I thought I had three 99 Brunellos in the cellar so decided to put together a mini-horizontal. I couldn’t find one of them, so put a 99 Tignanello in its place. As usual, we began with a dry white and ended with a dessert wine, accompanied by different cheeses, bread, and salad. Both whites were from Planeta, a high profile Sicilian winery whose reds haven’t impressed me, but whose whites I like a lot.
2005 Planeta Chardonnay Sicilia 14%
Brilliant gold. Honey, vanilla and peach nose, reminiscent of dessert wines minus the botrytis. Tangy, good mouth-feel, nice minerality. Powerful and full of fruit, but not at the expense of acidity. Mt. Etna erupting somewhere between Burgundy and Napa. On second thought, this may contain some botrytized grapes, like Thévenet’s Mâcons and Maréchal whites.
1999 Argiano Brunello di Montalcino 14%
Ruby red with brownish edges. Lovely nose of leather, cedar, cloves, resin and eucalyptus. Delicious mouth feel, perfect acid/fruit balance, well-integrated and hedonistic. May last several years longer, but has already reached cruising altitude.
1999 Castelgiocondo Brunello di Montalcino 14%
Slightly darker ruby red with brownish edges. Barnyard, plum and dishrag nose. Astringent mouth-feel, tannins still very hard and unfriendly. Aristocratic and aloof, this strikes me as … harsh… hostile… austere. Has a ways to go before reaching optimum drinkability, if it ever does. People around the table admired it more than I did.
1999 Antinori Tignanello Toscana 13.5%
Very dark ruby red. Beautiful nose, with barnyard, leather and cherry. Wonderful mouth feel, bracing acidity, rich, complex, satisfying on every level, both sensual and intellectual.
2005 Planeta Moscato di Noto Sicilia 12.5%
Deep golden color. Lovely apricot and botrytis nose, with floral notes and a whiff of nail polish and glue. Excellent acidity. In contrast to the beautiful melancholy of Sauternes, this is a cheerful dessert wine, Mediterranean.