Casina di Cornia - L'Amaranto 2000 - IGT Toscana. 14% Alc.
This small winery is located in Castellina in Chianti near Siena. It's owned by a swiss couple. I think its mostly Cabernet with a little Sangiovese.
I bought this at Total Wine for 13 bucks the other day. Strange thing is I bought it two years ago at another place for 22 bucks. I'm quite sure there was a mistake in the price or some other logical reason for this. What I thought was maybe this wine had suffered heat or was flawed and therefore marked down, so I approached it with due trepidation.
In fact I was quite impressed (maybe because I expected something terrible). The color is dark and luminous and yes, the nose gives very little (dried fruits and apricot, I detect no wood), but at least it doesn't give an overwhelming aroma of toasted oak, you know what I mean. It doesn't scream "look at me!" It probably reflects the old swiss couple that bought the property, humble. I can imagine them sitting side by side in a small swiss chalet in peaceful silence.
In the mouth the wine is medium to full bodied but has this same restraint. The flavor/fruit is subdued and not at all annoying. The tannic finish complements my marinated steak. This wine could be in a "dumb" phase although I really did appreciate its restraint compared to the next two wines. Hell, a Supertuscan for 13 bucks? I'll go back and buy a couple and see how it ages. By the way, this had a silicone cork which is interesting. Saw it on the web for 27-30 bucks. My rating: B+
Leidersburg - Cabernet Sauvignon Vintner's Reserve 2001 - South Africa, Wine of Origin Coastal Region. 14.5% Alc. 34 bucks.
Totally different beast here. The nose is tobacco. Cigar. It wafts up quite strongly. Its a dark smell, not a bright happy one. The mouth has solid fruit with a bit of that "new world" overripe flavor at the end. Overall its a good, interesting package.
My Rating: B+
Kirkland Ranch - Cabernet Sauvignon 2001 - Napa Valley. 13.8% Alc.25 bucks
Yet another completely different cabernet. The nose is a bouncy cheerleader with lots of peanutty oak: however, I think the bottle age has softned the annoyingness and I don't mind it, it has a softness to it. It has even acquired a little bit of complexity. In the mouth it is a graceful, pleasant wine lacking the annoying overripe fruit factor. There is California fruit and oak but it doesn't overwhelm. The finish is balanced and soave with a touch of tannin.
My rating: B+
Favorite wine of the three? I can't really pick a favorite, they were all so different. They were all good but none of them made me fall in love with them.
Happy imbibing,
Agostino