The 2018 Kabinett is a masterclass in balance. Bright high acidity cuts through delicate sweetness, framing aromas of white peach, lime zest, and spring flowers. The palate glides between juicy citrus and crystalline minerality, finishing with the cool, slate-driven precision that defines Wehlener Sonnenuhr. Light in body but long in flavour, it’s a wine that feels both effortless and exacting - classic Mosel charm with Loosen’s signature clarity.

Don’t be mistaken - these wines should not come to the table solely because of hype, fame or price. Additionally, they should spark curiosity, inspire conversation and tell a story about the person who brought them and/or the people who made them.

If you are still trying to understand what a “baller” wine is, let me share a quote by sir Yida⁩:

“The kind of wine that’s so good you pretend to not feel good, tell your friends they need to leave and start drinking it all by yourself.”

But luckily for us, you’ll bring that wine to share this time. Compared to our standard tastings, this one has unlimited seats, but it would be best to RSVP early so we can book the space for the right amount of people.

Once again, thanks to each and everyone one of you for selflessly sharing your cellar gems with this group and allowing everyone to approach wine with an open mind, couldn’t have asked for a better group of winos.

Full lineup:

Dr. Loosen Wehlener Sonnenuhr Kabinett Riesling 2018

Daniel Sage La Voix du Periscope 2020

Mathieu Allante et Christian Boulanger Phenomaynal 2018*

Marquis de Laguiche Montrachet 2006

Didier Dagueneau Pur Sang 2014

Les Vins du Cabanon Poudre d'Escampette 2018

O2Y Le P'tit Nico 2022

Domaine Sylvain Pataille Clos du Roy Marsannay 2021

Feudi di San Gregorio Irpinia Serpico 2000

Domaine Romaneaux-Destezet La Souteronne 2023

Vignai da Duline Merlot 2019

Domaine Barge Côte-Rôtie Côte Brune 2016

Domaine du Pégau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée 2010

Matthiasson Phoenix Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2019

Smith-Madrone Cabernet Sauvignon 2013

Pierre Ménard Chaos 2022

*WOTN

The 2006 Marquis de Laguiche Montrachet is a study in power restrained by elegance. The nose opens slowly: warm brioche, honeycomb, hazelnut cream, and ripe stone fruit layered over a core of cool limestone minerality. On the palate, breadth and tension coexist, rounded by moderate alcohol and creamy texture. The finish is expansive and precise, carrying notes of citrus oil, smoke, and crushed rock. At full maturity.

This Chardonnay comes from 90-yo vines on red marl in the village of Maynal. Christian and Mathieu took the plot over in 2005 at the start of their project - it was previously worked by their mate Fanfan (JF Ganevat). Fermentation and 24 months ageing on fine lees in 10yo demi-muids. This wine has a moreish and voluptuous texture perfectly balanced by zingy bitters. The emblematic and catchy label was drawn by a close friend, the depicted hand combines the sensual side of wine with the rough manual work of a vigneron(ne).

Pur Sang (“thoroughbred”) comes from flint and clay soils and represents the estate’s purest expression of Sauvignon’s texture and minerality. The 2014 is linear, with aromas of white peach, grapefruit zest, and crushed nettle lift from a base of wet stone and faint smoke. The palate is taut yet layered - bright high acidity threading through ripe citrus and chalky phenolics, finishing long and saline. Generous fruit framed by flinty austerity, showing why Dagueneau remains the Loire’s benchmark.

Poudre d’Escampette 2018 - literally “a puff of escape” - is a light, vivid red made from Carignan and Grenache grown on sandy clay and schist. The nose bursts with wild raspberry, pomegranate, garrigue, and a hint of iron. The palate is fresh and juicy, carried by bright acidity and powder-fine tannins. There’s no heaviness here - the Mediterranean rendered as a breeze. A wine that feels spontaneous, alive, and profound.

Clos du Roy 2021 is a poised and detailed expression of this high, limestone-rich climat. The nose opens with redcurrant, wild strawberry, and rose petal, underpinned by crushed stone and faint spice. On the palate, the wine is finely etched: bright high acidity, supple tannins, and moderate alcohol giving a sense of tension rather than weight. The finish lingers on mineral length and floral lift. It’s a reminder that elegance isn’t the absence of power.

Le P’tit Nico 2022 is symbolic of youthful energy. The nose is immediate and pure: underripe blackcurrant, red apple, violets, and a faint note of crushed stone. On the palate, bright high acidity drives a linear, saline profile, with gentle texture rounding the edges. It’s Jura stripped of anything artificial - vivid, unfiltered, and dangerously drinkable, capturing both the place and the people behind it.

La Souteronne is made entirely from old-vine Gamay, grown on granite soils at high elevation, offering a rare northern Rhône interpretation of the variety. The 2023 bursts with immediacy - violet, wild strawberry, and crushed granite on the nose, carried by that telltale Souhaut freshness. The palate is silken and lifted, with bright high acidity and featherlight tannins shaping juicy red fruit and peppery minerality. It sits somewhere between Beaujolais and Saint-Joseph in feel.

This is a wine that captures both the volcanic force and the soulful depth of Irpinia’s high-altitude terroir. The 2000 Serpico shows Aglianico at full maturity. The nose moves from black cherry and prune to tobacco leaf, balsamic herbs, and smoky volcanic earth. On the palate, the tannins have melted into a fine, velvety frame, supporting flavours of dried fig, espresso, and cedar. The acidity remains bright, keeping the wine alive despite its density.

La Voix du Périscope 2020 is a vivid, untamed Viognier. Aromatically marked with orange peel, lemongrass, and a faint herbal smoke. The palate is energetic and textural, the complexity revealing itself slowly, carried by lifted acidity and fine, gripping tannins.

Chaos 2022 is vibrant, nervy, and alive. A Chenin Blanc that Yida picked when he visited Pierre in 2022. Opens with scents of lemon oil, quince, and flint struck against stone. The palate is taut yet textural - bright high acidity wrapped in faint lees creaminess, carrying flavours of green apple, salted almond, and citrus pith. The sweetness kicks in the door, but is beautifully backed up by the zingy acid. Incredible wine.

The 2019 Merlot is graceful rather than heavy, offering a distinctly Friulian interpretation of the grape. Aromas of ripe plum, bay leaf, graphite, and forest floor unfold with nice depth. The palate is supple yet structured, showing rounded moderate alcohol, fine-grained tannins, and bright acidity that lifts the dark fruit into focus.

The Côte Brune cuvée, from the iron-rich schist slopes north of the village, represents the darker, more powerful side of the appellation. This is profound and tightly coiled Syrah. Aromas of blackberry, smoked meat, olive tapenade, and violets rise from the glass, underpinned by graphite and minerality. The palate is compact - bright high acidity and firm, fine tannins framing layers of dark fruit, pepper, and savoury spice. This is Côte-Rôtie at its most classical.

The Cuvée Réservée is their flagship blend, dominated by Grenache with Syrah, Mourvèdre, and a dozen other permitted varieties. This vintage is a monumental yet balanced one - dense, aromatic, and structured for decades. The nose layers black cherry, garrigue, leather, and roasted meat over an undertone of earthy spice and dried lavender. On the palate, it’s full-bodied but not heavy, with rounded moderate alcohol, ripe tannins, and bright acidity giving lift to the depth of fruit.

The 2019 Phoenix Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon redefines Napa completely. Aromas of blackcurrant, graphite, dried sage, and crushed violets lead into a finely detailed palate - bright high acidity, moderate alcohol (only 13%!), and taut, powdery tannins. The fruit is vivid, framed by savoury notes of tobacco leaf and cedar. There’s tension where most Cabernets show excess, a sense of energy that recalls classic Bordeaux more than modern Napa.

The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon is a snapshot of classic mountain Napa - pure and built to age. The nose opens with cassis, cedar, graphite, and a hint of mountain herbs. On the palate, it’s firm and finely tuned - bright high acidity cutting through ripe black fruit, while grainy tannins and moderate alcohol give shape and tension. The finish lingers with notes of tobacco leaf, crushed rock, and cool mint. A reminder of what Napa once was.