Vigneto Saetti 2010 Lambrusco Salamino di Santa Croce (Emilia-Romagna) – Uncompromisingly dry, bitter (in the amaro sense; I very specifically don’t mean astringent, though it’s not exactly lacking in razory tannin either), and the definitional opposite of a cocktail wine. I mean, I suppose people who like shoving razor wire into their flesh just for the lulz would like to sip this with canapés and genteel conversation, but otherwise – more than any lambrusco I’ve ever tasted – it needs food. It cannot, in my opinion, be appreciated or even enjoyed without food. And the thing to realize is that this isn’t – despite what gob-loving sybarites would insist – a criticism, it’s a characterization. This is a wine that demands a very specific kind of participation, and if you don’t agree with those terms you will have an unsatisfactory experience. So…you’re now wondering…what’s it like? Well, what did I just say? (10/11)
lambrusco rosso
Lini-to
Lini “Labrusca” Lambrusco Rosso (Emilia-Romagna) – Sharp, pins-and-needles red fruit lashing and slicing its acidic path through the palate, cleansing everything and taking a layer of something or other with it. There’s some dirt and pepper, too. Really pretty glorious. (9/10)
Lini on me
Lini “Labrusca” Lambrusco Rosso (Emilia-Romagna) – There is, of course, plenty of deeply unserious Lambrusco. And then there are the serious, almost flagellant kind that seem to be a counter-reaction to the first. One is a travesty, the other is unnecessary. This bottling seems to live somewhere in the middle, with a fair amount of structure to its bursting, bubbly red fruit, and only the slightest touch of residual sugar. It’s very good, but not (for my palate) quite as groundbreaking as the Bianco. Still, one could hardly do all that much better. (4/09)