June 2016: 2014 Ferghettina Curtefranca, 1988 Leoville-Las-Cases, 2009 Bernadotte…

2009 Ch Bernadotte, popped and poured after hours at Glen, 03 June 2016. Displaying a brilliant ruby, this wine is beginning to open up, offering excellent concentration of ripe dark berries, blueberries and dark currants with some bright spots, layered and structured with sweet supple tannins, achieving a level of sophistication usually not encountered in unclassified Haut Medoc. Certainly the best Bernadotte ever. Buy.

1988 Ch Leoville Las-Cases, decanted on-site over dinner  with the wifey at Saint-Pierre, 06 June 2016. A bottle that I’ve cellared for several years, this wine displayed an evolved crimson with an initial bouquet of predominant red fruits amidst some true earthy pungency and some faint musty odours (but in a most positive manner), firm and fleshy with a lovely tension that teased the palate with its fresh and gorgeous acidity. It rapidly evolved to develop a powerful glow of aged mushrooms on the nose with further notes of plums and balsam before establishing a dominant tone of complex tangy citrus of subtle intensity, absolutely harmonious with exciting depth and concentration. This wine is at its drinking peak where it is likely to hold for several more years. Superb.

2000 Bonneau du Martray Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru (courtesy of Vic), over lunch at Les Amis, 10 June 2016. This wine is akin to a beautiful sensuous woman who reveals herself bit by bit. Somewhat reticent and reserved at first, this wine blossomed with lovely aromas of sweet white flowers and crème de la crème, richly layered with complex citrus, almonds and nutty nuances supported by subtle chalky minerality and understated acidity, gaining a lovely accentuation that led to a fabulous intensity over time, turning somewhat stern and minerally at the finish. Drinking superbly.

2007 Pierre Amiot Clos Saint-Denis Grand Cru, aired in bottle over lunch at Les Amis, 10 June 2016. Lovely aromas of rose petals and dark cherries dominate, fairly generous, displaying very good concentration and acidity, building up to quite an intensity with sweet tannins and smoky overtones, measured and elegant though not quite the last word in complexity. Perfect for lunch, nonetheless.

2011 Prunotto Barolo, from the restaurant list of Cantinetta Antinori, Firenze, Italy, 11 June 2016 and decanted on-site. Forward in ripe wild berries, raspberries and redcurrants with a after note of burnt sugar. Medium-full with good definition, power and concentration, still tight with well-managed tannins.

2014 Tenuta Ca’ Bolani Friuli Pinot Grigio Superiore, a half bottle over lunch at the Uffizi, Firenze, Italy, 12 June 2016. Notes of lemongrass and morning dew dominate on the nose, matched by green apples and melons on the palate with subdued acidity. Easy and refreshing.

Ca’ Percotta Millesimato Vino Spumante Brut, a half-bottle over a pizza lunch in Pisa, Italy, 13 June 2016. Dry with an abundance of green apples and lime citrus, highly inviting with a lovely intensity, somewhat stern at the finish with a mild graphite character.

2011 Tenuta Lidola Nuova Vino Nobile Di Montepulciano, over a grilled ribeye in Firenze, Italy, 13 June 2016. Ripe wild berries and blueberries dominate with sweet plummy tones of fair intensity and an after note of burnt sugar on the palate, inviting with good presence.

2013 Poggio dei Gelsi, a half bottle over dinner at La Martinicca, Firenze, Italy, 14 June 2016. This wine offers an abundance of lime and bitter citrus with an understated floral fragrance, minerality and creme de la creme, generously proportioned with excellent intensity and a bit of smoky sheen, finishing with superb length. Sophisticated and classy, way above its restaurant price of EUR16. Excellent.

2005 Farnito Camponibbio (courtesy of Antonio), over lunch with Antonio Zaccheo of Carpineto at La Casina in Chianciano, Italy, 15 June 2016. Made by Antonio’s Carpineto from 100% cabernet sauvignon, this wine displays characters of blueberries, cinnamon and dark currants within a masculine structure, fairly ample and rounded on the palate with decent layering and a dominant plummy tone after some time. Quite perfect with the Tuscan bistecca.

Valdobbiadene Lagioiosa Et Amorosa Prossecco, a bottle off the list of San Desiderio, a superb charming restaurant in Siena, Italy, 16 June 2016. This sparkling wine possesses an abundance of lemongrass, morning dew, green apples, melons and clear citrus, ample on the palate with excellent intensity, body and concentration, and not too dry. At EUR15, this is highly satisfying.

2014 Ferghettina Curtefranca Bianco, a half bottle over lunch at Lake Como, Italy, 18 June 2016. Made from 80% chardonnay and 20% pinot bianco, this inexpensive wine from Lombardy exudes impressive aromas of white roses and creme de la crème marked by attractive chalky minerality and rich intense citrus on the palate with smoky textures that imparted an excellent mouthfeel, highly lifted and lengthy at the finish, punching well above its weight. Quite excellent.

2015 Montressor Valpolicella at La Baita, Milan, Italy, 18 June 2016. Bright red plums and cherries dominate with overtones of tangerines and burnt sugar, displaying good intensity. Open but straightforward. A decent quaffer.

2009 Zind Humbrecht Brand Riesling, popped and poured at Ming Kee Live Seafood, 24 June 2016. This wine exudes attractive aromas of green melons, lemongrass and nectarine with overtones of petroleum fumes so classic of these Alsace rieslings, laced with understated sweetness and layered with impressive concentration and stony minerality, slightly stern at the finish. Not quite really open at this stage and will really need more time before it develops true complexity. One for the long haul.

2001 Vina El Pison (courtesy of Kenny), popped and poured at Akashi, 28 June 2016. Dark deep purple, saturated with ripe dark fruits and dark currants with some bright spots, dense and concentrated on the palate with a sweet edge though it is still somewhat unresolved, tapering to a powerful spicy finish. Almost hedonistic but certainly not over-extracted, recalling the likes of Macan and Pingus.