Our dinner group met yet again for another fine dinner with stellar wines. This evening, we went to Cielito, a newcomer to the restaurant scene in SB that features gourmet Mexican/ South American cuisine and a Taqueria Bar. The food and service was excellent and our wines appropriately consisted of:

NV VILMART & CIE GRAND CELLIER BRUT 1er Cru- disgorged 2/10; this was simply delightful; smooth, rich and creamy, it had great acidity and offered fresh lemon, orange and grapefruit notes that went on and on; all of us went back for 2nds; 70% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Noir; great start to the night.

2002 DONNHOFF OBERHAUSER LEISTENBERG KABINETT RIESLING- 8.5% ETOH; I was not certain I wanted to go beyond the nose which was primarily paint thinner along with some minerals and metallic hits, but thankfully I did and to my and everyone else`s pleasure, the wine tasted unbelievably good; it was loaded with lots of peach, nectarine and apricot and was delivered in a thick, oily liquid which coated the palate and begged for more and I obliged [holding my nose]; as with the Vilmart, we all went back again.

2008 WEINGUT KNOLL GRUNER VETLINER FEDERSPIEL- after some lemon/ lime in the nose, it moved into an entirely different profile blending in some grapefruit and peach with a significant splash of salt and pepper; very different and enjoyable.

2009 PIERRE-YVES COLIN-MOREY PULIGNY MONTRACHET LES CHAMPS GAINS- 1er cru; wonderful wine; lemon meringue with whipped cream; soft and lush in a medium body with some weight; this fine Chardonnay is seamless, steady, even and balanced.

2009 PIERRE-YVES COLIN-MOREY SAINT AUBIN LES COMBES- 1er cru; this is also quite the white Burgundy and for me it proves the merits of a quality producer to make great wines across the board; after the Les Champs, this seems like a weakling, but on its own, it is a standout; good acidity, with some mineral and nice citrus throughout; easy on the palate and a decent finish; great QPR here.

2005 PETROLO GALATRONA TOSCANA- from 100% dried Merlot, this rocked from the nose on through a magnificent finish; lots of character amidst the ripe red and black fruit with added cranberry and black currant flavors; full bodied with great structure and balance; a real treat.

2007 BASTIANICH GALABRONE- 70% Refrosco, 10% Merlot, Schioppettino and Pignolo; another dried fruit in the Amarone style wine, this shined as well as the Galatrona; it is major fruity and a little on the sweet side, but not to a fault; some pepper, chocolate and coffee in the nose joins this wonderful fruit bowl of flavors which explode on the mid palate and go on and on.

2003 ABREU MADRONA RANCH- although the label says “red wine”, it`s 100% Cabernet Sauvignon; serious inky color begins the journey of this silky, smooth delight which offers a lot of minty chocolate, coffee, mocha, and Eucalyptus; another WOW wine after the 2 that proceeded it.

2006 SINE QUA NON MR K “THE STRAW MAN”- 375 ml; 100% Marsanne; we all got it was corked immediately and I almost gave up going beyond the nose; thankfully, I did as there was beautiful honeyed stone fruit that peeked through and I/we got a glimpse of what the real deal could be.

2001 KRACHER NEUSIEDLERSEE TROCKENBEEREN AUSLESE- 375 ml; made of Scheurebe, this is really good with an initial black currant, mint dominated nose followed by a big switch to grapefruit and more citrusy notes along with some apricot and nectarine, all of this contained in a thick, acceptable sweet texture.

BTW, we just had 5 for this meal which usually is around 10; we handled it with ease.

Cheers