The name of a trade tasting held by Il Caratello at Hotel Dolder in Zurich on the 7th of September, which I attended with Oliver and Remo. Wines not presented in the order we tasted them, but as they appear in the flyer. There would have been hundreds of wines on show, but as one can see, we did not even come close to tasting them all.
Aldo Conterno Nebbiolo Langhe Il Favot 2005
A bit rubbery (Remo concurred!), relatively lean in this vintage, nice cut and some fruit, though. Expensive for what it is. Rating: 86+/87?
Aldo Conterno Barolo 2004
“Beginning with the 2004 vintage, this wine includes fruit from 15-year-old vines in Colonnello, a vineyard with sandier soils that lies on the border with Barolo. In the past this fruit was used for the Langhe Favot but now it makes up about 30% of the blend for the Barolo.” A bit nutty-meaty, barely medium weight or complexity. Shows early harmony, but is too light and far from serious enough for the money. Rating: ~87(+?)
Aldo Conterno Barolo Vigna Colonnello 2004
Integrated nuts, round, soft, some roasted/dried meat, medium-plus body and complexity, harmonious, fairly warming and long, a pleasing wine, and as such a typical exponent of the vintage (in my experience, early harmony does not preclude wine from aging, on the contrary, but the 2004s can be deceptive in this regard, as some, not this one, are indeed a bit light). Rating: 88+
Aldo Conterno Barolo Romirasco 2004
First Romirasco since 1993 – there will be no Riserva Granbussia in 2004, as the Cicala vineyard was damaged by hail (usually, the fruit from the 50- to 55-years-old Romirasco wines make up 70% of each Granbussia vintage). Balanced, lightly meaty-fruity, and fairly subtle, finesseful and complex, medium-plus body. Soft but nice terroir expression, of greater inherent interest than that of the Colonnello (at least in this vintage). Another pleasing, early-harmonious 2004, one of the (relative) standouts of the tasting. Rating: 91(+?)
Paitin di Pasquero Elia Barbaresco Sorì Paitin 2004
Toasty coconut, fairly thick chocolate and blackcurrant, brandy-like finish, slightly coarse tannin, medium complexity and length. The kind of modern-styled wine I routinely seem to find more questionable than others, or I should say, the kind of wine where the apparent (per se indisputable) quality of the product and my personal stylistic preference diverge, not to say clash. Must admit I liked this a fraction better at release though, so maybe there is (relatively speaking!) hope? Rating: 87+/88?
Paitin di Pasquero Elia Barbaresco Sorì Paitin Vecchie Vigne 2004
On to a wine paradox: the old vine version (“from a massale selection planted in 1953 on soil rich in limestone”) is extremely coconutty-toasty with oak, yet riper and bigger, stylistically atrocious, and yet, underneath lies a clearly better balanced, evenly ripe, more serious, old-vinier, longer, smoother and potentially complex wine with better alcohol integration and finely-grained tannin. Nicer nuttiness to the fruit, too. While I would not care to try and find out, this should at least age into something. Rating: 88+?
Vietti Barbera D’Asti Superiore Nizza La Crena 2005
From vines planted in 1932 and 1935. Sweet, grapey and intense, oaky, some asphalt and charcoal, lightly tannic. Costly Barbera. Rating: ~89
Vietti Barbaresco Masseria 2005
A bit oaky, chocolatey for Vietti, a bit lean, spice box, dusty tannin. Expensive for what it is. Rating: 88+/89?
Vietti Barolo Castiglione 2004
Nutty, early-harmonious medium weight, not too deep or complex but lightly floral fruit, medium length. Integrates its alcohol well enough (but then I wonder why I thought it necessary to note this down). Note both Oliver and Remo find the quality/price ratio here attractive enough to have bought some. Rating: 88
Vietti Barolo Brunate di La Morra 2004
Integrated oak. Balanced, good complexity, much longer and more finesseful. Walnut black tea-like tannin. Dried orange acidity. Nice, but too expensive for what it is even so. Rating: 90+/91
Vietti Barolo Lazzarito 2004
Meatier, perhaps bigger, sweeter and more floral, but really oakier than the Brunate, less long and much less subtle. Similarly tannic, yet riper tannin, with less cut and depth. Rating: 89+?
Vietti Barolo Riserva Villero 1989
Was this even labelled Riserva? I forget. Mario Cordero Vietti was so kind (it no doubt helped our Piedmont omnipresence Oliver was with us, to whom he meant to prove that the wine had improved with airing since the evening before when a mini-vertical of all Villero Riserva vintages thus far was held) as to pull this double magnum out from under his booth’s desk and pour samples. This glass of mature Barolo alone would have been worth the drive, even if the 1996 Villero Riserva remains my favourite of the bottling (Oliver agrees). Double-decanted maybe 18 hours earlier. Amber hue to still quite glossy (healthy) garnet-red with an orange rim. Complex nuts and white Alba truffle, faintly sweaty sweetness, a tiny brett component that “helps” (Oliver informed me Mario Cordero Vietti would hate anyone to notice such a “flaw”), medium complexity, nicely sweet and dry and a bit citrusy, medium body and length. No “better” than the Rocche from the same vintage, but delicious. Rating: ~90-
Fontodi Chianti Classico 2005
Quite good material here for a 2005, albeit still leaner than ideal, dusty-tannic. Rating: 86+/87?
Fontodi Chianti Classico Riserva Vigna del Sorbo 2004
Too “made”, as Oliver says, internationalized, but this should age well (in my experience a wine one tends to underrate for stylistic reasons, but the fact that it tends to be so polished does not seem to hurt much at least in top vintages – whether one “needs” this is another matter; I personally prefer Felsina’s RANCIA, in comparison to which this always feels like a purposely designed rival product). Ripe, alluring, some florality, berries, chocolate, some depth, good body, candied tannins. Rating: 88+
Fontodi Flaccianello della Pieve 2005
Nice minerality, fair enough depth, some berry notes, some finesse, good body and length. Obviously not a great vintage, but a solid effort as usual. Rating: 88+/89
Castello dei Rampolla Chianti Classico 2005
“Disharmonious, dry and over-oaked”, Oliver says. A weird wine, at least partly overripe (made of grape material of uneven ripeness?), displays a Rhônish sewage note, too. Rating: 82+/83?
Castello dei Rampolla Sammarco 2004
A blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot and 5% Sangiovese. Another in a zillion wines I had forgotten I had it before, rated exactly the same as last time anyhow, and am virtually guaranteed to forget again. Castello de Rampolla’s tend to be nicely natural-tasting wines, but they rarely seem to keep one’s attention for long. Already contains so much sediment it needs decanting. Quite complex and perfumed, nice body, concentrated enough, fair enough length. Rating: 88+?
Castello dei Rampolla Sammarco 2000
Good gracious, there are still stocks of the 2000 left?! This used to be quite tasty for a while, but should really have been drunk up by now. Lean, autumnal leaves and tobacco ash (cold ashtray), the fruit is drying out already, some sewage. Ratings: 84-/83
Castello dei Rampolla Vigna d'Alceo 2004
Blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Petit Verdot. A bit closed at present, candied and dry blackcurrant, lightly jammy black cherry, but a firm wine with quite good body and length. Rating: 89+/90
Le Macchiole Bolgheri Rosso 2006
A blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Nutty-oaky, especially also on the finish, minor CF leafiness, medium body, ends abrupt and short. Rating: 84
Le Macchiole Bolgheri Rosso Superiore Paleo 2005
The Cabernet Franc. Yet oakier than the 2006 ROSSO, but fuller-flavoured and more complex. Lacks the stuffing/substance to balance its oak. Cinzia Merli claims this is similar to the 1999 (I beg to differ). Rating: 85(+?)
Le Macchiole Scrio 2005
The Syrah. Less weird (but also less exotic in the positive sense) than in some vintages, not quite gaunt, some dried herbs, fair enough for the vintage, I guess. Hugely expensive for what it is, of course. Rating: 87+/88
Le Macchiole Messorio 2005
The Merlot, for once, was rather less convincing than the Syrah, if only because a cool character Syrah is more acceptable than a chilly Merlot. More grip, tighter tannin, an underlying metal note, lean, lacks the raw materials, plushness and “candiedness” one expects from this cuvée, medium length at best. Tempting to say not bad for the vintage, but in this price category, a wine so devoid of inspiration seems to me a unmarketable commodity. Rating: 87+/88?
Il Borro Pian di Nova 2005
A blend of Syrah and Sangiovese. Medium-plus ripeness, displays some disintegrated alcohol, not over the top but a bit loose. Still, a nice little gastronomy wine. Rating: ~85
Il Borro Polissena 2005
Sangiovese. Meatier than the Pian di Nova if also slightly lean. Touch of tobacco leaf. Rating: ~85
Il Borro Il Borro 2005
A blend of 50% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Syrah and 5% Petit Verdot, aged 18 months in French oak. Quite sweet and round, an unusually well-balanced 2005, crystallized and lightly jammy berry fruit, medium-plus body, well-integrated alcohol, finely-grained tannin. Faintest nuttiness. An uncomplicated, tasty, virtually ideal gastronomy type of wine. Rating: ~89
Greetings from Switzerland, David.
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„J'ai gâché vingt ans de mes plus belles années au billard. Si c'était à refaire, je recommencerais.“ – Roger Conti