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Tasting notes from the Boston Wine Expo. These were difficult tasting conditions, where speed and distraction were the norm rather than the exception. Thus, notes are brief at best, superficial, and cannot in truth be otherwise.

Alto Adige

Castelfeder 2004 Lagrein (Alto Adige) – Cold chalk and powerded red fruit (cherry, strawberry, cranberry). Lithe and balanced, but standoffish beyond the point of difficulty. A chilly wine. (2/07)

Stiftskellerei Neustift Abbazia di Novacella 2005 Pinot Grigio Valle Isarco (Alto Adige) – Very soft and round. Appealing apple notes on the finish, but by then it’s too late, as there’s been a general lack of character up to that point. (2/07)

Stiftskellerei Neustift Abbazia di Novacella 2005 Valle Isarco Kerner (Alto Adige) – Flowers, leaves, and herbs, with lime and grapefruit. Crisp, juicy, and fruity. Fun. (2/07)

Apulia

Pasquale Petrera “Fatalone” 2005 Gioia del Colle Bianco “Spinomarino” Murgia Greco (Apulia) – White ash, intense and exotic, showing melon, lilies, and dandelions. Very complex and perfumed. Fairly long. Slightly sweet? It doesn’t detract; this is a really impressive wine. (2/07)

Pasquale Petrera “Fatalone” 2004 Gioia del Colle “Teres” Murgia Primativo (Apulia) – The misspelling is on the label; not sure of the reason. Soft and fresh, with fluffy pink strawberry fruit. All fun, very soft, but good acidity makes it light and quaffable. (2/07)

Pasquale Petrera “Fatalone” 2003 Gioia del Colle Primitivo (Apulia) – Good balance, wild black fruit, structured and big with slightly sour acidity. Thick, strong tannin, but it’s ripe. Quite good, though it’s tough and somewhat rustic in its youth. (2/07)

Pasquale Petrera “Fatalone” 2003 Gioia del Colle Primitivo “Riserva Speciale” (Apulia) – Dense and polished, with walnuts and baked hazelnuts, plus dark black fruit. Winemaking is layered over the top, including vanilla, dark chocolate, and espresso bean. Long, moderately internationalized, but still fairly good. (2/07)

Campania

Terredora di Paolo 2005 Fiano di Avellino Terre di Dora (Campania) – Lovely, soft limestone with the texture of fresh white bread. Long and dry. Good. (2/07)

Terredora di Paolo 2005 Aglianico (Campania) – Hard. Tar, leather, blood, and iron…isn’t that what everyone wants in their wine?...with slightly herbal, green tannins quite present. Difficult, perhaps even slightly brutal, but then aglianico often is. (2/07)

Feudi di San Gregorio 2005 Sannio “Falanghina” (Campania) – Fruity. Lime, grapefruit, and great acidity, but turning weirdly synthetic on the finish. (2/07)

Emilia-Romagna

San Valentino 2003 Sangiovese di Romagna Terra di Covignano (Emilia-Romagna) – Seeds, dark plum residue, graphite, and earth. Firm and structured, with huge tannin. It may have a good midlife, but it’s difficult before then, and balance is an issue. (2/07)

Lombardy

Mamete Prevostini “Albareda” 2003 Sforzato di Valtellina (Lombardy) – Big blueberry and blackberry. Fruity and showing surprising signs of freshness. Powerful, spicy, and a little bit hot, with a long finish. In its idiom, it’s actually somewhat balanced. Not for the faint of palate, though. (2/07)

Molise

Borgo di Colloredo 2003 Aglianico Terre degli Osci (Molise) – Big, black fruit. Chewy, with good acidity. Softer than many aglianicos, but still hightly structured. Lingering black minerality, some asphalt, and fermented flowers combine on the finish. Good, but not better than that. (2/07)

Borgo di Colloredo 2001 Biferno Rosso “Gironia” (Molise) – Juicy, ripe strawberry, blackberry, and black cherry. Some dark chocolate indicates an oak influence, and the finish is long and early, with good balance. A good wine, though perhaps just a touch slick. (2/07)

Piedmont

Benotto 2002 Monferrato “Nebieul” (Piedmont) – Silky and firm, with light tar, fresh violets and roses, and a beautiful structure. Morels, plum skins and a fine acidity come to the fore on the long finish. Very nice. (2/07)

Eugenio Bocchino 2004 Nebbiolo d’Alba (Piedmont) – Soft roses, rough finish, plus vanilla. Eh. (2/07)

Comm. GB Burlotto “Verduno” 2001 Barolo Acclivi (Piedmont) – Nicely aromatic, classic rose and tar, heavy and not that great, yet oddly promising. If that makes sense. It doesn’t to me. (2/07)

Il Cascinone 2004 Barbera d’Asti Rive (Piedmont) – Smooth caramel, soft red fruit, freshly-finished wood desk, and furniture polish. Finishes like burnt sugar. (2/07)

Cogno 2002 Barolo (Piedmont) – Very tannic and a bit thin, with tight red fruit over thin sheets of graphite. Dry and highly linear. (2/07)

Travaglini 2001 Gattinara (Piedmont) – Aromatic roses. Lithe and medium-bodied. Soil notes, soft but growing a bit, then closing up again on the finish. Not bad, not good, just sort of indifferent. (2/07)

Damilano 2001 Barolo Cannubi (Piedmont) – Gorgeous aromatics. Strong tannin. Some softening towards reddish fruit, and finishing spicy (barrel-spicy?) It starts promisingly enough, but then… (2/07)

Cogno 2001 Barolo Vigna Elena (Piedmont) – Very rosy, and quite tannic, but gorgeous throughout. Graphite, blackberry, and black cherry come the fore on the finish, which is, admittedly, a little odd. But it’s impossible to dislike this wine, and I’m not sure why one would try. (2/07)

Sardinia

Cantina del Vermentino 2004 Vermentino di Gallura “Arakčna” (Sardinia) – Soft peach, nectarine, and apricot. Some papaya. There’s vanilla and a soft, fluffy finish of good length. (2/07)

Cantina del Vermentino 2005 Vermentino di Gallura “Funtanaliras” (Sardinia) – Almond, pink grapefruit, and green notes. Clean on the finish, with a salty accent. (2/07)

Cantina del Vermentino 2004 Cannonau di Sardegna “Tŕmara” (Sardinia) – Chewy, juicy, and wet. Slightly hollow, however, and roughens up on the finish. There’s lots of polish, but I’m not sure what’s being polished. (2/07)

Cantina del Vermentino 2000 Colli del Limbara “Galŕna” (Sardinia) – Odd, woody nose precedes big black fruit. Tar and leather, with ripe, hard, dense tannin and a powdery finish. There’s more acidity apparent at the end, which is welcome. (2/07)

Sicily

Liotro 2006 Inziola (Sicily) – Viognier-like. Mildly aromatic honeysuckle and ripe pear. Pleasant. (2/07)

Liotro 2004 Nero d’Avola (Sicily) – Juicy black and red berries, fennel fronds, some herbality. Simple. (2/07)

Hauner 2004 “Carlo Hauner” Salina (Sicily) – Complex, with earth, dried honey, flowers, and leesy minerals blending into stone fruit. Long and intense. Wow! (2/07)

Hauner 2004 Salina Rosso (Sicily) – Dill on the hose, with raw cherry and walnut. The palate is like a firepit, with a charcoal char vying with cedar woodmoke. Rough, wild, and dirty. And not that good. (2/07)

Hauner 2003 Malvasia delle Lipari “Passito” (Sicily) – Mixed cereal grains, oat bran, dried apricot, and corn nuts. Fat. Really strange, and while I’m inclined to blame the vintage, there might well be something else at work. (2/07)

Ceuso 2001 “Ceuso” (Sicily) – Solid leather, black fruit, dirt, oak, and chocolate. Too international and anonymous for my taste. (2/07)

Giovi Acquavite di Fichidindia dell’Etna (Sicily) – Gorgeous, sweet honeysuckle and spiced pear over oatmeal. Good balance. (2/07)

Giovi Grappa all’Ortica e Limone (Sicily) – Bitter, sour, sweet, and sweaty. Really complex, and yet harsh at the same time. It wants to be loved, but actual love is problematic. (2/07)

Giovi Grappa Moscato di Pantelleria (Sicily) – Perfumed and stinging (in a good way), then softens and broadens, before narrowing to a more focused finish. (2/07)

de Bartoli 2001 Passito di Pantelleria “Bukkuram” (Sicily) – Old flowers, coriander-spiced licorice, and leaves. Light, elegant, and moderately sweet. Good acid balance. Very slighty sun-baked. Good, but it’s been better. (2/07)

Trentino

Gonzaga 2001 “San Leonardo” (Trentino) – Ripe tannin, leather, tobacco, green leaves, green pepper, and blackberry dust. In other words, Bordeaux. It’s good enough, but loses credit for being of another place, rather than its own. (2/07)

Vinaia 2005 Pinot Noir (Trentino) – Boring, flat strawberry residue. Uninteresting. (2/07)

Foradori 2002 “Granato” Vigneti delle Dolomiti (Trentino) – Good but slightly spiky acidity, strawberry seeds, and clean. Nicely balanced. Short, but with a classic feel. Still, I can’t help but think there should be more here. (2/07)

Tuscany

Argiano 2003 “Solengo” (Tuscany) – Rich vanilla milkshake with a chocolate drizzle. Far too internationalized and boring. (2/07)

Argiano 2004 “NC” (Tuscany) – Weird. Grey earth and paper. Flat and tough. This is actually wine, right? You know, made from grapes? (2/07)

Argiano 2001 Brunello di Montalcino (Tuscany) – Ungenerous. Graphite and sour, sour cherries. Soft and wussy underneath a surplus of tannin. (2/07)

Camigliano 2001 Brunello di Montalcino (Tuscany) – Leather, powdered graphite and lots of earthiness. Striking. Very dry, but intense. There’s a future here. (2/07)

Tenuta di Trinoro 2004 Rosso Toscana (Tuscany) – Elegant and spicy, with medium wood and some buttered popcorn. The rest is all red fruit, though. (2/07)

Tenuta di Trinoro 2004 Rosso Toscana “Le Cupole” (Tuscany) – Herbs, dark fruit. Thick, slightly soupy. (2/07)

Nardi “Villa da Filicaja” 2004 Chianti “Superiore” (Tuscany) – Fragrant strawberry blossoms, grey earth, good acidity. Simple, old-style, perhaps not up-to-date, but decent enough. (2/07)

Castello dei Rampolla 2003 “Sammarco” (Tuscany) – Thick with the blackest fruit, thick with wood, and full of chocolately tannin. Stunningly-structured, but imbalanced towards rigidity. (2/07)

La Poderina 2001 Brunello di Montalcino (Tuscany) – Structured and mineral-laden, with a cedar overlay and a general absence of fruit. It tastes like old wood (by which I don’t mean “made in”), and decays rather abruptly in the glass. (2/07)

Veneto

Anselmi 2005 San Vincenzo (Veneto) – Clean and fresh, showing lemon and crisp Golden Delicious apple. Summery and pretty. (2/07)

Anselmi 2003 Capitel Croce (Veneto) – Dry lemongrass, lime leaves. Very, very ripe, but carrying good acidity, which renders it sharp and clean. An excellent effort from this bizarre vintage. (2/07)

Bisol Prosecco di Valdobbiadene Crede Brut (Veneto) – Soft and yeasty; a pleasant froth of melon and honeydew. Pretty but ultimately insignificant. (2/07)

Suavia 2005 Soave Classico (Veneto) – Soft, floral, wimpy. (2/07)

Secco-Bertani 2003 Valpolicella Valpantena “Ripasso” (Veneto) – Dead fruit on the nose. The palate is flat, sour, and tannic. Yuck. (2/07)

dal Forno 2000 Valpolicella “Superiore” (Veneto) – Ultra-dense, dark, and chewy. Nuts, roasted violet-tinged fruit tending towards the ultraviolet. Stunning or too much? It’s hard to say. (2/07)

Le Salette 1999 Amarone “Pergole Vece” (Veneto) – Prunes. Structured and balanced, with a gorgeous purity of immensity. Just terrific. (2/07)

   

Copyright ©Thor Iverson.