2003 Castello Banfi Excelsus

A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot from Sant’ Antimo Rosso DOC. This is surprisingly fresh considering the hot 2003 vintage and the over ripeness flavors that characterized most of the wines.

2003 Castello Banfi Excelsus

Deep dark red garnet color. Developed nose, good intensity and mild complexity, showing aromas of plums, ripe currants, tobacco and spices. Full bodied, fills your mouth completely, structured and well balanced, lush flavors on the palate and a medium to long finish. Briefly: mouth-filling, lush and ripe wine. 13% alc (90/100)

1999 Chateau La Tour Blanche Sauternes

A sweet wine from Bordeaux, from a producer that remained very affordable for the quality it provides.

1999 Chateau La Tour Blanche Sauternes

Deep gold-amber color. A sweet nose with plenty of caramel, orange marmalade, apricots and a bit of shoe polish. Full on the palate, not as lively as we would like, but still pleasant, with plenty of caramelized apricots and peaches, a bit too sweet perhaps from not having the right acidity and a medium finish. Not the best Sauternes I had but a pleasant dessert wine nevertheless. More than one glass can be a bit too much. (89/100)

2006 Louis Jadot Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Combe aux Moines

 

This wine needs good aeration. Had it over a few hours and just got better by the minute. Decant it for 2 hours at least and it will reward you.

2006 Louis Jadot Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Combe  aux Moines

Saturated ruby red color. The wine evolves on the nose as it breathes. It is rich in red fruits when it’s initially uncorked but, as it breathes, it starts to develop more complexity showing coffee, earth and spices while bright red and black cherry and strawberries stay on the background. Medium to full bodied, it has enough extraction to please, well structured, balanced, silky on the palate, showing again good complexity and a medium to long finish, with earthy red fruit flavors. It just got better and better with time, the final glasses being the best. (90-91/100)

2006 Louis Jadot Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru La Garenne

This opened up after about 20-30 minutes. Pale yellow lemon color, still youthful. The nose has a good intensity, showing butter, toast, pear, mango and white flowers. It just grows on your palate as it opens up; bright acidity, youthful and pretty flavors. Medium finish with a touch of toasty oak, but really pleasant overall. Good with food. (89-90/100)

2006 Chateau Vieux Lazaret Cuvee Exceptionnelle Chateauneuf du pape

Another great wine from my busy last weekend. I am a big fan of Chateauneuf du pape and I am a sucker for well aged Grenache. Perhaps it is not the case for this relatively young 2006, but still, the wine has everything that you hope to find in a good Chateauneuf du pape: richness, balance and complexity.

2006 Chateau Vieux Lazaret Cuvee Exceptionnelle Chateauneuf du pape

It has a deep, saturated red color and it is certainly not the case to discuss any signs of aging here. The nose is well developed, really intense and evolving as the wine makes contact with the air. It is initially rather close and shows some yeasty aromas, but as it breathes over 2 hours, it gains depth and shifts from a ripe character of flamboyant sweet red fruit and red fruit jams to a more classic one with black olives paste, garrigue, black pepper and tar. Full bodied, with smooth texture and ripe tannins, well structured and balanced, it shows good richness on the palate. Long finish, spicy, with some lingering flavors of sweet ripe blackberry. At 14.5% alc the wine is really smooth, classic and pleasant to enjoy. Definitely not a body builder wine like so many recent examples of modern Chateauneuf du pape. (91/100)

It is a wine that can convert people into liking wine. I remember first time I started to discover wine a few years ago, I was looking for richness above any other things. This is a sweet compromise where one finds both richness and balance in a classic style. Chateau Vieux Lazaret Cuvee Exceptionnelle is imported into Romania by Cramele Recas.

1990 Chateau Beau Sejour Becot & 2000 Mas de Daumas Gassac

It is still a warm autumn in Bucharest, yesterday we had around 20-22 Celsius degrees and it was probably the last weekend this season when we could stay outside in the yard and enjoy a home cooked lunch. As I haven’t had a burger in a while and the topic came into a discussion with a friend this week I decided to prepare my own and invite him over for a complete cooking session.

I lowered the amount of meat I am eating for some time already – and already lost about 5 kilos so, to keep up the same spirit, we prepared a low fat beef and turkey burger greased just with some mild amount of goose fat. We went through the whole process of mincing the meat ourselves and then spiced it up with salt, pepper, sweet dry red bell pepper powder, minced fresh garlic and finely cut red onion, greased with 3 small table spoons of goose fat for almost 2 kilos of meat. The final blend resembled more sausage aromas than a regular burger due to the garlic and red onion.

Prepared a barbecue outside and we grilled the burgers on a low fire for about 15 minutes enough to still preserve some juices on the inside. Used some slices of home baked bread, that you usually find on the country side if you still have relatives there, toasted a little bit on the grill. Put some home pickled cucumbers, onions, ketchup and green salad and: Boy, were they good !! Could not stop only after the third burger was gone in my belly and I was completely full.

During the whole cooking we had a very nice dry Italian sparkling: 2007 Millesimato Contrato, just to warm up the spirits.

The wine pairing was a classic that proved to be a happy choice. Happy in the sense that the wine was so good that it did not actually need any pairing and it simply shinned, just like gold in the mud, by itself. Uncorked the wine and left it to slowly aerate in the bottle for about 1h 30 min.

1990 Chateau Beau Sejour Becot St-Emilion Grand Cru

1990 was a stellar vintage in Bordeaux, it was a combination of both a larger crop and excellent quality. Most of the wines are maturing and a pleasure to drink now, while the Premier Grand Cru’s will still benefit from further aging in the bottle. Chateau Beau Sejour Becot saw a huge increase in quality over the last decade, the 2006 bottling being highly acclaimed by the Decanter tasting panel.

The 1990 has a beautiful deep ruby red color with no signs of being tired. From the first moment you uncork the wine the fruit manifests its presence grandly – for a wine at the age of 22, and the bouquet seduces you. The nose is well developed, really intense, maturing and exhibits refreshing aromas of fully ripe red and yellow apples (the same aromas you get after you peel off the apples), sea weed – saline aroma, smoke, a layer of black currant and cassis, black cherry, coffee, tobacco and tea leaves. Medium to full bodied, the texture is seamless, the tannins perfectly blended, the acidity is top notch and together with the left over tannins create a structure that will keep this wine on tip top conditions for longer time. The flavors of coffee in different levels of roasting and preparation mixed with delicate sweet fruit produce a very pleasant sensation on the palate. The finish is long, fresh, showing the same delicate red fruit and coffee flavors. This is a very nice wine, maturing, but still young, preserving the fruit very well and a great testament that older Bordeaux can be sometimes dead gorgeous and you do not have to pay big money for it. 12.5% (92/100 for the wine and 93/100 for the over all experience)

We had another wine after the 1990 Bordeaux and I initially intended to mention it in a separate post, but I believe it is worth mentioning here just to make parallels with the older red.

2000 Mas de Daumas Gassac Rouge Vin de Pays de l’Herault

This is another great classic of the Languedoc and a pioneer for quality driven wines. I already tasted a 1998 Mas de Daumas Gassac that I enjoyed a lot in the recent past. This is a typical 80% Cabernet Sauvignon blend, the rest being other 8 different grape varieties. The wine was not decanted, and perhaps that was not the best move, and did not breath more than 30 min. When the wine is good the sipping happens at a quicker pace.

The 2000 vintage was excellent almost everywhere in France. The color is dark red, almost garnet and, again, young and missing any signs of age. The bouquet is well developed, intense, young and still developing. The initial nose exhibits an unusual, but nice aroma, of freshly baked and just taken from the oven Christmas cake, a sensation of warm dough crust mixed with hints of vanilla and ripe cherries. As it aerates, it shows more Cab Sauv typicality, with black currant, hot minerals, dry red bell peppers, spices, but overall it remains a classic wine. Fuller body in the mouth, the tannins show more nerve and grip, well structured, balanced, with plenty of fruit, black tea, spices, always following a classic style. The finish is slightly shorter than the 1990 Beau Sejour Becot, but still medium plus long, with assertive tannins. There is a tremendous aging potential for this wine, it will probably need at least 3-4 more years for the tannins to loosen up that grip. However, the wine is very good already. It will easily match the present age of the 1990 Beau Sejour Becot. (90-91/100)

Both wines have a lot of sediment, so be careful when you pour the last drops. This was both a great academic exercise and a fully rewarding drinking experience. It was a good Sunday.

2006 Clos Galena Priorat

Had dinner last night with my friend Calin at the Spanish restaurant Nada Mas that replaced the old Byblos on Nicolae Golescu street, just behind Ateneul Roman and enjoyed again a very nice chicken paella. I have not tried yet the paella made by La Tienda on Tunari street but, so far, Nad Mas paella seems to be the best in town. Will go and try the one at La Tienda and come back with final conclusions later on.

I also found out that the guys from the Bonne Bouche restaurant from the Old Center bought the old Bistro Ateneu location and they will open both a wine shop and a wine bar at the beginning of December. So there will be two wine shops and two wine bars on Episcopiei street where, for the time being, there is only a Le Manoir shop. This is a welcoming initiative as both the consumers and the wine shops will benefit from being in the same area.

As we had dinner at a Spanish restaurant, I brought a Spanish wine from Priorat that was bought about 3-4 years ago from a wine shop in Austria, and was stored in my cellar ever since. Looking back at the price I paid back then (approx 40 Eur) I have the regret of over paying for it. The wine was paired both with Spanish charcuterie –  that was not a happy match as it brought the alcohol on the surface, and also with a chicken paella which was a better combo.

2006 Clos Galena Priorat

This wine suffers from the disease that affected most of the Priorat wines at a certain point: excessive oak treatment. The oaky aromas were pretty strong during the first 1 h. It has a dark red, garnet color. The nose is developed, with good intensity, but the dominating aromas on the first hour are the ones given by the oak blended with ripe blue and black fruit, spices and a warmness that sometimes can be felt in Grenache based blends. After 1 h the oak steps on the background and leaves room for fresher aromas with hints of fennel, roasted herbs and anise seeds. Full bodied, to the border of having too much extraction but still managing to remain on the floating level, with smooth texture, ripe, balanced, showing sweet fruity flavors on the palate and a medium finish with a firm tannic grip. The wine feels nice in the mouth, but there is a certain dryness on the finish that spoils the overall harmony. This is a ripe, forward wine, made in a modern style, but unfortunately lacking any particular personality. 14.5% (87-88/100)

Clos Galena is usually a blend of Grenache (40%), Carignan (20%), Syrah (20%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (20%) aged between 12 and 15 months in French and American oak barrels.

2001 Flavio Roddolo Barolo Ravera

Autumn starts to gradually show its signs in Romania, with foggy mornings and lower temperatures compared to the 30 Celsius degrees we experienced at the end of September. Following this pattern I started to slowly make the transition from white to red wines. Now it’s time to uncork those 14-15% alc wines that I put aside during the summer. Last week it was time to finally try a bottle of Barolo that was planned to be uncorked at least 4 times prior and somehow another option always occurred.

2001 was a great vintage in most of Italy, producing well structured wines with great aging potential: this wine is no exception. It comes from Monforte d’Alba, a commune in Barolo well known for giving the most structured of Barolo’s and also home to some of the greatest Barolo producers: the Conternos.

Flavio Roddolo produces around 20.000 bottles of this wine every year from 6 ha of vines that have not been chemically treated for over 40 years, following bio dynamic ideas. He uses only indigenous yeasts, does not clarify, nor filters and this is clear as daylight: there is some serious sediment in this wine so be careful when you pour the last drops in the glass or in the decanter.

2001 Flavio Roddolo Barolo Ravera Monforte d’Alba

The wine has a beautiful saturated ruby red color. The bouquet is initially closed and needs at least 4-5 h of aeration before is starts to show all those beautiful Barolo aromas of tar, rose petals, truffles, bright red fruits, leather and even a cool minty character. Well structured in the mouth, with assertive tannins, well balanced and lively, with red and black cherry and earthy flavors on the palate. The texture is fine, the wine is elegant and intellectual, with lingering red fruits and impressive grip in the medium plus long finish. A wine that would benefit for further aging in the bottle. I tasted the wine over 3 days and I liked it the most on the last day, so you either decant it for 6-8 hours, either you give it more years in the bottle. 14.5% (90/100)

A friend of mine that just started a new business with floral decorations – Florali – provided the beautiful autumn arrangement from the background in the picture.

2000 Domaine de Ravanes Les Gravieres du Taurou Grande Reserve

Coming from the Languedoc region, the 1999 Gravieres du Taurou, a Merlot based wine, stole the show in a blind tasting in 2004 by scoring higher than a Petrus 1999. Les Gravieres du Taurou 2000 is a blend of Merlot and Petit Verdot with a small part of Cabernet Sauvignon.

2000 Domaine de Ravanes Les Gravieres du Taurou Grande Reserve

Had the wine from a Magnum. Uncorked the wine, decanted and left it to breath for almost 2 h. From the get go the wine shows an intense, rich and layered bouquet. It exhibit, initially, a slightly metallic flavor on the palate on the first pour, but after almost 2 h in the decanter, the wine loses any unpleasant odors and shows beautiful ripe blue and red fruits, vanilla (even at this age), game, spices and tobacco. Really dense, structured and well balanced (14.5% alc), it has a healthy backbone of ripe tannins, great richness on the palate and an ample mouth feel. The finish is long, spicy and lingering. There is no rush to uncork this wine – at least not from a Magnum, as the wine has a long life ahead and more room for evolution. This is a big wine that impresses not based on elegance, but more by being powerful and balanced at the same time. (92/100)

2010 Donnhoff Schlossbockelheimer Felsenberg Felsenturmchen Grosses Gewachs

2010 was a rather unusual vintage for the German Riesling. I read many reports about the vintage and the conclusion would be that the acidity was closer to the worst years, while the weight of the musts closer to the best years. So it is hard to place the vintage in a certain pattern. One of the most quality consistent producers in Germany is Donnhoff from the Nahe region, that manages to produce outstanding wines almost every vintage.

The Felsenberg is located in Schlossbockelheimer and consists of a soil of red volcanic igneous rock. The wine is fermented and matured in stainless steel vats and regular oak barrels. Yields are around 40 hl/ha, while the age of vines is 25-30 years old.

2010 Donnhoff Felsenberg Grosses Gewachs

The color is pale yellow lemon. The wine opens up as it breathes, revealing an intense nose filled with peaches, pineapple, white pears, white flowers and a smoky, flinty character. Really nice mouth feel, with a steely acidity that recommends further aging, great richness of flavors on the palate: the exotic fruits are outstanding. Medium plus to long finish, with mouth watering acidity and lingering flavors. This is a very nice dry wine, extremely young, but already such a pleasure to drink. In this stage it can be successfully paired with any type of fatty food. (90-91/100)

2003 Masi Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Mazzano

Mazzano este vinul de top al producatorului Masi. Vinul are o culoare inchisa, visinie, opaca, cu aspect aproape uleios ce lasa o multime de picioare pe peretii paharului. Nasul este complex, intens, profund si se dezvaluie simturilor in etape. Spectrul aromatic penduleaza intre visine din visinata si cognac vechi initial, pentru ca dupa ce se mai aereaza sa apara aromele de samburi amarui de fruct, o paleta larga de fructe rosii in diferite etape de coacere: de la cirese rosii si negre coapte pana la cele confiate, ciocolata neagra amaruie si pudra de cacao. In gura vinul este gliceros, masiv, cu taninuri prezente, structura este matasoasa, rotunda si aduce o varietate de arome pe palatin similare celor olfactive. Finalul este lung, aromele dulci-amarui raman in postgust o perioada foarte lunga si in momentul in care zici ca s-au dus te surprind si revin. Este foarte important sa fie aerat in decantor minim 3 h si servit la o temperatura mai rece (14-15 gr) si a se incalzi in pahar pentru a preveni alcoolul (16%) sa-si manifeste prezenta daca se incalzeste prea repede. Este un vin care se preteaza a fi servit la finalul mesei, eventual cu fructe uscate sau un trabuc bun. Un vin care te pune pe ganduri intr-un sens bun. (90-91/100)

2006 Thierry Allemand Chaillot Cornas

It is the second time I encounter this particular wine and it is as great as last time. The Chaillot is a 100% Syrah wine coming from 20-40 years old vines. I had the wine on FRI evening and loved it so much that I actually finished the whole bottle by myself.

2006 Thierry Allemand Chaillot Cornas

Dark red with hints of purple. The nose is really complex, well developed, intense and, as it breathes, it opens up more and reveals distinct aromas. It is the most mineral Syrah I had in a while and it has a nice cedar, almost Bordeaux like freshness. There are plenty of aromas of well hung meat, game, cedar, tar and red fruits. Full bodied, well structured, great acidity, balanced, silky texture in spite of the assertive tannins and, overall, an unbelievable freshness and easiness to drink. Long finish, gamey and mineral, with lingering flavors and beautiful freshness. This is a really nice wine that drinks very well already, but one that can easily last 10-15 years and still be great. (93/100)