Individual
Tasting Notes, in Order Tasted: |
|
1999 J.
Hoffstatter Pinot Grigio. $15.99.
Nearly clear in color. Sweet grass and slightly citric nose. Moderate
mouthfeel, sweet citrusy fruit, crisp medium-long finish. Somehow
this seemed to fall a little short of expectations. Maybe more time
would add some complexity to the citrus qualities.
Aroma score: B Taste score: B Overall score: B
1999 Pieropan
Soave Classico Superiore Calvarino. $13.99. Slightly
yellow in color. Nose of newly cut grass, hay and Asiago cheese.
Off-sweet slightly plush mouthfeel, grass/hay and citrus flavors,
seems to have nice acidity initially, but gets just a bit flabby
toward the finish.
Aroma score: B Taste score: B Overall score: B
1999 Coltibuono
Chianti Classico Roberto Stucchi. $13.99. Light-medium
garnet color. Nose of black cherry, anise, and a cheddary aroma.
Medium-full body, nice balance, tasty ripe fruit, and nice long
finish.
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B+ Overall score: B+
1997 Nittardi
Chianti Classico Riserva. $23.99. Medium-dark garnet color.
Huge ripe black cherry nose, with anise and toasty oak background
notes. Big mouthfeel, noticeable oak and acids, but fruit just keeps
on pumping. Nice CCR.
Aroma score: A- Taste score: B+ Overall score: B+
1997 Poliziano
Vino Nobile de Montepulciano Asinone. $35.99. Medium-dark
garnet-cola color. Complex nose of toast, dried cherries, anise,
and nice meaty quality. Big and tasty mouthfeel, fabulous balance,
and gobs of fruit. There are still plenty of tannins and well-integrated
oak to resolve, but what a great drink right now.
Aroma score: A- Taste score: A- Overall score: A-
1995 Fanti
Brunello di Montalcino. $44.99. Dark garnet-ruby color. Nose
of very ripe and spicy black cherry fruit, vanilla, and cheese toast.
Huge mouthfeel, with tarry ripe flavors, nicely grained oak and
tannins, off-sweet fruit, with a very long slightly grainy and cheese-flavored
finish. Absolutely dee-licious.
Aroma score: A- Taste score: A- Overall score: A-
1998 Calbello
Ardingo. $32.99. Dark garnet ruby color. Initially big
vitamin/herbaceous nose. Vigorous swirling reveals more fruit, chocolate,
and mocha aromas. Big ripe mouthfeel, with flavors of stemmy fruit,
Kalamata olive, and a hint of sweet pine, on a big chewy finish.
75% Merlot; 25% Cab Sauv.
Aroma score: A- Taste score: A- Overall score: A-
1997 Fattoria
Montellori Salamartano. $39.99. Dark garnet ruby color.
Big floral and buttery cassis nose. Chewy mouthfeel, very nice balance
through mid palate, with acids playing a bigger role at latter palate.
Really nice nose, but the fruit seems to drop off a bit on the finish.
50% Merlot; 50% Cab Sauv.
Aroma score: A- Taste score: B+ Overall score: A-
1999 Vietti
Dolcetto d'Alba Tre Vingne. $11.99.Medium-dark purple
ruby color. Big stemmy, floral, and tarry nose, with some cranberry/blueberry
aromas, and a oaky/toasty back ground note. Very subtle fruity flavors,
coming on strong at first, then settling into a steely and stemmy
quality, with a toasty and somewhat Spartan finish.
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B Overall score: B+
1999 Aldo
Conterno Dolcetto d'Alba. $11.99. Medium dark garnet ruby color.
Restrained stemmy floral nose of cranberry/blueberry fruit and toast.
Medium-full mouthfeel of off-sweet cranberry/cassis fruit and toast,
with very nice balance, along tasty finish.
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B+ Overall score: B+
1999 Il
Colombo Dolcetto delle Langhe Monregalesi. $13.99.Dark ruby
garnet color. Nose of ripe cassis and black cherry, with toasted
oak, ink, tar, cheese and anise. With narrowly focussed fruit and
somewhat tight mouthfeel, the oak and tannins seem to take front
stage from the moderate fruit.
Aroma score: A- Taste score: B Overall score: B+
|
Favorites, in Order of Preference: |
|
1996
Claudio Alario Barolo Riva. $44.99.
1996 Allegrini La Poja. $45.99.
1998 Ca'Viola Langhe Rosso Bric du Luv. $29.99.
1998 Calbello Ardingo. $32.99.
1997 Poliziano Vino Nobile de Montepulciano Asinone.
$35.99.
1995 Fanti Brunello di Montalcino. $44.99.
1997 Fattoria Montellori Salamartano. $39.99.
1996 Allegrini Amarone. $39.99.
----------------------------------
1997 Nittardi Chianti Classico Riserva. $23.99.
1997 Pelissero Barbaresco Vanotu. $54.99.
1999 Il Colombo Dolcetto delle Langhe Monregalesi. $13.99.
1999 Coltibuono Chianti Classico Roberto Stucchi.
$13.99.
1999 Aldo Conterno Dolcetto d'Alba. $11.99.
1998 Zenato Valpolicela Ripassa. $13.99.
1999 Vietti Dolcetto d'Alba Tre Vingne. $11.99.
1999 Agostino Pavia Barbera d'Asti Moliss.$9.99.
-----------------------------
2000 Dante Rivetti Moscato d'Asti Riveto. $9.99.
1999 J. Hoffstatter Pinot Grigio. $15.99.
1999 Pieropan Soave Classico Superiore Calvarino.
$13.99.
|
|
1999 Agostino
Pavia Barbera d'Asti Moliss. $9.99.Medium-dark ruby garnet
color. Nose of ripe fruit, black olive, oak, toast, ink, and balsamic
aromas. Very tasty mouthfeel, and the fruit seems to integrate seamlessly
with the acids and tannins at the finish. Great price!
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B+ Overall score: B+
1998 Ca'Viola
Langhe Rosso Bric du Luv. $29.99. Dark garnet ruby color.
Big inky and fruity nose, with a meaty marinade aroma. Nice ripe
fruit on the palate, with a tasty and chewy, if slightly hot, mouthfeel,
and a very long fruit-filled toasty finish. Very nice! 100% Barbera.
Aroma score: A- Taste score: A- Overall score: A-
1997 Pelissero
Barbaresco Vanotu. $54.99. Dark garnet-cola color. Nose
of ripe tarry fruit and anise, with a singed and somewhat "old vine"
quality to the nose. Smooth and subtle mouthfeel, slightly spicy
ripe fruit, smooth long finish. After the very intriguing nose,
the subtlety of flavors seem sort of a let down. Maybe since this
is still a youngster, more time is needed. Or, maybe Barbaresco's
aren't my bag. 100% Nebbiolo.
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B+ Overall score: B+
1996 Claudio
Alario Barolo Riva. $44.99. Medium garnet-cola color.
Lovely ripe and slightly burnished fruit, with a cheesy/toasty background
aroma. Medium-full mouthfeel, very nice balance, with ripe fruit
and lots of dark olive and cheese flavors through a long tasty and
still slightly tannic finish. 100% Nebbiolo.
Aroma score: A- Taste score: A- Overall score: A-
1998 Zenato
Valpolicela Ripassa. $13.99. Medium-dark ruby garnet
color. Nose of sweet toast and ripe meaty aromas. Ripe mouthfeel,
very nice balance, tasty fruit and herb flavors, with along, slightly
coarse finish. Very nice wine for the price. 70% Corvina.
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B+ Overall score: B+
1996 Allegrini
La Poja. $45.99. Dark ruby garnet color. Toasty, and
slightly earthy nose, with herbed cheese-bread and spicy marinade
aromas. Smooth, yet still young mouthfeel, nice ripe fruit, very
nice balance, and a very long somewhat astringent finish.100% Corvina.
Aroma score: A- Taste score: A- Overall score: A-
1996 Allegrini
Amarone. $39.99. Dark ruby color. Effusive nose of ripe and
inky fruit and a bit of Port. Sweet mouthfeel, very nice balance,
and showing a trace of heat on its extremely long finish.75% Corvina.
Aroma score: A- Taste score: B+ Overall score: A-
2000 Dante
Rivetti Moscato d'Asti Riveto. $9.99.Slight brown-gold
color. Raisiny and spicy nose, that even smells spritzy and a bit
swampy. Nice moderate bubbles on the palate, clean mouthfeel, with
a slight aspirin quality to the tasty finish. But hey, for $10....
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B Overall score: B
|