I've previously noted that we tasted the wines of Fanti at Vinitaly, and I finally opened up a bottle of the 2005 Sant'Antimo Rosso at home. This wine isn't one that will come out and wow you, but it is a great choice for an everyday Italian red.
2005 isn't a vintage that is at the top of the list from Tuscany but there are still quality wines from quality producers like Fanti. This wine definitely delivers some nice fruit and a good profile for a decent price. I look forward to getting the 2006 vintage here soon.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
UVA-GT weekend with Loudoun
Loudoun was in town for the Virginia-Georgia Tech football game recently, so of course that meant more wines came out from the cellar (especially Saturday night after the Virginia win).
Friday night I opened one of my older bottles, the 1998 Beni di Batasiolo Barolo. This isn't a real high-end producer, but was instead a value choice from this region purchased when I was just getting into collecting and looking for the best values around. This wine got good ratings from Wine Spectator, especially for the price. Finally opening it I wasn't too surprised, especially without giving it much time to open up. The wine was somewhat simple for a Barolo, but did open up eventually to show some nice fruit. It never wowed me, but it wasn't a bad wine.
Saturday night we started with the 1998 Domaine de Beaurenard Chateauneuf du Pape. Again, this was a value choice from a great vintage, and again the wine was slow to open up fully. Once it did, it was again a good wine, but just not a wow. I actually think it could use a few more years, and for some of the higher-end 1998s I have I will continue to wait.
Our final wine was the 2001 Giuseppe Quintarelli Primofiore. Quintarelli's Amarone and Valpolicellas are legendary, but also quite expensive, with the IGT Primofiore less expensive and easier to find. The wine is mainly the typical grapes of the Veneto, but adds a bit of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. My personal opinion was that the wine wasn't so good Saturday night with the Cab dominating the profile, by Loudoun loved it. The next night was a different story though - the wine seemed to have come into balance and was wonderfully complex with a great mix of flavors. I think the younger vintages I have will continue to age a while and hope that they end up with this great balance and complexity as well.
Friday night I opened one of my older bottles, the 1998 Beni di Batasiolo Barolo. This isn't a real high-end producer, but was instead a value choice from this region purchased when I was just getting into collecting and looking for the best values around. This wine got good ratings from Wine Spectator, especially for the price. Finally opening it I wasn't too surprised, especially without giving it much time to open up. The wine was somewhat simple for a Barolo, but did open up eventually to show some nice fruit. It never wowed me, but it wasn't a bad wine.
Saturday night we started with the 1998 Domaine de Beaurenard Chateauneuf du Pape. Again, this was a value choice from a great vintage, and again the wine was slow to open up fully. Once it did, it was again a good wine, but just not a wow. I actually think it could use a few more years, and for some of the higher-end 1998s I have I will continue to wait.
Our final wine was the 2001 Giuseppe Quintarelli Primofiore. Quintarelli's Amarone and Valpolicellas are legendary, but also quite expensive, with the IGT Primofiore less expensive and easier to find. The wine is mainly the typical grapes of the Veneto, but adds a bit of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. My personal opinion was that the wine wasn't so good Saturday night with the Cab dominating the profile, by Loudoun loved it. The next night was a different story though - the wine seemed to have come into balance and was wonderfully complex with a great mix of flavors. I think the younger vintages I have will continue to age a while and hope that they end up with this great balance and complexity as well.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Catching up - Italy
I'll admit this first wine probably deserves more space than I'm going to give it, because the 2000 Ciacci Piccolomini Fabius Sant'Antimo was incredible. Ciacci is best known for their Brunellos, but they also make a couple of other international styled wines, one of which is this Sant'Antimo. The Fabius is 100% Syrah, and is a great example of how this international varietal can reach great heights in Italy. I absolutely loved this wine, and would love to get more of other vintages. It had aged quite well, and in my opinion was at an optimal point in its life. I really, really recommend this wine.
The other Italian was also from Tuscany, but this time it was a blend. The 2004 Brancaia Tre is a blend of Sangiovese, Merlot and Cabernet and from an exceptional vintage. This IGT Toscana is the entry-level wine from this producer and is a decent price that delivers some great quality. We got to taste the entire Brancaia lineup at Vinitaly, and they are making great wines all around. The Tre allows anyone to try their wines without spending too much.
I'll have one last catch-up entry coming soon that will detail the wines drank this past weekend when Loudoun came to visit for the UVa-GT football game. Needless to say, there were some good treats pulled from the cellar, especially to celebrate the big UVa win Saturday night.
The other Italian was also from Tuscany, but this time it was a blend. The 2004 Brancaia Tre is a blend of Sangiovese, Merlot and Cabernet and from an exceptional vintage. This IGT Toscana is the entry-level wine from this producer and is a decent price that delivers some great quality. We got to taste the entire Brancaia lineup at Vinitaly, and they are making great wines all around. The Tre allows anyone to try their wines without spending too much.
I'll have one last catch-up entry coming soon that will detail the wines drank this past weekend when Loudoun came to visit for the UVa-GT football game. Needless to say, there were some good treats pulled from the cellar, especially to celebrate the big UVa win Saturday night.
Catching up - Spain
I've had two nice inexpensive wines from Spain recently - one an old favorite, and one a totally new choice.
The old favorite was the 2005 Las Rocas Calatayud Garnacha. A Robert Parker favorite, this winery burst onto the scene a few years ago with its Vinas Viejas earning mid-90's scores and priced under $15. This 2005 was their regular bottling, but it still delivers a great example of Spanish Garnacha for a small price. Not an overwhelming wine, it is a good everyday drinker much like the La Garrigue Cotes du Rhone I just wrote about.
The new wine was the 2005 Vilosell Costers del Segre. I was not familiar with this region or the wine, but once again it was an inexpensive Spanish selection from importer Eric Solomon that earned rave reviews from Parker. Made from mainly Tempranillo, this blend was more on the modern side, but not overly so. Again, for the price of about $15, it delivered plenty of pleasure for a nice weeknight quaffer.
The old favorite was the 2005 Las Rocas Calatayud Garnacha. A Robert Parker favorite, this winery burst onto the scene a few years ago with its Vinas Viejas earning mid-90's scores and priced under $15. This 2005 was their regular bottling, but it still delivers a great example of Spanish Garnacha for a small price. Not an overwhelming wine, it is a good everyday drinker much like the La Garrigue Cotes du Rhone I just wrote about.
The new wine was the 2005 Vilosell Costers del Segre. I was not familiar with this region or the wine, but once again it was an inexpensive Spanish selection from importer Eric Solomon that earned rave reviews from Parker. Made from mainly Tempranillo, this blend was more on the modern side, but not overly so. Again, for the price of about $15, it delivered plenty of pleasure for a nice weeknight quaffer.
Catching up - France
For those of you who are reading and checking this blog, my apologies for neglecting it the past few weeks. I've had plenty of good wine to drink, so I'm now going to do my best to start catching up. Instead of my single entries for each wine, I'll consolidate a bit. First up, a few French wines.
From the cellar, I pulled out the 2000 Tardieu-Laurent Rasteau Vieilles Vignes. Tardieu-Laurent's wines are know as being somewhat oaky and tannic, so giving this a few years seemed a wise move. I think it certainly was, as this wine was very balanced and delivered great flavors of a more traditional Southern Rhone wine. I was quite happy with it.
Next up was one of my favorite house wines - the 2003 Guigal Cotes du Rhone. This vintage was exceptional, and I've been drinking it over the past two years I think. It still holds plenty of great flavor with a higher Syrah component that gives it a darker color and more body. In any vintage this wine is good, and I've finally got some 2004 to try soon.
Finally, there was the 2006 Domaine La Garrigue Cotes du Rhone. This wine is a better example of the Southern Rhone compared to the Guigal that embodies the best of both North and South in my opinion. The winery is located in Vacqueyras, and the Cotes du Rhone is similar to what I expect from that appellation - a bit rustic, but overall pleasing. It is similar in price to the Guigal, and both are great everyday-type wines that show the breadth of possibilities from this region.
From the cellar, I pulled out the 2000 Tardieu-Laurent Rasteau Vieilles Vignes. Tardieu-Laurent's wines are know as being somewhat oaky and tannic, so giving this a few years seemed a wise move. I think it certainly was, as this wine was very balanced and delivered great flavors of a more traditional Southern Rhone wine. I was quite happy with it.
Next up was one of my favorite house wines - the 2003 Guigal Cotes du Rhone. This vintage was exceptional, and I've been drinking it over the past two years I think. It still holds plenty of great flavor with a higher Syrah component that gives it a darker color and more body. In any vintage this wine is good, and I've finally got some 2004 to try soon.
Finally, there was the 2006 Domaine La Garrigue Cotes du Rhone. This wine is a better example of the Southern Rhone compared to the Guigal that embodies the best of both North and South in my opinion. The winery is located in Vacqueyras, and the Cotes du Rhone is similar to what I expect from that appellation - a bit rustic, but overall pleasing. It is similar in price to the Guigal, and both are great everyday-type wines that show the breadth of possibilities from this region.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
1999 Chateau de St. Cosme Gigondas
I went back to the cellar over the weekend for another Rhone Valley wine, this time an older Gigondas from one of the top producers of the appellation. I have several bottles from various vintages and as this was the oldest I felt it was time to give it a try. The 1999 St Cosme Gigondas still has some life left in it, with much of the rustic earthiness that is a trait of the appellation. I enjoyed this wine over two nights and found that it still had plenty going for it even the second night. It's not an overwhelming wine, but a very good example of how the wines of Gigondas can age gracefully, but without losing their soul.
The prices for these wines have unfortunately increased over the past few years, but I still recommend St. Cosme Gigondas for a value from the Southern Rhone. The base cuvee is much less than most Chateauneufs now, and at $25-$30 will deliver great pleasure over several years.
The prices for these wines have unfortunately increased over the past few years, but I still recommend St. Cosme Gigondas for a value from the Southern Rhone. The base cuvee is much less than most Chateauneufs now, and at $25-$30 will deliver great pleasure over several years.
2004 Jean-Luc Colombo Cotes du Rhone Les Abeilles
Jean-Luc Colombo is one of the newer breed of winemakers in the Cornas appellation of the Northern Rhone, but he also makes a great negociant Cotes du Rhone as well. I've enjoyed this wine in prior vintages, and the 2004 has been solid as well. Made from a blend of Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvedre, this is a Southern Rhone wine, but with a bit of the elegance of a Northern Rhone.
What makes this wine even better is the price. Typically available in the $10-$12 range of many similar Cotes du Rhones, I've been getting this recently for just $7 a bottle, which makes it an absolute steal. There are very few wines that can deliver such pleasure at this price, so if you see it in that price range, I definitely recommend picking up a bottle or 2.
What makes this wine even better is the price. Typically available in the $10-$12 range of many similar Cotes du Rhones, I've been getting this recently for just $7 a bottle, which makes it an absolute steal. There are very few wines that can deliver such pleasure at this price, so if you see it in that price range, I definitely recommend picking up a bottle or 2.
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