![[vineyard]](http://frommwinery.nagoya.interway.ch/assets/img/vineyard_clayvin_2_154.jpg)
Fromm “La Strada” 2002 Pinot Noir (Marlborough) – Towering, for sure, but more of a concrete edifice than a true work of architecture. There’s dark fruit with concentrated aromatics, black earth, a fine and very adult appeal to the head as well as the heart, but there’s also layer upon layer of structure (almost all of it a silkily ripe tannin), and while it does not overwhelm the wine, it dominates it. This is not a pinot for zinfandel lovers, as so many modern interpretations are, but it just might be a pinot for Bordeaux lovers. (2/09)
Fromm “La Strada” 2002 Pinot Noir (Marlborough) – Intense and brooding, with a mille-feuille of tannins enveloping the dark berry fruit. There’s acidity, too, and the wine’s no modernistic leaden monster, nor is it particularly thick or hard, though a physical sensation of depth is its primary characteristic. But I’d consider drinking rather than holding this wine, and even then with the right, structure-scalpeling food. (2/09)
![[vineyard]](http://www.dominiodetares.com/web/esp/images/imagen_como_llegar.jpg)
Dominio de Tares 2003 Bierzo “Albares” (Northwest Spain) – There’s a struggle here, in that a wine that wants to be lighter and more aromatic tries to, but cannot, escape an inherent gravity that no doubt comes from the vintage. There are hints of enticing crushed-petal aromatics, but they’re sensed only through shadow and density, rather than in full burst and bloom. It’s a good wine, but the weight it carries can’t quite be supported by its skeleton or flesh. (2/09)![[grapes]](http://www.fasoligino.com/images/fasoli/prodotti.jpg)
Fasoli Gino 2006 Bardolino “La Corte del Pozzo” (Veneto) – Headier than most Bardolino, without sacrificing the crisp edge of cool acidity and the bitter touch of skin that give the wine its essential character. Berries here are a mix of bright and dark, smelling as if freshly-crushed directly underneath one’s nose, with a brisk prickle and zip darting back and forth. Quite good. (2/09)![[vineyard]](http://www.tablascreek.com/images/vineyard_photo.jpg)
Tablas Creek 2005 Rosé (Paso Robles) – While this may be drawing the curtains a little bit, the show that’s still visible is quite entertaining. There’s a bunch of different explorations of the concept of orange (including the blood variety), then a pale red-berry rush of fruit, and later an autumnal sunset viewed through a rippling window from the comfort of a soft, fraying easy chair. It’s still hefty for a rosé, but the virtues of its twilight are now readily apparent. (2/09)![[vineyard]](http://www.vinsgerardmetz.net/dossiers/itterswiller/decor_gauche.jpg)
Gerard Metz 2005 Gewurztraminer (Alsace) – Lychee, dried peach, and pear with some stickiness, as one would expect from the variety. There’s a juicy counterbalance in the form of something that feels more like pineapple juice (from a can, not directly from a pineapple) than pure acidity, which by its nature doesn’t quite integrate with the wine’s varietal aspects. Yet it’s a nice enough wine, with good length. Maybe time will help bring the disparate parts together, but I’m doubtful. (2/09)