Blind Barberas and other Italians

Last night a friend organised a single blind tasting of Barberas with some ringers inserted. He likes a much more modern style than I do, but I love Barbera so I had to go see if any would suit me. Sadly, for my tastes, this turned out to be a rather disappointing tasting.



Cantina Terlano Lagrein Porphyr Riserva 2002 Trentino - Alto-Adige

Dark, almost black colour. The nose is rather stern and austere and muscular despite the sweet dark fruit and new oak/blueberry aromas. Inky and cedary. Tannic but tangy, lively and not as obviously oaky as the nose - and therefore one of the rare wines where I find the palate more interesting than the nose! A rather too modern style for my preferences.

Poderi Aldo Conterno Langhe Nebbiolo Il Favot 1998 Piemonte

A lighter red colour. I found a toffeed sweetness and oakyness/chocolateyness on the nose; very fleshy and voluptious nose - a vinous Rubens. The palate shows genuine Nebbiolo character: a rusty, red fruit, quite tannic but the tannins are soft, but the fruit is rather plump for the grape so I was thinking it was a 2000. Apart from the oak scents, this was pleasant.

Allegrini La Grola Veronese IGT 1999 Veneto

Very dark. The nose is very expressive - obvious even - and confected in its sweetness and jammyness yet with a curious piercing lift to it: ribena and rhubarb jam. The palate was soft, jammy, but with a little bit of liveliness so despite all the sweetness it wasn't cloying. I thought this was a Chilean Cabernet! Even when revealed I didn't find much Venetian character in it. Balanced in its strange way, but not a wine to my taste.

Agricola Punica Barrua Isola dei Nuraghi IGT 2004 Sardinia

Very dark. The nose is savoury despite all the new oak aromas. Lifted, inky but with delectable vegetal and tobacco scents. Sweet, juicy, tight and it feels like the components are a bit crammed up - too extracted or just a bit closed? Despite some attractive elements, this was just too much in the "international/modern" style for me to enjoy.

Elio Altare L'Insieme Vino da Tavola 2001 Piemonte

Jammy, oaky, inky and with some banana-like esteryness. The soft and sweet fruit lacked liveliness and it was extracted, harsh and quite unbalanced. I didn't enjoy this at all.

La Spinetta (Rivetti) Monferrato Pin 1998 Piemonte

The nose was quite tight and ungiving with the rusty Nebbiolo notes clashing with the oak aromas. The palate is sweet and surprisingly soft for a blend with a significant proportion of Nebbiolo. Quite simple and not quite balanced.

Vietti Barbera d'Alba Vigna Vecchia Scarrone 2000 Piemonte

Sweet, chocolatey oak, blueberry, lacking the tanginess I hope to see in Barbera. Has some vivaciousness on the palate but the sweet oak tries hard to smother that. Earlier on in my wine-life I quite enjoyed this wine, but now I found it too "modern".

La Spinetta (Rivetti) Barbera d'Asti Superiore (Bionzo) 2001 Piemonte

Lots of new oak, some cassis and nuttiness but savoury and lifted. Oaky, pleasant acidity, extracted - a Cabernet ringer in a Barbera tasting?

Hastae Barbera d'Asti Quorum 1999 Piemonte

Lots of sweet oak, voluptious but lively and herbal with a delectable tobacco note and a mix of dark and red berries. Oaky but pleasantly tangy and refreshing despite all the sweet fruit; soft tannins. Drinking well now, but no hurry. Of the modern Barberas tonight, this was the only one which single blind showed true Barbera character - not even the over-done make-up managed to mask that.

Braida (Giacomo Bologna) Barbera d'Asti Ai Suma 2001 Piemonte

Sweet and toffeed nose of new barrique, some banana-esteryness, so international in style that it could be any grape from anywhere. Sweet, soft, unsavoury, unvibrant and very anonymous.

Alliet, Schneider, Coche-Dury, L'Evangile, Pedesclaux, Texier, La Tour Blanche

Martti arranged an impromptu dinner tonight and kindly asked me to join. He made a wonderful dinner of chicken in onions and false morels which was a sublime pairing with the Coche-Dury.

Philippe Alliet Chinon Coteau de Noiré 2002

Cassis, leafy, dark yet refreshingly greenish fruit, some oak also. Quite full bodied, a bit hard and ungiving, but with charming juicy and refreshing fruit. Very nice despite the oak tones. Served blind I thought it was St-Estephe.

Schneider Vineyards Cabernet Franc 1998 New York, Long Island, North Fork

A nose of toffee, oak, sweetness, vague and frankly a bit anonymous - even when revealed I had trouble finding the Cabernet Franc character in it. Juicy but light on its feet. Short. Not bad, but not exciting either.

Coche-Dury Meursault 1er Cru Caillerets 2000

Very oaky and bacony on the nose, buttery, but some pleasant citrussy aromas also come forward. Plump, buttery, very full bodied palate, clean acidity, not as obviously oaky as the nose and even shows some mineral notes. Very long and lively aftertaste. Impressive, but too oaky now.

Château L'Evangile 1960

Apparently this is was a horrible vintage. But this wine was lovely. Perfect level, perfect cork; the colour was still very dark. This is fully mature, but still shows a clear Pomerol character in its dark and plummy fruit, wet clay and cigar aromas. Still has plummy fruit, but the aftertaste is a bit short and lacks the charm that the rest of the wine has. It is quite a masculine wine and not at all as frail as expected. A wonderful treat!

Château Pedesclaux 2004

Very oaky, chocolatey on the nose, quite a modern style of Left Bank. Lighter palate than expected from the nose, with some brightness and refreshing structure. Still, not really my thing.

Éric Texier Roussanne Côtes du Rhône-Brézème 2006

A truly charming wine that smells of apples and oolong tea: sweet but savoury and mineral. The palate has the richness typical of Rhône whites, but has none of the excess weight so many of them have. Refreshing despite the oily texture. Mineral and long.

Château La Tour Blanche 2003

A heavy, full on style of Sauternes, lots of botrytis, oak, not much elegance but rather over the top youthful exuberance. Well structured but very, very sweet, surprisingly refreshing for the year. I thought this similar to the Rieussec in style.

Bründlmayer, S.A. Prüm, Prinz von Hessen, Giuliani, Ferreira

Bründlmayer Sekt Brut Rosé NV

12%; 26,20€; Pinot Noir, Zweigelt, St. Laurent. Pale, salmon pink. Elegantly vegetal and earthy, but vibrantly fruity and floral nose; a rocky stream; a piercing and sweetish note of tangerine, also. Fine mousse. Ripe red toned fruit, quite a bit of Pinosity, good grip, moderate but refreshing enough acidity; long and mineral aftertaste. Very lovable.

S.A. Prüm Riesling Solitär 2006 (9,10€; 11,5% abv) is correct Mosel Riesling aromas; quite light bodied, refreshing, slightly mineral, quite dry but not tart - a rare Mosel Trocken that works for me. Simple but still a very decent drop for the price.

Prinz von Hessen Winkeler Hasensprung Riesling Erstes Gewächs 2005 (c.27€; 13,5% abv - not such a wimpy wine afterall!)

Light gold. This has lovely and pure but ripe Riesling aromas and minerality. It seems very primary and has the none of the harsh aromas of so many Trockens. The palate is weighty (13,5% abv!!!) but the alcohol gladly doesn't show, very ripe - it really doesn't need sugar this time!, and has a long and mineral aftertaste. I rarely get along with Trockens from MSR or Rheingau because they tend to be rather charmless and hard, but I did find this very enjoyable and charming.

Giuliani Gioia del Colle Primitivo Riserva 2000 is something my sister-in-law brought back from Italy. There are some hints of oak, but the aged, leafy but vibrant red fruit is to the fore. Tangy, red berries, lively but full fruit. A very interesting wine and I enjoyed it despite the oak notes.

Ferreira Vintage Port 1982 is still as charming a Port as I remember. Spicy, expressive, showing some mature elements but I still find the fruit vibrant. Not the most concentrated or complex Port, but still very sweet. Delectably cigarry. Needs quite a long decanting for the alcohol to integrate - this was best after about six hours. This may not be the most exciting VP around but it is charming and is drinking well. I'm happy to have one more bottle.

Vintage Ports from 1994

Tonight we had a tasting of 16 VPs from a year that is generally considered very special. I was quite impressed by most of these wines. All were tasted half-blind.

Dalva 1994 was a lighter, elegant style, quite mature already. The colour was the lightest of the bunch; the nose was more red toned in fruit than the others, it had a touch of VA, was spicy and even quite woody - reminding me of 10yo Tawny. Sweet, spicy but sadly rather hot on the finish. Very drinkable. I enjoyed this more than the other tasters because of its elegance.

Sandeman 1994 was my least favourite of the night. The nose had typical VP aromas of dark fruit, raisins, but also was lactic, sweaty and smelled like oatmeal! It was certainly unique in its aromas, but not perhaps what I look for in VP. The palate was better: soft style, plump and voluptious, soft structure, persistent yet simple. Even though it was my least favourite wine tonight, it still provides some pleasure.

Romariz 1994 was competent but a bit boring. There was absolutely nothing wrong with this wine: dark fruit, chocolate, raisins - it seems just what a young VP should be like. The palate was well structured, but the fruit and sugar made it easy to drink, it was a bit spicy.... but it just wasn't memorable. I am sure that without the stellar company this was in, it would have been a wonderful drink.

Ferreira 1994 was just wonderful. The nose was refreshing and plummy, lifted and refreshing and with a lovable floral/oolong tea perfume. The palate was well structured with a savoury, herbal/medicinal note giving a counterpoint to the sweetness. Ferreira's VPs rarely get much praise, but half-blind I really loved this one!

Croft 1994 was peachy, lifted and savoury, but was more sweeter and more earthy than the Ferreira. With air this became extremely chocolatey. The tannins were very attractive: noticable and plentiful but so ripe that they weren't a hinderance to current enjoyment. Quite weighty, dried fruit, long. Nice, but if I may be a little critical of what was a very enjoyable Port, I wouldn't mind a bit more savouryness/acidity or something so it would be a bit more refreshing.

Ramos Pinto 1994 was alongside the Ferreira, one of my favourites of the "lesser" ports. The nose was very aromatic/perfumed with peach kernel, rosewater, a touch of tobacco, dark fruit with redder high notes. The palate wasn't as complex, and was quite red berried - others thought it was short; I thought it was long and nicely acidic, savoury and earthy. But what I perceived as length wasn't the sort of fruit-forward power that length so often is understood as with VPs but rather a red toned, berried-ness like with some Burgundies I so much like (Montille).

Ramos Pinto Quinta da Ervamoira VP 1994 was very simple and strawberried on the nose; a bit unclean - the slightest touch of cork? Dense and sweet, but the aftertaste dropped off a cliff. It just doesn't seem right, but I can't get "corky" aromas out of it.

Fonseca 1994 got millions of points from all sorts of publications, but served blind it was good, but not life-changing. The nose at first was quite stern, strawberried but with some darker fruit tones playing the bass stem, some savoury tea & tobacco scents. Sweet, strong tannins, fair acid, complete but a bit hot. Very nice, but not special in this company.

Graham's 1994 was very sweet. It was dense, very sweet and strawberried, with some jammy notes (i.e. sweet ... got that already?) and some clay, too. The palate was very sweet, but bright and pure in its fruit, not quite as jammy as the nose promised, lots of soft tannins - despite all of that unctuous sweetness, this somehow stays together and is actually moreish! I like it very much.

Dow's 1994 was lifted and dark toned in fruit, mulberry, tar, blue flowers, but also some savoury notes of green tea and peach kernel. Sweet but savoury, very harmonious with no edges sticking out even though it is obviously very young, persistent and the aftertaste grows in the mouth. Lovely.

Quinta do Noval 1994 was a brutish wine that smelled more like a Barossa Shiraz minus the oak than Port! Tar, black fruit, mulberry, huge sweetness, chocolatey, blackpepper, coffee, lifted. The palate is less of a blockbuster, harmoniously tannic, very sweet but with some savoury elements. Nice but too much like a Barossa Shiraz for me to truly enjoy.

Quita do Noval Nacional 1994 was a totally different wine from the Noval: sweet, with a perfect mix of darker and redder fruit notes, slight savoury medicinal herbs, spice - very classic Port compared to the "new world" Noval. Dark fruit, well structured palate, very sweet but earthy also. Slightly too toffeed aftertaste - but this is just silliness getting caught up on such a minor note in an otherwise lovely wine. (Ref. Rachmaninov's comment when Hoffman (technically most perfect pianist ever?) made one mistake in a recital: "don't look for spots on the sun".)

Quinta do Vesuvio 1994 was perhaps my favourite of the evening - though in such a company it is hard to decide. Elegant but sweet, perfumed and floral like an oolong tea, both red and black fruit - the opposites come together in a perfect harmony. Tannic and youthful, but fruity and with just the right amount of sweetness, but it still stays refreshing and savoury and moreish. A very beautiful Port.

Skeffington 1994 was off - smelled like soy sauce.

Taylor's 1994 was also a bit off - smelled like soy sauce and strawberry jam. Not corked, but maybe cooked?

Warre's 1994 was another of my favourites with its dark toned yet lifted and peachy/savoury nose, powerful and masculine yet paradoxically elegant also. Sweet and dense yet light on its feet, structured yet irresistably drinkable despite its youthfulness, slightly herbal and savoury. A very complete young VP.

As a blind dessert we were given Samuel Adams Utopias which is supposed to be the world's strongest beer at 25%abv. Blind, I thought it might be a sherry or an Aussie fortified: very salty, chalky, flor-like nose; salty but slightly sweet palate, intense - very interesting stuff! I liked it.

With a dinner of shrimp and risotto I had a glasses of dry drinks for a change: *Adegas Valmiñor Davíla L100 2006 which is a 100% Loureiro from Rías Baixas. Very perfumed, pear and minerals, sea breeze. Dry but fruity, mineral, long and savoury. I like it. Very nice with the shrimp.

Krug 1990 was a heavy style of champagne, very complex, but I have to admit, it just isn't my style of fizz: ponderous, oaky, too much of everything. It quite overpowered the shrimp and risotto even though it didn't seem like a delicate dish.

Saison Dupont is a wonderful beer, very hoppy and refreshing, and this was perhaps the best combination with the dinner. Beers are horribly underrated on the table.

Boulard, Texier, Musar, Loring, de Monteillet

Last weekend Asko kindly hosted a dinner (some very nice sausages) since Wade was once again in Finland.

We had a pretty decent line-up:


Champagne Raymond Boulard Champagne Petraea XCVII-MMIII

I really like the Boulards Asko has served us. This was bright and focussed but very fruity; elegant mousse, persistent aftertaste. It's perfect in almost every way, but if I may split hairs, I would like a touch more minerality. But it is lovely. It is also very different from the other solera Champagne I have had (the Selosse, but I forgot the name) which smelled very "Sherry" like. Why doesn't this one?

Éric Texier Roussanne Côtes du Rhône-Brézème 2006

The nose is floral and almost like a good oolong tea. Full bodied, quite fat, and though low in acidity as most Rhône whites, it stays together thanks to tannins and vibrant minerality. I like it.

Château Musar 1979

Wade had kindly bid on some auction bottles of older Musars and all others looked pristine, but the '79 was iffy with a slightly pushed cork. The wine inside was perfectly drinkable, but paled alongside the '81. Obviously not stored well, but it still brought me enjoyment: the nose was classic Musar, vibrant red fruit, a bit leafy from age but still sweet. The palate was quite harsh and only worked with the spicy lamb sausage - but Oddly enough the lamb and this bad bottle of Musar is one of the best food matches I have had!

Château Musar 1981

This is a great bottle and when the previous would have been perfectly acceptable (though far from the legendary wine that the '79 supposedly is), this revealed all its flaws. Still youthful, bright and vibrant aromatics, sweet fruit, but also some aged aromatics. Very tannic for a Musar, but lively and young. This bottle needed about 10 years more age. But it is a lovely wine.

Éric Texier Châteauneuf-du-Pape Vieilles Vignes 2005

Very closed even though we decanted for several hours. It started opening up late in the evening and showed a spicy but unoaked, dark fruit character, ripe but elegant and understated for a CdP. Dense, fruity but light on its feet despite the warm vintage. I think this shows great promise.

Loring Wine Company Pinot Noir Rosella's Vineyard 2003(Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands)

Loring's style isn't really my thing. But I don't understand the criticism that they taste like Syrah. I think they taste of Pinot, but the volume is just too high for me. And in this bottle, though not the others that Wade has brought over, the oak was quite prominent. So, not really my thing, but I have to give Lorings the credit that the different vineyards that I have tried have all had distinct personalities. But I still don't like them (sorry Wade and Asko, I know you two love them...).

Domaine de Monteillet Condrieu Grain de Folie 2006

Very mineral. It does have Viognier's typical aromatics, but they aren't shouting at full volume (which I am very thankful about). Moderately sweet, perhaps slightly botrytised (?), full bodied, but surprisingly acidic and refreshing for the grape - especially because this is a dessert.

So it was a very nice evening, but the next afternoon wasn't (I purposefully skipped the next morning, lol!).

I took a fillet of Arctic Char (I love this fish) and covered it in a sauce of shallots, some black trumpet mushrooms and a crisp white and put in the oven for c.10+ mins (i.e. still juicy, but well done). Simple dinner and one that worked well with the Chablis.

Jean Collet Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons 2002

12,5% abv. Light gold. White fruit, seashells, almost Riesling-like citrus and plentiful minerals and a slight orange/floral scent. It has much fruit for a Chablis but that is countered by a steely, citrussy acidity. Long and mineral, but still has that paradox of good Chardonnay of being neutral yet full of personality. Transparent and pure. Very enjoyable.

I am a novice when it comes to Chablis, but I really enjoy them when they are steely. Does anyone else have experience of Collet? I don't remember seeing any talk of them, but if this bottle was anything to go by and my scant experience with the area hasn't been badly skewed, there should be at least some.

Armand Rousseau & Camille Giroud

Tonight we had two lovely tastings at Carelia. Ideally this would have been two dinners instead of one marathon tasting session, but I am still happy to have had the opportunity to try these wines.

Blind starter:
Legras Cuvée St. Vincent 1996 was a fair Blanc de Blancs Champagne from Chouilly. Appley, very full bodied, floral and red toned in fruit - in fact it was so fruity and floral and red toned that I was sure it was a Pinot-based Champagne! Shows just how little I understand wines...

Then we had a half-blind set of 2005s from Rousseau and Camille Giroud.
Camille Giroud Chambertin Grand Cru 2005 was very dark coloured. The nose was massively oaky and smelled like powder that hot chocolate is made from: sweet and oaky. Fruity, quite tannic, some refreshing acidity and berried fruit, but frankly it was difficult to see the Pinosity in this.

Armand Rousseau Mazy-Chambertin Grand Cru 2005 was quite shy - but I have always liked the shy girls that make me look for their charms. Red toned, mineral, elegant and did not have as voluptious a character as I expected from a warm year wine. Lighter on the surface than the other '05s tonight, but this had an intensity and inner fire that the Girouds mostly lacked. It is a wine I would love to spend hours - or decades - with.

Camille Giroud Corton Clos du Roi Grand Cru 2005 was a very toffeed and sweet and oaky wine. It was concentrated, but soft and lacking in electricity. It perked up on the aftertaste, though. But sadly the oak was dominant. Ultra-modern.

Armand Rousseau Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Lavaux St. Jacques 2005 was odd amongst tonight's Rousseaus. The nose was very, very sweet and concentrated and seemed like raspberry liqueur. I tend to prefer the scent of wines to the taste, but this time around I found the palate more to my taste: tannic, acidic, yet very concentrated and fruity yet unadulturated by excess oak. I usually like Rousseau, but with this one I would be a little wary simply because of that liquer-like sweetness and huge concentration.

Camille Giroud Volnay 1er Cru Taillepieds 2005 was dark, modern, oaky but had some berried, Pinot-like elements underneath. Sweet and the oak was rather bitter on the aftertaste. Not a style of Burgundy that I appreciate.

Armand Rousseau Clos de la Roche Grand Cru 2005 was a lovely wine. The nose was quite classic in style with its beet-root, vegetal and mineral notes, but paradoxically was stern and voluptiously fruity at the same time. Tannic, closed, ungiving, tight but it was still pure Pinosity. Even when closed, this was a lovely wine.

Armand Rousseau Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos St. Jacques 2005 was strange amongst tonight's Rousseaus. It had such obvious new oak notes that I thought this might be one of the Girouds! But it did have a bright Pinosity underneath the oak and even some lovable vegetality. Quite masculine in style, tannic and rugged, oaky. I usually like Rousseau very much, but this bottle was an exception as I found it more "modern" in style than my preference.

Armand Rousseau Chambertin Grand Cru 2005 was deep and dark toned, very classy, elegant and with true Pinosity despite the obviously warm year aromatics. Tight, tannic, closed but still obviously a wine that is potentially profound. There were some new oak aromas, but the pure Pinosity covered them, so I can forgive them. Lovely.

Camille Giroud Chapelle-Chambertin Grand Cru 2005 was actually a pretty nice wine. The new style from Giroud is usually too oaky and inelegant for my taste, but this wine worked to some extent. Sure, there is very much oak, but it doesn't manage to cover the Pinosity and the vibrant, sexy fruit and the earthy nuances I hope to see with the grape. Strong, masculine, and even though it has none of the delicateness I hope to see in a Pinot, it still screams Pinosity to me. This is in a style that isn't close to my heart, but I still have to admit my grudging admiration.

Then we had some recently released bottles of older Camille Girouds - I have adored the all too few older Girouds I've had before, and these bottles were no exception:

Camille Giroud Clos St. Denis Grand Cru 1976 was an intense wine with a strong red berry character and a warm-year-like sweetness of fruit (yes, there was fruit still in it). Bright, tomato/rust notes; vibrant yet sweet - what a lovely wine!

Camille Giroud Corton "Les Bressandes" Grand Cru 1976 was more animal than the Clos St. Denis with darker fruit aromas, rugged, a bit shitty, tobacco/vegetal but still very fleshy. It was softer on the palate than I expected from the nose, but still had a healthy skeleton giving shape to all that flesh. Nice!

Camille Giroud Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru "Les Cazetiers" 1976 was very shitty and dark, masculine and rugged; tannic, brutish and inelegant but very charming and very Pinot - oxymoronic though this may seem.

Camille Giroud Volnay 1er Cru "Frémiets" 1976 was very earthy, more elegant and red toned, less warm-year-like than the previous '76s, sweet fruit/strawberry, some dung; bright and acidic, delineated, lovely mature character despite still being a bit tannic. Very lovable.

I tasted from two bottles of Camille Giroud Volnay 1er Cru "Champans" 1978. The first was just lovely and pure, aged Pinosity, vibrant yet leafy/earthy/sous bois; structured and sweet despite obviously being mature - a lovely, lovely wine. The second bottle was also lovely, but smelled just like mushrooms and wasn't at all as brightly fruity; but was a lovely, lovely expression of old Pinot. There are no good old wines, just good old bottles - but even the good old bottles can be radically different.

Camille Giroud Beaune 1er Cru "Les Bressandes" 1988 was darker toned than the previous old Girouds, but still with a lovely animal/shitty character, very lively and vibrant, masculine but still bright and pure Pinosity. Lovely.

For dessert we had a couple Reciotos:
Monte Cariano Recioto 2001 smelled like herbs and strawberries - quite like a Grenache based dessert. The palate was fairly high in acidity, vibrant and refreshing and seemed more off-dry than a dessert. I enjoyed it very much.

Bussola Recioto TB 2003 was sugary and dark toned, inky, unrefreshing and frankly not as interesting as the Cariano. Simple.

With a lovely dinner of lamb and a wonderful tomato risotto I was served a blind glass of Amirault "La Mine" St. Nicolas de Bourgueil 2006 which was very true to the grape (and thus great with lamb): herbal, leafy, cassis; but also was rather full bodied and stronger than I would expect of Loire Cab Franc. Nice stuff.

And one more blind was passed my way: Jean-Marc Boillot Bourgogne 2005 which I thought was a very serious effort for a Bourgogne. It was quite spicy, a bit oaky perhaps, but that didn't mask the Pinosity; soft fruit, sweet but balanced. A nice enough wine, and impressive for Bourgogne.

Coche-Dury, Domaine Jane et Sylvain, Dupont-Tisserandot

Coche-Dury Bourgogne Blanc 2002 was still an infant: greenish watery colour (or colourlessness, rather). The nose was rather oaky, but with lots of bacon and citrus. Quite full bodied but very vibrant. Only 12% abv. Not bad at all, but I wouldn't mind less oak.

Domaine Jane & Sylvain Gevrey-Chambertin 2004 was an extremely lovable wine for me. The nose was a bit stern at first with a peppery aspect to the pinosity, but it opened up to become a slightly earthy and leafy, elegant, red toned wine, very Gevrey in character. Vibrant, light on its feet, electric, refreshing. I would love to own a case of this.

Domaine Jane & Sylvain Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru "Les Fontenys" 2005 was rather darker toned in fruit, sweeter, but still with great pinosity, though I do sense a touch of oak. Sweeter, darker and more plump than the '04 and not so obviously Gevrey, but still an attractive wine.

Domaine Jane & Sylvain Bourgogne Rouge 2006 was bright and lingonberried, almost tart despite the sweetness of the fruit. For 8€ I am a huge fan.

Dupont-Tisserandot Nuits-Saint-Georges 2006 was a rather tannic and hard wine as I so often find is the case for NSG, but sadly there was much more oak than necessary for my tastes. Very sweet and voluptious; a modern style but if that is what you like, it is a very decent example.

Dupont-Tisserandot Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru "Les Cazetiers" 2006 didn't show much Gevrey character or pinosity. It was very oaky, vaguely sweet but not in a way that would suggest any particular grape to me. Overoaked, IMO.

Dupont-Tisserandot Corton-Rognet Grand Cru 2006 was full of dark toned fruit covered by chocolatey oak notes and toast. Tannic, oaky, modern and dark. I didn't enjoy it, but I do think that the pieces were harmonious in comparison to each other so those who like a modern style of Burgundy might enjoy this very much.

Dupont-Tisserandot Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru 2006 was, again, very oaky - too much for me - but had some true Pinosity, brighter tones and even some vegetality, but still remained a very modern style of Burgundy. The palate was too oaky for me, but had nice structure, and even though the rest of the package was too modern for my tastes, I did find the strongly mineral aftertaste very enjoyable.

I hadn't heard of either Dom. Jane & Sylvain or Dupont-Tisserandot before. I loved J & S for the sheer vibrancy of the wines and how natural they tasted. They are a new Domaine and are now biodynamic. I could appreciate the D-Ts as an intellectual exercise and honestly think that if one likes a more modern style than I do, that they can be very good. Does anyone know more about these properties?

Wachau, Villányi, Asti, Bekaa, Pomerol, Mt. Athos

2006 Domäne Freie Weingärtner Wachau Riesling Smaragd Terrassen - Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau (4/6/2008)
13,90€; 13% abv. The nose is wonderfully mineral, peachy, very ripe fruit, a bit tropical. Refreshing palate despite all the ripe fruit and full body, lovely minerality, long and refreshing aftertaste. Quite amazing value at 14€.
2005 Jozsef Bock Cabernet Franc Villányi - Hungary, Villányi (4/5/2008)
Dark toned fruit, quite roasted even / hot year characteristics, but gladly no new oak tones. It has nice green tea notes, tobacco and cassis but it is a bit jammy. Ripe and plump, juicy tannins. Enjoyable even though it is rather sweeter and bigger than I hope Cab F to be.
2006 Prunotto Barbera d'Asti Fiulot - Italy, Piedmont, Asti, Barbera d'Asti (4/5/2008)
A rather soft wine for Barbera, I was hoping for a more tangy experience, but it does have attractive, ripe fruit, and fair structure. I won't turn down a glass, but I won't go looking for it.
2000 Château Musar Lebanon, Bekaa Valley
was very enjoyable, with the typical spiciness and sweet, red fruit. The nose is lifted but not as strongly volatile as the wine's reputation would suggest. Clean, no brett. Vibrant, among the more tannic Musars, strong acidity but that is countered by sweet fruit. A very good but not great Musar.

A bloody steak and a young Bordeaux or Madiran is a lovely dinner. Château La Fleur-Pétrus 2004 (Pomerol; 13,5%; way-too-many €) was a delightful wine from the Mouiex stable. The nose is classic Pomerol in its mix of dark, plummy fruit and brighter but sweet red tones. I love the slight fresh greenish note (from the Cab F I presume) and I love the wet clay aromas, too. It is strong on the fruit aromas now but has further dimensions, too - and best of all, shows little signs of wood (Peppercorn's old book says they use only 30% new wood). Full bodied, ripe but not over-ripe, sweet but not heavy, refreshing and tannic. I found this to be a very satisfying wine.

Evangelos Tsantalis Mt. Athos Vineyards Metochi Chromitsa (Domaine of Monastery Agios Panteleimon) 2004 (Vin de Pays Agioritikos (sic!) / Agioritikos topikos (w)oinos (I always did like the digamma, lol!)) was quite an interesting wine. A bit oaky on the nose at first, but it cleared up to become bright and lingonberried. The palate was darker toned and deliciously bitter (and reminded me of the few Italian Negroamaros I've had), and really needed fatty cheeses to work. Tamed rusticity. Nice!

Soave, Tikvesh, Pouilly-Fumé

Pieropan Soave 2006

This was a charming, nutty wine, unoaked, quite full bodied yet refreshing. Nice!

Pieropan Soave Calvarino 2005

Gold. The nose slightly nutty (but unoaked), with a delicious bitter/herbal twist, floral and mineral. Full bodied, very ripe and shows the warm year, but still retains refreshing acidity. It lacks the crunch of the '06, but this is still a lovely drop. Long.

Bovin Vranec 2005 Macedonia, Tikvesh

A touch of vanillary oak upon opening, but it gladly disappeared quickly. It opened up to become a meaty and tangy red that slightly reminded me of Barbera. Fruity, vibrant palate with more red than dark fruit tones, quite full bodied. My first taste of the Vranec grape, and hopefully not my last - this was a good and a very interesting wine.

Dezat Domaine Thibault Pouilly-Fumé 2006

A rather elegant, mineral, citrussy style; ripe, cool, laid-back - not at all in-your-face, not terribly high in acidity but refreshing. Nice!