Browse Month

January 2010

Banti raid

Banti 2004 Morellino di Scansano (Tuscany) – Two bottles, exactly the same: sorta anonymous, chunky red fruit with slaps of darker paint and a good dose of acidity. Dries out as it finishes. Eh. (12/09)

Society pages

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society “53.130” 9 Year (Scotland) – A little fiery, a little thin aromatically, but the palate broadens and crescendos towards a peppery finish. (12/09)

Livio little

[glass & bottle]Livio Felluga 2004 Collio Sauvignon (Friuli-Venezia Giulia) – Showing surprising maturity, which here in a bronzing in both color and flavor, bringing forth a metallic faux-structural element similar to that of an “orange wine” (though this isn’t one of those), yet still retaining a firm iron grip on a green-white dwarf star of sauvignon blanc-ishness. Drink. (12/09)

Marinovich

Dashe 1998 Zinfandel Todd Brothers Ranch (Alexander Valley) – 14.5%. Tiring, and though it still clings to remnants of its dusty, dark fruit days, those days are firmly in the past. It’s not yet in an imbalanced stage, in which the structure overwhelms the remnants, but it’s getting there. (12/09)

A lot of torque

Maculan 2002 Breganze Torcolato (Veneto) – From 375 ml. Shy, to the extent that I wonder if there might not be some very minor cork taint (but over the course of three days, nothing obvious develops, so perhaps not). There’s peach, cream, spice, and crystal as one expects, but it’s all muted. Even in a volume-limited state, this is still nice wine, but I’d hoped for better. (12/09)

Left, vingt, right

Boxler 2002 Pinot Blanc “L20R” (Alsace) – An emergent minty note probably signals that this is approaching the end of its maturation and the beginning of its decline. For now, it’s still solid, with plenty of baking spice-infused pear and apple supported by both fair acidity and light residual sugar. Nice. But Boxler makes better pinot blanc than this bottling. (12/09)

Blizzard

Long Trail “Brewmaster Series” Winter White (Vermont) – Really quite clever, combining the spicy lightness of white with the richer, heavier expectations of a winter ale, and managing to work this alchemy without sacrificing either style’s character or overall balance. (12/09)

Marine

Marietta “Old Vine Red Lot Number 47” (California) – Juicy, gummy-fruit fun. Like wine soda, without the actual carbonation. (12/09)

Steven Seagal

[logo]Kreydenweiss 2006 Riesling Andlau “Au dessus de la loi” (Alsace) – Heady, weighty riesling, varietally true and tending towards a molten-metal expression, but most notable for the somewhat formless power with which this metallurgy is delivered. Striking. (12/09)