1997 Mastroberadino Taurasi Ridici
I saw this in a local store for $50. They had a few so I bought one to try. The cork was stained about 2/3 of the way up. Ruby in color with darker hues at the core. The nose was reticent for the first couple hours eventually showing more cherries and leather. Full bodied. Certainly acidic. On the palate, this was a bit shrill for a while but after a couple of hours it really rounded out. Cherries and forest floor notes. I was expecting more complexity though. So the question is, how correct were these bottles? Why was the corked soaked uniformly so high. I would expect his bottle to be young but I hoped for better. 50+3+12+17+7=89
2005 Prunotto Mompertone Monferrato
$26 Ohio. This is a blend of Syrah and Barbera from the Piedmonte. Purple in color, mostly opaque. On the nose this is more Syrah like with jammy black raspberries, black pepper and a gamey quality. Medium bodied. On the palate, the acidity comes screeching in (I assume from the Barbera). This was unpleasant without food. With food, it is manageable. Black cherries and black raspberries. Quite tart. An interesting wine but serve it with food. Probably not worth the money though. 50+4+12+16+5=87