A couple of days ago I had the chance to taste through the sortiment of
Vingruppen. Due to other commitments I didn´t had much time so I had to focus on what to taste from several hundreds of bottles. These is the ones that caugth my taste buds attention.
From USA, these Chardonnay´s I really liked - the 2015 Seven Springs, Evening Land shows a tad maturity with lovely notes of ripe apples, melon and lots of refinement (93p). The 2019 Sonoma Coast, Kutch is young, vibrant and spicy with a long lingering fnish (92p).
Patz & Hall has bottled a buttery, vibrant 2016 Dutton Ranch with a fine acidity and a firm body (91p). The 2018 Santa Rita Hills, Sandhi is very stony, tight and restrained; needs to flesh out with bottle age (89p). The 2018 Sonoma Coast, Failla is stony, smoky and elegant with a medium, finely tuned body (90p).
Lastly, the 2016 Maycamas is all about structure, finesse and gorgeous upfront fruit. Built to last (93p).
Moving on to the reds and from Italy I found these gems. The 2016 Barolo Brunate and the 2018 Barbaresco Gallina, Ceretto are equally great with the haunting perfumes from Langhe and the firm tannins that will keep them going for 10+ years (93p).
From Arnaldo Rivera, the 2015 Barolo Undicicomuni is a fine Barolo blend from all comunes in Langhe (90p) while the 2018 Barolo Monvigliero shows a high, light yet focused Verduno character (92p).
From Vietti I tasted the 2018 Barbera d´Alba Tre Vigne which is a fruity, open, lovely Barbera with a fine acidity and really nice grip (91p). The 2017 Barolo Castiglione offers up a handsome nose with roses, cherries and asphalt followed by a young, focused taste with a fine future (92p).
From Tuscany, the 2016 Castello di Brolio, Ricasoli displayed everything that is great with a young Sangiovese (92p) while the 2014 Brunello di Montalcino, Mastrojanni showed the same but with a beginning maturity (92p).
The 2018 Saffredi, Fattoria Le Pupille is a stunner with brilliant cherry fruit, a structure for ages and every knot and bolt in the right places (96p).
Just one Burgundy and what a wine! The 2015 Bonnes Mares from Lucien le Moine is a three digit score wine in due course. A deep, hedonistic, utterly gorgeous nose and palate with everything in place. A treat to taste and just imagining a whole bottle for yours truly... (97p).
I then tasted some goodies from USA. The 2016 Estate Pinot Noir, Walter Hansel is such a goodie, with lovely raspberry fruit, a fresh acidity and a long finish (93p). More Pinot followed - the 2016 Savoy Vineyard Pinot Noir, Failla has a deep, smoky, finely tuned body and a high, uplifting nose (92p). The 2017 Bloom´s Field Pinot Noir from Domaine de la Côte is a finely tuned creature with ripe raspberries, licorice, smoke and herbs. Complex and very fine (93p).
One of the best wines that I tasted was the 2015 Fay Cabernet Sauvignon from Stag´s Leap with a gorgeous black currant fruit, a taut structure, silky tannins and just class (96p). The Maycamas Cabernet Sauvignon from the same vintage display a tight, charcoal, tobacco character with lenght and finesse (94p).
Lastly, two bottles from down under and from Giaconda. The 2018 Estate Shiraz has a deep, inky nose and a tight, intense palate with lots going on (93p). The 2018 Estate Pinot Noir is a killer, with perfect ripe strawberries, moist earth, fresh herbs and bay leaves. Just great (96p).
