Vinopolis Newsletter 2/21/23

Collector’s Corner
 

Sine Qua Non ‘The Inaugural’ Eleven Confessions Vineyard Grenache, Sta Rita Hills 2003 750ml  , 1 bottle in stock 
Wine Advocate 100 points “In addition to these new releases, I was also able to taste through a number of older vintages, including the 2001 Albino, 2006 Hoodoo Man, 2003 The Inaugural, 2004 Ode to E, 1998 E Raised, 2001 On Your Toes, 2005 Nail in My Cranium and 2007 Syrah Dangerous Birds. To say I came away impressed would be an understatement. Anyone who claims this big, rich style can-t age needs to taste these wines. I opted to just list my scores for the older releases as I find Bob-s initial write-ups spot on.”
 

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Falletto di Bruno Giacosa ‘Falletto Riserva – Falleto Vigna Le Rocche’ Barolo DOCG 2016 750ml  , 2 bottles in stock
James Suckling 100 points “This is the second 100-point Vigna Le Rocche, following the 2015. What the former had in intensity of fruit and transparency, this has in structure and power. The purity of fruit is sensational in this young Barolo, offering blackberries, black truffle and iron. Rust too. This is so tannic and powerful with incredible structure. This may be the most structured Barolo from Bruno Giacosa I have ever tasted as a young wine. Speechless. Full-bodied and so intense, yet it remains fresh and agile. Traditional in every sense of the word, but this is clear and clean. A classic in the making. It will be in the market January 2022. Leave this for at least six to eight years. Try in 2027.”
Wine Advocate 98 points “The Bruno Giacosa 2016 Barolo Falletto Vigna Le Rocche sees its fruit sourced from the oldest vines in the Falletto cru. This wine boasts all the signature touches of Serralunga d’Alba with the massive structure, density and the long aging potential that comes with Nebbiolo grown in this village. The wine spreads evenly over the palate, imparting its considerable fruit weight and generally leaving a big impact. This Barolo is really quite lovely and beautiful. The bouquet is fluid and ever-shifting, showing new sides with firm fruit, blackberry, smoke, rusty nail and mineral with every swirl of the glass. I visited this vineyard site shortly before tasting this wine and marveled at the beautiful peacocks that roam free between the rows of vines.”

Pian dell’Orino Bassolino di Sopra, Brunello di Montalcino DOCG 2010 750ml  , 1 bottle in stock 
Wine Advocate 100 points “The 2010 Brunello di Montalcino Bassolino di Sopra is the equivalent of the estate’s Riserva. Only 3,000 bottles were made and the wine was not produced in 2009 or 2008. Nor will it be made in 2011 or 2013. Future editions are 2012 and 2015. Bassolino di Sopra is silky and smooth, but it also has a fine textural fabric that gives the wine an enormous sense of tactile intensity in terms of mouthfeel. This is a magnificent achievement with an extreme sense of purity and freshness that is elegant and streamlined. The bouquet reveals slight and miniature shifts in its evolution that keep your curiosity as you contemplate the wine in the glass. Wild berry is followed by a steady stream of balsam herb, cola, crushed oyster shell and delicate floral tones. The vineyards are located between 330 and 370 meters above sea level with limestone deposits and red soils. Farming is biodynamic.”
Antonio Galloni 97 points “Pian dell’Orino 2010 Brunello di Montalcino Bassolino di Sopra is shaping up to be another of the wines of the vintage. Lavender, spices, menthol, tobacco and dark stone fruits meld together in a vivid Brunello of extraordinary beauty. Tasted alongside the Versante Amiata, the Bassolino di Sopra presents darker tonalities of fruit, a more vertical sense of structure support by spine of firm tannin, and a powerful personality. The 2010 is a fascinating wine to follow, as it becomes weightless and refined with the passage of time. Sadly, I could not spend all afternoon with the Bassolino di Sopra, but this is a deep, contemplative Brunello that will thrill readers for many, many years.” 

Markus Molitor Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese, Mosel 2019 750ml  , 12 bottles in stock 
Wine Advocate 97 points “The 2019 Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Trockenbeerenauslese is deep, intense and flinty on the nose that exhibits clear, ripe and concentrated fruit with very fine botrytis notes intertwined with aromas of crushed slate and candied lemon rind. Round and elegant on the seamless palate, this is a rich yet finessed and elegant, super tensioned and mineral TBA with electrifying acidity and a highly stimulating finish. There are not many TBAs around that are as digestible as this one, which is really extraordinary. 6.5% alcohol.”
 

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Domaine Leflaive Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru, Cote de Beaune 2020 750ml  , 1 bottle in stock 
Burghound 96-98 points “Don’t Miss! Strikingly elegant, cool and restrained aromas are comprised by notes of citrus confit, mineral reduction, anise, exotic tea and the classic acacia blossom nuances. The almost painfully intense medium-bodied flavors are at once succulent yet chiseled while the practically pungent minerality adds a sense of lift to the hugely long finish that is youthfully austere and Zen-like in its harmony. This is quite simply majestic in its class and grace and is a wine that should age effortlessly for years.”

Domaine Leflaive Batard-Montrachet Grand Cru, Cote de Beaune 2020 750ml  , 1 bottle in stock 
Burghound 95-97 points “Don’t Miss! A wonderfully floral-suffused nose reflects additional notes of petrol, citrus, white orchard and a hint of oak toast. The bigger and richer flavors also possess a gorgeous mouthfeel that is almost delicate yet racy with excellent delineation on the youthfully austere and beautifully balanced finish that just goes on and on. This is potentially a magnificent Bâtard and it’s going to be interesting to compare this with the Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet in a decade’s or so time. In sum, I would offer the same advice – if you can find it, buy it.”