Piemonte et al

Lovely lunch with friends. I've fallen a little out of love with Nebbiolo in the past few years - I am not sure this event brought back the love, but probably did bring some understanding.

Fantastic food and company, as always. The lamb shoulder in particular was just superb.

• 2015 Breaky Bottom Cuvée David Pearson

  United Kingdom, England, Sussex, West Sussex

  Served blind - known to be the older of a pair from the same producer. Pale colour - just the vaguest hint of oxidation. This is lovely, refined, delicate with a strong acid core. I'm tempted to say blanc de blancs but I never guess cepage right with champagne. This is revealed as an ESW - i'm surprised, and at this price it even represents decent value. Bravo.

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• 2017 Breaky Bottom Cuvée John Agard

  United Kingdom, England, Sussex, West Sussex

  The younger of a blind matched pair. Pale colour. Amazing energy - piercing acid though, somewhere between citric and hydrochloric. Assuming that this would develop into something like the older wine (which I feel it would) this is lovely stuff, we're just drinking it too early. A small glass would be a great aperitif, but half a bottle might result in indigestion. Revealed to be a 2017 ESW - most surprising, jolly good stuff.

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• 2021 Zind-Humbrecht Muscat Goldert

  France, Alsace, Alsace Grand Cru

  Floral nose. Floral palate. Floral everything. Some violets there, someone said melon rind which I think is spot on, elderflower too, and a slight soapiness. Impressive, interesting, but not really enjoyable.

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• 2019 Rizzi Barbaresco Nervo

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco

  Lovely nose - densely packed fruit, a hint of spice. Palate tells a similar story - an almost abrasive character to the tannins but they give it life and provide a foil for the fruit - and there's a kind of almond essence intensity to it. Proper wine.

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• 2013 Oddero Barolo

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  Some heat on the nose - a fellow diner said tar. Drying tannins. There's lots going on here though - sparked some discussion about the role tannins play in this kind of wine - a fellow diner said that you should think about it like the bone when you eat ribs, it's the meat around it that is really important, this is just there to give it something to hand off. Some disappointment about this wine at the table, but I rather enjoyed it.

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• 2015 Ferrando Carema White Label (Etichetta Bianca)

  Italy, Piedmont, Northern Piedmont, Carema

  Double decanted in the morning to check for flaws. Seemed fine. Served at lunch and...brown, weirdly porty, with some fruit and a kind of gentle roundness underneath all that. Most annoyed with myself for not bringing a backup bottles as good bottles of this have been more than decent. Grrr.

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• 2009 Giuseppe E Figlio Mascarello Barolo Monprivato

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  This is more like it. A typically lovely bottle from a generous fellow diner. Someone described it as "giggle juice" and while this is a serious wine, the description is also fair.

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• 1998 Chateau Musar

  Lebanon, Bekaa Valley

  Served blind. Don't think it's piemonte but more southern perhaps? When revealed - kinda wild because we'd actually been discussing 98 Musar over dinner...anyway - probably my second favourite red, this is just a great Musar vintage.

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