American Sangiovese, 2004

Drinking Napa Sangiovese feels historic, like I am drinking the last of dying breed. Napa Sangiovese extinct? Hardly. But while my terminal diagnosis for Napa Sangiovese has no facts to back it up, I certainly get the "sense" that the "Sangiovese Experiment" will soon perish under the Napa Cab steamroller...

It would be a shame if the steamroller eliminated this Steltzner offering. The 2004 Steltzner Sangiovese Riserva (Stags Leap) coulda been straight from Chianti - lighter and fresher than the Luna below, with classic tobacco, green ferns, black pepper and flint. A soft velvety texture held together by crisp cherries, such delicate tannins and a delicious finish. Purchased on my '06 trip to Napa, from a Napa winery that keeps me from losing hope...
cork. 13.6% alcohol
Score: 17/20
Price: US$38 (winery)

This Luna offering seemed oddly familiar... undoubtedly straight out of Napa, the 2004 Luna Sangiovese Reserve showed a very nice, very modern, nose of big, ripe, jammy cherries, smokey vanilla and sweet cocoa, mint and liquorice. Jammy on the palate, coating the tongue with big, hot fruit, but redeemingly delicious tannins and a lengthy finish. Really opened nicely, just sooo different from the Steltzner above.
cork. 15.8% alcohol
Score: 16.5/20
Price: US$60 (winery)

Both tasted blind, it is really a battle of old versus new - you decide.

(PS - note the serious price differential)

Belguardo Poggio Bronzone Vertical

A vertical tasting - tasting different vintages of the same wine - is one of my favourite wine tasting activities. Sometimes with vintage notes in hand, sometimes not (like tonight), I sip these mysteries and try to picture the weather of years past in a distant land...dilute (rains at harvest), green/vegetal (earlier harvest), raisiny (extreme heat)...wines typically give us hints to the climate in which they were raised. Except for tonight, where this "accidental" vertical of four Tuscan vintages gave nearly identically wonderful expressions of Sangiovese.

Accidental? Most of the verticals in my cellar are carefully assembled, but this was a funny discovery (or perhaps a sign of aging) - four different vintages of this wine from Mazzei's Belguardo Estate! Mazzei has been pushing the promise of the Tuscan Maremma for a few years now, and judging by tonight's wines the Maremma is more than promising.

Tonight's favourite was the 2001 Belguardo Poggio Bronzone - beautifully complex on the nose, with earthy, charcoal notes, some cocoa powder, liquorice, basil and old fruit as well. A carpet of velvety tannins carries crisp, minerally cherry fruit to the palate. Poised, a very nice finish, nearly perfect if the oak was more subdued. Score: 17.5+/20

A nose of minty cooked fruit and the 2004 Belguardo Poggio Bronzone nearly passed for the oldest. Terribly interesting, later adding notes of sour cherries, roses, and cooked sausages. Silky tannins and raisiny, cooked fruit awkwardly danced across the palate - kinda odd at first, but it developed nicely. Bottle variation? Wish I had another '04. Score: 16.5/20

The 2005 Belguardo Poggio Bronzone was a lovely wine, with flinty sweet black cherries, and tobacco notes - a touch spicy. Juicy, tart and lighter bodied than the others, with a very long smoky finish, even a touch nutty. Very well balanced...Score: 17/20

The 2006 Belguardo Poggio Bronzone, was an impetuous youth - big smokey and leathery aromas with a heavy dose of toasty oak, fleshed out with roses and dark berries. Tangy, earthy and very smokey, with a deceptively long, minerally, finish. A bit over-oaked, but otherwise showing many signs of greatness. Score: 17/20

A great flight of Sangiovese (more similar than different), I can only speculate on the subtleties of these vintages - the 05 seemed touch dilute (rain?), the '04 hot and raisiny (hot and dry?). It is noteworthy that all were 13.5% alcohol, not showing the trend I see in my cellar with wineries showing increasing alcohol in consecutive vintages.

While there was not a bad wine in the bunch, a lighter touch with the oak would be appreciated by this palate...

1999 Tenute Marchesi Antinori Magnum

Purchased in April of 2003, this was my first magnum - and I always had a Christmas dinner in mind. I know I always drink Pinot Noir with Turkey, but I just had this feeling that an aged Sangiovese would be particularly lovely...

At the end of its first decade this 1999 Tenute Marchesi Antinori Chianti Classico Riserva displayed only faint brick hues, seemingly unfazed by its long repose. After nearly two hours in the decanter the wine came alive with an expressive, powerful, nose of tobacco and leather, violets and plums, wet paper...finishing the evening with smokey/flinty notes, sandalwood, and sweet nutmeg...beautiful. A gorgeous, soft velvety texture...it starts dry, crisp, and somewhat unbalanced, but with decanter time it all came together. Truly aged to perfection, and drinking so well now that I cannot recommend leaving it in the cellar (but it wouldn't suffer if you did).
cork. 13% alcohol
Score: 18/20
Price: C$119 (SAQ)

Another Christmas Party Wine Mystery

For our Christmas Party each year (1,2) I decant and serve four red wines blind, asking my guests to use their intuitions and "guess" which wine is which, typically by providing clues about the grape or region. An incredibly simple concept, but extraordinarily difficult (and humbling) in reality - even for the experts. But what a marvelous way to get people thinking about, and talking about, wine!

This year's selections:

2007 Falesco Vitiano (Umbria, Italy)
2007 Wolf Blass Cabernet Sauvignon Yellow Label (South Australia)
2006 Montecillo Crianza (Rioja, Spain)
2007 Alamos Malbec Seleccion Especial (Mendoza, Argentina)

The rationale for tonight's picks? Excellent price to quality for their respective styles, based on personal experience, and sufficiently different grapes and winemaking styles to make the guessing a bit easier....

Unfortunately, nobody correctly identified all four wines - in fact only two guests picked two of four correctly. I blame the Vitiano mainly - 1/3 each of Merlot, Cabernet and Sangiovese it came across more modern and approachable for an "Old World" wine and displayed no definitive "Italian-ness". Adding to our intrepid wine detectives' misery, the Wolf Blass was very reserved and came across as a reserved, "Old World", wine.

Yes, the wines were not easy to triangulate, but at least the wines were pretty darn good overall - no duds tonight, as in previous years. (It shouldn't be much of a surprise, I suppose, as most of these wines frequently appear on "best value" lists)

It was interesting to note that all of the wines were 13.5% alcohol - not low, but certainly NOT the elevated alcohol we see with too many entry level wines these days. Less surprising for the Rioja, perhaps, but an Argentine Malbec? Wonderful to see.

There was some debate as to whether the Falesco was better than the Montecillo., but in the end both of those decanters drained equally quickly. (the true test)

All in all a great evening, and nobody had a bad glass of wine - that's the "Joe Guarantee®"

2007 Terra di Corsica Nielluccio-Syrah

Nielluccio? Ok, I thought I had discovered something new, but this is in fact the Corsican name for Sangiovese. Maybe the wine will be a more exciting discovery?

The 2007 Terra di Corsica Nielluccio-Syrah was another quirky gift from my brother-in-law. Leathery, earthy, dark berry fruit on the nose, some pepper and chalk...pretty good. Rather undistinguished on the palate, with a finish that lasted nanoseconds, but nothing wrong with this - I'd recommend you pick up the Gabbiano instead for a Sangiovese fix (same price).
cork. 12.5% alcohol
Score: 15.5/20
Price: C$14.60 (SAQ) for the 2008

Uber IGTs: A Tour of Italy's Most Expensive "Table Wine"

Eden's night of Tuscan wines was a prelude to a show-stopping, Uber-Tuscan night of over-the-top wines: Masseto, Sassicaia, Ornellaia....

Yes, our first IGT (Italian "table wines") night delivered an impressive slate of wines (even if the best wines were not IGT...) but what I really liked about this evening was the narrow score distribution - I think the group would agree that this may have been the narrowest distribution of scores in one of our grand tastings, which led to lots of debate and no consistency in the rank orders. But out of this disorder I managed to glean the following notes:

Well, it wasn't even close - with four first place and two second place rankings Cosme's 2001 Ornellaia (65% Cab Sauv, 30% Merlot, Cab Franc) was the clear winner. But wait, it's not an IGT? No one complained, as this 'Bolgheri DOC Superiore' wowed with an beautiful and exquisitely complex nose - clearly Bordeaux-like, with spicy oak and dark fruit, layers and layers of aromas...violets and roses, sour cherries and white pepper, leather and cloves with some underlying green pepper and vegetal notes. Soft and silky on the palate, very easy to enjoy today but I felt it was touch flabbier and unstructured vs. the others, and that became more evident as the evening progressed. Score: 18/20

Cosme took the silver as well, bringing a 1999 Sassicaia (85% Cab Sauv, Cab Franc) that ranked close behind the Ornellaia, but got there very differently. Another Bolgheri (didn't somebody tell him it was IGT night?), I did NOT like the way this one started out from the decanter - a heavy dose of sulphury oak at first sniff, it took a while to blow off and reveal some sour cherries, old leather, later some green pepper and notes of cheese rind. Powerfully built, pounding the palate with dense tannins and a finish that lasted all night. All power and no finesse today, but this is still in its youth and I predict great things when this bottle finally sorts itself out. Score: 18.5/20

We had a tie for third place, so I will start with what was probably the greatest value of the night. Cam's 2000 Ghiaie della Furba (Sangiovese, Merlot, Syrah), at C$41, was half the price of the next cheapest wine, yet was probably the softest, silkiest, and best balanced of the night, a combination of great winemaking and optimal bottle age coming together perfectly. Less complex than the others, and all ready peaking, but at this price? Score: 18.5/20 (one of my Top Cellar Picks)

Pramod's 2000 Flaccianello was deceptively good, and I wonder if another few hours in the decanter would have put it in first place instead of third. Classic Sangiovese tobacco notes mingled with sour cherries and spearmint, liquorice and black pepper, some vegetal notes. Tangy and spicy with an incredibly long finish, I am so glad I have a cellar full of this stuff. Score: 18/20

Lloyd brought a legendeary wine from a less than than legendary vintage, the 2002 Masseto. Fashioned from 100% Merlot, it delivered a nose of violets, ripe strawberry compote, and some smokey vanilla. Crisp and full-bodied, but not overbearing, with velvety tannins and a flavourful, long finish. I expected from one of the worlds most expensive merlot bottlings to be kinder, gentler...but the score kept creeping up over the evening. Score: 18/20

My 2000 Serpico, made from the Aglianico grape, was easy to spot - clearly not Cabernet or Sangiovese, but my "nekulturny" friends did not like this so you can take my notes with a grain of salt. To be fair the nose was simple - flinty prunes and some floral notes - but luxurious, tangy tannins and a very long finish made this a joy for me. Maybe I won't share my Aglianico any more...Score 18/20

Many thanks to Pramod and Sofia, perfectly setting up these wines with a spread fit for kings (including a rather tasty, but ominously named fatty meat called "lardo"), and to the gang for really digging deep into the cellar for a creative flight of wine.

Cheers!

Obscure Wine Regions: Assisi

The appellation of Assisi is obscure - no entry in the Oxford Companion to Wine, a mere village name in another book, even my Vino Italiano book simply mentions DOC rules - Sangiovese 50-70%, Merlot 10-30%, other varietals up to 40% max. But it resides in the Umbrian wine region, so the grape varietals and winemaking styles are familiar...

Tonight's 2006 Sportoletti Assisi Rosso was undeniably Tuscan-sangiovese in style, perhaps from a hot vintage. Very tobacco and dark blackberry on the nose, a bit hot and jammy, some cedar, liquorice, hints of violet and vanilla. Very dry, smooth and well balanced on the palate - delicious, but less structured (low acid, lots of fruit) than I hope for in a sangiovese.
cork. 14.5% alcohol
Score: 16/20
Price: C$21.40 (SAQ)

Super Tuscans in the Garden of Eden

My buddy Eden loves to make a big to do of my visits to Toronto, this time inviting a bunch of friends over for steaks and a tasting hosted by yours truly. Personally, I love to mess with the gang and put together an eclectic flight of wines, but tonight I decided to see what 20-50 bucks could get you in Tuscany, and (blinded) I was curious if we could identify any "hidden gems".

I was curious to see how the 2005 Nipozzana Reserva (Chianti Ruffina) would show in this flight, being the lowest priced of the bunch. A bit jammy on the nose, with tobacco, and slatey black cherry, a minerally finish but a touch fruity vs. prior vintages - a great value (C$22), but it didn't blow the competition away. Score: 17/20

There was no doubt in my mind that the 2006 Lucente (IGT) stood out from the pack - notes of mint, ginger ale, anise and flint...incredibly smooth and polished on the palate, with fresh cherries and a deceptively long finish (C$40). Score: 18/20

The 2004 Terrabianca Piano del Cipresso (IGT) pruney, cheddar cheesey, meaty sausage, rather rustic - flavourful, modest finish, woodsy tannins - opened nicely (C$31). Score: 17/20

The 2002 Piastraia was a gorgeous wine...wet stones and black cherries, leather and tobacco, a most gorgeous mouthfeel, with fine, silky tannins...balanced, with a pleasing, lingering finish (C$40). Score: 17.5/20

The 2005 Sassoalloro continued the '05 jamminess seen above - ripe and jammy on the nose, notes of flowers, anise...a silky, but modest finish, very well balanced (C$35). Score: 16.5/20

But it wasn't all Italian, as Mike brought a treasure from his own cellar, a well-aged 1996 Caymus. A beautiful nose of figs and black earth, piney and cedary leather, sulphur, showing hints of violets, plums and blackberries as it opened up. Pruney, light and peppery, tangy and lighter-bodied. Stylistically my ideal claret, and it has aged very well, but just a touch awkward despite substantial time in the decanter - excellent, but just shy of outstanding.
Score: 17.5/20

Overall, buyers should note that two 2005 Tuscans that have been favourites of mine produced modest disappointments, and will certainly guide my future Tuscan wine buying...

Thanks to Eden and his wife for the terrific spread to complement this tasting - the steaks and all the fixin's were delicious. I look forward to another meeting of my Toronto tasting group!

A Birthday Chianti: 2007 Gabbiano

For my 40th birthday my four year-old went shopping with my wife and insisted on picking up a bottle of wine "for daddy". Now I suppose I should be a bit concerned that wine was the only gift on her mind when she thought of me, but let's be honest - it was the gift that I wanted (she usually gets me a shirt).

You will, of course, note that the 2007 Gabbiano Chianti had a "pretty horsey" on the label - no Wine Spectator or Parker driving her purchase! Strong herbal and tobacco notes, musky and medicinal aromas, and a lingering nose of wet pottery. Stark, lighter bodied, with tart cherry fruit, this was a crisp and very minerally Chianti that was meant for food. An intriguing, lingering finish, more rustic than polished (and I mean that in a good way).
cork. 13% alcohol
Score: 16.5/20
Price: C$14.65 (SAQ)

An Eclectic Flight of Wines and an Impromptu Tasting

My good friend Cosme suggested a Friday night get-together for a bottle of wine, but some frantic, last-minute, Blackberry Messenger exchanges led to a less intimate affair with about half of my wine group and four great bottles - a formal tasting without formality! How fun is that?

Last minute the gang scraped together a wonderfully eclectic set of wines:

1997 Drei Doná Tenuta la Palazza Graf Noir
2003 l'Ecole no. 41 Perigee
2003 Chateau Bernadotte
2006 Bouchard Pere et Fils Le Corton

I won't declare a "winner" tonight - my scores were nearly identical and these weren't really comparable, but here are some notes on a great evening of wine:

My 2003 l'Ecole no. 41 Perigee was first featured here in August of 2007 during American Wine Month. Definitely the softest, jammiest, wine of the evening, a wonderful nose of smokey currants, leather and violets, flinty cherries, cocoa and grenadine with some vegetal notes in the background. A big, heavy wine on the palate, earthy and minerally...definitely that ripe fruit I tasted 18 months ago, but a half point lower this time around. Score: 17.5/20

You can count on Lloyd to bring something aged and intriguing, so tonight's 1997 Drei Doná Tenuta la Palazza Graf Noir (55% Sangiovese, 30% Uva Longanesi, and Cabernet Franc) was par for the course. Musty on the nose, like the rind of brie cheese, it took a long time to open up but that patience was rewarded with some truffle-y mushroom, vegetal and floral notes. A joyous, velvety texture on the palate with great balance, a very long finish and decent acidity, but a bit too heavy with the oak for my taste. Blinded I thought aged Bordeaux at first, but with further development and some nudging from Lloyd I guessed Super Tuscan - who would have guessed "Super Emilia-Romagna"? Score: 17.5/20

And you can count on Cosme to bring a Burgundy. The nose of the 2006 Bouchard Père et Fils Le Corton Grand Cru was subtle, but the spicy (musk and cloves) and oaky notes dominate, some fresh rasberries, vanilla and leather supporting. Soft, smooth and luscious with good minerality, modest acidity and a decent finish - not as tightly wound as I like my Burgundies, but I suspect this would be a crowd pleaser. Hard to believe this is the same wine as the 2002 I raved about. My take? This is closed down and needs a few years in the cellar. Score: 17/20.

My apologies to Chris, but his 2003 Chateau Bernadotte arrived freezing cold out of the cellar so we set it aside for a while - by the time we got to it I was done taking notes! From memory it was reminiscent of my comments on the 2003 Vintage in Bordeaux - very drinkable today, with classic dense, woodsy tannins and ripe fruit.

It is really hard to compare and contrast such different wines, but what I can say is that the Graf Noir generated the most enthusiasm and conversation (how often do you drink Uva Longanesi?). I loved it, but I was a bit put off by the heavy oak (same for Le Corton). But these comments are secondary to the thrill of sharing some odd wines and wonderful companionship - sometimes the best tastings are unplanned and unstructured!

Big Fun - Magnums of Sassoalloro & Vieux Lazaret

What is the purpose of an oversized wine bottle? Your first thought might be that if you buy an over-sized bottle you would get a discount, but that is not the case for fine wines. So it's an ego thing, right? Possibly - opening a gigantic bottle of wine for a big event is impressive, and they look so darn good in the cellar. But there is a practical side to this largesse - larger wine bottles are more "age-worthy". So I've collected a few of these for future special occasions (i.e. one for each of my kids' "vintages"), but sometimes I just cannot wait...


Lloyd suggested I pick up a bottle of this 2004 Jacopo Biondi Santi Sassoalloro, a modestly priced "super-Tuscan" in a party friendly magnum. Deep, dark cherry red with big leathery and tobacco notes - rose petals, black currants, rosemary, ink, and cooked meat on the nose as well. Crisp, juicy fruit and big, earthy tannins with a long, luxurious, velvety finish. The only tragedy was opening this too early. A fantastic price for an age-worthy magnum - other super-Tuscan makers should be nervous.
cork. 13.5% alcohol
Score: 17.5/20
Price: C$57.60 (SAQ)


This wine won a CDP tasting in 2005 so I picked up a pair when the SAQ released it in a magnum format. The 2000 Domaine du Vieux Lazaret Cuvée Exceptionnelle (Châteauneuf-du-Pape) sported a wonderful nose of "beef au jus" and cooked fruit, berries and white flowers, nuts, leather, white pepper, and damp forest undergrowth. On the palate were meaty tannins and slatey blackberries all held together by crisp acidity. Polished, with a silky smooth texture, it started simple but gained complexity over the evening - very smooth, very well done. May go a few more years, but nice today after a good decant.
cork. 13.5% alcohol
Score: 18/20
Price: C$81 (SAQ)

2000 Di Majo Norante Ramitello (Redux)

Sometimes you raid the cellar and find something you had forgotten was in there. Sometimes you find a cheap wine aged way better than you thought possible. Tonight I got both:

The 2000 Di Majo Norante Ramitello, a blend of prugnolo (80%) and aglianico, had a wild and enticing nose of leathery dried fruit, dark berries, pine resin, black liquorice, and more. Great complexity on the palate, substantial crisp fruit supported by a nice acidic presence, and a rustic Italian edge that transports you to a tiny Italian village far, far away. This could be cellared for a few more years, and may improve - cellarwothy AND under 20$! Love this wine (I'm a sucker for quirky, rustic Italian reds) - a steal at this price.
cork. 13.5% alcohol
Score: 17/20
Price: C$19.80 (SAQ)

Tasted previously, but even better now (or better tonight...)

Barbera vs. Sangiovese vs. Lasagna

For Lasagna, and most Italian dishes, I instinctively reach for Italian wines. But what works best? I typically grab a Barbera or a Sangiovese for a tomato/pasta dish, but are these really interchangeable? Time for an experiment: two identically priced Italian reds from the same 2001 vintage, mano a mano vs. our homemade lasagna. And tonight's homemade Lasagna served up a cacophony of flavours - homemade tomato sauce, ground beef, cooked spinach, melted cheeses - could either of these wines stand up to this?

The answer is yes - the sangiovese took on this monstrous dish, while the rather delicious barbera wilted under the onslaught:

The 2001 Villa di Capezzana comes from the Carmignano appellation, and for those of you familiar with Chianti this is a rather different take on Sangiovese. Gravelly wet fur, with a deep violet, truffle, blackberry and sour cherry, coffee and spicy tobacco notes - an olfactory joy! Elegant, complex, with luxurious woodsy fruit - fruit, acid and tannins in perfect harmony. This terrific, classically-styled tuscan pour tamed that lasagna.
cork. 13.5% alcohol
Score: 18/20
Price: $32.50 (SAQ)

Make no mistake, the 2001 Pio Cesare "Fides" (Barbera d'Alba) was an excellent wine. Very nice smokey, earthy and tarry notes on the nose, subtle dark cherries and currants as well. The palate was oaky and spicy, with subtle tarry fruit, thinner and a touch more rustic than the Capezzana, but when confronted with this flavourful dish all the flavours faded revealing tar, and little else. We enjoyed this bottle after dinner, at which time we all complimented this terrific wine - osso buco, anyone?
cork. 14% alcohol
Score: 17.5/20
Price: C$33 (SAQ)

So, two great ones but only one great pairing...

Mini Vertical #2: 1997 vs. 1999 Riserva Ducale 'Oro'

After last night's mini-vertical I realized I have a whole cellar full of mini-verticals - a theme for this year's holiday season! Tonight's spaghetti and meat sauce dinner screamed for a Sangiovese so I brought out this mini-vertical (blinded), which has been in the works for some time.

The 1997 Ruffino Riserva Ducale 'Oro' comes from the Chianti Classico appellation of Tuscany, and recent vintages were made from 85% sangiovese and 15% colorino. Dark ruby red and rust-coloured at the edge, it started out very flat on the nose - pruney, but not much else. Then (1.5 hours later) it opened up...roses, white cherries, musk, leather, tobacco, cocoa, and some tarriness and flintiness, even some wintergreen? Very attractive, and equally so on the palate - velvety tannins and dry cherry fruit, this was a very well-balanced, classy wine. Could rest in the cave, but no need - it is drinking very well today.
cork. 13% alcohol
Score: 17/20
Price: $40.50 (SAQ)

The 1999 Ruffino Riserva Ducale 'Oro' was a lighter ruby colour in the glass, fooling some tasters into thinking this was the older bottling. Quite aromatic on the nose - very smokey, with blackberry, musk, tobacco, tar, flint, and some meaty/cheesey notes. On the palate it was crisper, with nice pepper and nutmeg, but a bit angular and unbalanced. Terribly interesting, but just not coming together the way the 1997 did. Could that be two more years in the cellar? I suspect it goes beyond that. Stick this one away and try it again in 2009.
cork. 13% alcohol
Score: 16.5/20
Price: $44.95 (LCBO)

Overall, these wines were far more similar than they were different, with both coming from outstanding Tuscan vintages (although the experts seem to declare the '97 vintage superior, which fits with tonight's result). Note that the 2001 was last blogged here from London, and these older brethren were equally impressive.

Wasn't That a Party

It's holiday time so I have been busy away from the blog, but with last night's party out of the way I can catch up on the pile of tasting notes exceeded only by the pile of snow in my driveway.

For the past few years my wife and I have hosted an open house for close friends and neighbours. But rather than simply put a bottle of wine on a table, every year I conduct a mini-tasting. Too chaotic (kids are invited) for anything formal, I simply serve a variety of wines and blind the guests.

Tonight, the wines were "Santa", "Mrs. Claus", "Rudolph" and "Frosty":

Armed with the following riddles our guests were invited to guess which was which, if they so chose:

A - "Viva Italia!" Oops, I mean "Viva Argentina!"
B - Chianti, but not Classico
C - Shiraz, or Syrah?
D - Who added that dash of white to my Aussie red?

This rather simple exercise integrated well into this social event. Some guests tried to solve the riddles, some simply asked me lots of questions, others secretly pondered the wines and listened to the others, and some simply chugged whatever was closest to them. But as evidenced by the army dead soldiers on my dining room table, the forty-five adults in attendance were "enthusiastic".

The winner? Well, that wasn't really a question, as all of these were terrific wines, but Rudolph was hero tonight and I had to work hard to keep that decanter full. Rudolph was the 2005 d'Arenberg "The Laughing Magpie" (1,2). No surprise - in my experience the big fruit of the Aussie wines always seem to win in such a chaotic setting, and this wine had enough complexity to keep the interest of our more experienced guests. A good party choice (but not cheap), but very sludgey wine so decant carefully.

The 2004 Masi Corbec comes from their Tupungato estate in Argentina. Made from Corvina (the grapes used in Amarone) and Malbec, and in the appassimento method used for Amarone, I thought this would be the one to confuse even the best tasters - and it did. A big bruiser, it shows similarities to real Amarone, at a price ($27) much closer to a simple Valpolicella. It probably needs some time.

The 2004 Nipozzano Riserva Chianti Rufina (90% Sangiovese, plus Malvasia nera, Colorino, others) is a JoeFave (1,2), but in this setting this flavourful but very dry wine just didn't work. The same went for another JoeFave, the 2003 Guigal Crozes-Hermitage (1,2) - the Syrah of the group. Crisp and elegant, but with all of the sights, sounds and flavours thrown at our guests it was ignored by all, except my bro-in-law Cam who happily gulped it up.

Some may have noticed other wines. A late arrival was Cosme, the man who started me on this vinous journey. Together we and the remaining seven guests raided the JoeCave for some Montepulciano, the 2001 Don Luigi by Di Majo Norante to be exact, a wine made from 90% Montepulciano and 10% Tintilia. A wine enjoyed in the past, I put it away for a few years after my last bottle. Awkward when first poured (it was still at cellar temp), it opened up to a terrific and complex (leafy tobacco and dark berries, spicy) nose. Flavourful, with crisp acidity and big tannins and nice cherry fruit, I can't believe this is six years old. This wine screamed for a helping of homemade meat lasagna.

Cheers!

Super Super Tuscans

I would like to say that I chose these wines to pair with an oven roasted chicken, but I actually chose the wines days ago, and once I had the wine picked out no meal would stand in my way - I was going Tuscan tonight!

The 2000 Ghiaie Della Furba by Capezzana could almost have been in our oddities night, a Tuscan wine made from Cab, Merlot and Shiraz. A deep, dense cherry red in the glass, it was not showing its age visually. On the nose the first aromas of prunes and cooked fruit gave way to a wild and spicy number, with a complex nose of violet, blackcurrant, cedar, leather, pepper, liquorice, coffee, flint and a meaty/gamey smell. Very dry, with a rich, soft mouthfeel, the juicy fruit was followed by a powerful tannic attack. This big brutish wine had tremendous length, but is a little off balance and needs more time to straighten out. To quote the local celebrity, Bill Z, this wine has "torque". Seems like a good match for a steak frites.
cork. 14% alcohol
Score: 17.5/20
Price: C$41 (SAQ)

If the Ghiaie above was a Rambo-esque brute, then the Sangiovese-based 1999 La Gioia by Riecine was the Sean Connerery of the two. Ruby red in the glass with some bricking at the edge. The nose was aromatic and polished, with floral (peonies), tobacco, and an Amaretto-like nose in the lead, followed by black cherry, wet forest, animal fur and liquorice - it smelled like a young Sangiovese. Sooo smooth and elegant, this medium-bodied red was very dry with crisp berry fruit. A very long finish, it has ample tannins and acidity to go the distance - put this away for a few more years. It was nice with the roast chicken, or would pair very well with grilled meats.
cork. 13.5% alcohol
Score: 18/20
Price: C$67 (SAQ)

Overall, the elegance of the Gioia made it the crowd favourite. These wines were not tasted blind.

Dinner at Vago: 2003 Tauleto

My wife's parents insisted on taking us out for dinner, so we went to Vago, an Italian joint on Greene Avenue in Westmount. The Brunello I had my heart on was sold out, so Tommaso - the sommelier - sought to restore his good name (and my good cheer) with this brutish sangiovese from Umbria.

Actually, the 2003 Cesari Tauleto is made from Sangiovese Grosso (90%, the Brunello grape) and Bursona Longanesi (10%, and a grape I never heard of before). A dense, dark, cherry red, nearly opaque, it gave off beautiful scents of cedar, cherries, leafy tea and tobacco, damp wood, nutmeg, coffee, leather, smoke. On the palate this powerhouse was very dry and full-bodied, well-extracted, with beautiful spiciness and dark cherry fruit. A very long finish, buy it now but but do not open this for a few more years. A great Brunello substitute, thanks Tommaso!
cork. 14% alcohol
Score: 17.5/20 (+?)
Price: C$49 (SAQ, more at the resto)

PS - I think my wife is tiring of me becoming best friends with every sommelier I meet! After dinner Tommaso served me a splash of Moscato, and then brought me over to the bar where he poured me a glass from a bottle of Solaia - awesome!

Guest Blogger: "Blending in” in Tuscany

My wine tasting group has been running for four years now. Our 29 tastings are the cornerstone of my wine education, featuring some of the most memorable wines of my life. It is a talented group of wine tasters and collectors, but they have been content to leave the blogging to me. Except for one.

Lloyd, in addition to being a great friend, is a wine mentor for me, so I could not ignore his request for a guest spot. Lloyd has a shrewd eye for a great wine buy, and has been instrumental in building out my Italian and Australian wine collections. A self-professed 'Italophile', I bring you my "roving correspondent", Lloyd, on assignment, in Tuscany:

Though the greatest Tuscan wines I’ve tasted thus far have been expressions of a single grape (Masseto comes to mind for Merlot, Flaccianello or a half dozen Brunellos for Sangiovese) it is the blends that dominate the shelves and restaurant wine lists. Good reason, it seems, as the age of the “Supertuscan” blend has proliferated quality well beyond the gates of Sassicaia, spreading some good winemaking – and more recently, inspiring value – around. The two 2001s I tasted recently came to me by very different routes.

The 2001 Tenuta di Ghizzano Nambrot is a Bordeaux blend dominated by Merlot (70%) with the balance Petit Verdot and Cabernet. Smoke and oak dominate, well-integrated with vanilla and dark (black currant and blackberry) fruit to a long finish. Its silky, refined sensibility after (about an hour decanted) defied the big and round, full-bodied experience down the hatch. If I had another bottle, I’d give it 2+ years to really sort out, but it’s wonderful today. This was a gift from a kind enoteca owner in Siena last year (with whom I dropped a small fortune, but that story for another day…) It was worth schlepping from Italy. The ’03 is available at the SAQ for $59. Score: 17/20. Alcohol: 13.5% (’03).


The 2001 Michele Satta Bolgheri Rosso Piastraia adds Sangiovese to equal parts Merlot, Syrah and Cabernet. I confess that this is a longtime personal favourite. I’ve previously enjoyed a ’97 and a ’98, and just cracked open a case that I assembled from several SAQ branches a few years back. It was worth the effort. The Piastraia is almost black-red and viscous. After half hour in the decanter, the nose is Oz-meets-Maremma powerful, with an extracted dark cherry fruit, some leather, tobbaco and a subtle smokey nose. The Piastraia was a velvet fist to the Nambrot’s fit-like-kid-leather glove, crossing the palate with structure, length and fine, perfectly-integrated tannins to a long and satisfying finish. The ’03 is at the SAQ for $39.75 (the ’01 was $42) making this a tremendous value. Score: 18+ (I suspect this will continue to improve). Alcohol: 13.5%

These are great food wines, the former matching up nicely with a rare filet mignon and grilled vegetables. The latter was excellent with a 1.5 inch veal chop and equally so with an old piece of Parmigiano I dug out of the fridge. It even did justice to some 80% dark chocolate (a pairing Joe knows is close to my heart, even as it blocks my arteries!)

Many thanks to Lloyd. Future appearances on this blog will be highly dependent on how frequently he enjoys Masseto without me... He can be reached by commenting below, or through my email address.

Cheers!

Camping Wine

I took three bottles of wine camping with me. Come to think of it, I brought the wife and kids too, but the important thing is the wine. The wine selections were:

2005 Casillero del Diablo Cabernet Sauvignon
2005 D'Arenberg "The Laughing Magpie"
2004 Frescobaldi Nipozzano Riserva

Unfortunately, I ignored my own rules, choosing a wine (the D'Arenberg) with a ton of sludge. I actually knew it would be sludgey, but I really wanted to bring a screw top (this was the only one in my cellar). All the campfires in the world could not prevent me from pouring giant chunks into my fellow campers "glasses". A great wine, but not a great camping choice.

The other two were excellent wines for camping, but did require a corkscrew. The Casillero del Diablo paired nicely with hamburgers and roast marshmallows, while the Nipozzano paired well with pasta in a cheesey rose sauce.

Two out of three ain't bad...

2004 Luna Sangiovese Reserve

For our anniversary I opened up this wine to pair with a simple dish of pasta and meatballs in a homemade tomato sauce, hoping to dress up a simple family dinner on our special day.

The 2004 Luna Sangiovese Reserve was purchased at the winery on my 2006 Napa Tour. Unabashedly American, this is not your Nona's Sangiovese! Bright cherry red, this wine had an exquisite nose of roses and musk, very ripe blackberries and cherries, cedar, leather, coffee grounds and minty tea. While very nice, the palate simply wasn't up to the nose, in my opinion, as sharp acidity and jammy overripe fruit overpowered my palate at first. To be fair, this wine settled down over the evening, with more elegant spicy chocolate and blackberry fruit, but still slightly awkward. Despite its heavyweight alcohol content, this was not as overpowering as you might think. Overall, it was a rather confusing wine that needs a few more years in the cellar to show its real stuff.
15.8% alcohol
Score: 17/20
Price: US$60 (winery)

As an aside, I try to be style agnostic when I review wines. While this was an excellently crafted wine (my wife raved about it), it may be the first time you hear me say "not my style". Unfair, perhaps, as this wine is way to young. But contrast it to the elegance of the L'Ecole No. 41 wines enjoyed last night, or any Chianti at this price. Try for yourself - I am sure there will be much disagreement with me on this.