Anselmi Capitel Croce 2004

Anselmi Capitel Croce 2004 13% abv; 5,9g/l acidity; 20,20€

It is an almost-Soave IGT Veneto, iirc 100% Garganega that spends eight months in barrique of partly(?) new wood. I tried it on release and disliked it because of excess wood. I tried it again today, and I think the oak is better integrated than in any Pieropan La Rocca that I have tried. Sure it does show as a slight spiciness on the nose and a slight toffee taste, but the whole is more to do with those white flower and citrus and mineral scents I so like in Pieropan's Calvarino. Bright and acidic, citrussy - I would like it even more without that slight toffee hint, but I had no idea this could turn out so well. So even though I admit this was nice, I'm still not convinced of oak and Garganega.

Trimbach Riesling Réserve 2007

Trimbach Riesling Réserve 2007 12,5% abv; 5g/l RS; 7,1g/l acidity; 19,20€

Greenish gold. A tightly coiled spring: exciting tensions and potential energy just waiting to be released. Mineral and citric, shy but still very exciting. Great structure and grip. For what is obviously a closed wine, I still found much to love. Opened up a bit the next day; needs time. Nice!

Thunevin Bad Boy 2005

Thunevin Bad Boy 2005

95% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc from vineyards close to St. Emilion but still classified as AC Bordeaux; over 40yo vines. 14 months in new French oak. 14,5% abv; 5,2g/l acidity and costs, like everything in Finland, more that it does over in the US: 18,05€ (apparently it was about 15$).

I must admit that I don't tend to enjoy modern styled Bordeaux at all, but I am happy that this wasn't at all the most over-the-top example of the style. It is actually a bit difficult to explain why I don't enjoy the modern style, but this wine put my thoughts into slightly better focus. It isn't only the use of lots of new oak but rather it is a holistic issue: those producers who go for overt new oak flavours also seem to go for ripeness (and resulting alcohol) and extraction levels that I am uncomfortable with. I know many here will disagree with me, but I think the charm of Bordeaux is the slight greenness which is so refreshing and food friendly. The modern style seems prasinophobic to me, which is a shame. Each of these issues in itself might not be a problem to me, but when all come together in one wine, it does become a problem.

So, now with that aside completed, the actual wine? A roasted and vanillary scent, dark and inky, but with strawberry sweetness. Coupled with the creaminess of the oak, I did wonder at times if I had strawberry yoghurt in my glass. Extremely full bodied, creamy, alcoholic finish. I can see why many like this wine (it has been a huge hit in Finland), but it wasn't one for me.

When will the prasinophobia end?

Three Venetians from Fasoli Gino

Fasoli Gino Soave Superiore "Pieve vecchia" 2006

100% Garganega. This is fermented and aged in 500-l barrels and I suspect they are new because bitter oak is all I could smell and taste. It also tasted very alcoholic so I wasn't surprised to see 14,5% abv on the label. It was frankly quite disgusting.

But things got much, much better and the other two wines I thought were quite awesome!

Fasoli Gino Liber Bianco Veronese IGT 2006



100% Garganega. This is aged in 25hl casks. It reminds me a bit of Pieropan's La Rocca except with less overt oak, but it still has the same spicy, red tones almost like ketchup, but gladly for my taste these strange aromas aren't as strong as I find them in La Rocca. Rather a citrussy brightness is what is most memorable. Full bodied but brightly acidic, mineral. The 13,5% abv doesn't stick out at all. Nice!

Though I have mostly seen references to Fasoli Gino's Soaves and other Garganegas, I think the star tonight was the Fasoli Gino Rosso Veronese IGT Corvina 2007. Senza aggiunta di solfiti it says on the label and indeed my first sniff took me back to the vulcanic "natural" wines from Cornelissen that we tasted last week. It is sweet and obviously a very ripe wine but it is extremely bright in its aromatics and promises much refreshing character on the palate. And the promise is kept: obviously ripe but very light on its feet, terpsichorean even, crunchy and refreshingly tannic. Lovely, lovely wine.



But I must wonder why such different wines as the Etnas from Cornelissen and this Venetian can smell so eerily similar? Is "natural" wine akin to spoofulation in that it homogenizes wines from different regions and grapes? I am sure there must be a better reason why these wines are so alike?

Castello di Verduno 1996-2001

We started with an interesting, if rather oaky, Loire white:

Clos Rougeard (Foucault) Saumur Brézé 2002 - Saumur

The oak sticks out a bit still and it smells almost like a white Burgundy, but it does have some Chenin character that shows through on the occasional sniff. The palate was better with moderately high acidity, dry and citrussy, quite characterful and with a long, refreshing aftertaste. If the oak fades on the scent I can see myself enjoying this very much in the future.


Then we had the main line-up of Castello di Verduno which was a new name to me, but one I should follow as they were fairly classic in style despite sometimes being rather fruity - but at least there were no barrique aromas! We had some duck with these wines:

Castello di Verduno Barbaresco Rabajà 2000

From the first sniff this showed very obvious Nebbiolo aromas and also the general character of the year 2000: very, very ripe and sweet. Yet this is one of the rare (in my experience) Piemontese where the grape's character comes out as strongly as the vintage's. Full body, good acidity for the year, very approachable as so many 2000s are, but it has no signs of anything except primary fruit so I wouldn't open these now.

Castello di Verduno Barbaresco Rabajà 1999

A very attractive scent but a bit closed right now. It has true Nebbiolo aromas and is quite primary in its bright red but ripe scents. Good body, ripe but not over-ripe, but still a bit sweeter in its fruit than I would have expected from a fully "traditional" producer. But still very nice.

Castello di Verduno Barbaresco Riserva Rabajà 1996

A really lovely, classic Nebbiolo! Tar, roses and bright red fruit. Good body but refreshing acidity, ripe fruit but nothing sweet. Long and savoury. Not terribly expressive right now but beautifully balanced and should be wonderful in a few years. Lovely!

Castello di Verduno Barolo Monvigliero 2000

This was quite a lovely wine! Though it did show some very ripe fruit aromas, it was more reserved in them than the Barbaresco Rabaja 2000. In fact, this was very reserved for a 2000 Piemontese! Good structure, abnormally high acidity for the year (i.e. a very positive statement), so despite the sweet fruit I found it much to my taste. Nice!

Castello di Verduno Barolo Vigna Massara 2001

A really lovely wine, reminiscent of Vajra's Bricco delle Viole '01! This was a bit closed but it did show a classic and classy Nebbiolo aroma in a traditional style with no Barrique. Quite full body, wonderful structure with both tannins and acidity being refreshing and palate cleansing. The fruit is there but it isn't at all sweet or "modern". Quite lovely but closed just now.

Castello di Verduno Barolo Vigna Massara 1997

This is a vintage that I have, with a few exceptions, disliked despite its generally positive views. This was on ok wine but no more IMO. It smelled of rye bread as if prematurely aged, but also it was very, very sweet in its fruit aromas as if from over-ripe fruit. Quite full bodied, low in acidity, it seems quite paradoxical since it has such enormous fruit that one would expect it to have a long life ahead yet it also seems like it is approaching the end of its lifetime. Whether it is young or old, it just does not seem right. I'll pass.

Castello di Verduno Barolo Riserva Vigna Massara 1996

Lovely wine! Savoury, red fruit, bright, refreshing but fully ripe, classic Nebbiolo aromas. Refreshing structure, healthy fruit, very mineral, palate cleansing and refreshing. Though still young it has complexity: I would love to revisit this wine in 5-10 years time.


We also had a couple Burgundies:

Bouchard Père et Fils Volnay 1964

Deep red core, very little orange on the rim. Looks several decades younger than it is. A really charming scent of pure Pinosity. It has some aged aromas of sous bois, but that is coupled with such vibrant red fruit that it seems as this bottle of the wine would have had a decade (or more) of life left in it! Good fruit, ripe but not over the top or overly aged, refreshing and bright acidity, tannins are resolved: this is still so vibrant I can imagine enjoying it in a decade. But it is also enchanting now. If this is a normal bottle: drink and hold.

Domaine Colinot Irancy Côte du Moutier 2006

This was a wine that I think I will like, but it was not showing at all well now. It was a lighter style of Burgundy but with much Pinosity and a bit of dung. It had bright fruit, and was very strongly structured: very tannic, good acidity, the fruit was hiding a little bit. All the components I like in cheaper Burgundies were there, but they weren't quite together yet. Awkward now, but possibly a charming wine in the near future.

Williams & Humbert Dos Cortados Palo Cortado

Williams & Humbert Dos Cortados 20yo Very Old Dry Palo Cortado Solera Especial

16,16€ / 0,375; 19,5% abv; 4g/l RS; 6,8g/l acidity. Orange/brown. Beautifully lifted scent; nutty and slightly toffeed, with some citrus, rancio. Dry and crisp like a Fino but rich like an Oloroso - i.e. it does what it says on the tin. Palo Cortado seems to be the style of Sherry I most enjoy. Lovely.

Two Dveri Pax, Can Ràfols dels Caus, Williams & Humbert Palo Cortado

Dveri Pax Benedict 2007 - Slovenia, Štajerska
12,5% abv; Pinot gris 40%, Furmint 40%, Chardonnay 20%; 7g/l RS; 6,2g/l acidity. The scent is very attractively mineral and has a spicy, red fruit character that I have seen in the few varietal Furmints I have tried - but this character is somewhat like the better PGs I've tried, so this seemingly wacky blend does have a logic behind it. And what is most important, the blend works. Very lively, but quite full bodied, lively and terpsichorean. Mineral, refreshing and citrussy on the finish. Long. Nice!

Dveri Pax Traminec 2007 - Slovenia, Štajerska
Mineral and floral, but unlike my last two bottles, this one is more like a Jura Savagnin than a Gewurztraminer. Fairly light but intense and persistent. Mineral finish. Lovely.

Can Ràfols dels Caus Penedès Pairal Xarel.lo 2004 - Penedès
100% Xarel.lo; in chestnut barrels. I recently reported on a varietal Xarel.lo from Vall Dolina, so I was happy to taste another to compare with it. Where the Vall Dolina was slightly oxidative and smelled of apples, this had a bright scent with no oxidativeness, mineral and citrussy, some sea breeze, slightly reminiscent of the Rías Baixas wines I have had except not so peachy and forcefully aromatic as those Albariño (and Albariño based blends) are. I still didn't notice the vegetative quality that apparently this variety should have. Dry, medium bodied, lovely high acidity, perhaps some might find a fault in it being too austere but I love it. Long and mineral. Lovely.

Williams & Humbert Dos Cortados 20yo Very Old Dry Palo Cortado Solera Especial - Xérès
16,16€ / 0,375; 19,5% abv; 4g/l RS; 6,8g/l acidity. Orange/brown. Beautifully lifted scent; nutty and slightly toffeed, with some citrus, rancio. Dry and crisp like a Fino but rich like an Oloroso - i.e. it does what it says on the tin. Palo Cortado seems to be the style of Sherry I most enjoy. Lovely.

Natural Wines from Outer Space: Opera des Vins & Cornelissen

Who could resist a tasting with such a name as "natural wines from outer space"? Especially with my love for lively wines I certainly couldn't.

We started with an enchanting fizz from Jean-Pierre Robinot L'Opera des Vins Les Années Folles 2006 VdT Coteaux de Loir, Pineau d'Aunis 70% & Gamay 30%. This is a lovely rosé sparkler with a bit of RS (20g/l IIRC - but I might remember wrong). It smells of pepper and bright red fruit; it is earthy, well structured, the sweetness is perfectly integrated with the structure which is high in acid and has marked minerality. A really lovely sparkler.

Then we had a flight of blind whites:

Robinot L'Opera des Vins Cuvée les 4 Vents 2003 VdT Blanc was obviously Chenin with its slightly woolly aromas and brightness. It had citrussy acidity, ripe fruit and though broad on the palate it didn't seem like the flabby 2003s I have mostly had. In fact, I very much enjoyed it, though on the occasional sniff I thought I smelled a bit of oak.

L'Opera des Vins Lumière de Silex 2005 was another Chenin from Robinot, but this was appley and slightly oxidative in style but still obviously Chenin with its hay and wool aromas. Very mineral, strong structure and fruit. As I love a slightly oxidative style I had no problems loving this wine.

L'Opera des Vins Symphonie du Temps 2004 was a rather weird wine. The colour was orange and the scent was candied and full of red apple which made me think that we might have a 2003 in our midst (funny how the 2003s in this tasting were so wonderful instead, despite my usual dislike of the vintage). Sweet, confected palate, but still with a bright structure so it was enjoyable if one likes an oxidative style.

Čotar Malvazia 2003 Kras, Slovenia is a wine I have written about many times: lovely, lively, perfumed yet elegant wine with proper structure and no sign of the 2003 heat since it is properly acidic and refreshing. Lovely.

Frank Cornelissen MunJebel 4 Bianco 2007 Mt. Etna; Carricante, Grecanico Dorato, Coda di Volpe was just plain weird. We had two bottles since our host was convinced that the first was off. He was also convinced the second was off... The first was supremely sweet and toffeed on the nose - almost like heat damaged except that it was transported refrigerated and in the same case as the second. It was very, very dry on the palate: the scent and the taste were opposites.

The second bottle was also sweetly fruity, and was quite interesting in its mineral aromas that mingled with the sweetness and ripeness. The palate was very abrupt and had nothing going on. Our host had tasted this wine before and declared both bottles flawed (but what flaw?).

L'Opera des Vins Symphonie du Temps 2003 VdT Jasnières was perhaps the most main-stream wine. It smelled rather like the Baumard Papillon '05 I recently had: lovely citrussy fruit and obvious Chenin character but in a rather broad and overtly fruity style. Nice but I do wish for more tautness. But it certainly had more tautness than I would have expected of a 2003.


Then we moved onto the reds:
Frank Cornelissen MunJebel Rosso 2006/2007 Mt. Etna; Nerello Mascalese (what's that about two vintages?). This was a lovely wine with an almost Pinot Noir -like perfume except sweeter in its fruit and with a wild, untamed nature. Deliciously tannic and vibrant and lively despite the sweetness of the fruit. Lovely.

Frank Cornelissen Rosso del Contadino 2007 was very like the MunJebel on the nose with its wild and sweet, Pinot-like scent. It wasn't as structured, however, but was still a very refreshing drink despite the sweetness.

L'Opera des Vins Concerto d'Oniss 2006 VdT Coteaux de Loir; Pineau d'Aunis was really, really lovely. Upon opening it smelled very much like the Cornelissens, but with a bit of time and air it turned into a peppery, bright red, savoury wine with plenty of tannins and acidity and much dryness. It was not liked around the table but I really loved it.

Frank Cornelissen Magma Rosso 2007 was sweetly fruity but strongly mineral, not as obvious as the MunJebel or the Contadino but with similar spicy and Pinot Noir-like aromas. Very lively, deeply structured but vibrantly fruity, very much alive and absolutely lovely. Perhaps not 150€ lovely, however.


Then while cleaning up we had a couple more wines blind:

Columbia Crest Two Vines Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 Washington, USA was extremely forgettable: much oak and ripe fruit of no varietal or geographical character.

Mavrič Merlot Reserve 2003 Goriška Brda was a surprise. I loved it and I don't usually get along with the grape or the vintage. This was bright and red in its fruit with some sandalwood and nutty aromas that made me think of Sangiovese. Good, tannic structure, but with no sign of those harsh, underripe tannins coupled with over-ripe fruit that destroys so many 2003s.

Château Falfas 2006 is a Côtes du Bourg from Domaine de Chevalier. It was a bit too oaky to my taste and lacked Bordeaux typicity, but it did have attractive dark fruit coupled with brighter red tones. Strongly fruity but with pleasantly upright structure. Not a hugely memorable wine, but one that I might imagine I would like once the oak fades to the background.

Penedès, Vienna, Pomerol, Moulis en Médoc

Masia Can Tutusaus Penedès Vall Dolina Xarel.lo 2007 - Catalunya, Penedès



12,5% abv. A very attractive scent of green apple and minerals. Quite full body, high acidity, ripe but strongly appley fruit: unoaked and very refreshing. It seems like a great Cava except without bubbles. Interesting and very enjoyable and has a high evaporation rate.

Wieninger Pinot Noir Rosé de Pinot 2007 - Austria, Wien

12,5%. Very light salmon pink. Whereas in the 2006 I found much leafy aromas that reminded me of Cabernet Franc (strange to get such different grapes confused when blind and when rosé!), I found this 2007 to be classic Pinot in its aromas of root vegetables, bright red fruit and earth. Medium bodied, very refreshing acidity, crunchy, but also sweet and ripe strawberried fruit. Crunchy and mineral aftertaste. Very charming wine and has a huge evaporation rate.

Château Lafleur du Roy Cuvée des Lavandières 2005 - Pomerol

25,60€; 13% abv. Dark red. The scent is surprisingly open even without decanting and shows dark fruit, spice and plummy Pomerol character. There is some oak that could use more time to integrate, but there is so much classic Pomerol character, too, that I am not worried about it. Full bodied, ripe fruit, ripe but pleasantly upright tannins, moderate acidity - it is a well balanced wine that shows some ripe year character. Nice! Needs a couple years for the oak to integrate.

Château Gressier Grand Poujeaux 2005 - Moulis en Médoc

21,70€; 13,5% abv; Cru Bourgeois Supérieur; 50% Cab Sauv, 50% Merlot. Dark red. The fruit is very ripe, but that isn't the first thing that caught my attention. Rather it was the uncommon balance despite the ripeness that did! I tend to prefer my Claret on the elegant, thin end of the spectrum where the green/herbaceous aspects are obvious and though this does have slight Cabernet herbaceousness, these aromas are in the background and a sweet, dark toned fruitiness is to the fore. Yet it is a refreshing rather than an overpoweringly fruity smell, so I enjoy it - especially because the oak is used with a very light hand. Full bodied, deep, juicy tannins, quite high acidity for what is obviously a warm year wine. Not a classically proportioned Claret, but a very enjoyable one nonetheless.

Domaine Les Hautes Noëlles Gamay 2007

Domaine Les Hautes Noëlles (Serge Batard) Gamay 2007 Vin de Pays du Jardin de la France 12% abv; 14,58€

Sometimes a wine touches all the right spots in the brain's pleasure center. It is especially nice when such a wine is moderately priced.

I made a pot of something slightly resembling coq au vin and opened up this Gamay with it:



Raspberries, cherries and rocks, ripe fruit but no sign (gladly) of any scents like banana or bubblegum that are associated with the Lalvin yeast. Low alcohol but ripe fruit, crunchy structure, good acidity (though very low according to the technical sheet: only 4,9g/l). The combination of fun and pure Gamay fruit and rocks make this an irresistible drink with a huge evaporation rate. Lovely!

Preuillac 2001 & Cachão Tinta Barroca 2000

Caves Messias Tinta Barroca Douro Quinta do Cachão 2000 - Portugal, Douro

15% abv yet doesn't seem like it. A very attractive, lifted scent of dried flowers, some peach and plum. It is still a fruit forward scent but there are some aged aspects to it that provide complexity. Full bodied, sweet fruit, slightly warming but not as strong alcohol as the label would suggest. In addition to the floral notes, there is a strong taste of liquorice. Long. A good time to be drinking it.

Château Preuillac 2001

21,50€; 12,5% abv; 60% Merlot, 40% Cab Sauv. Lots of coconut oak; the wine itself is in a more elegant style with pleasantly greenish/herbaceous notes and lighter body, so the strong oakiness creates a jarring dissonance to the whole. I do not think there is anything wrong with a light Claret so I can imagine this would have been a very attractive wine except that those in charge seemed to want to make the wine something it wasn't by nature. The end result is something that seems filled up by cosmetic surgery.

Bründlmayer Zweigelt 2006 & Haag Brauneberger Juffer Riesling Kabinett 2007

Weingut Willi Bründlmayer Zweigelt 2006 - Kamptal

13,21€; 12,5%abv; 6g/l RS; 5,6g/l acidity. This is a bit more ripe than the very lovable '04, but this is also very nice. It has dark fruit aromas, is quite leafy and savoury but juicy, too. Good tang, more sweet fruit than the '04 (the RS wasn't noticeable), refreshing and moreish and much fun. A very food friendly wine. Nice!

Fritz Haag Brauneberger Juffer Riesling Kabinett 2007

8,5% abv; under screw cap - yay! Light as water. Some sulfur, but mostly what shows in an extremely pure, slightly steely example of the grape in the Mosel. Slightly sweet, nice acidity and zip. I hoped this would sing the body electric, but it didn't quite reach that amount of zip. Pure and mineral: great fun. Contrary to what I have read about the '07s being in a very classical style, this at least seemed to lean more towards Spätlese than Kabinett despite its steeliness. But who cares: it's a lovely and charming wine.

Two from Achaval-Ferrer

Achaval-Ferrer Malbec 2007

c.15€; 13,5% abv. Upon opening, the oak and ripeness do stick out a bit as a combination of strawberry sweetness and butterscotch scents. With a little bit of air and time it turns into a much more likeable wine: meat, game bird's blood, dark fruit; sweet but not over the top fruit. The initially exuberant fruit calms down to a savoury, very meaty style with quite high acidity - which brings in the refreshing touch needed in this wine. Though I thought Achaval-Ferrer made wines leaning more to the "modern" style, I did rather enjoy this entry level Malbec!

Achaval-Ferrer Quimera 2006. 34% old vine Malbec from Medrano and Lujan, 32% Merlot from Tupungato, 22% Cab Sauv from Medrano and Tupungato, 12% Cab Franc from Tupungato. 14% abv, yield 18hl/ha.

Just like the mass of grapes and terroirs the wine smelled like a mess! Oak was to the fore (but far from being the worst offender - in fact as far as the New World, this was perhaps even light handed!) with ripe fruit. Perhaps too much mixing of different grapes and terroirs left this without a soul? Perhaps the influenza that struck me a couple days after was already detracting from my pleasure? I don't know what the problem was, but to my nostrils the package was very anonymous in comparison to the cheaper Malbec.