2005 La Spinetta Langhe Nebbiolo
Ruby in color with some purple hues. The nose is consumed with fresh cut oak. Underneath there are some ripe cherries trying to get out but smothered. Also some cocoa notes. Full bodied. On the palate, there is a ton of oak and a modicum of ripe fruit. I can’t imagine the fruit outlasting the oak. Glad I opened my sole bottle early. It’s not that this is a bad wine, it is just predominated by oak and ripe fruit and lacking any nuance. We certainly finished the bottle. I can’t say if our palates adjusted or the oak faded enough to be drinkable. Inexpensive by La Spinetta standards at $30 Ohio. 50+4+10+15+4=83
2007 Sineann Grenache Scorched Earth Vineyard
Kind of an oddball wine for Sineann. I don’t know if this was a one off or they will keep making it. Ruby in color, mostly clear and bright. Absolutely no nose on opening (glass closure), but within a half hour there were raspberries, hot cocoa with whipped cream, and some smoky/oak notes. With air, the fruit came out more and more and the oak receded. Full bodied. On the palate, this is ripe cherries with some dark chocolate. While perhaps not my favorite expression of Grenache (even domestically), this is well made and interesting. It would be interesting to see what future vintages hold. 50+4+12+16+6=88