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SangioFest, Volume III "It's my favourite spot" |  (92 page views) | | | - 2007 Taittinger Champagne Comtes de Champagne Rosé Brut - France, Champagne
Good, but didn't love this. It came off a bit reductive. Showing a very strong red-fruited signature, this was fairly ornery and not quite as expressive as I would have expected, especially given how big a fan I am of the regular 2007 CdC. I'm told this was better the next day, but given the sheer amount of wine this evening, I unfortunately didn't have the chance to revisit this. (90 pts.)
- N.V. Laurent-Perrier Champagne Grand Siècle Iteration 25 Grande Cuvée - France, Champagne
I liked this quite a bit -- it has a bit of the intense, chewy, mineral quality that Krug can get. It doesn't have quite the same aged quality that Krug's Grande Cuvée has, but there's more of a freshness and youthfulness here. The weight and flavour profile though can be quite similar; given my predilection for Krug, you can readily count me a fan of this too. (93 pts.)
- 2000 Krug Champagne Vintage Brut - France, Champagne
Mature, and readily drinkable and approachable Krug. For my palate, this is in a really sweet spot, where there's just enough maturity to render this wine far more expressive. Given that this was before the Cavil transition, there's more of an outright opulence here that modern Krug doesn't quite have. Still plenty of white fruit here, but I love the intense, chewy mineral profile that this has. (95 pts.)
- 1989 Krug Champagne Vintage Brut - France, Champagne
Original release. Haven't had this in a long while, but my general recollection was that of the trilogy, the 1988 was the best. This showed a fair bit of maturity, where a lot of the cut seems to have disappeared to the sands of time. Initially, we thought that more air would help this become more expressive, but I don't think that really happened here -- it seemed to stay in stasis, or maybe even degraded a little with the few hours of air we gave it. For my palate, this is likely getting long in the tooth; drink up sooner than later. (93 pts.)
- 1996 Taittinger Champagne Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut - France, Champagne
Easily the best bottle of this I've ever had. Everything in its right place, with this perfectly aged chardonnay profile that is simultaneously crisp and fresh, but showing the maturity that you would expect. Brilliant acidity, a broad, opulent profile, and intense minerality. This bottle could certainly compete with the Salon; it's just a shame that in my experience, that's not a consistent statement. (98 pts.)
- 2017 Domaine Dujac Morey St. Denis 1er Cru Monts-Luisants Blanc - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Morey St. Denis 1er Cru
Served double blind. Clearly a bit more intense and potent than its partner (which turned out to be the MSD villages version of the same wine). Riper and broad, but with a weight that made me think that this was in fact a 2018! Never mind the clean, crisp acidity -- it was that richness on the palate that led me to choose the riper vintage. Nevertheless a very impressive, delicious bottle of chardonnay. (93 pts.)
- 2017 Domaine Dujac Morey St. Denis Blanc - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Morey St. Denis
Served double blind. Clearly a step down from the other wine -- this wasn't as wound up and intense and didn't have the same palate presence as the Monts Luisants. Some reduction that was never overbearing or distracting, but overall this wine just didn't feel like it had the same complexity and depth. That said, this is approachable and delicious now, especially with some air. (90 pts.)
- 1958 Badia a Coltibuono Chianti Classico Riserva - Italy, Tuscany, Chianti, Chianti Classico DOCG
Clearly a wine on the mature side of things, and something I would suggest drinking sooner than later. It's a bit light and seems to be missing some weight on the palate. Plenty of acidity with wisps of tomato leaf and sangiovese dried herbs. The red fruit is desiccated and old, but there is still plenty of material to appreciate 66 years on. (90 pts.)
- 1983 Castello di Monsanto Chianti Classico Riserva Il Poggio - Italy, Tuscany, Chianti, Chianti Classico DOCG
For the age, this still has some secondary characteristics in the form of fruit that hasn't yet fully dried out. In fact, there's a good mix of red and black here, with a modest plummy quality. Leathery tannins of the sort that don't seem like they'll ever fully come around, but they do provide that extra bit of structure to this wine now. Well-kept bottles are in no danger of decline, but for me, I prefer my sangiovese a hair fresher. (93 pts.)
- 1983 Tenuta Greppo (Biondi-Santi) Brunello di Montalcino - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
This was decanted quite a few hours before dinner, so if it actually was TCA on the bottle, it certainly had the opportunity to blossom. It didn't, but the nose smells what the nose smells, and the palate tastes what the palate tastes -- this was corked to me. (FLAWED)
- 2010 Tenuta Greppo (Biondi-Santi) Brunello di Montalcino - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
Yet another generous soul allowed me to check in on this without opening a bottle of my own (I write this every time I get to try this wine -- ha!). It's a wine of pure potential right now. Meaty and dense, with a Bordeaux-like stern structure that is quite unyielding at the moment. Leathery tannins, but firm enough that even a few hours couldn't soften the structure here. This will be much more interesting with at least a further decade. (93 pts.)
- 2010 Cerbaiona (Molinari) Brunello di Montalcino - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
An excellent showing of this -- I really liked where this is right now, and it was probably a bit more compelling than the bottle of this I tasted two years ago. This has a lovely, dusty profile, with just a hint of volatility and brett that veers this towards a slightly more rustic profile. But I love the dense, dark fruit, and the aromaticity here. It's a complex, layered wine -- perhaps not quite for those who prefer their sangiovese with pure red fruit (which honestly I do) -- but there's such a layered complexity to this that I'm happy to overlook the more rustic aspects of this. (95 pts.)
- 2010 Le Ragnaie Brunello di Montalcino Fornace - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
Just a bit too young for me right now, just like the Biondi-Santi alongside. Not as rich and heavyset with the fruit on the palate, this shows more of a lifted, red-fruit-driven elegance. High acid and bright fruit, but the question here is the pronounced, leathery tannins. Will they soften alongside the fruit as the wine matures? Regardless, I do find the perfumed, red fruit profile fairly mesmerizing. I'd definitely love to try more of these black labels. (93 pts.)
- 2015 Fattoria Poggio di Sotto Brunello di Montalcino - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
Just not a wine that should be opened anytime soon. A big, burly structure that feels very unyielding and stern, despite the delicious, bright red fruit on the nose and palate. It feels a little clumsy right now, but there's clearly plenty of material that just needs time to fully express itself. Impressive for its stature and potential right now. (93 pts.)
- 2006 Azienda Agricola San Giuseppe Brunello di Montalcino Stella di Campalto - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
I'm gonna make a confession -- I just don't really get the Stella di Campalto hype. They're very pretty wines on the whole, but there's always a lightness on the palate that often feels lacking. Also, these earlier vintages can be a bit inconsistent. Others liked the SdC flight much more than I did; I wasn't a big fan. This bottle showed a distinct balsamic and strawberries volatility that I didn't care for, and there was more of the volatility on the palate for me as well. A darker, less than typical fruit profile, with the fruit coming off cooked rather than fresh. (90 pts.)
- 2007 Azienda Agricola San Giuseppe Brunello di Montalcino Stella di Campalto - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
Unlike most others at the table, I just didn't like this very much. This veers a bit stewy for my palate, with cooked strawberries and a bit of balsamic. Leathery, high-toned, and volatile, and quite heavy-set versus some of my better experiences with SdC in years past. (90 pts.)
- 2008 Azienda Agricola San Giuseppe Brunello di Montalcino Stella di Campalto - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
Of the 2006-08 lineup, I preferred this bottle the most, as it came closer to the red-fruited delicacy that I expect from SdC. Indeed, plenty of bright red fruits on the nose and palate, with the slight bit of volatility distracting from the rest of the pretty nice wine. Not as intense and sappy as its older siblings. (90 pts.)
- 2011 Azienda Agricola San Giuseppe Brunello di Montalcino Stella di Campalto Riserva - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
Not my favourite showing of this wine -- I've certainly had much better experiences with this specific bottling. There's an intense, sweet strawberry note on the nose here, coupled with just a bit of volatility. This comes off a little more like strawberry jam than straight fresh fruit, and again there's a touch of volatility that makes this feel less clean and precise. In comparison to my previous bottles of this, there's a bit of a diffuse, muddy quality to this bottle. (90 pts.)
- 1997 Tenuta Greppo (Biondi-Santi) Brunello di Montalcino Riserva - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
A bunch of us got to talking last night about Biondi-Santi -- while the wines are always highly respectable and good, there's never been one that blows me away the way a Poggio di Sotto, Cerbaiona, or Soldera can. This definitely falls into that same bucket -- it's an impressive wine with a powerful, stern structure, but there's just a bit of charm lacking from this. It's powerful, weighty, and leathery, but it's missing that extra element of charm. Likely better in two decades. (93 pts.)
- 1997 Cerbaiona (Molinari) Brunello di Montalcino - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
Man, I love the way Cerbaiona handles its rusticity and volatility. Despite my general dislike of volatility, it always serves as an accent to the wines, adding a bit of spice to the otherwise refined quality of the wines. On this bottle, there's an intense meaty quality to the palate, with plenty of the archetypal dusty, brick oven notes as well. For the mediocre vintage, this was an absolutely triumph of a wine -- never feeling overbearing or heavy, even for a moment. (95 pts.)
- 1997 Fontodi Flaccianello della Pieve Colli della Toscana Centrale IGT - Italy, Tuscany, Colli della Toscana Centrale IGT
Have never had particularly good luck or experiences with Flaccianello, but this was a bottle that may very well have broken that streak of bad luck. For the mediocre vintage, I was impressed with the purity of fruit here. There's no overripeness nor desiccation here, with the black fruit profile showing quite clean and precise. Not particularly oaky either -- perhaps that oak really does integrate with time. (93 pts.)
- 1997 Montevertine Le Pergole Torte Toscana IGT - Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT
From magnum. A return to form from the mediocre, muddy bottle last year. This is much more precise and clean, and while the fruit is ripe and intense (par for the year), there's actually some red fruit still intermingled with the black here. Surprisingly lithesome and elegant, with an earthy touch, with integrated and resolved tannins. (95 pts.)
- 1997 Ciacci Piccolomini d'Aragona Brunello di Montalcino - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
Quite intense, with a darker profile. Heavyset fruit, with a slight liqueur-like quality overall. Kind of chewy but not particularly compelling, especially since this shows some of the worst aspects of the vintage in the overripe fruit. (88 pts.)
- 1995 Ciacci Piccolomini d'Aragona Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Vigna di Pianrosso - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
Muddy and dirty. (FLAWED)
- 2001 Casanova di Neri Brunello di Montalcino Cerretalto - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
Never been a big fan of di Neri; this is no exception. In a great vintage, this lands a bit dull, with a modern bent and just too much heaviness overall. Some high-toned black cherry notes, and a relatively foursquare palate. Lacks the elegance that sangiovese ought to have. A shocking price tag for what you get in the bottle. (88 pts.)
- 2001 Cerbaiona (Molinari) Brunello di Montalcino - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
Another fantastic bottle of Cerbaiona tonight -- they're all very similar with that rusticity and dusty, brick oven quality. Darker fruit, but with an ethereal quality that gives this plenty of lift. A bit of a sappy quality to the fruit here, but never overbearing or heavy, even for a moment. A stark contrast to the clumsy Casanova di Neri alongside. (95 pts.)
- 1995 Soldera (Az. Agr. Case Basse) Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Intistieti - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
There's this ethereal, lifted quality of Soldera that no other sangiovese ever seems to get to. This wine, despite its relatively meaty and leathery qualities, still manages to capture that ethereal lightness. This is darker in stature, with fruit that feels more like plums and figs. There's a lifted, elegant mineral bent that sharply contrasts with all that weight. Stunning stuff, as is typical with Soldera. (95 pts.)
- 1998 Soldera (Az. Agr. Case Basse) Brunello di Montalcino - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
Hard for me to decide whether I liked this or the 1995 Intistiesti more. They're actually quite similar in profile, with the blend of dark, leathery fruit and this lifted elegance. It's really quite distinctive, and a characteristic I've not found in any other sangiovese wines. In contrast to the slightly lighter 1995, this is an even darker profile, with a more intense leathery element. (95 pts.)
- 2005 Soldera (Az. Agr. Case Basse) Pegasos Toscana IGT - Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT
This was actually my favourite of the Soldera wines, despite the relatively lower level of this wine. Intense and structural, with a fruit profile that veers far more red than black, unlike the 1995 and 1998 -- that's perhaps why this wine, even though it's less complex and concentrated, appealed to me more. There's definitely some stern structure here still needing to be resolved, but coupled with the floral perfume here, this is one compelling wine. (95 pts.)
- 2009 Soldera (Az. Agr. Case Basse) Sangiovese Toscana IGT - Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT
Such a giving, heart-on-its-sleeve wine. Incredible amount of fruit here. Almost like fruit punch, this is so easy to enjoy. Riper, with a slightly candied quality to the fruit, but it's handled in such a deft way that this never feels overly sweet or cloying. Light, as Soldera is, and with all the gravitas one would expect of a wine of this stature. Among my favourite wines this evening -- this was just so exuberant and joyous to drink. (95 pts.)
- 2004 Canalicchio di Sopra Brunello di Montalcino - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
A bit riper and sweeter than I want in my sangiovese -- it feels a bit heavy with the darker, sweet fruit profile. Leathery tannins, but the weight makes this feel a bit dull on the palate. (90 pts.)
- 2006 Cerbaiona (Molinari) Brunello di Montalcino - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
Still chasing that high from the 2019 bottle at Bebu. This was an excellent bottle, but still not at the level of that legendary bottle. The people at that dinner still talk about it to this day. It's a very typical Cerbaiona with a dark, rustic profile and just the right amount of volatility to accent a fairly ripe and intense wine. Great acidity to balance the very generous fruit here, with again that dusty quality that defines Molinari-era Cerbaiona. (95 pts.)
- 2006 Fattoria Poggio di Sotto Brunello di Montalcino Riserva - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
Another wine of potential rather than outright enjoyment today. But there's definitely enjoyment in revelling in the potential of a wine like this. Classic PdS red fruit elegance here. It's lifted cherry and raspberry notes, with all the right acid to keep it fresh. Underneath all that exuberance however is stunning weight and tannic structure, which will need decades to soften. (95 pts.)
- 2008 Castello di Ama Chianti Classico Riserva - Italy, Tuscany, Chianti, Chianti Classico DOCG
Must admit I didn't love this. It's a bit prickly, with the lighter vintage maybe not playing harmoniously with the style back in 2008. I've no doubt the wines are better a decade or more later. Anyway, this had a bit of a licorice profile and a hint of oak tannin as well. I wish the fruit expression here was purer, as this did also have a slight diffuse quality to the palate. (88 pts.)
- 2008 Cerbaiola (Salvioni) Brunello di Montalcino - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
Cherry and vanilla, and very ripe, especially for a vintage that is so naturally red-fruited. Heavyset, with the vanilla notes becoming a bit over the top for me. Jammy and ripe, and one of the biggest wines of the evening. (90 pts.)
- 2008 Le Ragnaie Brunello di Montalcino Ragnaie V.V. - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
From magnum. A bit reductive, but not in a way that is off-putting. I love the pure red fruit here in a very similar vein as the 2010 Fornace. Crisp and light, with just a modest, grainy tannic structure that is precisely the sort of texture you would expect from a wine with bright red, minerally fruit profile. I think I liked this more than the rest of the table. (93 pts.)
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