This was my second year attending the Annual Tasting, and I want to extend my thanks to both, the Massanois Imports, all the producers present and the crew of City Winery. These are merely brief notes on some of the wines that I tasted. 

2007 Weingut Max Ferd. Richter Mülheimer Sonnenlay Riesling Spätlese feinherb: This is aging beautifully, not much has changed since last year, a hint of the orange flower note on the nose (some botrytis) the wine was peach, mirabelle and mint. There is a hint of ginger on the long sweet and sour finish Still young but reaching into maturity. Light and bright - a perfect afternoon in a bottle. 

2016 Weingut Max Ferd. Richter Mülheimer Helenenkloster Riesling Eiswein: Stunning wine, ripe, with oranges, mango and ripe apricot. It is ripe, but the sweetness is balanced by a bright, mineral note. While it clearly shows notes of rich tropical fruit, there are lighter, brighter tones still hidden within. Given time, this should blossom into a beauty. 

2015 Karthäuserhof Eitelsbacher Karthäuserhofberg Riesling Großes Gewächs:
This was a wine I was looking forward to, as I am quite fond of the 2015 vintage. It did not disappoint, the wine is thoroughly bright, with a deep mineral streak that speaks to its origins. While lighter than some, the wine shows white peach, pear and apple. I can see this aging into a classic MSR Riesling, and yet this trocken is quite delicious already. 

2010 Karthäuserhof Eitelsbacher Karthäuserhofberg Riesling Auslese: This is a throwback Auslese, with a modern spatlese weight, yet rich with tropical notes and ripe peaches. There is a hint of pineapple and mango toward the back, but the mineral nature of the wine keeps it fresh. Quite impressive! 

2010 Parusso Barolo Bussia:
The 2010s are still quite young, but this Bussia is already showing a floral, rose and violet nose. Elegant mid, light color, with juicy red cherry fruit in the mid. The structure is still quite rustic, powerful tannins, with hints of tar and spice. This will age into an excellent wine. 

2015 Bruna Grimaldi Barolo Bricco Ambrogio: This was an elegant Barolo, floral on the nose, with spice, cherry and purple flowers. The mid is quite tight, though elegant, smooth tannins, and sweet cherry fruit. A beautiful young wine.

2015 Bruna Grimaldi Barolo Badarina:
Unlike the Bricco Ambrogio, this is a richer, darker expression of Nebbiolo, sweet raspberry, dark cherry and savory herbs in the mid palate. The mineral undertones keeps this wine in check, leading to a long and still quite tannic finish.   

2012 Bruna Grimaldi Barolo Badarina Riserva:
A serious, powerful wine from a tough vintage, sweet, ripe cherry fruit, darker toward the back palate, quite tannic, yet polished, with a savory herb on the finish. 

2017 Cascina Gilli Malvasia di Castelnuovo Don Bosco:
Seeing Paolo Vergnano in New York was an unexpected pleasure, having visited Cascina Gilli this past summer. Their Malvasia is an absolute pleasure, a guilty pleasure indeed, fruit salad, cotton candy, with a slight raspberry effervescence. Ripe and sweet, it has an underlying herbal structure and a refreshing citrus note. Delicious! 

2013 Cascina Guido Berta Barbera d’Asti Superiore Nizza:
This is a powerful wine, with earthy cherry fruit. It is still quite young, but the savory. Chewy mid is already hard to resist. 

2015 Bibbiano Chianti Classico Montornello:
A mineral expression of Sangiovese, bright red fruit, cherry, earthy tones, good power toward the finish. Quite elegant already and clearly with potential.

2015 Bibbiano Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Vigna del Capannino: Richer and riper than the Montornello, with darker, deeper fruit. Quite firm, more in need of time, but clearly with aging potential.

2013 Fanti (Tenuta San Filippo) Brunello di Montalcino Vallocchio:
A bright, fresh Brunello, elegant but with a more rustic, chewy mid palate. Great structure here, a wine that need decanting or, preferably, time. 

2015 Fongoli Montefalco Rosso Serpullo:
Juicy, ripe sweet fruit, medium bodied, deep mid, sweet and ripe finish. Quite intriguing! 

2012 Fongoli Sagrantino di Montefalco Fracanton:
This wine has spent six years in anfora, and the result is a fresher, brighter fruit flavor, ripe cherry and blackberry on the nose, powerful fruit in the mid, serious and needing time. 

2017 Anthony Nappa Wines Cabernet Franc Bordo:
An interesting Cab Franc from Long Island, with ripe fruit and bell pepper on the nose, good mid palate, red fruit, juicy and bright. Good long finish, with some herbs and spice. 

2014 Brittan Vineyards Pinot Noir Gestalt Block: Ripe, powerful expression, tannic and rich with blueberry and cherry tones. This is an intriguing expression of Pinot, taking the clarity of cooler climate fruit but with the richness and power that is quite unexpected.