2005 Odoardi Savuto Superiore Vigna Mortilla

Community Tasting Notes (2) Avg Score: 88 points

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  1/10/2017 - bevetroppo wrote: 88 Points

  Poor Calabria. Last and basically least of Italy's wine regions, producing less than .2% of the country's DOC output. Despite Calabria's poverty in both income and wine quality, Odoardi is one of a handful of producers exported to the US who demonstrates some prowess/promise.
  
  Here we have a rather insane field blend of (according to label): 45% gaglioppo, 15% greco nero, 15% nerello capuccio-hello Etna!, 15% magliocco canino, and 10% sangiovese. I guess someone who knew what they were doing figured out why that made sense.
  
  Even at age 12 the center is completely a dark opaque red/purple. The nose gains interest with a little air, projecting aromas of sweet dark plums, warm earth, garrigue, chalk and who knows what all else. Fills the mouth with ample waves of red and black fruits, herbs and a mineral streak towards the finish. Not much acidity as one might expect from a warm vintage in a very warm place, but some grippy and quite astringent tannins intrude on the otherwise smooth and mouth-coating finish. 13.5% alcohol helps it escape being over the top or unpleasant.
  
  Net net this is a satisfying mouthful on a cold winter night, though in its obscurity and age bracket it seemingly doesn't owe me a thing, which is good because if by some miracle you have a bottle, I'd drink it sooner than later.
  
  Edit a day later. After posting I saw that only one other taster had entered a note about this wine, and he made a point of saying how much it faltered after a night in the fridge. Just wanted to add that I did the same thing, but if anything, it was better the next day, more composed and settled in on itself, as if all 5 grapes reached a detente over night, with a particularly attractive note of black cherry I hadn't noticed coming to the fore. I still think it should be consumed now but I believe it doesn't haven't to be tomorrow.

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  6/25/2012 - Chomsky wrote:

  Got this on a lark, and ended up with WAY more than I anticipated. Huge, densely packed, near-black wine that needs plenty of air to uncoil, with deep black-fruit, tarry notes, rough tannic texture. It's the core of Jupiter: gigantic, mysterious, impenetrable. Two-thirds of a glass was all I could take; I stuck the rest in the fridge and will revisit later.
  
  2nd day: not good. Initial sour oak expression, then blackblack fruits, tar, tired feeling, monolithic tannins, a lot of rich fruit and exotic spices but yawn. Another overripe, oaked, "modern" wine. [insert rant here]

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