Deep red, slight purple.
Vinturi - extremely attractive nose - toasted coconut, spicy black fruit, grilled meat, ground pepper. FK.
Round and mouth-filling, with a slight edge of acid-driven tannin. Huge mid-palate material/"plushness". Shows a bit of additional veg/custard complexity. Monasterio is almost always more complete than Sisseck's "Flor". Advantage of a blend, folks. Drink over the next 6-7 years.
$28 on release. Tempranillo and Cabernet/Merlot, maybe CF too.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Sportoletti "Villa Fidelia" Rosso, Umbria 1999
Saturated purple/red.
Vinturi - moderate intensity, low-toned nose - toast, deep, spicy black fruit (fig, date, black raspberry coulis).
Suave, mouth-filling. Just enough vitality. Deep and rich with building acid/tannin synergy that does not shut down the mouth. PFG and likely to drink well for many more years.
$50 on release? Merlot and Cabernet? Can't remember.
Vinturi - moderate intensity, low-toned nose - toast, deep, spicy black fruit (fig, date, black raspberry coulis).
Suave, mouth-filling. Just enough vitality. Deep and rich with building acid/tannin synergy that does not shut down the mouth. PFG and likely to drink well for many more years.
$50 on release? Merlot and Cabernet? Can't remember.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Sine Qua Non "Raven #9" California Grenache 2006
Saturated red/purple.
Vinturi - savory oak/meat spice, dried fig, strawberry/raspberry, sumptuous nose.
Round and completely mouth-filling, with an unobtrusive, periphery of the mouth, acid-driven structure. Strawberry is the surprising fruit character here, subtle. I really didn't think much of this initially, but it wears well with time in the glass. Still, I can think of many wines from Spain and France that I'd rather drink for their density/blood, sweat and tears. Which is why I love Pax, for instance. Nothing poof-ball about those wines, love them or not.
$95
Vinturi - savory oak/meat spice, dried fig, strawberry/raspberry, sumptuous nose.
Round and completely mouth-filling, with an unobtrusive, periphery of the mouth, acid-driven structure. Strawberry is the surprising fruit character here, subtle. I really didn't think much of this initially, but it wears well with time in the glass. Still, I can think of many wines from Spain and France that I'd rather drink for their density/blood, sweat and tears. Which is why I love Pax, for instance. Nothing poof-ball about those wines, love them or not.
$95
Mogador 2005 Priorat (Spain)
Saturated purple.
Vinturi - saucy nose shows meat drippings, raspberry/blackberry coulis, earth and a hint of oak spice. Exceptional integration of what I'd assume is close to 100% new oak.
Round and mouth-filling, with a slight textural sweetness that is immediately tempered by a strong edge of acidity. Beautifully rendered and built for the long haul. The initial textural tension plays out through the finish. This needs at least another 5 years in the bottle.
$60
Vinturi - saucy nose shows meat drippings, raspberry/blackberry coulis, earth and a hint of oak spice. Exceptional integration of what I'd assume is close to 100% new oak.
Round and mouth-filling, with a slight textural sweetness that is immediately tempered by a strong edge of acidity. Beautifully rendered and built for the long haul. The initial textural tension plays out through the finish. This needs at least another 5 years in the bottle.
$60
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Copain "Callioux & Coccinelle" Syrah, Walla Walla 2004
Purple/red.
Vinturi - nose shows many similarities to the Pax, but finer/more nuanced. Bridges the Pax/T-L gap. Shows a bit of jalapeno.
Much brighter in the mouth than Pax, with a corresponding lack of that wine's depth. A great comparison, which adds another log, so to speak, to my "zero sum game" bonfire. But make no mistake, both of these wines are killer in their own way. Long finish dominated by stem contribution and orange zest flavors.
$45
Vinturi - nose shows many similarities to the Pax, but finer/more nuanced. Bridges the Pax/T-L gap. Shows a bit of jalapeno.
Much brighter in the mouth than Pax, with a corresponding lack of that wine's depth. A great comparison, which adds another log, so to speak, to my "zero sum game" bonfire. But make no mistake, both of these wines are killer in their own way. Long finish dominated by stem contribution and orange zest flavors.
$45
Pax "Griffin's Lair" Syrah 2004 (Sonoma Coast)
Opaque purple, slightly dull.
Vinturi - the usual crazy, primordial, nose - menthol/iodine, grilled meat, spicy fig, raspberry coulis, earth.
Round, mouth-filling and grainy. Not yet showing much fruit character in the mouth, but deep and loaded. No fat, no heat. Menthol/iodine flavor just keeps kicking. Stuck in the mouth. Chewy/grainy .
$45
Vinturi - the usual crazy, primordial, nose - menthol/iodine, grilled meat, spicy fig, raspberry coulis, earth.
Round, mouth-filling and grainy. Not yet showing much fruit character in the mouth, but deep and loaded. No fat, no heat. Menthol/iodine flavor just keeps kicking. Stuck in the mouth. Chewy/grainy .
$45
Tardieu-Laurent, Crozes-Hermitage "Vieilles Vignes" 2003
Deep purple/red.
Vinturi - toasty oak, breakfast sausage, wilted herb, black fruit, spicy fig nose. Oak integrates very nicely with air.
Intense middle-weight in the mouth, with strong acidity (particularly for the vintage) driving flavors that mirror the nose. Nice mid-palate flesh, which many '03 northern Rhones lack. Finishes firmly tannic, with smoked meat and wilted herb flavors echoing. Very cool action.
$30
Vinturi - toasty oak, breakfast sausage, wilted herb, black fruit, spicy fig nose. Oak integrates very nicely with air.
Intense middle-weight in the mouth, with strong acidity (particularly for the vintage) driving flavors that mirror the nose. Nice mid-palate flesh, which many '03 northern Rhones lack. Finishes firmly tannic, with smoked meat and wilted herb flavors echoing. Very cool action.
$30
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