Browse Month

September 2008

Speri Top-Siders

[vineyard]Speri 2006 Valpolicella Classico “Superiore Ripasso” (Veneto) – Big acidity, strawberry, chocolate, and butterscotch. Oak? Whatever it is, it’s nasty. I can’t possibly imagine what they were thinking here. (9/08)

Bony Amarone

Masi 1990 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico (Veneto) – Prune and roasted meat, but “balanced” in the context of this very particular style. There’s a bit of offputting rot, but it doesn’t really distract. Nor does the expected VA. What I’d like is a little more complexity, but that’s not easily found in Amarone. (9/08)

Ravel’s Roero

Brovia 2007 Roero Arneis (Piedmont) – Though I love this producer, I realize I’ve never tasted their take on this grape. It’s a good one. There’s fat peach that crisps considerably by the finish, and dried white flowers cover everything. Despite the initial breadth of fruit, the overall impression is one of delicacy and beauty. (9/08)

Beaulieu, no V

Papin “Château Pierre-Bise” 1997 Coteaux du Layon Beaulieu Les Rouannières (Loire) – Structured but fruity, with metal-jacketed apple, sweet apricot, and a tangible sense of size dominated by a very intense sweetness. Very long, but wow is it sweet. Still, there’s enough structure for me to bet on its future, though not with 100% confidence. (9/08)

The Ungeheurer of the wolf

[winery]von Buhl 1996 Forster Ungeheurer Riesling Auslese 35 97 (Pfalz) – Huge minerality…I mean, truly massive rockiness…with, nonetheless, a fine balance between the stones, biting acidity, and precise sweetness. And yet, its actual palate presence is less insistent than it threatens; it’s like a really outstanding German riesling is blowing past one’s nose, but not yet settling on the palate. Despite the age, this is still one for the future. (9/08)

Casale & pepper

Castellani 1995 Recioto della Valpolicella Classico “Il Casale” (Veneto) – Dominated by its volatile acidity, with sweet syrup, sweat, and a sticky, nasty finish. Recioto rides such a fine line between drinkability and utter failure, and this crosses the line. (9/08)

Cuban Cigala

[barrels]Martini di Cigala “San Giusto a Rentennano” 2001 Merlot di Toscana “La Ricolma” (Tuscany) – Sweet blueberry and milky; this feels more like a thickened soup than a wine, despite a sharp bite of tannin that seems out of place. That said, as wines in this style (which isn’t mine) go, it’s reasonably good. But I’d never choose to drink it. (9/08)

"Dego" red

[vineyard]Foradori 1997 Teroldego Rotaliano (Trentino) – Dark blackberry, raspberry, and boysenberry with a bit of brett. Toothy and medium-bodied, with a fair wallop of acidity. More interesting than excellent, though it’s definitely good. (9/08)

Neto gain

Librandi 2000 Val di Neto “Gravello” (Calabria) – Structured and very aromatic. Structured. Did I say that already? Well, there’s a lot of it in relation to the aromatics. Some salted gravel makes up the middle, and it’s reasonably long, but I’m not sure this wine is in its best stage. (9/08)