ViiniExpo 2012

It was an odd ViiniExpo this year. I just briefly walked around the small hall and ended up spending the entire day at Viinitie's stand! Someone knows what they're doing. :)


Luigi Di Tuccio of Antica Enotria

Antica Enotria continues to please me. They are lovely, bright, unforced, refreshing wines. Apart from the ones I've previously posted on (Senzazolfo, Dieci Ottobre, Nero di Troia) his new releases of Primitivo and Negroamaro were both lovely. The Primitivo was notable for not being heavy, unstructured and soupy but actually being refreshing and drinkable despite obvious sunny sweetness. The Negroamaro was not black and bitter - well, it was, but only in the positive senses. It also had the most refreshing palate. It is amazing how graceful these wines are and how cool-climate they seem.



David Sampedro Gil


DSG's project in the Saar: an oak aged Riesling. But the toffeed aroma just didn't work with the grape IMO. DSG's Spanish wines were however really, really good. Originally from Rioja, he makes wines in various regions of Spain. The first I tried was a nice, dark toned but refreshing Bobal, La Malkerida 2010, from Utiel-Requena, really quite interesting for a grape usually gets only negative comments. Then I tried a rather complex Garnacha from Navarra, Pasolasmonjas 2007 which had a nice mix of sweet and savoury on the nose, the palate had lovely tannins and was refreshing and lively. A very positive experience - and this comes from one who has enormous trouble liking this grape!

I also tried a grape I had never heard of before, Rufete, in their wine El Cuento 2010 from Sierra de Salamanca. It had lovely apple and cherry aromas, seemed quite like Sumoll to me!

He had two Riojas to show, one Alta one Alavesa. The Londoño 2007 was the Alta, The Phincas DSG 2007 the Alavesa. Both were nice, neither was over-oaked, both had good structure, but my preference wasfor the Londoño because of its bright acidity compared to the more round character of the Phincas.

Marko Zanetti had some Venetos on show. First a Piccolo Pazzo 2009 which seemed like a Cab Franc with sunnier fruit. The I tried the Chateau Punk 2009(?) which is made from the authochthonous Marzemino grape. And what a great wine that was! Lovely cherry aromas, good bite and structure. I usually avoid wines with cutesy or provocative of pseudo-funny names, but I'm glad I tried this. I liked enough that I must find a bottle to drink with dinner some time as a hurried tasting like this is never the ideal way to try such grapes that I have no previous reference points with.

Hurlevent Heida 2010

2010 Les Fils de Charles Favre Hurlevent Heida - Switzerland, Valais, Sion
13,5% abv; 29€. Heida is the local name for Savagnin (or a closely related grape - apparently there is some reason to believe that it is not identical to Savagnin). A nutty, leesy aroma which is nice, but then it also has some not so nice aromas like banana and pear drops. Rich, slightly sweet and unctuous feel to the palate despite noticeable acidity. Quite underwhelming - especially for the price.

Hans Wirsching Iphöfer Kalb Silvaner Spätlese trocken 2010

Hans Wirsching Iphöfer Kalb Silvaner Spätlese trocken 2010 - 12,5% abv; c.20€; 5 g/l RS; 7 g/l acidity
This is a strange wine. It has very ripe aromas, almost tropical, yet somehow neutral (in this it follows the Alsace Sylvaner of Loew which I am more familiar with than Frankens). The surprise is the palate. It is massively concentrated. It has the fruit and weight of a hot year. But ultimately it is a Franken Frankenstein since it is a life-enforcing wine so electric that galvanism happens in my mouth's muscles. Rarely have I had such concentration and such raciness in a single wine.

Yet I am not entirely sure about the balance of the parts. I wonder if this is one of the de-acidified wines of the vintage? And one where the de-acidification didn't quite work as wanted? But anyhow, it's close enough, and it certainly kept my attention and interest through half a bottle.

Concha y Toro Chardonnay "Amelia" 2010

Concha y Toro Chardonnay "Amelia" 2010 - Chile, Casablanca Valley; 14,5% abv; 35€

Grange des Pères 2007

Grange des Pères 2007
According to my notes I have only ever tried the 1995 of this before. I remember liking that very much in 2008. But I was a bit surprised to like the 2007 also despite it having much less bottle age and despite it being a hot year (or at least having some obvious hot year character).

Quite dark fruit and very sweet with a slight dried fig aroma - it seems the fruit was a bit over-ripe. Yet oddly, that doesn't bother me so much this time since it has a lovely freshness and slight animal character in addition to that slight over-ripeness. Rich, sweet and sunny palate, but once again there is enough structure and freshness to make all the sweetness and ripeness perfectly palatable and moreish. The 20-30% new oak (a quick search on the Internet gives varying results; anyone know how much new oak they use?) is surprisingly well hidden even in such a young wine.

Needs age. In 2008 I still felt that the 1995 could ideally use more age, too. So when should one start opening these?

Nice wine, but not nice enough for me to buy one for myself. Perhaps I might like it enough in a cooler year to actually purchase some? This certainly caught my interest and I won't pass this by if it again comes by in a tasting.

Hewitson Mad Hatter Shiraz 2009

Hewitson Shiraz The Mad Hatter 2009
34,90€; 14% abv. For a wine that spends 22 months in new French oak this shows remarkable freshness. Lingonberry jam and mulberry aromas; some tar; much oak though not as much as I expected from such a long ageing in new wood. Thick wine, and despite having more fresh fruit than jam flavors and high acidity, it still seems a bit cloying. I am not a fan though it is a slightly more elegant style than the usual South Australians we see here.

Two Fourrier 2009s

Domaine Fourrier Gevrey-Chambertin Vieille Vigne 2009
13% abv. I am so glad I was persuaded to open this since it turned out to be one of the most satisfying experiences I have had with young Burgundy. Lovely cherry aromas, pure Pinosity of a freshness and crunch that I only expect in cooler years. Bright, racy, elegant, moreish. It was quite reductive at first and really required a couple hours open, but once it had had enough air this was outstandingly pure and invigorating, palate-cleansing and refreshing. Lovely.

Domaine Fourrier Morey St. Denis Clos Solon Vieille Vigne 2009
Compared to the GC VV '09 this seems both a bit more rustic in style and more typical of what I expected of a ripe vintage. This has obvious and pure Pinosity, too, but it is of a darker fruit character; this has nice, racy structure but the wine is in a more fruit dominated, rounder style. It is refreshing and moreish but unlike the GC VV it obviously does come from a warm year. So, yes, it is a nice wine and I am happy to have one more bottle for the future, though I did prefer the Gevrey-Chambertin now.