Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Tasting Notes, week ending 4/20/2008

Maybe I should turn this into a wine blog. I felt like I had to write this down somewhere because I had the fortune of tasting two stellar wines this week.

Miner Family Vineyards, “The Oracle”, 2005
Another great find at a reasonable price at Anthony’s in Plattsburgh, NY. The markups at this restaurant are unbelievable. I doubt there is anything that is priced more than 200% of retail. We had this beautiful Bordeaux-style Cab blend and it was quite simply, exquisite. Dark cherries and spices, a nice leathery taste, and a lush, cool finish. Deep, intense flavours without being hostile – opened up very nicely and once it started breathing, was an absolute delight to drink.

Masseto, Tenuta dell’Ornellaia, Bolgheri IGT, 1998
People hate on Merlot so much more now after “Sideways”, and I must confess I am not a particularly big fan of the grape. But I had a lovely dinner with Reed at 1789 the other day and picked – with the waiter’s assistance – an incredibly reasonably priced bottle of a 100% Merlot from the producers of Ornellaia. It was a shame that I picked my wine before I had decided on my food because I wound up picking all seafood dishes, but even if the Masseto had not been overwhelmingly complementary, it was still unequivocally spectacular. It had the earthy tones of most Italian wines and drank like dark velvet. Plums, tobacco and cedar. A nose for the ages and a finish for miles. Beautiful. Just beautiful.

Tasting Notes, week ending 4/6/2008

Sometimes, I love my job because I get to drink lots and lots of really good wine. This was all consumed over the course of a week-long engagement in upstate NY.

Silver Oak, Alexander Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2003
Always reliable. I like this Californian cab very much. Dark ruby-red, rich, good acidity and sweet fruit – peach, perhaps? Drinks very well. It was on the wine list for $90+ when it retails for $65 a bottle. With a markup like that, it practically picked itself.

Brunello di Montalcino Riserva, Il Poggione, 1995
Old-style Brunello, great structure, balance and elegance. Intense bouquet of dried fruit, dances over your taste buds towards a cool, enduring finish. A wonderful experience. I like Brunello because it challenges more of your senses – sight, smell, taste – than other wines. At least this did for me.

Chateau Talbot St Julien, 1995
I think Bordeaux is often not for everyone because some can be harsh, austere and take a long while to open up. This one, though, is very palatable and friendly even to the novice Bordeaux drinker. Creamy, well rounded with enough oak to satisfy the old school die-hards but not too much to put anyone off. Good tannins, not overpowering, and very delectable fruit – cranberries. Smoky notes give this wine a character and complexity that I enjoyed very much.

Brunello di Montalcino Riserva, Camigliano “Gualto”, 2001
We started off hitting hard with this modern-style Brunello, acclaimed as the best-ever from this producer and described as having “muscular legs”, which is good for a laugh no matter how old you are. Weak nose but turned out to be full, rich and velvety with a touch of musk, which I appreciated. Chocolate, raisins, and berries. I liked this, it was a subtly different take on Brunello and a hell of a way to start the night.

Colli di Salerno, Montevetrano, 2001
Silky-sweet from start to finish, very nice fruit and spice – plums, cinnamon and nutmeg, very minerally. Less tannic than the Gualto so I felt we were taking a step down, but still strong enough to pair with red meat and a very, very delicious wine on its own. Grew into its own after an hour open.

Ornellaia, Tenuta dell’Ornellaia, Bolgheri IGT, 2004
I have never had this before but have only heard good things about it. They are all true. I almost felt like this took the best of the previous two wines and combined them – it had the structure and the tannins of the Gualto, and the rich sweetness of the Montevetrano. Currants and dried fruit in a very crisp, very tart balance of acid and sugar and tannins and all the things that make red wine so delicious. The thing about this wine was that everything was so “put together” and in its right place – not a single note out of step. Intense aroma and long, long finish make this wine a wonderful trip from start to finish.
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