Tried these two reds at DinDin last night w/ Susan:
1. LaSalita VinoRosso (13%; GiulianaImprts/Boulder; L65-21; 40% Nebbiolo/38% Barbera/22% Dolcetto) Bttld by CN2786 NV: Med.dark color; very strong classic Piemonte Barbera/spicy/Italian herbs light toasty/oak bit rustic nose; very tart/tangy/acidic hard/lean strong Barbera/spicy/Italian dried herbs somewhat rich flavor w/ some hard/tangy tannins; very long very tart/acidic strong Barbera/Italian herbs/spicy bit earthy slight toasty/oak finish w/ some hard tannins; a rather lean/hard/angular not particularly attractive Barbera that shows little Nebb perfume; maybe age will help but this is a rugged/unforgiving Barbera that's no fun to drink. $18.00 (SFW&S)
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2. Garage Horseshoes & Hand Grenades Vins de Oregogne MaisonNoir Wines (13.7%; www.MaisonNoirWines.com; Southern OR Syrah + some RedMtn CS/Merlot) Dundee/OR NV: Dark color w/ lots of small bubbles that dissipate; strong blackberry/Syrah/plummy/licorice/very ripe light earthy/peppery attractive nose; soft rich/lush strong blackberry/Syrah/plummy/chocolaty slight earthy bit blackcurranty rather soft/fat/porky flavor w/ light very soft tannins; med.long quite soft/rich/lush strong blackberry/Syrah/chocolaty/very ripe slight peppery finish w/ light soft tannins; reminds some of the CharlesSmith Boom-Boom Syrah but not nearly as interesting; a big/fat/soft/porky/soupy expression of Syrah that's pretty tiring on the palate. $19.00 (KK)
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A wee BloodyPulpit:
1. LaSalita is a negociant label created by Giuliana Imprts. I was attracted to try it because it was a relatively inexpensive wine for Giuliana. Shouldn't have bothered.
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2. MaisonNoir: A wnry founded in 2007 by André Hueston Mack, a Somm out of NYC. The various labels are black on white in much the same garish style as the CharlesSmith labels. The label refers, of course, that close only counts in Horseshoes & Hand Grenades. The wine is utterly boring.
Tom