TN: A bunch of Italians on a Saturday afternoon

A BUNCH OF ITALIANS ON A SATURDAY AFTERNOON - (8/12/2012)

A few of us gathered to drink some wine yesterday. The theme was loose. Italy. All wines consumed blind for an hour or so and then another hour or so after unveiling.

  • 2007 Stroppiana Barolo San Giacomo - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
    Ruby/purple in color. somewhat flat. Plums and Iodine on the nose. Slightly pruney on the palate. That and the flat color lead me to believe this was heat damaged at some point. Still, it recovered with some air. Black raspberries. Lots of firm tannins. This is very young. I was thinking super tuscan tasting blind. never would have guessed Barolo. A lot of oak too. I think time would help a good bottle. That said, after some air, this was a pleasurable drink now. (89 pts.)
  • 2006 sori patin Barbaresco - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
    This was decanted for a few hours prior to serving. Still very young. Ruby in color, clear and bright. Dusty, cherries, tobacco and tar. Nice rich texture. Hugely tannic. Lots of fresh cherries on the palate. Lots of room for improvement. Tight right now. (91 pts.)
  • 2001 Paolo Bea Sagrantino di Montefalco Secco - Italy, Umbria, Montefalco, Sagrantino di Montefalco
    Loved this wine. More than Jeff K. who brought it. Purple/ruby in color. The nose is dusty, slight barnyard, cherries, black raspberries. Complex and layered. much more vibrant on the palate. Juicy with medium tannins. Lots of layered, plums, earth, scorched earth and dark cherries. Long finish. Fantastic and improved all afternoon long. (94 pts.)
  • 1999 Antinori Tignanello Toscana IGT - Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT
    Ruby/purple. Lots of barnyard on the nose. Slight spice. No fruit left. Dried out on the palate. Nice texture, but lacking fruit. Still, there is a nice earthiness about this too. Slight tannins. This was good, but probably should have been better and probably was a few years ago. Not sure how pristine this bottle was. (88 pts.)
  • 2009 Rocca di Frassinello Le Sughere Maremma Toscana IGT - Italy, Tuscany, Maremma, Maremma Toscana IGT
    Purple, slight ruby in color. The nose has spice, wood, and cherry cough drops. Sweet juicy cherries on the palate. Firm tannins. It turns slightly bitter on the finish. I am told this sells for $15 and that is a solid QPR. (90 pts.)
  • 2009 Tenuta San Guido Guidalberto Toscana IGT - Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT
    Purple, slight ruby in color. The nose has a bit of funk with black raspberries. More cherries on the palate. Blind I guessed Chianti so not far off. Very tasty but needs time. (91 pts.)
  • 2004 Fattoria Le Terrazze Chaos Marche IGT - Italy, Marche, Marche IGT
    I brought this. Disappointing. Its good, but I expected more. This was Ohio $50 on release. Purple/ruby in color. The nose is dusty with celery and some dark cherries. Weak. Much better on the palate though. Dark cherries with some earth. No real complexity at this point, I don’t see it getting better. Oh well. I guess my expectations were much higher. (88 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

That’s a heckuva nice Saturday afternoon. Great notes, Loren!

Added a couple of more last night:

  • 2004 Fattoria Le Terrazze Rosso Conero Sassi Neri - Italy, Marche, Rosso Conero (8/13/2012)
    This was better than the more expensive Chaos opened the day before. Purple with some ruby in color. The nose is nice with cherries, saddle leather, slight sage notes and complex. On the palate, this is soft and easy to drink. Seems to be at the young side of peak. Lots of dark cherries layered with minerals. Smooth. (92 pts.)
  • 2006 Fattoria di Fèlsina Berardenga Chianti Classico - Italy, Tuscany, Chianti, Chianti Classico (8/13/2012)
    Very nice showing for this wine. Still young, but easy to drink now. The nose has cherries, leather and some floral notes. On the palate, this is smooth with just a bit of tannins. Cherries and dark cherries and a bit of smoked tea. Nice acidity. Nice finish. Good with food. (90 pts.)

I have had such bad luck with Fattoria Le Terrazze. Literally to the point that I stopped seeking out Montepulicano above the low-mid range. I love the stuff but when it’s really good at $20 and just ehh at $50, what’s a guy to do.

Loren,

The Antinori has been in my cellar for a good 7+ yrs. The cork did not have seepage all the way through but it was a good 3/4 up the cork? It was pretty disappointing for me as well. Nice smoky notes on the nose, silky mouthfeel, but weak on the finish…oh well.

I gave the Chaos a few more points, since it was more expressive with its warm black fruit. Medium tannins and overall pleasant, but I know what you mean by expecting more. Back in March, I had the 2008 Le Terazze Rosso Conero ($20) which packs plenty of value.

The Paolo Bea was in a different league in complexity to the rest of the wines. Just a delicious wine and clearly my favorite of the day.

Both the barolo and barbaresco were pretty closed wines, but the Paitin showed a bit more fruit and interest. However, the tannic structure was off the charts.

I thought the Le Lughere had a nice nose of cherries and cinammon, fairly tannic & tasty. Pretty expressive- yet simplistic. worth trying again at $15

The San Guido came across with ripe black fruit on the nose ( in a new world style). Bit candied and one dimensional and not to my tastes.