OPINIONS WANTED PLEASE: Moscato D'Astis, Brachetto D'Acquis and a new Sauternes

WINE TALK
1

Hi Berserkers,

Going on a bit of a Moscato D’asti and Brachetto D’Acqui kick which are suddenly in vogue at the LCBO here in Toronto, with varieties of both coming in steadily since February 2011. Seeking your opinions on the following Moscatos and Brachettos please:

Dezzani Morelli 09 Moscato D’asti
Enrico Serafino 10 Moscato D’asti
Marchesi Di Barolo Moscato D’asti Zagara (NO VINTAGE GIVEN)
Poderi Elia 09 Moscato D’asti
Ghione Piccole 09

La Gironda 09 Brachetto D’acqui
Ca’Dei Mandori 09 Brachetto D’acqui
Bera 09 Brachetto D’acqui
Banfi Rosa Regale 09 Brachetto D’acqui

The LCBO lists only the Dezzani and the La Gironda respective as Sweet (S) on their wine sugar code. The others are all listed as Medium Sweet (MS). Not sure if these are accurate representations, the LCBO is known to be very wrong on their sugar ratings. THey list the Dezzani as Sweet with a sugar code of 14 (140 g/L of RS) but list the Poderi as Medium Sweet with a higher sugar code of 17 (170 g/L of RS). Somebody should teach these guys to do proper math. [pwn.gif]

Also, the LCBO will be bringing in what they say is a relatively new house’s Sauternes: the Chateau Fontain 2008 AC Sauternes. It appears highly unusual in that it is very light in color and a lot less sweet than most Sauternes. Has anyone had it? Is it any good?

Any thoughts or opinions would be appreciated. Thanks.

2

No help on those, only one I’ve had (in earlier vintage) is the Banfi (I thought it wasn’t bad, but at 20 USD overpriced in category vs. say the Renardat Fache Cerdon de Bugey). But just wanted to point out that sweetness is generally a function of both RS and acidity, so a high acid 170 g/l might indeed be less sweet than a lower acid 140 g/l. Not sure if that is what is happening here.

3

Have you checked CellarTracker?

4

Marcarini makes a Moscato and Bracchetto that are very good. Chiarlo Nivole Moscato is quite popular around here too.

5

No help on the specific wines listed here, but I will say that Moscato is one to drink with the vintage, so I’d give preference to the '10s over the '09s and avoid anything older than that. We are in vintage transition, so the '09s are at “end of life” but not too old to try.

I’ve had bad Moscato d’Asti, but it is rare, in my experience. Most of the stuff I’ve had is at least passable and many are delicious and very refreshing.

Cheers,
fred

6

Dale – it’s possible but again, the LCBO is notoriously wrong with their sweetness scale so I wouldn’t place too much faith that they are using a correct formula.

I have checked Cellar Tracker which had a review for the Dezzani but that’s pretty much it.

Fred – I completely agree with you as I’ve been told in no uncertain terms that the Moscatos and Brachettis will not age well at all and I am in fact avoiding any 08’s. I did pick up 4 of the Moscatos and 2 of the Brachettos. The 09s went right to the fridge and the 10s in the 15 degrees Celsius basement cupboard. However, they’ve going into the fridge as well as soon as I empty a couple of bottles. :slight_smile: