Italy Trip 2006

Tasted Saturday, March 18, 2006 - Wednesday, March 29, 2006 by dougsmith with 1,026 views

Flight 1 - Ristorante Pergoletta (1 Note)

  • 2002 Fattoria del Cerro Vino Nobile di Montepulciano 90 Points

    Italy, Tuscany, Montepulciano, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano

    (3/18/2006)

    Medium ruby color. Lots of oak on the nose, which blew off pretty quickly; lavender, herbs, mineral notes, as well as blackberry and red cherries. It's in a modern style but with a definite Italian edge. On the palate some vanilla, smooth mouthfeel, youthful tannin and a good acid balance. Prugnolo Gentile grape.

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Flight 2 - Osteria del Coro (1 Note)

  • 2001 Antinori Tignanello 92 Points

    Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT

    (3/19/2006)

    Deep ruby color. Nose of oak, deep black fruits (plum, blackberry), herbs and spice, and some floral notes. With air came more of a meatiness and cedar. It's very complex, but still came across somewhat closed. On the palate it's spicy with good acidity and sweet tannin. Full bodied, modern style.

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Flight 3 - Trattoria la Tellina (1 Note)

  • 2003 San Giusto a Rentennano Chianti Classico 87 Points

    Italy, Tuscany, Chianti, Chianti Classico DOCG

    (3/20/2006)

    Medium ruby color. Nose of bright red fruit with a touch of herb and oak. On the palate, sweet fruit, not much acidity, with some tannic background. Simple wine. NB: had this in a restaurant with about maximally bad glassware.

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Flight 4 - Trattoria da Tito (1 Note)

  • 2001 Ruffino Chianti Classico Riserva Ducale Oro 93 Points

    Italy, Tuscany, Chianti, Chianti Classico DOCG

    (3/21/2006)

    Deep ruby color. Nose of tart blackberries with sweet plum undertones, pipe tobacco. Some barnyardy elements at the start blew off pretty quickly. Touch of pepper spice, oak, and balsam. On the palate this is very smooth and silky, with well balanced acidity and some tannin, medium to full bodied. It came across as quite young, and could last a long time. My guess is that in a few years this will be pretty exceptional.

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Flight 5 - "Cibreino" (1 Note)

  • 2003 Querciabella Chianti Classico 89 Points

    Italy, Tuscany, Chianti, Chianti Classico DOCG

    (3/23/2006)

    Medium ruby color. Nose of black cherry, licorice, with some nutmeg. A bit closed. On the palate it is quite smooth with good presence, not overly tannic, some acidity, medium body. Not overly complex, but nice. It got better with about 1 1/2 hours of air, and could conceivably be a few points better with time or more oxygenation.

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Flight 6 - Trattoria del Bronzino (1 Note)

  • 1996 Talenti Brunello di Montalcino 91 Points

    Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino

    (3/24/2006)

    Recommended to us by our waiter at Florence's Trattoria del Bronzino; apparently it isn't exported, and he felt it was a good example of traditional Brunello di Montalcino with a bit of age. It was decanted perhaps a half an hour before we started drinking.

    Medium ruby with a tawny rim. Intense nose of damp earth, blackberries, leather and sweet spice. Definitely well within the "traditional" mould. On the palate, nicely resolved tannnins, quite a bit of acidity made it a good food wine. Medium bodied, it was a bit thin in the mid-palate with a sweet-and-sour finish. By the end of our meal some of the earthiness had blown off and it was more a fruit-and-spice mix.

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Flight 7 - Dino Ristorante (2 Notes)

  • 2001 Antinori Chianti Classico Riserva Badia a Passignano 91 Points

    Italy, Tuscany, Chianti, Chianti Classico DOCG

    (3/25/2006)

    Deep ruby color, almost black. On the nose it's a young, modern-style red: deep black cherry fruit, mix of spices, and a touch of oak. Medium intensity on the nose. Balanced acidity on the palate with silky tannin, medium to full bodied, with blackberry and black cherry notes. This could probably use a bit more time in the bottle, it's promising stuff.

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  • 2003 Castello della Sala (Antinori) Umbria Muffato della Sala 92 Points

    Italy, Umbria

    (3/25/2006)

    Light gold color. Intensely floral nose, with elements of tropical fruits, honey and apricots. On the palate it is full bodied and sweet as befits a dessert wine, but with necessary acid balance. Long, though not endless, finish.

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Flight 8 - Al Montegrappa da Nello (1 Note)

  • NV Tenuta Amalia Sangiovese di Romagna Superiore 79 Points

    Italy, Emilia-Romagna, Sangiovese di Romagna Superiore

    (3/26/2006)

    Had this in a .375 for lunch. Deep ruby color. Nose of black fruit (boysenberry?), with odd notes of burned plastic and grass. On the palate it is somewhat watery, short, simple, with good acid.

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Flight 9 - Diana (1 Note)

Flight 10 - Osteria de' Poeti (1 Note)

  • 2000 Arnaldo-Caprai Montefalco Sagrantino Collepiano 92 Points

    Italy, Umbria, Montefalco, Montefalco Sagrantino

    (3/27/2006)

    Deep ruby, almost black center. Strong nose of blackberries, black fruits, meaty and balsamic notes, violets, nutmeg, with oak that blows off after a bit of air, quite complex. Very smooth on the palate with good acid balance; some dry tannin make it excellent with meat. These tannins are perhaps the biggest drawback at this stage. I'd still give it a few years to even out.

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Flight 11 - Godot Wine Bar (3 Notes)

  • 2004 Luretta Colli Piacentini Boccadirosa 87 Points

    Italy, Emilia-Romagna, Colli Piacentini

    (3/28/2006)

    Light gold color. Intense nose of aromatic tropical fruit, flowers, and some lychee. On the palate it is medium bodied and a bit disappointing given the alluring nose. It's a bit watery, low acid, clean finish.

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  • 2004 Cantine Giacomo Ascheri Gavi Cristina Ascheri 87 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Gavi

    (3/28/2006)

    Light gold color. Medium nose of apples, pear, with a hint of lemon and marzipan. On the palate it's medium to full bodied, with good acidity and a clean finish. A little hollow in the mid-palate. It's a bit simple but good for an everyday wine.

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  • 2003 Cantine Antonio Caggiano Irpinia Campi Taurasini Salae Domini 90 Points

    Italy, Campania, Irpinia Campi Taurasini

    (3/28/2006)

    Medium ruby color. Herbal nose, with lavender, black cherry and strawberry. Somewhat reticent, with a little dustiness. With some oxygen, more notes of white pepper and thyme came out. On the palate it has good presence, light to medium bodied; the tannins are still a bit aggressive, with very good acid balance. Needs about an hour of air, and I expect this will get better as the tannins soften with time.

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Flight 12 - Godot Wine Bar (2 Notes)

  • 1999 Fattoria Corzano e Paterno Chianti Riserva I Tre Borri 93 Points

    Italy, Tuscany, Chianti

    (3/29/2006)

    Medium to deep ruby. Intense nose of dusty herbs, lavender, red cherry, rosemary, thyme and straw. With time, more floral and balsamic elements came through, with notes of spice, black fruit and cedar. Over the course of about an hour and a half the wine changed character pretty radically: it started more traditional and ended more modern. On the palate it has a wonderful full silkiness, medium to full bodied, with a good acid backbone. The finish is marred by a slightly bitter edge.

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  • 2003 Fattoria Le Pupille (Elisabetta Geppetti) Maremma Toscana SolAlto 93 Points

    Italy, Tuscany, Maremma, Maremma Toscana

    (3/29/2006)

    Medium gold color. Intense nose of apricot marmalade, flowers, tropical fruits and straw. On the palate it is sweet with balancing acidity with full body and a long finish. Very nice dessert wine.

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