Second Sunday Group: Valtellina

The 2nd Sunday group gathered for our regular double blind tasting. For this group, we are presented a couple of double blind warm ups before the main flight. The warm ups are discussed & unveiled before moving on to the themed main flight. We spent forty five minutes or so tasting and evaluation the eight wines for the main flight before ranking the wines and then making guesses as to what we were tasting. Wines are ranked 1-8, one point for each place, and then unveiled from last place to first place. After the tasting, dinner is served with the additional wines brought by the group, nonblind. For this tasting we had ten tasters.

• 2007 Marcarini Barolo La Serra 92 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  Light color. Bright and elegant, with cherry and tea notes with floral overtones. Cherry notes dominate the palate. Somewhat tannic; good acid. Finishes with good length and balance. 92-93 pts.

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• 2007 Cascina Luisin Barbaresco Rabajà 90 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco

  Darker in color than the first wine. Aromas of red plum and licorice with hints of florals underneath. Tannins are quite firm. Plum, cherry and licorice flavors on the palate with a distinct ripe, almost raisiny, quality too.

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So based on the color alone, and knowing our host's affinity for Burgundy, I assumed we had a flight of Pinot, however once we started tasting these it quickly became apparent that these wines were too tannic and acidic for Pinot. Nebbiolo seemed like a good guess, and I settled on Barbaresco. I thought these were more approachable and less structured than Barolo would be, and being quite a novice when it comes to Italian wine, I had no where else to go for Nebbiolo. Prior to this tasting, I had never heard of Valtellina, however one taster in our group suggested the region- well done, Barb! I enjoyed these for their lighter red fruit and floral elements as well as the acid. I imagine these would do very well at the supper table.

• 2010 AR.PE.PE. Rosso di Valtellina 92 Points

  Italy, Lombardia, Valtellina, Rosso di Valtellina

  Light color. Notes of red berry fruit, cherry and spice. The palate follows the bouquet- spice and cherry, perhaps some red plum too. Has a good bit of tannin, which I wasn't expecting based on the color. Develops notes of roses, lavender and potpourri- very florally and bright. Good acidity and tannin. This was my favorite as it was very bright and the most elegant/floral of the wines in the lineup. 92+ pts.
  
  My #1, Domino's #3
  Group #3, 33 pts

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• 2010 F.lli Bettini Valtellina Superiore - Sassella 90 Points

  Italy, Lombardia, Valtellina, Valtellina Superiore - Sassella

  Notes of charred red fruit with some reduction. Red berry fruit and plum on the palate with plenty of acid and tannin. Decent finish. Good but not as expressive as others in the lineup.
  
  My #5, Domino's #6
  Group #6, 49 pts

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• 2011 AR.PE.PE. Rosso di Valtellina

  Italy, Lombardia, Valtellina, Rosso di Valtellina

  Lots of red fruit here and a bit more acid than some of the others. Develops a subtle herbal/vegetal quality that I think I like. Loads of cherry fruit. Interesting.
  
  My #3, Domino's #5
  Group #4, 35 pts

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• 2013 AR.PE.PE. Rosso di Valtellina 88 Points

  Italy, Lombardia, Valtellina, Rosso di Valtellina

  Very reticent and subdued. Cherry and white currants on the palate; good level of acidity, firm tannin. Develops a candied, cherry Jolly Rancher quality.
  
  My #6, Domino's #2
  Group #5, 41 pts

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• 2012 AR.PE.PE. Rosso di Valtellina

  Italy, Lombardia, Valtellina, Rosso di Valtellina

  Notes of red fruit, herbs, clay and cherry. Good tannins and acidity. Cherry and red berry fruit on the palate. Shows good intensity and balance. Finishes with good length.
  
  My #2, Domino's #1
  Group #2, 29 pts

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• 2006 AR.PE.PE. Valtellina Superiore - Sassella Stella Retica Riserva 88 Points

  Italy, Lombardia, Valtellina, Valtellina Superiore - Sassella

  Opens with a subtle plastic/Band-Aid note, followed by red fruit and licorice. Firm tannins and high acid. Flavors of cherry, currants and rose water, but there's also a subtle ripeness to the wine that kept me from liking this as much as others did.
  
  My #4, Domino's #4
  Group #1, 29 pts (tie broken by # of first place votes)

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• 2006 AR.PE.PE. Valtellina Superiore - Grumello Rocca de Piro Riserva Flawed

  Italy, Lombardia, Valtellina, Valtellina Superiore - Grumello

  Corked, though not as badly as wine H.
  
  My #7, Domino's #7
  Group #7, 64 pts

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• 2006 AR.PE.PE. Valtellina Superiore - Grumello Riserva Buon Consiglio Flawed

  Italy, Lombardia, Valtellina, Valtellina Superiore - Grumello

  Corked
  
  My #8, Domino's #8
  Group #8, 80 pts

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Nonblind

• 2003 Château Pavie 93 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

  Double decanted before the tasting. Earthy dark fruit with plum and floral undertones. Nice concentration on the palate with flavors od dark fruit, spice and earth. Good finish. Drinking very well with a couple of hours of air.

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• 1996 Taittinger Champagne Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut 96 Points

  France, Champagne

  Aromas of apple, hazelnut, cashew, lemon and stone. Wonderful and complex aromatics. Lemon and apple with custard, roasted nuts and crème brulee flavors. Good intensity with great length in the finish. Layered and deep.

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• 1978 Louis Latour Corton-Grancey 93 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton Grand Cru

  Opens with a cherry syrup note, followed by a sweet floral perfume with white currant undertones. Nice fruit on the palate, not at all tired or fading, with noticeable acidity. Cherry, currant and just a hint of orange peel. Balanced; long finish.

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• 1978 Louis Latour Vosne-Romanée 88 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée

  Aromas of cherry, spice, florals and tea leaf. Cherry and earth flavors with a subtle clay note in the finish. Nice, but a bit thin by comparison to the Corton Grancey.

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• 1990 Bernard Amiot Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Charmes 89 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru

  Red plum, dark fruit and earth notes. Cherry and earth flavors with a nice finish.

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• 1990 Alain Hudelot-Noëllat Chambolle-Musigny 92 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny

  Lovely bouquet of dark fruit, earth and cherry, with hints of spice underneath. Becomes more floral as it sits. Flavors of cherry and red fruit with a lingering finish.

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• 1990 M. Chapoutier Hermitage La Sizeranne 93 Points

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage

  Dark fruit aromas dominate with herb, roasted game and earthy funk undertones. Youthful on the palate, with some tannin to integrate. Medium-bodied with wonderful dark fruit and plum qualities and a subtle peppery spice in the finish. Drinking very well currently, though took half an hour to begin to strut its stuff.

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• 2001 Les Tourelles de Longueville 90 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  Wanting to open the Pichon Baron but grabbed this by mistake. A happy accident though as this is drinking very well right now. Dark fruit and plum, tobacco and forest floor with a good finish. Definitely in its window and should hold for a few years at this level. I put a drinking window of 2014-2019 on my last note and that feels just right.

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• 2009 Château Lanessan 89 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Haut-Médoc

  Dark color with notes of plum, currants and black fruit with a rustic earthy undertone. Medium tannins with flavors of plum and dark fruit with a rustic edge. Good value.

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• 2003 Château Saint-Pierre 91 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

  Black currants and plum with lavender and raisin overtones. Medium tannins with flavors of red plum, blackberry, cherry and raisin. Good finish.

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• 2007 Domaine Raymond Usseglio & Fils Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Part des Anges 88 Points

  France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape

  Dark fruit, but ripe, along with spice, kirsch and pepper. Full-bodied and ripe on the palate, bordering on raisiny. Pepper and holiday spice notes in the finish. Meh.

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• 1983 Dr. Loosen Erdener Prälat Riesling Auslese Flawed

  Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer

  AP 25761261384. Corked.

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• 1989 Trimbach Riesling Clos Ste. Hune Vendanges Tardives 96 Points

  France, Alsace

  Youthful pale yellow color. Aromas of wet stone, honeycomb, candied lemon, pear liqueur and white peach. Rich texture, but at the same time also light and racy, featuring wonderful stone fruit, flowers, ripe melon and peach. Terrific underlying acidity. Long, lingering finish.

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