique. Galloni gave it 98 pts and says drink starting in 2026; Parker 97+, drink starting 2022. And I was wrong, this has 12% merlot, 7% cab franc and 2% petit verdot. Jancis Robinson says 17.5, drink starting 2020.

After airing, the taste got more complex, still with a very long finish. With discounts for suggestibility, after reading online reviews, I do sense some mint and menthol on nose and taste. All in all, one of the best wines I've had in past few years. I have Domaine Eden '17 Cab to try (it's the less expensive bottling) and as of the tasting, one more bottle of 2016 Mt Eden.

2019 Leoville P., 3rd try of 1st bottle kept by Coravin, Jan. 20, 2023

 The nose is much more open, complex and captivating this time. Raspberry, violet pastille candy(?), mint, pine woods. Deep purple color. Tannins already pretty soft. Somehow reminds me of a Calif. cab. Silky with a long, long finish featuring some licorice. Maybe a red fruit like pomegranate.

Malescot St. Exupery 2019 Tasted 10/18/22

 Dark ruby more than deep purple in color. Classic Bordeaux nose but not much Margaux perfume at first. Plum, red fruit on reluctant, fairly closed nose. With some extra pouring, some blackberry came out on nose. Very velvety on the palate with high acid, kind of chewy fruit that persists on the long finish. Medium body. Plenty of soft tannins. This one seems to need more time in bottle than the Leoville Poyferré. 93+ points for now.

Leoville Poyferré 2019 tasted on 10/14/22

 Just before going into hospital for CAR-T...

Initially pretty closed but some gamey aroma plus cinnamon. With swirling, other exotic spices. Not so much fruit on the nose in first few minutes. Didn't decant. On palate, it's warm with very long finish. Plenty of fruit and acid, and tannin too (but soft). More fruit, including melon, with air. Some hint of flowers. The fruit flavors are atypical.

 Notes on tasting at Hillsborough Wine Co on Jan 18, 2024

Les Hauts de Milly '21 Fourchaume Chablis

Reasonably deep gold. Smoky, flinty, minerality for sure with intriguing peach, hint of apple, something exotic like kumquat or another melon thing. One of the better chablis I've had. Maybe also now I'm enjoying the subtlety more. As good as Diatom Santa Barbara '22, but different too. 93 points

Cellier aux Moines '21 Givrey Pinot Noir Burgundy

Absolutely stunning on the nose. Pine, woodsy spice, balsam, tar--all very woodsy. Fruit more on tasting with a long finish, some tannin, moderate alcohol and body. Cherry with some notes of other red berries. Fairly dark color for a PN. This is one I'd happily drink. With air, more fruit tones developing. Not sure which. Love the nose! 94 pts

Haut Brisson 2020 Bordeaux

Oh boy, very forward and drinkable, fruity with some mineral component on the taste. For me, mineral means a sort of chalky feeling on the tongue, who knows what it's supposed to mean? Everyone seems to use the term differently, and I've read that scientific study shows the vines cannot actually absorb minerals from the soil. Needs more research.  Anyhow I'd call this wine a ringer for New World insofar as it's very fruity on the nose, licorice, cherry, candied strawberry too. Delicious. Soft tannins but very much apparent on the long finish. Not very high in alcohol but enough with the tannin to preserve the wine. 93 pts. More oak evident with air. Like it lots. 93 pts

Lagarda '20 Malbec: Big, deep wood and dark fruit, typical Malbec spice. Really dark. Plenty of tannin, full body, finish carried by tannin and alcohol. Big in all respects. Some stinky cheese with air. 89 pts