Italian Tasting
La Casa di Roberts
Tasted February 20, 2010 by ews3 with 793 views
Introduction
Knowing not nearly enough about Italian wines, we put together a broad survey of the country, with a few comparisons to try wines at varying price points
Flight 1 - Starters (2 notes)
A prosecco and an odd Langhe -- we decided to skip some of the stereotypical italian still whites
White
2007 Germano Ettore Langhe Binel
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Langhe DOC
60% Chardonnay, 40% Riesling DOC Langhe. Chemical nose. some sour grape notes. Floral notes appear on the palate, but quickly wilt. Shortish finish.
Flight 2 - Barbaresco (4 notes)
A great cross section -- the Gaja was really nice, but the Produttori is the one I would buy again at a fraction of the price.
Red
2001 Pio Cesare Barbaresco
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
Dark red fruit and meat notes dominate the palate of this medium bodied wine. medium tannins, and medium finish -- kinda average all the way around. something seemed off, but I couldn't put my finger on it.
Red
1995 Gaja Barbaresco Sorì Tildìn
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
black pepper, leather, tobacco... really nice peated scotch note on the palate, hints of an islay malt. medium finish disappoints a bit after such a lovely palate.
Flight 3 - Barolo (4 notes)
The Conterno was a standout in the flight and for the night -- a clear winner as WOTN. I love Barolo, so I also was a huge fan of the 04 Pio Cesare for being true to Barolo. This was my favorite flight.
Red
2003 Giovanni Rosso Barolo Serralunga d'Alba
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
brambleberry. some chemical (paint thinner) notes. some black fruit behind it. can't expect more for the price ($5 on sale), but not a great example of barolo.
Red
2004 Pio Cesare Barolo
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
The rim shows a hint of that beautiful oranging around a young barolo's rim....black pepper, black fruit, tar, leather. a great example of what barolo should be. medium (+) chewy tannins. Not a special wine, but very true to Barolo.
Red
2001 Pio Cesare Barolo
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
lots of tobacco, tar, cedar. lighter tannins than the 04. shortish finish. may have been a storage issue, as the cork had some bleeding.
Red
2001 Conterno Fantino Barolo Sorì Ginestra
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
A late addition to the lineup, this was easily my WOTN. A truly remarkable effort. red fruit and pine needles sit on top of the classic barolo leather, tar, and black fruit -- some interesting black currant notes jump out. there is also a nice lavender note that subtly lingers in the aromas. medium, fine tannins. the flavor profile made my tongue tingle and want more. Long, long finish. Perhaps the best dry Italian wine I have had, and a wine I will seek out.
Flight 4 - Brunello (3 notes)
We skipped Chianti and went straight for Bruneelo -- The Casanova di Neri was quite good, but the others were a little disappointing -- I expected to like them more thn I did.
Red
2004 Lambardi Brunello di Montalcino
Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
red fruit, red cherry, blackberry, plum. a hint of that italian tar. medium tannins. medium finish is a bit sour.
Red
2001 Lisini Brunello di Montalcino
Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
medium bodied palate shows red fruit, plum and tobacco. medium (-) tannins fade with a medium length finish.
Red
2001 Casanova di Neri Brunello di Montalcino Tenuta Nuova
Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
loads of black fruit -- currant, brambleberry, blackberry. licorice, tobacco. very dark with secondary notes starting to peek through an immense amount of fruit. really nice, long finish.
Flight 5 - IGT and Bordeaux (3 notes)
Yes, Bordeaux is not in Italy, but we threw in a ringer with a similar blend.
Red
2006 Brancaia Ilatraia
Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT
Another late addition to the tasting. Burnt sugar, nice chocolaty flavor. medium finish. this was a nicely flavored wine, but had little character. medium (-) finish.
Flight 6 - The rest of Italy (2 notes)
A few bottles we wanted to drink that didnt fit with the prior flights
Red
2004 Montevetrano Montevetrano Colli di Salerno IGT
Italy, Campania, Colli di Salerno IGT
really nice tobacco note on this, but not enough fruit to complement it. medium(-) finish disappoints. This has a few key elements to be a wine I love, but this bottle wasn't put together right.
Flight 7 - Dessert (1 note)
The disappointment of the night was that Zachys didn't deliver my splits of 97 Dal Forno Recioto in time -- hopefully they will locate them. This was a poor substitute, especially since I forgot to get the cookies that go with vin santo!
Closing
A nice feel of Italy... still need to put more focus behind Italy -- I clearly like the wines, I just haven't tried enough of them! Only one way to fix that...
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