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WTN: Two Reds for the Holiday

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Dave Moritz

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WTN: Two Reds for the Holiday

by Dave Moritz » Mon Apr 24, 2006 12:42 am

Greetings All:
I promised myself that I'd stop lurking and start posting here, so this evening is as good a time as any. I've gained much benefit from all of your posts on this site over the last few years; thus it's payback time!

TN: 1999 Stag's Leap Cabernet Sauvignon - Napa Valley $38 and 2001 Secco Bertani Valpolicella Ripassa $13.

Minimal nose, with a slightly nutty aroma. Very sweet cedar and full dark fruits on the palate. Completely resolved tannins, and moderate length to the finish. Ready to drink now. So which wine am I describing? Both of them!

My brother and I had opened these about a half hour before dinner in a house full of people. He tried the Cab first while I went for the Valpolicella. After he took a sip out of my glass, he exclaimed that I too had mistakenly poured the Cab into my glass rather than the Val. Not so!

Truth be told, we were quite surprised to find that both wines were identical in flavor in this setting. I suppose that if we'd had some quiet time to compare these more carefully, we'd have been able to parse out a difference or two. Perhaps more air time would have been useful also. This was for me a slight disappointment as I enjoy regional differences in wine. Converesly, my brother was thrilled with them both given his preference for a modern, international style.
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wrcstl

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Re: Two Reds for the Holiday

by wrcstl » Mon Apr 24, 2006 2:57 pm

Seems weird that these would be that similar but look on the bright side, you can buy 3 bottles of the Italian vs one of the domestic and get the same enjoyment.
Walt
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Robin Garr

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Re: Two Reds for the Holiday

by Robin Garr » Mon Apr 24, 2006 5:45 pm

Dave Moritz wrote:I promised myself that I'd stop lurking and start posting here, so this evening is as good a time as any.


Dave, welcome from lurkdom! It's always a pleasure to welcome another reveler into active status, and I'm glad you spoke up.

Intriguing TN, too. Like Walt, I'm surprised, but my instinctive, somewhat cynical guess is that in an age of increasing "internationalization" (or dare we say "Parkerization"?) of wines, it's less surprising than it used to be to see an Italian, French or Spanish red in a fruit-forward, oaked, blockbuster style. I tend to visualize this style as being more akin to a Barossa Shiraz (or Santa Barbara Pinot) than a CalCab, but I'm not all that shocked by the possibility. ;-)
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Dave Moritz

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Re: Two Reds for the Holiday

by Dave Moritz » Tue Apr 25, 2006 11:56 pm

Walt:
Yes, it does seem wierd, and your mathematical reasoning is airtight! My brother and I are not inexerienced tasters, so it really blew us away.
Thanks!
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Dave Moritz

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Re: Two Reds for the Holiday

by Dave Moritz » Wed Apr 26, 2006 12:00 am

Robin:
Thanks for the welcome! Indeed internationalization might be what's up.
Dave...

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