Azienda Agricola Salustri Winery

• February 2009

  We had a great tasting last night and it focused on one of my favorite grapes, ... 11-    2004 Marleo Salustri Montecucco Rosso 13.5% $24 Groups #12 my #12 This bottle sucked. I’m not completely convinced that it was atypical; another bottle was about as bad. Cheryl “bad”... Read moreWe had a great tasting last night and it focused on one of my favorite grapes, ... 11-    2004 Marleo Salustri Montecucco Rosso 13.5% $24 Groups #12 my #12 This bottle sucked. I’m not completely convinced that it was atypical; another bottle was about as bad. Cheryl “bad” Paul “I liked it less and less” Eddie weak” Eva “ dried fig and raisin” Evan “off nose off flavors” Toni “hated it.” Yup yup. 12-    2006 Miner Gibson Ranch Mendocino 14.1% $24 Groups # 3 my #2 Evan found “rich blackberry and spices on the nose with leathery dark fruits. I liked the acidity and astringency of this wine>’ Eddie thought this offered “ sweet/tart fruit with much new oak adding a lot of tannins finishing firm and dry with Indian spices.” Paul noted that this was “ really powerful with a lot going on, spicy dark fruit, well balanced, this wine gets an A.” Cheryl felt that “ageing this might be the right thing to do, it’s short and flat in the mouth with drying tannins, while fine it’s not my favorite.” This was certainly the densest, most structured wine of the night and should benefit from cellaring and while a fine bottle it lacks some Sangiovese typicity. The following week we sat down with another group to taste another lineup of Sangiovese 1- Me 2 -  Allen - Wine Enthusiast 3 -  Eddie - Wine Professional 4 -  Justin - Wine Professional 5 -  Stu - Wine Professional 6 - Eric - Wine Enthusiast 7 -  Dave - Wine Enthusiast Flight 1 1 -2005 Cosentino Il Chiaretto California 14.8% $18 87pts 2 - 2006 Ruffino Santedame Chianti Classico 13.5% $18 3 - 2007 Flora Springs Napa Valley 14.2% $15 Flight 2 4 - 2004 Podere il Palazzino La Pieve Chianti Classico 14% $20 5 - 2005 Ruffino Riserva Ducale Tan label 14% $22 6 - 2006 Pope Valley Winery Napa Valley 14% $18 Flight 3 7 - 2004 Monsanto Chianti Classico Riserva 14% $20 8 - 2004 Felsina Chianti Classico Riserva 13.5% $30 9 - 2004 Castellare Chianti Classico Riserva 13.5% $35 Flight 4 10 - 2005 Kuleto Estate Napa Valley 14.8% $20 11 - 2004 Deerfield Sonoma 14,6% $25 12 - 2006 The Midlife Crisis Winery Paso Robles  16.6% $20 Flight 1 1 -2005 Cosentino Il Chiaretto California 14.8% $18 Group’s 7th, my 8th We started off with a solid wine that Eddie found to be “pleasant on the nose with cherry fruit and a touch of spice and red licorice” on the palate. Both Dave and Stu felt this showed a little Merlot like character with Stu commenting on the wine’s “cocoa powder, leather and spice notes”. Justin found the wine to be “ soft with sour cherry fruit, sandalwood and allspice…light and pleasant.” I tend to agree though the alcohol was a bit much here and gave the wine a disjointed feel. 2 - 2006 Ruffino Santedame Chianti Classico 13.5% $18 Group’s 8th, my 7th Eric felt this “smelled very tightly wound and herby with some cherry notes very nice acids with raspberry fruit” but he also commented on the “little bitter on the long finish.” Justin found this to be “ a touch tannic… with black cherry and earth notes but it’s trying to do more than what was there, nice acidity though.”  Stu was more complementary noting the wine’s “ vivid and dense” feel and  “rich chocolate” notes but felt the “good amount of oak and drying tannins left a lingering bitterness on finish” All in all this was a solid showing for a solid wine that could use a bit more finesse 3 - 2007 Flora Springs Napa Valley 14.2% $15 Group’s 1st, my 4th Justin -found “ a woodsy note like fresh cut grass” on the nose here and noted the wine had  “ good depth and concentration to the strawberry fruit. It’s a little tannic on the finish. Dave found the nose to be “cranberry, candy” with Notes of “ cologne, manure and cedar” and noted the wines “earthy minerality” on the palate. Eddie, on the other hand, found “cherries with a touch of oak” on the nose and felt the wine was “ medium bodied, tannic with decent fruit and a dry tart finish.” I loved this wine. It’s a bowl of unwashed freshly foraged wild strawberries and while fruit driven is just a joy to drink. Flight 2 4 - 2004 Podere il Palazzino La Pieve Chianti Classico 14% $20 Group’s 5th, my 5th Eric commented on this wine’s “ cheese rind, moldy” noted which was a consensus feature of this wine but found nice “ cherries and mineral, notes with some plum on the finish” Stu felt the funk was more “ barnyard and  wet forest,” and felt this was “ Burgundian styled” with a “smooth, silky mouthfeel, pretty sweet and ripe, but hot on the finish.”  Dave felt the funk was more like “manure and rubber” but found  “black berries and smoke” on the palate whish had  “big pucker factor” I found this to be a simple if solid bottle that would be a safe bet on a restaurant list. 5 - 2005 Ruffino Riserva Ducale Tan label 14% $22 Group’s 9th, my 9th Sometimes a blind tasting reveals the truth about a wine, like in this case. This very popular wine had a “seductive and alluring nose” according to Eddie with  “dark cherries on the palate” but he also found the wine to be “ soft and short finish” Justin felt the flavors were a bit blurred with cherry cola notes… with a nice round mouthfeel, but no mid-palate or finish” Stu also enjoyed the “rich licorice, cherry coke, cola” but felt the wine’s “finish had a greenness that popped up then dropped away leaving this heavy and rough in the mouth.” For me this was a decent wine but it felt as though it could have been better. It had a little of everything it needed but enough on nothing. 6 - 2006 Pope Valley Winery Napa Valley 14% $18 Group’s 2nd, my 3rd Justin found a “dust and old furniture” quality on the nose and “earthiness on the palate” that was appealing and felt this finished with  “ good acidity with wild berry and sour cherry fruits.  Stu also found “ berry sour cherry, candied, bright fruit” in this wine and felt that while this exhibited a  “liberal use of wood and vanilla “ he enjoyed the “pretty soft yet dense” feel of this wine. Interestingly Eric thought this resembled a  “modern style Dolcetto” with its “toasty blackberry, cedar, sour cherry vanilla” profile.  I thought this was just a great wine that spoke a little bit about Sangiovese, perhaps more about California but was so well made I really didn’t care. Flight 3 7 - 2004 Monsanto Chianti Classico Riserva 14% $20 Group’s 3rd, my 1st Allen enjoyed this wine’s  “earthy quality with an interesting bit of wood and licorice” and felt the wine had a “long finish that lingers quite a bit.” Eddie enjoyed the wine’s “soft and smoky fruit with peppered meats” and found it to be well balanced with subtle fruit” Dave also commented on the “smoked meats” on the nose along with “barnyard, violets and ripe fruits” and enjoyed the “nice balance of acid and tannin” on the palate.  This traditional Chianti was coy, earthy, complex and totally compelling. A brilliant wine and a great value! 8 - 2004 Felsina Chianti Classico Riserva 13.5% $30 Group’s 10th, my 10th I don’t know what the deal is with this wine. All 3 bottles I’ve had have been tainted and this was noticed by everyone and well described by Justin, as “chemical, rotten vegetable” Nonetheless there’s a lot to like here though in a rather modern idiom with almost everyone picking up notes of cola and root beer. Another popular descriptor mentioned by Eddie, Stu and Eric was cherry or red licorice. So far not a particularly typical set of descriptors for Sangiovese that really should not be an issue but along with the funk this sweet candied character did not a great Chianti experience make. 9 - 2004 Castellare Chianti Classico Riserva 13.5% $35 Group’s 4th, my 2nd Stu found a touch of “ farm and blackberry” on the nose but enjoyed this wines  “very ripe fruits and pretty deep flavors” though he did note it was “lacking acidity.” Justin on the other hand found this to have “good weight and intensity with fine grained tannins” and while it may be “a bit monolithic” it was still “pretty good” Eric found a lot on the nose here picking up “ oak, green veggies, wet fur, black berries and raw beef” and enjoyed the notes of “ black berry, green pepper and orange rind” on the palate. A solid showing and good reception for a slightly abrasive, slightly closed yet fine Chinati. Flight 4 10 - 2005 Kuleto Estate Napa Valley 14.8% $20 Group’s 6th, my 6th Eddie noted “ripe sweet fruit with salty olives and oak” on the nose of this Sangiovese/Cabernet blend. Eric also found “olive leaf” along with “sweet blackberry licorice, dry flower and tobacco.” He found the wine to be “very mouth filling with jammy black currant fruit.” Allen enjoyed the wines “long finish with a hint of licorice” but also commented that the wine was “a little dry if well balanced.” Dave probably enjoyed this most finding it to have a “plush nose of super ripe cherry, vanilla and barnyard with intensely ripe fruit flavors.” A big bruiser of a wine, this certainly had it’s merits and was a wine that I could see improving. 11 - 2004 Deerfield Sonoma 14,6% $25 Group’s 11th, my 12th Dave thought this smelled of “ cough syrup with a really funky nose with a vinegar edge” and like many added that it  “tastes fortified.” Allen called it “syrupy and a little alcoholic” Eddie also felt this had a “funky nose” with “sweet oxidized fruit and coconut.” Justin thought this was “velvety polished, very smooth” but as Eric added “it has a long but tiring finish.” Stu concurred finding a “fortified quality” to the wine making it  “feel like a port, with sour cherry, medicinal cough syrup flavors” and a  “really sweet finish.”  A strange bird indeed. Not sure what the intent was with this wine but the results speak for themselves. 12 - 2006 The Midlife Crisis Winery Paso Robles  16.6% $20 Group’s 12th, my 11th Justin called this simple “fruitcake” and noted that it was “very full bodied and a bit low in acid.” Eddie agreed calling it a “low acid fruit bomb with high residual sugar and zinfandel like boysenberry fruit.” Allen felt it was more “blackberry” toned but also noted the wine’s ‘sweet finish.” Eric chimed in agreeing that the finish was “a little cloying” and noted that this smelled “ like a dessert wine with honeysuckle, almond, clove, brown sugar and mulling spice.”  Another well made wine that really didn’t speak much of grape or origin. And the exceptionally high alcohol was noted by every taster, and not in a good way. And that is that. Two weeks of blind tasting’s focusing on Sangiovese. We had one corked bottle. Gregory Dal Piaz is the Community Manager at Snooth, an avid Wine Geek with a passion for things Italian, and a long suffering Mets fan    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic Sangiovese GTi by Gregory Dal Piaz

  
  

• January 2009

  Nice Mark, That Val delle Corti is classic stuff! Well we had a dirty dozen ... http://www.snooth.com/wine/salustri-montecucco-marleo-2004/ This fell apart like a Yugo in salt water. Gaping holes just burst open leaving this rusty and hollow.... Read moreNice Mark, That Val delle Corti is classic stuff! Well we had a dirty dozen ... http://www.snooth.com/wine/salustri-montecucco-marleo-2004/ This fell apart like a Yugo in salt water. Gaping holes just burst open leaving this rusty and hollow. http://www.snooth.com/wine/miner-family-vineyards-sangiovese-gibson-ranch-2006-1/ This shared alot with the Martin & Weyrich just more of it, give this a year in the cellar and it should be killer.    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic Snooth GTI - Sangiovese -... by Gregory Dal Piaz

  
  

• January 2009

  Well this was an unusual evening, a Sangiovese tasting with most of the wines ... Santa Ynez – 89pts 2004 Salustri Marleo Montecucco Rosso 73pts 2006 Miner Gibson Ranch Mendocino 92pts Flight 1 Chianti 1- 2006 Borgianni Chianti 12.5% - $12... Read moreWell this was an unusual evening, a Sangiovese tasting with most of the wines ... Santa Ynez - 89pts 2004 Salustri Marleo Montecucco Rosso 73pts 2006 Miner Gibson Ranch Mendocino 92pts Flight 1 Chianti 1- 2006 Borgianni Chianti 12.5% - $12 http://www.snooth.com/wine/castello-di-volpaia-chianti-borgianni-2006/ A bit estery but quite intense and fruity with wild strawberry tones on the nose with hints of leather and forest floor. With air and adds a nice mineral/rain water note and a hint of flowers. Very light fresh and pure with marginal tannins and juicy acids that are a bit hard on their own. Finishes with a touch of herb and sand. Correct and simple if a touch lean. 84pts 2- 2005 Volpaia Chianti Classico 13% $18 http://www.snooth.com/wine/castello-di-volpaia-chianti-classico-2006/ A touch meaty and first then turning very floral with a touch of wood spice, quite spicy fruit, black cherry, sweet almost red-hot cinnamon (-), very floral. Medium light on entry with nice acids and soft tannins. There is good depth of flavor with twisty herbal and mineral veins that offset the sour cherry/ red currant fruits. A classic austere character that is fairly richly flavored and finishes with nutty, slightly bitter amarena cherry tones. 88pts 3- 2003 Castel’in Villa Chianti Classico 13.5% $20 http://www.snooth.com/wine/castelin-villa-chianti-classico-2003/ Tight on the nose with a touch of caramel and roasted red fruits, menthol and limestone, smoke. A touch of VA adds lift and the aromatics drift off towards dried herb and woodland scents. Elegant and balanced in the mouth with integrated acidity and finely polished tannins, a bit drying on the midpalate, actually quite so with a mineral, smoky forest floor character. Bracing, cleansing finish with some violet and menthol notes even a long touch of bitter almond but not much more. An interesting wine but it lacks freshness of fruit on both the nose and the palate. 87pts Flight 2 - Other styles of 2006 Sangiovese 4- 2006 Nespoli Sangiovese di Romagna 13% $18 http://www.snooth.com/wine/sangiovese-di-romagna-poderi-dal-nespoli-2006/ Very nice, earthy, floral, forest floor, complex and typical sangio scents, some soft warm wild cherries and a bit of dried orange peel round out the nose which turns sweeter and grapier with airing. . Lovely mouthfeel, precise, balanced, full of soft tannins and juicy acids supporting just ripe red fruits in an elegant and lean expression of Sangiovese. Cleansing cherry pit finish is moderately long with a distinctly earthy, leathery, herbaceous edge then turning more spiced on the finale. Classic with a touch of tarry anise. A touch simple but so varietal! 88pts 5- 2006 Perrucci Santa Cruz Mtn Sangiovese “Family Selection” 13.5% $28 http://www.snooth.com/wine/perrucci-family-sangiovese-2006/ Gentle aromas of wet sand, roasted herbs, sweet vanilla(-) ham(-) and strawberry jam filter up from the glass. There is also a minor note of brett adding a bit of sweat here. Cool and crisp up front with good acids and slightly aggressive yet not drying tannins support moderate notes of rosehips, sweet wild cherry, and floral flavors with a spearminty top note. Quite fruity on the finish with the well measured tannins and mouthwatering acid finale. This continued to improve through out the course of the evening. Good intensity 88pts 6- 2006 Moris Farms Morellino di Scansano 14% $15 http://www.snooth.com/wine/moris-farms-morellino-di-scansano-1/ Intense moss, oily herb and stone notes at first with a lovely blackberry fruit compote and spice tone that is a touch saline. A touch simple but nicely aromatic. Astringent and feeling a touch extracted in the mouth with good, intense bitter cherry fruit but the tannins are a bit out of balance, they are polished but prominent and give the wine a rather steely feel. Needs some food or 12-18 months to integrate. Deep cocoa and earth nuances help frame the fruit. Drying finish but also nicely spiced. Well made in a minor way. 86pts Flight 3 - California’s Sangiovese terroir 7- 2005 Pietra Santa Cienega Valley 15.1% $18 http://www.snooth.com/wine/pietra-santa-sangiovese-2005-1/ Rather intensely herbal and sweet at the same time with a powdery,dusty granite/vitamin tone over a warm cherry coulis base. Turns a bit smoky and oily with air but that big herbal element remains the core here. Big sweet fruit on entry parried by great mineral notes and great mouth grabbing tannins that offer a lovely austerity. There is a fine green herbal streak running through this that keeps this from becoming too much. A touch of coffee cream and bitter chocolate gains traction on the back half along with a touch of citron, the red cherry fruit is a touch hidden at the moment. Nice clean and fresh finish with a touch of mouth puckering tannins. Mouthwatering with good structural length. 90pts 8- 2005 Martin & Weyrich Il Palio - Paso Robles 14.3% $16 http://www.snooth.com/wine/martin-and-weyrich-winery-il-palio-sangiovese-2005/ Clean and clear fruit on the nose,, smoky and slightly cedary with great green herb and mineral tones and a touch of graham cracker. Adds a touch of rare meat and sage with air and develops lovely bitter cherry and dried strawberry tones. Smells complex and balanced. Rich fruit, lots of raspberry and mulberry fruit, hanging from a high wire of acid that is accented by a gentle blush of cocoa powder and a hint of almond milk. Rich yet so well balanced by bracingly correct acids and supported by fine, austere tannins, just love this mouthfeel. A touch candied perhaps but the sweetness is perfectly cut by the acid and slightly astringent tannins. Delicious with a fine finish that adds a bit of spice in good length with a red currant final. A great Value Buy this wine. 91pts 9- 2004 Deerfield Ranch Sonoma County 14.6% $25 http://www.snooth.com/wine/deerfield-ranch-sangiovese-2004/ Deep and dark with fresh turned earth and damp cigar tones, a bit of spicy wood, smoky and dark, a touch of coffee. VA and a bit chemically smelling with a late harvest Zin nose that recalls cherry cough syrup. Big in the mouth with a bit of a roasted character, good acid, modest but stiff tannins, wood tannins feel like. Dark indistinct fruit flavors, touch rasinny with lots of chocolate and coffee character, and a bit hot. Finishes a touch short. Stocky and sturdy but without varietal character. 78pts Flight 4 - Modern Sangiovese 10- 2005 Stolpman Santa Ynez - 14.9% $30 http://www.snooth.com/wine/stolpman-sangiovese-estate-grown-2005/ Very ripe herbal tones, integrated oak, cocao, vanilla, lots of good wood notes makes this quite spicy if a touch hot. Fresh fruit is in there, slightly macerated and sweet smelling with a hint of amaretto lurking. Big acid right up front then a fairly plush and well integrated mid-palate with herbal and citrus notes adding complexity to the rather rich red cherry fruits with a slightly exotic wild edge to them. Noticeable but not offensive wood offers a clean brisk finish with woody tannins lingering. I think this would be better with less wood but it is very nice. In a particularly rich, smooth style. 89pts 11- 2004 Marleo Salustri Montecucco Rosso 13.5% $24 http://www.snooth.com/wine/salustri-montecucco-marleo-2004/ Smokey woody, coffee candy notes, not much in the way of fruit here, woody and slightly chemical. This really jumps the cliff with air turning decidedly beef brothy and devoid of fruit exhibiting a dusty old green coffee bean nose. Candied and dark in the mouth with a slinky feel that is elegant if a touch compact. Dark berry fruits, spice, earth and a surprisingly strong green walnut, green herb vein are obvious on the mid-palate until everything just disappears, reverting to darker, coffee, sassafras and licorice laden character. Finishes long with a bracing mineral note and then dark, indistinct fruit leather notes. Drying too. Better than the nose would indicate but still not worth the effort. 73pts 12- 2006 Miner Gibson Ranch Mendocino 14.1% $24 http://www.snooth.com/wine/miner-family-vineyards-sangiovese-gibson-ranch-2006-1/ Lightly smoky, dried meats, integrated cedar, dried cherries, layered and high toned with a touch of brownie oozing in, Nice aromatics with a touch of green tea lurking, sweet spices, strawberry jam notes, really ripe red fruits and a touch of apricot, sweetness that blossoms with air. Lovely lithe mouthfeel that is fairly seamless even though this is big, rich and relatively packed with tannin. Bitter cherry and bitter almond fruit offset the tannins which are a touch astringent but refreshing, nicely integrated acids, dark cherry fruit, a touch of brownie again, and a little bit of citron peel, nicely assembled and balanced. Bracing, astringent finish, good length in a powerful style that isn’t overdone. A touch oaky and in need of a bit of cellar time but the fruit is deep enough to age well and there is plenty of intensity here. 92pts    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic Sangiovese PTP 1 by Gregory Dal Piaz

  
  
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  January 2009

  Salustri Montecucco Marleo 2004

  Snoothrank: Starting at $15^.71

  Smokey woody, coffee candy notes, not much in the way of fruit here, woody and slightly chemical. This really jumps the cliff with air turning decidedly beef brothy and devoid of fruit exhibiting a dusty old green coffee bean nose. Candied and dark in the mouth with a slinky feel... Read moreSmokey woody, coffee candy notes, not much in the way of fruit here, woody and slightly chemical. This really jumps the cliff with air turning decidedly beef brothy and devoid of fruit exhibiting a dusty old green coffee bean nose. Candied and dark in the mouth with a slinky feel that is elegant if a touch compact. Dark berry fruits, spice, earth and a surprisingly strong green walnut, green herb vein are obvious on the mid-palate until everything just disappears, reverting to darker, coffee, sassafras and licorice laden character. Finishes long with a bracing mineral note and then dark, indistinct fruit leather notes. Drying too. Better than the nose would indicate but still not worth the effort. 73pts    (hide)

  Wine review by Gregory Dal Piaz

  
  

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