Italian / Pseudo-Italian / Free-style Wine Night

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Tasted Wednesday, February 12, 2014 by Derek Darth Taster with 272 views

Introduction

Another night with Clarence and Tim. Very educational.

Flight 1 (3 Notes)

  • 2007 Ridge Santa Cruz Mountains Estate 92 Points

    USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains

    Tasted blind. Opened and aired in bottle for about an hour before drinking. Dark blackish colour. Expressive nose with sweet vanilla oak that really reminded me of an Italian SuperTuscan wine. Smooth entry with lots of plush dark fruit and cassis on the palate. Creamy mouth-feel and big chewy tannins, but under control. Long finish. No doubt a food wine, but I like this! I guessed 5-10 year old SuperTuscan blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, without any Sangiovese. Not often that I get to taste an American wine. Interesting! I feel this could be better in another 4-5 years. 13.3% alcohol.

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  • 1999 Castelgiocondo (Marchesi de' Frescobaldi) Brunello di Montalcino 90 Points

    Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino

    Tasted blind. From a pop and pour bottle. Initial nose very tight and muted. On the palate, tasted very young, with primary flavours of forward red fruits. A bit earthy and hint of spice, but otherwise none of the classic Brunello flavours of sour cherries or leather. Big grippy tannins. There was something Italian about this wine, but I just couldn't guess exactly what grape varietal it was. Really tasted young to me! This has the stuffing and firm structure to go for many more years. I would have preferred a long decant/aeration on this one. Now I'm really thinking how long to wait on my 1995 Riserva bottle from Castelgiocondo.

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  • 2000 Podere Rocche dei Manzoni Barolo Riserva Big'd Big 94 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

    My contribution for the night. Poured into decanter. Lots of sediments. Dark brown colour. Initial aroma of soy sauce and a floral undertone. Oohlala on the palate, with lots of rich solid fruits - cherries, strawberries, plums. Sweet warm fruits. Big dusty drying tannins that called out for food. But the tannins did not overwhelm, owing to the good balance of acidity and the busy fruits vying for attention. Warm alcoholic long finish. Great complexity overall. With more air, soy sauce blew off and aroma of mushrooms on the nose emerged, and as pointed out by my drinking partner - tar on the palate. This was even better than the 1999 bottle I had during New Year's Eve.
    Modern style Barolo. Approachable now with some decanting, but could still go on for years.

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Closing

A bunch of wines with lots of fodder for discussion.

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