Friday Night At Friend’s House—Pomerol, CDP, and Barolo

I’m a huge Burgundy lover and only started taking my tastings seriously last year. I’ve never had a Pomerol before and have only tried 2–3 CDP and Barolo. Apologies in advance for any bias or amateurish takes.

From left to right:

1. Croix Saint Georges 2019 (Pomerol)

Decanted for an hour. The first glass was a delightful surprise—way better than expected and actually outperformed the other two at first. It showed good completeness right away but didn’t evolve much over time. Flavors started to fade after about 4-5 hours.

Nose: Blackcurrant, pomegranate, leather.
Palate: Medium acidity, velvety tannins, black-fruit-driven, with a lingering aftertaste of tobacco and oak.

A great wine on its own, especially for the price ($55 before tax). It clearly outperforms Prisoner Red Blend 2021 and Caymus 50 yr Anniversary, for example, but I’m not so sure it’s better than Stag’s Leap Napa Valley 2020.
And it doesn’t quite punch above its weight. In an apples-to-oranges comparison, I’d take a Morey-Saint-Denis or Nuits-Saint-Georges Premier Cru 100 times out of 100.

1. L’Oratorie des Papes 2021 (Chateauneuf-du-Pape)

Also decanted for an hour. The first glass was rustic and wild—almost disconcerting, especially on the nose (cooked cabbage and animality). Not quite sure if that was due to brett, but it was a bit off-putting at first.

However, the bottle evolved beautifully over the next 3 hours. The rustic notes softened into warm leather, stewed cherry, strawberry jam, and dried spices (nutmeg? Definitely not the anise/clove hint I get from Sassicaia). I was expecting some black pepper notes typical of Grenache (like in La Guigasse), but they never showed up.

Nose (after 3 hours): Leather, fresh red cherry, strawberry.
Palate (after 3 hours): Silky, soft tannins, medium-to-high acidity, red-fruit-driven, with a lingering aftertaste of baking spices.

A great wine for under $65, but I’d gladly pay $10 more for La Guigasse 2021 to get the warmth and peppery notes I love in CDP. Still, the jury crowned this the Friday night winner, and I respectfully defer.

1. Vietti Lazzarito 2014 (Barolo)

Bottle-decanted for 4 hours. Garnet color, though I’m not sure if it’s due to aging. Quite consistent across glasses. There was a slight hint of animality/Brett at the beginning, but it disappeared after about 2 hours. Very perfumed nose with a long aftertaste.

Nose: A slight hint of animality at the start (even after 4 hours), but it softened over time. Dark chocolate, dark cherry, leather, dried flowers.
Palate: Tight but welcoming tannins, high acidity typical of Nebbiolo, licorice, red fruit jams, with a lingering aftertaste of balsamic and licorice.

This was clearly the most complex wine of the three—and also the priciest ($120 before tax). It was unanimously the best wine of the night before the CDP fully developed, but I’m not sure how much price influenced our judgment when we decided the CDP was better in the end.

That being said, as a $120 bottle, I’d expect more surprises and deeper character—but 2014 just wasn’t the ideal vintage for that. Is it really better than Elio Altare Cerretta 2020? I don’t think there’s a significant difference in quality (though definitely in style), but the Altare sells for $40 less. With $120, why wouldn’t I just get JMF’s Marechale or Lignier Michelot’s Aux Charmes instead?