Milky

• August 2009

  Not that hard. You can talk a little about history since that's really the ... it may work or may not. It's milky and the proteins in young cheese can taste like soap with some wines. Get a hard, dry, salty cheese like an aged Gouda or something and that often works much better... Read moreNot that hard. You can talk a little about history since that's really the ... it may work or may not. It's milky and the proteins in young cheese can taste like soap with some wines. Get a hard, dry, salty cheese like an aged Gouda or something and that often works much better with both red and white. But mostly let the people pay attention and talk about their own preferences and observations. That's the most important. Good luck    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic If you had to give a lecture... by GregT

  
  

• May 2009

  Well the 2005 Barolos are tasted, and I can’t help but think back to what I ... but fresh and nice, a little milky, a touch of saw dust,  light and crisp, very fresh and well balanced with herb tinged red raspberry fruit, lovely purity, simple, clean a+ restaurant wine, falls a... Read moreWell the 2005 Barolos are tasted, and I can’t help but think back to what I ... but fresh and nice, a little milky, a touch of saw dust,  light and crisp, very fresh and well balanced with herb tinged red raspberry fruit, lovely purity, simple, clean a+ restaurant wine, falls a bit flat on the finish though still good intro Barolo 86-87 Bel Colle Monvigliero (Verduno) -  intensely celery seed, celery , herbal, fresh, seashells, smoky, slightly weedy, burning brush pile, spicy seeds, turmeric, cardamom,  nice entry, a touch dilute but with nice intense dark cherry fruit, lacks some definition, good purity and decent harmony, finishes very strong with a nice core of ripe but not sweet fruit and decent length, a bit more spiced on the finale, I want to drink a bit of this, 86-87 Mario Gagliasso Rocche dell’Annunziata (La Morra)- roses, rosehips, vitamins, slightly distant smoky, wild strawberry jam, touch of dried peach, lovely classic profile, simple on the palate, a bit dilute, nice freshness and balance, ripe tannins, perhaps this will improve but for now this lacks intensity though the flavors are pleasant and true, herb tinged bark raspberry, soil tones, it’s has very classic character if a touch wood spicy, nice finish of good length, I want to like this more, 86-87 Mauro Veglio Vigneto Gattera (La Morra)- brownie, fudgy, peach jam, nice spice notes, a touch of dandelion, mineral water, talc, white pepper, a bit of a let down on the mp, simple, but with a decent core of ripe cherry fruit, a nice backend with more savory character, finishes strong with good follow through to the ripe fruit character and nice round tannins, cinnamon finale 86- 87 Andrea Oberto Vigneto Rocche (La Morra)-  nice herbal, slightly medicinal, slightly anise driven nose, a little woody but not enough to obscure the fruit a touch of funghi and some drying leaves,  with some sweet fruit, nice and taut in the mouth, fine tannins, good polish, nice fruit with briarwood and dried herb notes,  nice acidity, drying on the backend leading to a nice savory, briary finish,  86-87 Monfalletto Bricco Gattera (La Morra)- this really has nice intensity, there’s a rose tone, a little vanillin, chalk, very dried orange zest, really nice nose, a bit fat and loose up front, then gains nice focus, a lot of burnished fruit, dried strawberry, pretty rich and chewy on the mp, very good intensity of fruit, no finish or follow through, 86-87 Mario Gagliasso Torriglione (La Morra)- woody, cinnamon, white pepper, a nice weedy tone, some nice fruit gains a grip with that background herb note and nicely measure sour cherry/red currant fruit, a touch of bitterness adds some tension with a hint of root beer, a bit woody tannin on the finish but not bad 86-87 Mauro Molino Vigna Conca (La Morra)-  a bit of VA, sweet cherry, passion fruit, kafir lime leaf, very high toned, very aromatic, a touch of diesel, a touch of brett, thick and rich up front, lots of fruit here, a bit monolithic but can’t deny the intensity of the dark cherry fruit, some mineral tones add cut, chalky tannins, could improve but seems to show quite some promise, ends with a bit of drying wood tannin, really drying 86-87 Gianni Gagliardo Cannubi (Barolo)- dirty and old smelling, very brothy at first, cleans up slightly but remains curiously evolved smelling with a strong licorice character, soft tannins and acid, pretty rich and chewy, shows better in the mouth than on the nose with fairly big and intense monolithic fruit, decent but lacks enough tension to remain interesting though it is pretty packed with lovely ripe fruit, may pull itself together, coffee on the finale 86-87 Brezza Cannubi (Barolo)-  herbal and floral nose with some background cola spice,  more macerated wild cherry, clumps of weeds with fresh dirt  a bit of chalk, fresh and taut,  a bit languid on entry, firming up slightly but this remains a bit closed in the mouth, nice fruit a touch of smoky campfire but it doesn’t pull itself together, a little medicinal mint tannins are nice, decent 86-87 Franceso Rinaldi Cannubbio (Barolo)- sweetly fruited, a touch of peach here, sour cherry, burnt match stick, a bit dilute, nice ripeness but easy styled with moderately intense wild cherry fruit, a bit more structure than fruit, a touch of watermelon and almost minty spice, 86-87 Michele Chiarlo Cannubi (Barolo)- sweet and candied nose, root beer,  some baked goods, extracted, heavy, but deep and intense with chewy, dark, opaque fruit, this might just come around as it has a lovely minerality that really cuts through the huge fruit and finishes with intense cooling menthol and dark, earthy note, even a hint of dark tobacco on the moderately long finish 86-87 Costa di Bussia Tenuto Arnulfo (Monforte)  -   pine, bay, pressed flowers,  cool, a little thin but with nice typical sour cherry and almost leather fruit, perfectly nice little wine, 86 -87 Aldo Conterno Colonnello (Monforte)  -  jammy, pencil shavings, some animale, furry, reticent, a bit ungenerous, and dried out, there’s a sweetness here but not terribly fruity nor varietal, very savory, turns better on the finish, nice tannins ripe tannins, refreshing finish, clean, a small wine 86-87 Josetta Saffirio (Monforte)  -   barrels, way too much barrels, smoky oak and extracted fruit,  has a nice vegetal character hiding behind though,  big fruit, really nice vegetal herbal flavors but the texture is a bit goopy, , really extracted black cherry fruit on the back end, I can see this being very popular 86-87 Silvano Bolmida Vigne dei Fantini (Monforte)  -  big balsamic tones, lots of dried meats, spicy wood tones, really fresh, and exhibiting nice ripeness, nicely fleshy, nicely fresh good refreshing acids, nice ripe tannins, nice herbal and dried earth notes, nothing immediate but subtle and sophisticated with a nice savory finish, 86 -87 Gianfranco Alessandria San Giovanni (Monforte)  -  smells like wood flooring, sweet, then menthol,  nice focus, a bit of an extracted feel, nice slightly medicinal fruit, a bit woody feeling, nice cool fruit, very good ripeness, quite drying but flavorful, 86-87 Marziano Abbona Pressenda (Monforte)  -   nice aromatic nose with a touch of sweet wood contrasting the menthol, savory crisp fruit,  a bit thick and fat, nice richness, flabby though, popular style , restaurant wine, fruity, nice fruit,  86-87 Fontanafredda Serrlaunga (Serralunga) -jammy and herbal very nice green herb notes,  deep ripe fruit and fresh notes nice dichotomy,  a bit hollow, nice flavors but rather low key, ordinary,  lots of tannin on the back end and the finish, a bit innocuous, some nice licorice and menthol on the finish 86 -87 Pio Cesare (Multi commune) -   sweet dried wood tones on the nose, leathery, nice precise fruit, dark fruit, cool in the mouth, good focus, spicy, menthol, floral tones, tight coiled and with good length 86-87 Ascheri (Multi commune) -    smoky, sour wood, sour meats, floral toned, sandalwood, lightly spiced,  fresh in the mouth, a bit of sweetness up front, a touch stern and ungiving, nice sour cherry, nice length, could improve 86-87 Roccheviberti Rocche di Castiglione (Castiglione Falletto)- a bit coffee toned but with nice, herb, sand and white pepper tones, a bit stemmy even,  cool and fresh, almost under-ripe to it’s advantage, easy drinking, simple, easy with nice Nebbiolo fruit, 86-87 Monfalletto Enrico VI (Castiglione Falletto)- nice, sweet briar wood, menthol, rosehips, grass, small flower notes, chamomile, touch of wild strawberry, fresh, a bit dull and lifeless, but with an nice hard candy note this gains a little focus on the backend with it’s simple ludens cough drop note, nothing special but not bad, sweet fruit on the finish is more smith brothers black cherry, nice for what it is 86-87 85-86 Stroppiana Oreste Vigna San Giacomo (La Morra)- lots of cigar box with some fudginess, tobacco, herb, chalk and spice,  a nice core of sweet fruit is small scaled and a little out  of balance with the structure, decent with some background oily herb notes to the dark fruit, but not particularly interesting, 85-86 Cascina Adelaide Preda (Barolo)- meaty, roast herb, roast meat, roast green vegetable, shallow and slightly swampy, nice feel, decent depth, ok dark cherry fruit, nice freshness but again not much depth though this has a bit of engaging elegance, 85 -86 E Pira Cannubi (Barolo)-  a little sweeter, a little jammy, smoky herbal, a touch of coffee, a touch of bitter roots, a bit of fizzy acids on the tongue, not much detail, bitterness, perhaps a bit too extracted, tannins are bitter, nice fruit in there but not particularly fresh or elegant, a bit of coffee in the mouth as well, dark fruited finish is moderately long, too tannic. 85-86 Abbona Marziano Ravera (Barolo)-  sweet herbs, sweet spearmint, high toned and pitched nose, with a touch of bacon - dilute palate, a bit of chewiness here, some nice raspberry tones with a touch of earth, and spice on the backend relatively long and fresh finish 85-86 Giacosa Fratelli Bussia (Monforte)  -   a big woodsy nose, confiture of bitter cherry, intense if monolithic, but very clean and fresh, a nice menthol top note, pretty sweet entry then a bit thin, shiny and hard though the sour cherry and herbal/citrus toned fruit is pleasant, a bit thin but nice 85-86 Monti Bussia (Monforte)  - dark, dirty, earthy, charry, spiced, antiseptic,  a bit lean in the mouth, nice quality to the tannins up front, good acids, nice feel,, decent earthy flavors, drying, inelegant but with some character,  tough and drying, some nice length too, 85-86 Giovanni Sordo Sori Gabutti (Serralunga) - light fresh nose, fresh leather, rocks, passionfruit, red currant, low intensity,  smells astringent, nice mouthfeel, polished tannins, good flesh, a bit loose on the mp but with lots of medicinal character, bitter fruits, a bit simple but very typical, lots of tannins on the finish 85-86 Massolino Parafada (Serralunga) - a fair amount of smoky oak here, still some medicinal character, lacks detail, nicely managed tannins, an easier mouthfeel, a bit of chewy extract, lacks follow through, short, 85-86 Ettore Germano Prapo (Serralunga) -diesel, lots of herbal character, macerated herbs, macerated flowers,  the nose is interesting, the mouth is a bit flat and uninteresting with decent fruit and a nice herbal flourish but nothing special 85-86 Rivetto (Serralunga) -a bit cooked, spicy, clovey,, bresaola,   cool, not much intensity, balanced, a nice wine, but without much detail, nice fruit on the finish, very fresh, nice seeds strawberry toned finish 85-86 Monchiero (Castiglione Falletto)- a bit leathery, bretty, gamy, nice medium weight, pretty feel but a bit on the dirty side, not necessarily rustic but a bit odd, good length, nice return of wild yellow cheery, sapid,  85-86     84-85 Bosco Agostino (La Morra)-speck, tons of cured meat character, a touch of black pepper, savory, a nice herbal touch, a bit too coffeed, meaty and slight herbal up front, coffee cream on the mp, some nice cherry fruit, a matte and indistinct backend, has an interesting character, I would try again, 84-85 Cascina Ballarin Bricco Rocca (La Morra)-  lots of sweet wood, talc, - lots of wood, nice flavors under the wood, a bit simple though a very burnished palate profile, lots of woody tones, good cherry fruit, too much tannin on the backend, short 84-85 Roberto Sarotto Audace (Barolo)-  bitter fruit, cedary, earthy, high acid soil, lean, focused, clean, fairly precise red fruits, very little complexity a touch of wood, and some spicy green fruit notes, lime zest, maybe even a touch of roast beef,  finishes with a touch of candied herbalness, 84-85 Prunotto (Barolo)- roasted fruit, balsamic, roasted meat, very fluid in the mouth, kind of refreshing but without much flavor or interest, nice bit of tar and bitter raspberry, 84-85 Boroli Cerequio (Barolo)- deep and intense, rose, cherry, prugnie, spice and menthol tones, nice freshness and  nice limestone underlay, fresh up front, a bit shallow, decent fruit but a bit nondescript, falls off on the backend, ends short with lots of tannin, 84-85 Marchese di Barolo Cannubi (Barolo)- lots of flashy oak on the nose, sweet, candied, backing spice, praline nose, plush and polished with a sexy mouthfeel, good acids, fine tannins, very nice tannins for 2005, nice bitter cherry fruit but lacks any sweetness or gentleness, and pretty oaky in the mouth, not offensively so but close, very drying finish, 84 - 85 Giacomo Grimaldi Ravera (Barolo)- Rosehips, roasted strawberry, mint, roast beef drippings, some high toned notes, tarry and menthol decent fruit in the mouth, nice concentration, a bit of freshness but also a bit of matteness, good length, fruit on the finish, 84-85 Prunotto Bussia (Monforte) -  very jammy, lots of roses, sweet bay leaf,  sweet fruit on entry, then rather shallow and mostly uninteresting across the palate, there's some very fine sweet tannin here, but not much flavor interest, a bit of an earthy red fruit finale,  84-85 Elio Grasso Gavarini Chiniera (Monforte) -  smells like a cigar butt in apricot jam, smoky, tarry jammy, languid, nice acids, kind of soft and dilute, easy across the tongue with small austere tannins, finishes chalky with a touch of a tobacco tone, 84-85 Rivetto Giulin (Serralunga) -gamy, leathery,  candied herbs,  loose, not much here to work with, light, elegant perhaps, simple 84-85 Gigi Rosso Arione (Serralunga) -lots of apricot, smells like cedar and redwood, lightly jammy raspberry, quite floral but the pencil wood is noticeable,  lacks tension in the mouth, a bit fluid, a bit boring,  nice fruity notes accented with vanilla sugar tones, 84-85   83-84 Michele Chiarlo Cerequio (La Morra)- well integrated spicy wood tones, light cherry and rose, a bit of clay, soft and simple, nice, simple, easy, some fruit, some spice, neither good nor bad 83-84 Eugenio Bocchino Lu (La Morra)-  nice refreshing balsamic scents, intense pine needle, ripe fruit, fur,  amazing Christmas tree tone, much less interesting in the mouth, loose, without focus, some nice fruit and a touch of the balsamic character found on the nose but mostly a stripped flaccid wine,  nice fruit re emerges on the finish, so maybe it will fill in, 87-88 for the nose, 83-84 total Luciano Sandrone Cannubi Boshcis (Barolo)-fine oak notes, candied, candied raspberry leathery, nice fruit is a little simple,  a bit flaccid up front, lacks some vibrancy, nice deep fruit on the mp is monolithic and feels a bit extracted, heavy on the backend, no detail, extracted feel on the finish with a touch of nice earth adding a bit of complexity 83-84 Armando Piazzo (Barolo)- charcuterie and pork aspic,  it really smells like working with pork products, light, fresh, easy, simple, not interesting but far from offensive, 83-84 Giacomo Grimaldi le Coste (Barolo)- a bit of bubblegum on the nose, face powder, white pepper,  white cherry in alcohol,  easy style, a bit simple, not much detail, perhaps closed, nice feel, very finely polished tannins, a bit of mint and camphor on the finish, 83-84 Elvio Cogno Ravera (Barolo)- kind of sweet notes on the nose, some peach skin, minty fresh, earth and clay, a bit dilute, matte, anonymous, nice feel with a touch of chewy extraction, minty some nice cherry pit on the moderately long finish, 83-84 Damilano Liste (Barolo)- beef extract, deep fruit, something weird though, a bit of brett, leathery, with some poop, nice balance, nice tannins, crisp yet fine grained, dilute, not much heart here,  nice but really very little intensity, 83-84 Bergadano Cav. Enrico Sarmassa (Barolo)- heavy aromatics are sweet and fruity, fleshy clean and precise, with macerated cherry and flowers, a little caramel sweetness creeps in, dilute, nothing special, decent fruit, simple, not too bad 83-84 Luciano Sandrone Le Vigne (Barolo)- sweet oaked nose, coffee candy and smoke, some ham, lingonberry and mint, sweet oakiness right up front yields to a dilute mid-palate with nice flavors but really low key, but why? 83-84 Ettore Germano  Cerretta (Serralunga) -diesel, kind of nasty to smell,  chemical, clay,  big and rich, but hollow, nice tannins, a bit chewy, uninteresting but with building fruit, extracted feeling extracted tannins, 83-84 Terre da Vino Essenze (Multi commune) - clean, fresh, candied and slightly uninteresting,  slight herbal root character, nice herbal character in the mouth but lacks some backing fruit, easy to drink and refreshing, simple but the one flavor is enjoyable, very short 83-84 Palladino Parafada (Serralunga) -candied root beer, candied herbs, sour meats, raw wood, gingerbread cheesecake, very fluid in the mouth, flat, very little follow through, some bitter cherry, small scaled, a bit too much tannin for the spicy spice cake fruit 83-84 Francesco Sobrero Ciabot Tanasio (Castiglione Falletto)- jammy, over-ripe, white pepper, round, flaccid, nice wiry fruit of low intensity, indistinct, fresh feeling at least, 83-84   82-83 Gianni Gagliardo Serre (La Morra)- sweet herbal root beer tones, sandy soil, fur, blond tobacco, chalk, lean nose, a bit dead in the mouth, kind of dull dark wild cherry fruit, no detail, no depth, a blanket on the tongue, more nice dark cherry fruit on the finish but flat and dull, 82-83 Aurelio Settimo Rocche (La Morra)- stink on the nose, matchstick, cedar, lean, crisp mouthfeel, no real flavor interest, not much here, a hint of sour cherry, drying, simple and inoffensive, 82-83 Rocche Costamagna Rocche dell’Annunziata (La Morra)- weird chalk and chicken/fowl nose, sweet smelling, candied nose, with a touch of coffee, thin, poorly knit, shrill, nice finish with some raspberry fruit and with reasonable balance, 82-83 Vietti Brunate (La Morra) -  a bit heavy and dull, sweet with integrated wood and some nice spicy herbal tones, a bit smoky wood, a bit loose, lacks some focus, a bit dried out but with some nice pie filling fruit, seems to be a bit too tannic across the mp, spicy eucalyptus/vegetal tones but not refreshing, a bit heavy and dull 82-83 Bartolo Mascarello (Barolo)- campfire, then sweet herbs, a touch of bacon, some cola, weeds, very fluid in the mouth, softish tannins, some sweetness but not much else, not cloying but very little flavor at this stage. 82-83 Ruggeri Corsini Corsini (Monforte) - gamy, sweet wood, heavy, cloying, monolithic,  big in the mouth, good freshness but the fruit is chewy, and feels saturated and not in a particularly good way, thoroughly ordinary and almost cloying on the finish, 82-83 Rocche de Manzoni Santo Stefano di Perno (Monforte) - sweet wood, cigar box, oaky, some herbal character, sweet, lots of wood tannin on the mp, powerful with some liquory almost medicinal fruit on the mid-palate which shows nice promise on the finish before the wood tannins clamp down, 82-83 Parusso Mariondino Bussia le Costa Mosconi (Monforte/Castiglione) - passionfruit, particular French oak, vanilla, smoke, vanilla pipe tobacco, artificial fruit aromas, slightly chewy, innocuous, anonymous,  82-83 Cascina Cucco  Cerrati Vigna Cucco (Serralunga) -a bit jammy, a bit woody, nice cherry fruit, roses, smoky, baking spice,  a bit soft though the acid peeks out, not much on the palate, lean and dried out, though it is soft, with decent woody length, 82-83 Terre del Barolo (Multi commune) - cola, cali pinot,  cool in the mouth, light and easy, 82-83 Boroli Villero (Castiglione Falletto)- jammy, hot, menthol, jammy, hot, feels stripped,  liquory raspberry, sandalwood, rosehips, hot a little spicy 82-83 Terre da Vino Paesi Tuoi (Castiglione Falletto)-   jammy, spicy, liquory frutti del bosco, toast, caramel wood,  marshmallow,  weird candied jammy fruits,  cola, a bit dirty, a bit low key, not much to like fresh, lean, soft tannins, 82-83   Mauro Molino Gallinotto (La Morra)- diesel, real reduced veal stock where it gets kind of sickeningly intense, really sweet wood, some nice cherry fruit but really kind of simple and blah, no detail, no lift, no finish, 80-82 Virna Borgogno Preda Sarmassa (Barolo) -  quinine, horseradish, mint, dry compost heap, tomato paste,  very lean, nicely spiced, not any fruit, tannic, dry, some cola, , menthol and tannins on the finish 80-82 Rocche dei Manzoni Big’d Big (Monforte) -  candied, some dried lime zest perhaps lurking, has potential but not showing much today, big, low tannin, soft, broad but shallow, then a bit drying on the finish,  I don’t know  what to make of this, 80-82 Gianfranco Alessandria (Monforte)-  coffee candy, wood, cigar box, spicy cinnamon, tobacco candy, flat, flabby, hollow, totally uninteresting save a nice floral note on the finish 80-82 Cascina Cucco Cerrati (Serralunga) -very sweet aromatic wood nose, flat in the mouth, neutral in the mouth, nice structure not much flavor 80-82 Fontanafredda la Rosa (Serralunga) -sweet candied root beer, cloying nose,  rather light on the palate though, much better than one would expect from the nose, but there’s not much flavor interest here and a rather watery finish, extracted tea quality, 80-82  Livia Fontana Villero (Castiglione Falletto)- funky, very herbal and soil driven, eggshells, a bit of matchstick, lean, ungenerous, uninteresting, fresh finish, 80-82   Costa di Bussia Campo de Buoi  (Monforte)-  bretty, like big time,  cool, crisp and fresh with front loaded sweet fruit then bretty mp, burnished drying, 78-80  Eredi Lodali Lorens (Roddi)- sweet wood notes, lots of coffee, heavy, candied sweet and dull on the nose, dead in the mouth, fluid, without flavor or character, woody. 78-80 Renato Ratti Rocche (La Morra)-  passionfruit, lemon, wood, lemon pledge, stewy, cedar, a touch of mothball, nothing going on in the mouth, loose, some dark berry fruit, heavy tannins, kind of extracted, really tannic finish, not enough flesh, 78-80 Gianni Voerzio La Serra (La Morra)-  oaky and black raspberry preserves a little lactic, dried pear fruit,  thick up front then oaky and stripped, heavy but not sweet, dead in the mouth, bitter wood and cigar butt notes, a bit of whiskey on the finish, drying detailess 78-80 Fratelli Giacosa Vigna Mandorlo (Castiglione Falletto)- medicinal, herbal, a touch of match stick, sour cherry, sour berry, a flat boring wine in the mouth 78-80  Aurelio Settimo (La Morra)-  hot, over-ripe jammy, indistinct,  very menthol, fluid, shallow, over-ripe, nasty 70-72 Eredi Virginia Ferrero  San Rocco (Serralunga) -stinky, cidery, smells like ass, lots of dried pork character, off and just plain weird,  flat and bad, 7    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic Alba Wine Exhibition 2005... by Gregory Dal Piaz

  
  

• May 2009

  From the article Alba Wine Exhibition 2005 Barolo tasting notes

  
  

• March 2009

  Just the notes this time. See the blog post for more details. 2006 Milcampos ... bit woody on the nose, with milky tones of American oak that are fleeting as the nose closes up to reveal some crushed rock, floral and licorice tones. , This has a very balanced mouthfeel that is... Read moreJust the notes this time. See the blog post for more details. 2006 Milcampos ... bit woody on the nose, with milky tones of American oak that are fleeting as the nose closes up to reveal some crushed rock, floral and licorice tones. , This has a very balanced mouthfeel that is refreshing with solid acidity and nice, soft tannins in a mouthwatering style. The fruit is pure and with good depth if a bit hidden at the moment though notes of black cherry/ plum candy poke out at times. Not complex but appealing for it’s directness with lovely fruit tannins on the short finish. This needs a year or two to relax and reveal itself. 88pts Flight 2 2006 C3 Tempranillo Santa Barbera County 14.9% $18 http://www.snooth.com/wine/core-tempranillo-c3-2006/ Spicy and sweet smelling with notes of ginger, apricot and sassafras dominating at first then gaining complexity with hints of raw beef and vanilla accenting the cranberry fruit. This gains a rather distinctive note of mace and allspice berries with further airing. A bit flat on the attack but this is followed up by zesty, red apple acids, and lots of herbal and spicy background notes that are well knit into the plush texture The tannins are soft and add to the juicy appeal of the fruit which offers some tangerine and anonymous, dark red tones. Finishes cleanly with a touch of heat but not much complexity. 88pts 2005 Coral Mustang Tempranillo Vista Creek Vineyards Paso Robles 14.5% $15 http://www.snooth.com/wine/coral-mustang-vista-creek-tempranillo-2005/ This smells a touch sweet at first then very fruity and very Tempranillo-like with a nice sandy, dusty soil tone and a broad array of herbal, tobacco and floral background aromatics. There is a touch of VA here and it is a bit dirty, but in a good way making this penetrating and complex. A little sweet on entry but nice acidity and well judged tannins quickly bring this into focus with bright fruit that features red raspberry fruit enlivened by dry, dusty earth tones, and spicy orange ring/herbal notes and even a touch of green chili lurking This is very fresh and fruity yet a slight astringency offers cut but is not enough to become bitter. The nice cleansing finish shows a touch of vanilla and floral perfumes that recall dried roses. A very solid offering. 91pts 2004 Casajus Ribera del Duero Vendimia Seleccionada 14.5% $20 http://www.snooth.com/wine/casajus-vendimia-seleccionada-2004/ This starts off deep and a touch stinky with saddle leather, black earth, forest floor and noticeable licorice and blackberry fruit then closes up in the glass revealing a minty top note and a deep underlay of clay. There is big black raspberry fruit right up front followed by a well-integrated, balanced mouthfeel that features pure dark, hard candy fruit well framed by moderate tannins and good acidity. The tannins build across the palate with some tar, leather and licorice leading into the ever so slightly herb and vanilla tinged, finish that is stopped short by the building tannins. Impressive stuff 90pts. flight 3 2004 Casajus Ribera del Duero 14.5% $18 http://www.snooth.com/wine/casajus-ribera-del-duero-2004/ Dark and damp smelling with earthy coffee bean notes, minerally., meaty tones and lots of scrub brush and slightly gamey tones. This smells a little angry and black shale minerally. Weighty on entry with a tight palate packed with dark unsweetened/roasted strawberry that is backed up with considerable dry extract and a big tannic punch. This is dense and chewy and a touch rustic yet with great depth, sinewy and muscular. The acidity is bright yet in balance and the tannins are juicy fruit tannins with almost no astringency allowing the licorice and cocoa to reverberate on the long finish. A remarkable value! 92pts 2004 Ochoa Navarra Crianza 13% $12 http://www.snooth.com/wine/bodegas-ochoa-tempranillo-navarra-crianza-navarra-2004/ Offering a really nice nose with earth, forest floor, leather, and beef notes edged with very well integrated milky wood tones. Smooth and silky on entry with lots of bright acids and soft tannins supporting rich, juicy fruit with intense dark raspberry/blueberry fruit and a lovely bitter edge keeping it tense in the mouth. This gains a bit of a citrussy/burnt orange rind top note, which leads to a cleansing finish with sweet/sour blueberry note that recalls a fruit smoothie. Finishes a bit short. 87pts 2004 Truchard Tempranillo Carneros Napa Valley 14.1% $25 http://www.snooth.com/wine/truchard-vineyards-tempranillo-rouge-2004/ Earthy and tight on the nose with a bit of French oak adding sweetness to the mineral and dried cherry/strawberry tones that have a slight leathery edge. The sweet fruit on entry is met with a great acidic cut that leaves this opulent and almost voluptuous with rich tannins embedded in plush fruit. It’s a bit tight but with a top note of milk chocolate and lovely herbal nuances to the rather precise tobacco tinged, dark berry fruit. A touch of dry wood tannin reveals itself across the palate but there is plenty of fruit to balance it and the finish continues the theme though it is a touch hot. 90pts flight 4 2000 Miguel Merino Rioja Reserva 13,5% $40 http://www.snooth.com/wine/bodegas-miguel-merino-rioja-reserva-2000/ Full and deep on the nose with roast peach, wood spice, leather, game, white truffle and white chocolate tones then with air this gains notes of saw dust, old books, cocoa powder, sweet red licorice, cherry pie, vanilla, beefy, lovely complex and balanced nose. The entry is rich and soft with bright acid driven fruit flavors, layered and juicy with a balsamic edge and dried bark, tea and rosehip notes to the bright cranberry/cherry fruit. Classic interplay of red fruit and vanilla in the mouth, lovely mid weight wine with a really elegant feel and a haunting sweetness to the fruit, finishes with sour cherry, vanilla and café-au-lait tones in balance and with good, bright length. A wonderful wine that is drinking perfectly today. 92pts 2004 Heras Cordon Rioja Vendimia Seleccionada 13% $27 http://www.snooth.com/wine/bodegas-y-vinedos-heras-cordon-rioja-vendimia-seleccionada-2004/ This nose is completely enthralling with full funky monkey notes of preserved meats and pork fat with a core spicy, black berry liquor and a hints of minty barnyard, white pepper, mineral and dried bay leaf. Very polished and bright on entry with an initial sweetness that is followed by bright acids and very soft tannins This is noticeably gamy in the mouth with cranberry/juniper/lingonberry fruits that are accented by the minor but mouthgrabbing tannins The long, succulent finish shows a bit of vanilla and RC cola like spice on the finale accenting the slightly astringent red fruits. 91pts 2005 C3 Crazy Eights California 14.9% $38 http://www.snooth.com/wine/c3-crazy-eights-2005/ Lightly jammy cherries on the nose but nor overtly sweet with fine mineral notes, licorice, asphalt, vanilla and an earthy potato/root vegetable tone. This opens with lots of exotic tea notes that seem a little sweet then intense acidity balances out the deep, dark ripe cherry fruit. While mouthfilling this retains a fairly light texture with intense, bright cherry and watermelon flavors. This is really well balanced and while it’s sort of a fruit bomb it lacks the overt sweetness that would make it vulgar. It’s a whole hell of a lot of wine with a vibrant wild cherry finish that finishes with impressive length while remaining juicy with herb and spice tones, a little plummy leafiness. Pretty impressive if a touch hot. 91pts    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic Tempranillo PTP 13 by Gregory Dal Piaz

  
  

• December 2008

  Wines tasted for this report Flight 1 2005 Simi Alexander Valley Cabernet ... Milky at first, tight then turning very herbal with bay leaf and spicy herbs before adding pencil lead, leather, and tea tones. Dark and brooding with big yet suave tannins that give this a high end... Read moreWines tasted for this report Flight 1 2005 Simi Alexander Valley Cabernet ... Milky at first, tight then turning very herbal with bay leaf and spicy herbs before adding pencil lead, leather, and tea tones. Dark and brooding with big yet suave tannins that give this a high end Bordeaux like mouth feel. Very fresh and with very fine balance to the creamy mouthfeel. The acidity is bright but integrated adding to the polish yet lean feel. Lush with good depth of flavor, this is a seductive style of winemaking that knits together deep fruit with good length in a suave polished style. This developed lovely green tobacco and green coffee nuances on the long finish. Delicious and really enjoyable to drink, this improved all night long 2008-2016 92pts 9) 2005 Dry Creek Valley Vineyard The Mariner 13.9% $40 46% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot, 5% Malbec, 3% Cabernet Franc http://www.snooth.com/wine/dry-creek-vineyard-mariner-2005/ Smoky, deep and layered on the nose with dried floral, dried herb and vanilla tones accenting the mulberry and plum fruit. There is an underlay of dirt and high toast wood as well and that gained through the course of the evening turning a bit too green and funky, though by the end of the evening that began to re-integrate. At first this delivered good creamy, red cherry fruit with gentle spice tones and a lovely spicy, lingonberry edge with very polished tannins in an almost elegant package. Tannins pop a bit on the finish and really became quite prominent and gave the wine a muddy feeling. The flavors turned toward coffee liquor tones and gained a lot of clove-y spice. With further airing this regained some of it’s earlier balance and while it has good fruit and length this may not have the balance to age and improve. In any event it is a young and disjointed at the moment 2009-2016 88pts Flight 4 - Sonoma County Reserve wines 10) - 2005 Rodney Strong Reserve Alexander Valley - 14.9% - $50 http://www.snooth.com/wine/rodney-strong-cabernet-sauvignon-reserve-2005/ Deep and richly fruited this is dripping with plum jam, cassis, bramble, jalepeno jelly and sweet baking spice tones. The herbal and oak tones gain the upper hand here with some pine and green tomato tones but this remains attractive on the nose. Apon opening this is lovely in the mouth with tons of ripe fruit tannins, fine acidity and good density that is just a touch chewy. Perhaps a touch monolithic today and while the acidity begins to be more apparent this retains good harmony in the mouth. It’s pure cassis, olive and bitter spice notes on the backend and the finish as classic Cabernet. Elegant yet intense. 90pts 11) 2004 Simi Reserve Alexander Valley - 14.5% - $50 http://www.snooth.com/wine/simi-reserve-cabernet-sauvignon-2004 Really good fruit on the nose at first, in a restrained style with lovely bay and vanilla tones adding complexity a little cigar wrapper as well. Overall a sweet, gentle herbal and slightly medicinal impression. Very smooth and suave at first with good fruit but also quite astringent tannins. Not particularly tannic but with a gritty edge to the tannins. Earthy and dark, with baked spice tones that compliment the red plum skin, apple skin, and wild berry fruit. This is a bit too woody with quite the spiced and vanilla toned finish that is very drying. The tannins need to mellow for this to show better. Give it 2 years. 2011-2020 88pts 12) 2004 Dry Creek Vineyards Endeavor 13.9% $50 http://www.snooth.com/wine/dry-creek-vineyrd-cabernet-sauvignon-dry-creek-valley-endeavor-2004/ Oaky at first then turning really meaty and smoky with tobacco and tea notes to the dark, brooding fruit. This reveals both sweet ripe fruit and dried fruit notes with a deep mulberry jam tone. Gains a new nuance with each sniff revealing herbs, roast meats, baking spices, dates, cured meats, and a strong black tea top note. A bit matte up front, tight yet not chewy, really elegant and fresh with a suppleness to the wine that belies its power. Fresh and rich with ripe cabernet notes a bit beefy and very black cherry fruited. Nice finish that is really fruit driven yet with emerging complexity and subtle spice tone. This feels very natural yet is big and explosive in the mouth. There’s a lot to this wine. It can compete with wines selling for twice the price! 2011-2025 94pts.    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic Snooth PTP - California Cabernet by Gregory Dal Piaz

  
  

• September 2008

  Sure, It's the Absinthe Suisse La Bleue Clandestine 53% 35mg thujone, My ... nice oil trails into a nice milky white then the smell really starts to come out more, nice smooth sweet taste all the herbs and spices come together nicely it's 53% alcohol but by this time you can hardly... Read moreSure, It's the Absinthe Suisse La Bleue Clandestine 53% 35mg thujone, My ... nice oil trails into a nice milky white then the smell really starts to come out more, nice smooth sweet taste all the herbs and spices come together nicely it's 53% alcohol but by this time you can hardly taste it ,very nice drink with a smooth finish.. I have many more to try but this one is always in my cabinet.. hope this is helpful..    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic Just joined - Absinthe drinker by jgwinett

  
  

• August 2008

  Last night I hosted a tasting party at my tiny pad in Manhattan for Pinot Noirs ... a blue. Taleggio A soft, milky slab of Italian cow's-milk cheese from the Valsassina Alps, in the far north of Lombardy. Gently pungent. Baked Brie with Truffled Crabmeat Filling Double-cream Brie,... Read moreLast night I hosted a tasting party at my tiny pad in Manhattan for Pinot Noirs ... a blue. Taleggio A soft, milky slab of Italian cow's-milk cheese from the Valsassina Alps, in the far north of Lombardy. Gently pungent. Baked Brie with Truffled Crabmeat Filling Double-cream Brie, sweet and ripe. Mild, sweet, and perfectly ripe. Baked with lump crabmeat, goat cheese, and truffle oil. Fresh Figs Dried Apricots Green Seedless Grapes Over all it was quite a wonderful experience, and I hope that this inspires more people to have wine tasting parties in their homes. Now I have to stop procrastinating and get to those wine glasses lined up for washing    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic Tasting Party: Pinot Noirs... by RachelNYC

  
  

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