Riecine, a classic

Wines based on the Sangiovese grape can range from very light and subtle, to massive fruit-bombs with loads of spice and earthy elements. On a previous occasion we tried out the Riecine Chianti Classico Riserva, which, to me, was a revelation in just how elegant and seductive these Sangiovese wines can be. This time I tasted the “little sister” of the Riserva, the:

Riecine Chianti Classico 2006.

Again the wine is made purely from Sangiovese and again the wine aims for seduction by elegance and finesse, rather than over-powering by massive fruit and wood. In the glass the wine shows up a clear deep red, in fact, as I remember it, it seemed a bit darker that the Riserva. The nose revealed ripe cherries, blackberries and dark chocolate, but despite of the rather high alcohol content (14%) it is in a cool and almost reserved way. The same elements were noticeable in the taste and again in a very cool and elegant fashion. Together with some spices and smooth tannins the wine is kept in a fine balance and is joy to drink in big slurps and calls for a good slice of homemade pizza. On the second day the wine was a bit more open but still very firm and well structured in the mouth. From the dealer, the word is that this wine would easily do another 6-7 years on the shelf and see no problems in that either.

Imported by Viniportugal (129 DKR).

89P

/Mads

A great buy: part 2

The only good thing about the Danish soccer game against Hungary was the wine. Bought at an offer of 80dkk/bottle, we purchased a box of Torrione Petrolo 2006. We have been around this wine before on Grapejuices (link), and the 2004 vintage from Torrione made number 63 in Wine Spectators best 100 (in 2006). The wine is only classified IGT, and one suspects a "little visit" by cabernet sauvignon perhaps?

Torrione Petrolo 2006

Vibrant red color, with a great bouquet of red berries, wet rotten grass, truffels and visit to the horse stable. Upon tasting the wine is in perfect balanced with no agressive tannins and most enjoyable, an extraordinare after taste of walnuts. 90P

In conclusion a great buy and a damn shame I only have one bottle left.

- drud

Poderina Rosso di Montalcino

posted by: drud
Sidste år havde vi fornøjelsen af prøve La Poderina's brunello fra den sagnomspundne årgang 1997. Det var en fantastisk oplevelse, og lige siden har jeg været nysgerrig for at prøve deres Rosso. La Poderina stammer fra Montalcino, syd for Firenze. Mens deres Brunello ligger på fad i 3 år, er Rosso'en hældt over på flaske efter 1 år.

La Poderina Rosso Di Montalcino 06

Kraftfuld ren bouquet af røde frugter (jordbær/hindbær), også grønne toner. Renheden i næse og smag virker klassisk (italiensk) og giver en vinen en rank "kold" struktur. Smagen er domineret af en kraftfuld frugtsyre, men kroppen følger dog godt med. Til vores store overraskelse er der ikke tale om et markant tanninbid eksempelvis.

Fremfor de mange nuancer vi fandt i den modne brunello, må denne Rosso 06 nok mest beskrives som flot, linær, raceren Sangiovese. Der er gemmepotentiale i vinen, og det er et behageligt glas vin, men uden stor personlighed.

88P, Erik Sørensen vin 149dkk

Italian wines on a saturday night

By chance we had three Italian wines on a last satudays blind tasting. It was a free call - but somehow we managed to chose three bottles from Italys more nortern parts. 

We started of in Veneto with secondary wine of the big amarone. The Ripasso is ever so often shaded by Amarone, but these wines are not  to neglect for two reasons. Firstly, as you may enjoy a lighter and more mineral wine contrary to the hefty amarone, or secondly because you find you self drinking a fantastic wine, similar to amarone but for a much cheaper price. 

Montezovo Ripasso Valpolicaella 2005

Nose: hints of strawberris came through first. pebber and vanilia. 

Upon tasting the red berries are quickly replaced by a dry (sherry like) and bitter dark chocolate. 89P, Erik Sørensen vin 149 dkk

Next wine up was perhaps tonights best experience, and also most hard to nail. A bordeaux wine from Italy. This wine is made on Cabernet sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot. 

Villa Fidelia rosso 2003

Bouquet of dark red berries, oak (barrique), coffe and dark chocolate. 

The taste is rich, copulent but overall in well balance with the level acidity. There is a fine harmony between its volume, structure and sweetness. 90P, Theis vine 200dkk

We ended the evening with one of the most known Vino Nobile from Montepuliciano, the Asinone.The wine was opened and decanted 5 hr before tasting. 

Poliziano Asinone 2005

Bouquet of red berries, grass, oak and leather and slight hints of animalistic tones. Its a well structured wine, dry, and with a medium hard tannins. This wine may easily evolve more over the following years. 89P, Oxholm vine 279dkk

3 vine og en katastrofe

Smagt af PBK, Jakob & Drud

Floral, syrlig, citron, fersken, honning, nåletræ cigarkasse, brændte mandler, røde frugter, kridt blandt de smalle og fyldige.

Det var ordene under improviseret smagning med temaet ”Enkeldrue vin” hvor vi endte med at åbne 4 flasker; 3 gode og en forfærdelig Pinot Noir som fik en til at tænke på skidt oplevelse med en æske papvin i regnvejr på et interrail i 1992 hvor man netop missede toget.

Vi lagde godt fra land med en klassiker i form af Trimbachs Pinot Gris Reserve 2005, og er man til de søde, fede hvidvine, så forstår Alsace huset Trimbach om nogen at hælde honning og fersken på flaske i en skøn hvedegul eliksir.

Smagen er først fyldig og sød, med nuancer af fersken, og eftersmagen (som måske er den bedste) bliver hængende med en fyldig syrlig smag af citrus. Vinen er rund, lettere fed og fin balanceret. 89P, lokal købt i Schweiz, 15 €. Buy

Og nú indtræffer ulykken og her skal lyde en advarsel til alle vinkøbere som bør tages så bogstaveligt som en ismelding modtaget på langbølge radio i Grønlandsk farvand. 

Chorey-Les Beaune (AOC) Domaine Antonin Guyon 2005. Vi befinder os på den forkerte side af N74 (hovedvejen), men dertiltrods lover den medfølgende vinseddel at her laves der god vin til rimelige priser. Måske bør mistanken begynde at brede sig her....  

Det var småt med nogen næse fra begyndelsen selvom vinen havde været dekanteret 3 gange og været ude af flasken i over time. Dertiltrods var der stort set ingen næse i glasset. Med en indsats der kunne være en blodhund værdig – fandt vi røde frugter og kridt. Smagen er metalisk, moderart syrlig, ikke fyldig, ikke kraftig men flad. Der var ingen finesse, og til 180kroner er vinen tæt på en være personlig fornærmelse at købe.

Domaine Antonin ejer helt sikkert fine parceller, ja huset laver måske bedre vine, men denne Chovey-les-Beaune (AOC) bør man ikke engang overveje til sovsen. Det er simpelthen for ringe. HjHansen vin 180 dkk.

80P (Højt sat). Avoid

Næste flaske blev lidt af et mellemspil. Pretty but boring eller snarer ”okay yet forgettable”.

Savigny-Les-Beaune, Domaine Marguerite Carillion 2005 er lidt af en supermarkedsbourgogne.  Vinen er lettere transperant med en næse af røde kirsebær og jord (eller stald). Smagen var primært domineret af en stor syre, og vinen kunne sagtens ligge længere for at dæmpe tanninerne, men det er tvivlsom om længere lagring vil øge smagsoplevelsen? Vi tror det ikke.

IRMA 110DKK/fl

85P (igen højt sat). Pass

Slutspillet blev en Brunello di Montalcino fra det svære (varme) år 2003, der bl.a. er kaldt skandaleåret på Winebook.dk.  Donatella Cinelli Colombini besøgte København sidste år på D'angle Terre til hvad der blev en fabelagtig Brunello smagning, og her var Grapejuices så heldige at få et par flasker med i lommen. 

Vinen er klar dybrød, med en stor bouquet af nåletræ, cigarkasse, brændte mandler, stald, og fadlagring. Smagen er mineralsk, kantet og rustik. Vinen er præget en stor frugtsyre – ja nærmest med smag af citron.  Denne flaske blev åbnet på forkanten af dens bedste tid og den tåler fint at ligge nogle år endnu. Donatella Cinelli Colombini lægger stor afstand til ombruste skandaleår 2003, og vinen bør regnes for et sikkert køb, selv i den årgang.

91-92P, gave fra Donatella Cinelli Colombini. Buy

/ Drud

Two reds for an evening

The other night we had two reds up for a little review. Grapes from Spain (Rioja) and from Italy (Tuscany).

Capitoso 2001

We started of with the Riojian wine (a Grand Reserva from 2001), from where a soft bouquet of smoke, and spices rose from the glass. 

As for the taste, we found the wine velvetly soft, creamy, and far from corpulent. At one hand sweetened by taste of forrest berries, yet also balanced by a slight acidity. The taste is short, and only to be taken over by a short tickling of tannins. 

The wine presents spanish wine in a pleasant way as it was not roasted by the sun nor New worldish. To judge the wine, we doubt it has any potential for aging or further development. This wine is to drink and enjoy now (found at sale Aldi 69dkk/bottle). 

Columbina 2006 (Rosso di Montalcino)

And now to something completely different! 

We challenged to uncork what possibly should have been kept sealed. A young tuscan wine. The bouquet was "two layered". On top, it presented red berries and fruits placed on a base of animal tones (hints from the horse stable). The taste is slightly acidic, yet pleasant. Associations were old cabbage, mould, moisty cellar (all of course is meant in a good way). 

However, we were surprised to find plentiful of sugar crystals (dk: rest sukker) left in the bottle and glasses. The wine is clearly not fully developed and should best be kept (and forgotten) for time/years still. We look forward for the last bottle in the rack - to be opened in future.

Distibutor: Viniportugal (90dkk/bottle)

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Meeting an old friend

The other day, I found an old aquintance from our previous tastings. 

Some may remember the Tenuta Poderina Brunello 1997 brought from Italy to Espergærde last year. To my great surprise, Erik Sørensen Vine (Østerbro) are in fact distributing Tenuta Poderina in Denmark at reasonable prices. Poderina lies in the heart of tuscany, and the house range among some of the best producers in the area. On the left the rosso are displayed, the "littlebrother" of the Brunello. Instead of lying 3 years on oak - this rests only 1 year. Still it obtains the extreme darkness, and overwelming of spices and fruits. The taste is lasting, rich and "race-oriented" (the latter referring to Tuscan wine).  

Poderina Rosso (149 dkk/bottle)

Poderina Brunello (starting from 300dkk/bottle)

/ AD

Wines 7 nov 08

Cabarone 2006 Veneto
This wine is produced as a clone of the Venetian classic, the Amarone, but using Cabernet Sauvignon (in stead of Corvina and Rondinella).
Bouquet: Red berries, slight note of peber, leather.
taste notes: Velvet tanins, and well balanced wine. The single graped Cabernet gives a fine structure. The experiment is (surprisingly) well done and worthwhile.
Superbest: approx. 100dkk/bottle

Brunello di Montacino Principesco 2003
Bouquet: Viols, hint of sweet tobacco, dark berries and vanilia.
Taste notes: Mild tanins. Wine is fine balanced. The taste lasting, complex, and the wine has a minerally structure. Brunello is ussually a well quality brand and this bottle is no exception. A fine glass.
IRMA: 100dkk/bottle (at sale right now)

Sangiovese 2005, Errazuriz
This wine was tested to exmined how well the tuscan grape, Sangiovese, would flourish in New world soils.
Bouquet: Powerfull, spicy and dark berries.
Taste notes: The high level of alcohol is protrudent in this wine, and only behind the alcohol there is are tones of animal nuances. Otherwise taste notes are dominated by dark berries and there are unfortunately few nuances for a wine of this class. Although Errazurriz wants to establish themselves among the top 100 in the world, this particular wine does not add to the latter ambition.
HJ Hansen Vin. 140dkk/bottle

'Hall of fame' in Espergærde

Better later than ever. So here is another "Hall of fame" from an evening at Mads Eggerts place in Espergærde, somewhere around in 2007. Please comment or edit where informations are incomplete.

Daugaard - Gattinara (2000) Nebbiolo, Piedmont
Sune - Clos lacombe, Pomerol (2004)
Drud - La Poderina, Brunello di montalcino (1997), Tuscany
Mads Eggert, Torione, Petrolo (2001)
Finale (Daugaard) Ceravolo, Shiraz (2006) Australian vintage
Finale (Eggert) Chateu de Malle (2002) sauternes