Italian Varietals from WA/OR/CA and Italy...Blind

I dont' know much about Italian wine, so I don't feel bad about getting a whopping 1 of 12 blind guesses right. It's a learning experience, I tell you.

• 2006 Kris Pinot Grigio Delle Venezie 81 Points

  Italy, Delle Venezie

  (1/23/2010)

  nose: stinky sock, woodsy, kinda weird.
  palate: thick, a littler papery, with bruised citrus and a watery, empty midpalate. My least favorite of the flight.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2007 Breggo Cellars Pinot Gris Wiley Vineyard 85 Points

  USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley

  (1/23/2010)

  nose: some funkiness, also some flower stems
  palate: way sweeter on the palate than the nose would lead me to believe. Almost too sweet, like sugar was added.
  Compared to the Bethel Heights pinot blanc, this was much less balanced and a lot more fake. Blind tasting sure does change a palate.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2008 Bethel Heights Pinot Blanc 87 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Eola - Amity Hills

  (1/23/2010)

  nose: tropical, very exuberant fruit, some stone
  palate: very citrus in intensity, and surprisingly complex (more so than the Kris and Breggo Pinot gris/grigio tasted alongside). My favorite of the flight.87-88

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2001 Woodward Canyon Dolcetto Estate

  USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley

  (1/23/2010)

  nose: a little funk, some mushrooms and meat
  palate: boring fruit, imbalanced. I did not like it very much.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2004 Cascade Cliffs Nebbiolo Estate Reserve

  USA, Washington, Columbia Valley

  (1/23/2010)

  This was really delicious to begin with, but faded very, very fast. By the end of the tasting, I revisited and it had died on the table. Sad. Notes from the initial tasting (opened maybe 1 hour prior to pouring).
  Very light brown in color, this had the look of a wine over the hill, and in fact it was.
  nose: strawberry jam, unmistakable.
  palate:black tea (sorry, Cindy), some strawberry, tannin so light it was nonexistent, very ethereal in weight. Hard to guess blind - who knew WA Nebbiolo would age so fast?

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2003 Masseria Frattasi Aglianico del Taburno Iovi Tonant Riserva 89 Points

  Italy, Campania, Aglianico del Taburno

  (1/23/2010)

  The nose was lovely, absolutely lovely. Tar, smoke, some metallic sensations, red licorice...it was really interesting and singular
  the palate was intense, with dark, heavy tannin, good acid, and it tasted "purple" which means only something to me. Nice mouthfeel....my first aglianico, so I had no idea how to guess what this was in the blind format. Very good, though.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2006 Càntele Primitivo Salento IGT 81 Points

  Italy, Puglia, Salento IGT

  (1/23/2010)

  nose: cooked fruit, some greenery
  palate: very soft (in comparison to the aglianico, which means very little) some greens, medium tannin, berry-like fruit. I guessed dolcetto, but I didn't particularly enjoy it. It was OK.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2005 Mauro Veglio Langhe Nebbiolo Angelo 88 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Langhe DOC

  (1/23/2010)

  nose: rose petals, cinnamon, red fruit tea
  palate: red fruit, very pure and well-balanced, though not intense. I really liked this, though I didn't find it overly complex. But it's only $10! Stocking up time.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2001 Lazzeretti Brunello di Montalcino

  Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino

  (1/23/2010)

  nose: dirt and greenery, smoke
  palate: a bit green and dark, this didn't display a whole lot of fruit, though I still found it "yummy" according to my notes. A bit dirty and closed, I think this deserves a revisit after decanting.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2005 Columbia Winery Zinfandel 65 Points

  USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Horse Heaven Hills

  (1/23/2010)

  In a word: blech.
  nose: so oaked, it reminds me of fritos and buttered popcorn.
  palate: alcohol. American oak. Not good.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2005 Mark Shannon Promessa Rosso Salento IGT

  Italy, Puglia, Salento IGT

  (1/23/2010)

  This was WILD. the nose was like smelling brown sugar, honey, and soy sauce. It smelled almost like BBQ sauce - I've never had quite this aroma come from a wine before. Really dark in color, too.
  Palate: interesting. Sweetly odd. Not sure how I felt about it, but it sure was a novelty. I think it was in the end, too weird for me to enjoy it. 83ish.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue