Sans Liege "Sancha" Marsanne, Derby Vyd., Paso Robles 2010

Light yellow.

Slightly chilled. Nose of ripe pear, lemon flesh and quince.

Round and completely mouth-filling. Great density without being heavy and shows textural sweetness buffered beautifully by mineral/tannic chew. Quince and pear flavor action. RFG. Mineral chew really coats the front teeth. Buying more of this.

$38   from Feast in Tucson.

Tardieu-Laurent, Cote Rotie 2003

Deep red.

Vinturi - sumptuous nose - savory smoked meat/bacon, grilled and wilted herbs and root veg. Smells like Caldo Verde.

Broad and fairly dense in the mouth. Excellent mid-palate flesh, but does lack a bit of lift. Very hot vintage.
Nice smoked meat flavor follow through in the finish. Grainy tannin covers the mouth. Not sure where this is headed though.. Find some good duck and drink this thing.

$60   100% Syrah (I think)

Arnoux "Vieux Clocher" Vacqueyras 2009

Deep red.

Expressive nose - iron/blood/grilled herbs/pepper steak/black cherry.

Round and mouth-filling, with a textural sweetness. Excellent, packed black cherry, herb and spice mid-palate flavors. This is loaded. Spicy, tannic finish is slightly rustic, but honest. Real, gutsy wine here. No sculpting/BS.

$22.

Niepoort "Docil" Loureiro, Vinho Verde 2011

Pale straw.

Fresh, ripe nose of peach, apricot and a hint of fresh herb.

Bright and minerally in the mouth - flavors of ripe apple, lemon zest and ripe peach - as odd as that amalgam might seem. Really acid-driven and yet has a textural sweetness too. This is killer action at a ridiculous price.

$14    Loureiro is an esoteric Portuguese white variety...

Chateau Haut-Bailly, Pessac-Leognan (Bordeaux) 2008

Saturated purple red.

Sexy nose of woodsmoke, embers, blue and black fruits and clay/earth.

Round and slightly grainy tannic entry. Densely packed, but not overbearing. Manages to show earth/fruit/oak flavors start to finish. Significant tannin kicks in on the finish but not kill the deal. Parker gave this a 98 - not sure it's that good - but it's RFG all the same. Best from 2017 on I'd guess.


$75.

Venica "Ronco del Cerro" Sauvignon, Collio 2010

Light yellow.

Musky herb, melon and slightly peppery nose. A bit dull.

Intense, pungent fresh herb, lemon flavors are lifted, fresh. Quite lifted in the mouth, vibrant. Long lemon/herb/pepper finish includes mineral chew. PFG


$28

Gritsch, Gruner Veltliner, Singerriedel, Federspiel 2009

Yellow.Some residual CO2.

Nose of lentil, pepper, poached pear and lemon zest. Smells far deeper than any federspiel I've had before.

Ditto in the mouth - broad and deep with a nice citrus/pepper lift that slices through. Citrus and pepper on the long, lively, finish. Light citric mineral chew on the the front teeth. Atypically powerful? Probably, but it's PFG all the same.



$23. Tin-lined screwcap.