In One Months Time - The Barolo Boys Will Be In.......Barolo! Time For A Planning Dinner!

M hosted this planning dinner and we started with a appropriate carafe

2014 East of Eden Pisoni Vineyard Chardonnay, Paul Lato
By the way, all wines tasted blind. We pegged this as a California Chard and we were of to a good start! The nose is cool and refined with notes of summer flowers, cold butter and a hint of pan fried nuts. Very handsome.
The taste is rocky and fresh with notes of lemon cream, dry fudge and sweet minerals. There is a hint of warmth in the finish that led us to California. Very, very good.
91p   (tasted 2017/09)

2002 Niederhäuser Hermannshöhle Riesling Spätlese, Dönnhoff
A fine, somewhat mature with notes of pickled ginger, dried pears, minerals and a petrol station in a distance. Deep and fine.
The taste is cool and concentrated with notes of minerals. grey pears, peach and some rubbery notes. A long finish with a fine acidity. Very fine.
92p   (tasted 2017/09)

2005 Schlossböckelheimer Kupfergrube Riesling Spätlese, Dönnhoff
One of the most beautiful names on a bottle of wine - Schlossböckelheimer Kupfergrube! This is more mature on the nose than the Hermannshöhle, with notes of strawberries, yellow beets and Christmas spices. Very good.
The taste is broad and semi dry with notes of slate, dried tropical fruits and diesel oil. Long and fine but a tad heavy at the end. Needs drinking.
88p   (tasted 2017/09)

2013 Barolo, Burlotto
S offered up this one. A very elegant, high and energetic nose with notes of ripe red currants, spices, rosehips and a touch of tobacco. Very fine.
The taste is young and gulpable with notes of chrushed rocks, rosehips, ripening red cherries and dry licorice. A fine acidity. Highly likeable and will get even better with 5+ years in the cellar.
90p   (tasted 2017/09)

2001 Barolo Gavarini Chiniera, Elio Grasso
My offering. I had high hopes on this bottle, a 01 from Elio Grasso but in all honesty, I was a little disappointed. The nose is deep and warm, and maybe a tad too warm, with notes of cherry jam, moist undergrowth, sweet licorice and autumn leaves. Has this bottle been kept a bit too warm before I bought it? The level and cork was faultless though.
The taste is big and steady with mature, warm cherries and notes of forest floor, dried flowers and canned mushrooms. There is a tad of dry mint in the finish, which is long, warm and comforting. A good wine, no question, but again, I was hoping for more.
88p   (tasted 2017/09)

2004 Barolo Romirasco, Aldo Conterno
M then put three decanters on the table and the guessing game began. The first wine has a deep, gloroius nose filled to the brim with sweet/sour cherries alongside notes of licorice, forest floor, rosehips and a ever so slight touch of coconut. Very deep, very pure and just stunning.
The taste is luscious, tight and concentrated with notes of hard cherry candy, rosehips, dry licorice and warm rocks. Very, very long and intense. I think we got the vintage right. This is drinking great now, albeit young, but could be kept for 10+ years.
96p   (tasted 2017/09)

1996 Barolo Ornato, Pio Cesare
The next wine showed some mature notes in the shape of dried cherries, undergrowth and cold coffee. Medium deep and fine. Some moist forest floor scents.
The taste is mature, round and dry with notes of dried cherries, dried strawberries, gravel and dried flowers. A fine warmth in the long finish with some still perky tannins. For drinking now and the coming 5+ years.
89p   (tasted 2017/09)

2004 Barolo Percristina, Domenico Clerico
Percristina always makes my heart beat a little faster, one of my favourite Baroli. And the 04 is a stunner. The nose is refined, cool and complex with notes of rosehips, red cherries, raspberries and ceps. Multi layered and really fine. Gorgeous.
The taste is tight and concentrated with brilliant fruit and a finish that goes on for minutes. Power and elegance. Ripe red cherries, pipe tobacco, rose petals and fir wood. Still very young, I would wait 5 years for the next bottle. Perfection in the making.
98p   (tasted 2017/09)

1989 Vouvray Moelleux Le Mont 1er Trie, Huet
The evening was finished with a fabolous bottle from Huet. The nose is very deep, perfectly nature (but will hold forever) and classy with notes of dried strawberries, oil cloth, chalk, warm plastic and fresh fallen snow. Very intense. Great!
The taste is pure, exquisite and very, very long with notes of grapefruit, chalk, wild strawberries, dried up vanilla ice cream and candied lemons. The acidity is of the charts. Very balanced. Looong and lingering. Just stunning.
96p   (tasted 2017/09)

I think we got some planning done also...