A trade tasting I attended with our friend Victor from Germany on Saturday, the 22nd of September. There would have been ninety wines on show, of which we only tasted the following.
Vieux Télégraphe Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Crau 2004
60% Grenache plus Mourvèdre, Syrah etc. Nice dark colour, firm if little fruit, “furry” tannin, good length. Certainly a bit evolved again in this vintage (every vintage since the 1998 has been), but showing a fraction more convincingly than when last tasted in March. Rating: 88(+?)
Tardieu-Laurent Côtes-du-Rhône “Guy Louis” 2004
50% Syrah aged in new oak and 40% Grenache aged in used oak. Warmly fruited mulled wine style, spicy, with a whiff of alcohol floating on top, medium-plus body, a bit evolved fruit, but tasty enough. Rating: 87(+?)
Marcarini Barolo Brunate 2003
Not a successful vintage for this bottling. A bit orange coloured (even more so than usually, that is). Medium weight, a bit dry and orangey, tasty enough but lacks depth. Medium-plus length. Rating: 86+?
Cascina Luisin Barbaresco Rabajà 2003
Some blackcurranty berry flavour, a bit roasted in this vintage, coffee. Fair enough body, medium length at best. Rating: 87(+?)
Tommasi Amarone della Valpolicella Classico 2003
Fascinating to see what Tommasi can do in what appears to be a top vintage for Veneto – sorry, could not resist mild cynicsm. A bit sweet and superficial, and once again tastes as if slightly worn out by oak, despite being aged 3 years in large foudre only. Rating: 84+?
Tommasi Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Campo Ca' Florian 2003
Denser and more concentrated than the standard Amarone, also rather sweet, fresher currants, longer although hardly long enough. Aged three years in foudre plus six months in barrique, and yet, swallowing its oak better. Rating: 85+?
Castello di Ama Chianti Classico 2004
A bit lighter than expected. Somewhat sweet-tasting with an aspect of partial overripeness I have not encountered in any other 2004 Chianti so far. Medium complexity. Not bad, but slightly disappointing on the medium-short finish. Rating: 86+?
Castello di Ama Chianti Classico Bellavista 2004
The single-vineyard Chianti is a blend of 80% Sangiovese and 20% Malvasia Nera. More berry depth, racier and fresher acid backbone, more evenly ripe and with a more typical youthful touch of austerity, longer. Hyper-expensive for what it is, though. Rating: 89+?
Castello di Ama Merlot L'Apparita 2004
Sweeter, thicker, richer, smoother and a bit chocolatey – the expected Merlot opulence. Quite lovely fruit with a touch of green licorice stick and/or green oak. Even so, I could list a number of vintages of this bottling I preferred (the 1987 has never been surpassed in my humble opinion, but then, the style has been unnecessarily modernized since the mid-nineties anyhow). Rating: ~90
La Rampa di Fugnano Gisèle 2003
Well-balanced, early-harmonious medium-plus weight, not too complex and deep, medium length at best, but a nicely gastronomic Merlot that just happens to be too expensive for what it is. Rating: 87+/88?
Nardi Brunello di Montalcino Manachiara 2001
From 45-years-old vines. Nice combination of nutty oak and fruit (even if I would always prefer less oak), balanced, good body and length, medium-plus depth, still not a fruity style. But certainly one of the better vintages for Nardi in recent years, one with a little upwards potential. Rating: 88+?
La Massa Giorgio Primo 2004
The Chianti Classico AOC designation on this expensive so-called “cult wine” has been dropped, and the flyer states it is now a blend of 50% Sangiovese and 40% Merlot, with the rest Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot, aged 18 months in French barrique. Nice medium weight that may be a touch green and vegetal underneath, shows an eucalyptus not on the back end, medium-plus length. Modern wine-made-to-impress that might have its place in gastronomy at half the price. Rating: 87+/88(+?)
Silvia Imparato Montevetrano Colli di Salerno 2004
A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Aglianico. I sometimes why I still make the effort taste this every year. In some vintages the wine hints at underlying soil notes and real character that lead me to believe there would be potential to make something truly worthwhile here. The 2004 is again interesting if oaky, with nice mint and herb notes in roasted dark berry fruit. Cassis liqueur, butterscotch, marzipan, dark chocolate. In other words, it seems as if its maker tried too hard to make this taste like any costly modern wine and thus suppresses its true nature. Perhaps some bottle age will bring it out? Rating: 90(+?)
Roda Rioja Reserva Roda 2003
Nicely concentrated and old-viney, without being fruity, nice medium body, complexity and length, as well as potential complexity. Rating: 90(+?)
Roda Rioja Reserva Roda I 2003
Much fruitier than the standard Reserva. Well-structured and -balanced, smoother, really nice body and fruit. Shows potential for greater complexity with some bottle age. Rating: 91+/92
Roda Rioja Cirsion 2005
Seems to have closed down a bit since March, and I am not sure I liked it quite as well this time. Impenetrable colour. Nuttier with new oak today. Greater depth but cooler fruit than the two 2003s (or the 2003 Cirsion a couple of years ago). Good body. From a second bottle fruitier and more finesseful, with a livelier violet top note, but could still show more opulence and sweetness, as well as structure. While this is clearly shutting down already, I am not sure I would buy this to age (the whole point of the Cirsion bottling seems to be that it drinks well young) – that is, if it at all crossed my mind to buy this wine at this price. Rating: 92+?
Bodegas Estefania Tilenus Bierzo Crianza 2003
From 100-year old Mencia, if I remember correctly aged 12 months in French oak (that judging from the wine’s taste cannot possibly have been all new). Vinosity and character all of its own, Burgundian fruit, tree bark, milk chocolate, a medium weight with a good combination of ripeness and freshness, and fair length. Nice QPR. Rating: 88+?
Bodegas Estefania Tilenus Bierzo Pagos de Posada 2001
From 75-100 years old Mencia vines planted on slate. Aged in French oak, 70% or which new. This has come together nicely since last year. Good complexity and old-viney depth, nicely even ripeness. Racier tannin and longer finish than the 2003 Crianza. Tasty! A fraction lighter from a second bottle. Rating: ~90
Bodegas Estefania Tilenus Bierzo Pieros 2001
The discovery of the tasting! 100% Mencia. A fraction nuttier with oak, but there is more to back it up, greater concentration and body (not just in the more alcohol sense). Firmer old-viney grip, greater sweetness and persistence. Faint chocolate. A natural-tasting wine with character. Not cheap, though. Just as convincing from a second bottle. Rating: 92+/93+?
Leda Castilla y León Viñas Viejas 2003
100% Tempranillo. Aged 18 months in partly new, partly one-year-old oak, 95% of which French and 5% American. Slightly superripe and evolved in this vintage, less complexity and depth than in other vintages. Touch of nutty oak. Rating: 88-/~87?
Sangenís i Vaqué Priorato Clos Monlleó 2001
From a yield of 5 hl/ha, 800 cases made. Grenachy, a bit soapy with superripeness, warming alcohol, and yet, a spicy medium weight in every other regard, of at best medium length. A little slate minerality underneath. Rating: 88(+?)
Dits del Terra Priorato 2004
Biodynamic old vine blend of Garnacha and Cariñena. Lightly oxidative but tasty fruit, some spices and chocolate, a bit hot with alcohol, medium length at best. Victor seems to like Eben Sadie’s Priorato rather well – I seem to have a stylistic problem with it (the 2001 remains the best I have so far sampled). Rating: 88(+?)
Greetings from Switzerland, David.
_________________
„J'ai gâché vingt ans de mes plus belles années au billard. Si c'était à refaire, je recommencerais.“ – Roger Conti