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Italian night @ Stappato
Enoteca Stappato, Leuven (Belgium)
Tasted October 24, 2014 by jkoenen with 638 views
Introduction
A large tasting organized by the crew of Stappato, highlighting iconic names from the Italian Wine Scene. Some served blind, most were open label.
There was also some lovely traditional Italian food to go with these beautiful wines. Just like it ought to be...
Flight 1 - Whites (5 notes)
White - Sparkling
1997 Salon Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut
93 points
Seems very nervous, young, bright, but kinda closed. Peachyoghurt, lemon-oil, hint of bread and yeast. Salivating stuff. Wonderful. From Magnum.
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White
2006 Weingut Keller Abts E®.de Riesling Großes Gewächs
94 points
Explosive bouquet, flintstone, bubblegum, cardamom, curry, donut, candied lemon-peel. Full-bodied, great stature, noble wine. One of Germany's best dry wines!
White
2005 Azienda Agricola Valentini Trebbiano d'Abruzzo
95 points
Magnificent, one-of-a-kind wine. Spectacular nuances of fur, sweat, earth, oystershell, mushrooms, smoke and crushed rocks. Complex to the max... Freaky stuff.
White
2007 Miani Friulano Buri
92 points
Ethereal, floral nose, banana too, some candyshop. Strong acidic backbone and mineral midpalate. Unctuous, creamy mouthfeel, polarizing wine.
White
2006 Gaja Langhe Chardonnay Gaia & Rey
91 points
Dense wine, dressed to impress. Bright tropical fruit, lemoncurd. A seductive show-off, if that makes any sense. Clearly 'international' in style, lots of wood. Hopefully it'll resolve someday...
Flight 2 - Sangiovese (7 notes)
Red
1977 Castello di Monsanto Chianti Classico Riserva Il Poggio
87 points
Resinous nose like fresh planed wood, tiny red berries. On the palate this shows quite ferous, cold tea, old leather, wet wood, some red currants in the back. Still drinkable, but over the hill, IMHO.
Red
1988 San Giusto a Rentennano Percarlo Toscana IGT
93 points
Deep and dark, coffe, chocolate, plumcake, sticky dates. This is a great wine, creamy truffle notes, beefstew, still very juicy and charming.
Red
2001 Montevertine Le Pergole Torte Toscana IGT
93 points
Spectacular nose, very distinguished, classy and elegant. Still has a wonderful rough, surly mouthfeel, but also pure sangiovese fruit and old-scholl rusticity. Great acidic backbone, full of finesse and complexity.
Red
2005 Fattoria Poggio di Sotto Brunello di Montalcino Riserva
95 points
Deep, dark and gloomy. In its traditional profile, this comes across as very velvety, yet powerful, some alcohol is noticeable is the finish. Gorgeous aromatics of sweet amarena-cherries, mixed spices, gentle oak, vanilla and underbrush. Super stuff, stupendous wine.
Red
2005 Soldera (Az. Agr. Case Basse) Brunello di Montalcino Riserva
95 points
Very peculiar, yet interesting, nose of grilled parsnips, orange zest, peanut, broth. Very complex and layered in the mouth, extremely soft and earthy, very pure fresh fruit. Powdery, elegant mouthfeel. Wonderful! Much more delicate than the Poggio di Sotto Ris. 2005 (but equally tasty!) which was served alongside.
Red
1999 Roberto Voerzio Barbera d'Alba Riserva Vigneto Pozzo dell'Annunziata
94 points
Big wine. Large dosage of superripe tannines. Black cherry, coffee, sweet tobacco, wonderful oak, vanillin. This was my third time for this wine, and it was the best, and youngest, appearance so far.
Flight 3 - Nebbiolo (12 notes)
White
2012 Köfererhof Sylvaner Valle Isarco / Eisacktaler R
91 points
Used as a palate cleanser / bridging wine during this tasting, connecting the Tuscan flight to the one with Piedmont wines.
Fresh and full of tension, perfect example of bright crystalline mountainwine. This one has had the 'plus'-treatment (selection/concentration) and it suits it well.
Fresh and full of tension, perfect example of bright crystalline mountainwine. This one has had the 'plus'-treatment (selection/concentration) and it suits it well.
Red
1945 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Riserva Monfortino Stravecchio
flawed
Don't know about the 'Stravecchio', couldn't find that on the bottle. This was G. Conterno Barolo Riserva Monfortino 1945.
And it was completely deceased, alas. Cloudy dark yellow colour, like an old white wine. Reeked of ammonia, methylated spirit. At first I didn't have the guts to taste it... In the end I did, and I shouldn't have done that. Guess this is what vitriol tastes like..
And it was completely deceased, alas. Cloudy dark yellow colour, like an old white wine. Reeked of ammonia, methylated spirit. At first I didn't have the guts to taste it... In the end I did, and I shouldn't have done that. Guess this is what vitriol tastes like..
Red
1982 Paolo Scavino Barolo Bric dël Fiasc
91 points
Shy, reticent nose. Lovely freshness and acidity are the main attraction of this wine. Midpalate is starting to get thinner, but the length and persistence of this wine is still impressive.
Red
1986 Bruno Giacosa Barolo Riserva Falletto di Serralunga d'Alba
89 points
Light brown in colour. Reductive nose, dirt, gravel, wet wood, ditchwater, no fruit. I think (and hope) this was a sub-par bottle.
Red
1996 Gaja Langhe Nebbiolo Sperss
92 points
Full of matter, olives, black cherry, barnyard, ash, fireplace. The structure and tannines of this wine still seem very young, but the aromatics are already quite evolved and slightly tiresome. Very nice wine, though. But when looking at this example, I wonder whether the fruit will survive. Drink now?
Red
1998 Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco Riserva Santo Stefano
94 points
Gorgeous perfume, ethereal beauty. Extremely elegant, cigarbox, orange peel, tea leaf. Fantastic length and great purity.
Red
1998 Roagna Barbaresco Riserva Pajè
92 points
This is an odd-ball... Very powerful, very tertiairy, lots of evolution in the nose, but still very appealing. Lavas, asphalt, scorched wood, balsam. Unique wine.
Red
1999 Nervi Gattinara Vigna Molsino
90 points
Red fruit, rose petal, tar, tannic and strict, autumn forestfloor. Neat, not very exciting, but technically good and typical.
Red
1999 Giuseppe E Figlio Mascarello Barolo Monprivato
91 points
Seemed already quite evolved to me. Creamy style, soft oak, licorice, red fruit. Drying finish slightly worried me.
Red
1999 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Cascina Francia
95 points
Impressive, seductive. Full of class, power and elegance. Palate is very rich, ripe, yet has the classic austerity and civilisation I expect from this producer. Black cherry, peat, truffles, magnificant....
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Red
2000 Gaja Barbaresco
94 points
Broad, seductive, open and generous... Descriptions that I do not use too often when tasting a Gaja wine... Guess that this is where the vintage charachter is starting to shine through. Very strong, powerful, yet forward and drinkable. Lots of depth and width on the palate, full of ink and schnapps, prunes, cherry, coffee, cherry. Great stuff!
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Comments (1)
Red
2005 Roberto Voerzio Barolo Brunate
95 points
Ouch.. This is big and bold Barolo... What struck me most in this wine was that - despite its size, concentration and brutal power - its balance and precision was impeccable... Another great performance of this marvelous producer!
Flight 4 - Cabernet Merlot (5 notes)
Red
1989 Antinori Tignanello
90 points
This is showing its age now, aromatically. But the structure is still thick, creamy and quite vivacious. Loved the classic aged Cabernet nose better than the palate.
Red
1998 Gaja Langhe Darmagi
93 points
Very deep dark ruby colour. Lots of power and tannines, clearly a Cabernet-dominated wine. Masculine, sturdy, spice and cassic. Strong and convincing.
Red
1999 Podere Il Carnasciale Il Caberlot
93 points
Massive wine. Coffee, mocca, asian spice, black macerated fruit. Huge, impressive concentration, densely packed, almost clogged... I like my wines a little more transparant, elegant and focussed. But in it's modern, international, extracted niche, this is a very good wine.
Red
2001 Le Macchiole Messorio Toscana IGT
94 points
Very soft, gentle, plum-like texture. Excellent balance, right in the sweet spot of its evolution. Gorgeously seductive, layered and generous. Outstanding.
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Red
2004 Tenuta dell'Ornellaia Bolgheri Superiore Ornellaia
94 points
Bright, juicy and brambly, leaping out of the glass. Wonderful spicy seasoning, sensible use of oak. Good length, clean finish. Modern presentation, found the mid-palate quite svelte and elegant for such an Ornellaia, which added to the very drinkable and generous impression this wine gave me.
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Flight 5 - Closing remarks (4 notes)
Red
2009 Giuseppe E Figlio Mascarello Barolo Monprivato
89 points
Didn't know what to think of this wine. Raspberrycoulis, lean and slightly fragile. Smelled of strawberry, weed and flintstone. Made me think Pinot...
Red
2011 Georges Noellat Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Chaumes
90 points
This charred pinot-nose reminded me of several Spätburgunders I had in the last few years. The bright red fruited core is covered by that pine wood/fireplace/charcoal kind of topping, that I find a tad heavy and overdone most of the time. A good wine, nevertheless.
Red
2003 Giuseppe Quintarelli Amarone della Valpolicella Classico
94 points
Adored the dried fruit component of this wine, which makes the bouquet and palate really ripe, luxurious and complex, but doesn't make a very sweet impression. It's hearty, has a hint of luscious sweetness and hides its alcohol very well. Really excellent and unique.
Red
2004 Romano Dal Forno Amarone della Valpolicella Vigneto di Monte Lodoletta
95 points
This appears much younger than the Quintarelli tasted alongside. Deep, dark, inky, unbelievable concentration, blackberries, brambly, salsam, espresso. Sweet and sexy in its entree, clean, dry and precise towards the finish. Wow!
Closing
Personal WOTN: Conterno Cascina Francia 1999
Other wines to look out for: Valentini Trebbiano, Poggio di Sotto.