A COUPLE OF ITALIANS AND AN AMAZING MARTINELLI ZIN :-0 - Pranzo’s (4/2/2016)
Last night my wife and I met two other couples for dinner at a local Italian restaurant. Very casual evening with a few nice bottle shared between friends. White all the wines showed well, the Martinelli was the star of the show. It just goes to show that high alcohol wines can age and develop into something. This was truly special and in a week where I had a trio of 82 Bordeaux and a lot of other great wine, the best bottle I had.
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2014 Sineann Grüner Veltliner - USA, Oregon/Washington, Columbia Gorge
Great showing for this wine. Really a standout from the Northwest. Light gold with slight green hues. The nose is minerals driven but a bit of lime zest. Quite refreshing but enough body and acidity to work well with some spring veggie flat breads. Long finish. A hit at the table, the bottle was drained quite quickly. (91 pts.) -
2010 Renieri Brunello di Montalcino - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
Another 2010 BdM (my second this week). Very nice wine if served at least five years too early. Ruby in color. The nose is primary with cherries and a slight tea note. On the palate, this is deep with tannins and cherries. With 6 of us, the bottle was drained quickly and never had a chance to open. Good balance and acidity. I know a lot of people bought a lot of BdM due to scores and buzz, but they need to be patient. (91 pts.) -
2007 Martinelli Zinfandel Jackass Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
Wow. This took me by surprise. Our friend Norm showed me a couple of bottles and asked to choose one to open. I thought my wife would enjoy this as I remembered it being a monster - thick, ripe and syrupy wine. My wife loves that kind of wine. Well, she did love it, but it was not what I expected. The label did confirm 15+% abv. The wine was splash decanted and then allowed to rest for just around 20 minutes. Purple in color. The nose was not that different from an 82 Lynch Bages that I had earlier in the week. Complex and interesting. There was black raspberries, tobacco, roasted meats, and a bit of spice cabinet notes. Really deep and intriguing. On the palate, no hint of alcohol, syrup or goop. Layers of black raspberries, cigar tobacco, dried forest floor and roasted herbs. Lots of the black raspberry fruit but in proportion. Nice acidity. Wonderful balance. My first sip stopped me in my tracks so to speak. made sure I had the right glass. Slight tannins. Long finish. This had to have been right at peak. Never had a Jackass Vinyard wine this good or even a Martinelli. My wife never stopped raving about it and neither did I but for different reasons. Seems like no hurry but I would not take a chance. This was brilliant. Open now. (97 pts.) -
2004 Tenuta delle Terre Nere Etna Rosso Guardiola - Italy, Sicily, Etna DOC
A nice showing for this wine. At age 10 it seems to be doing just fine. No idea where this goes from here, but certainly no harm in drinking now. Ruby in color. The nose has nice cherries with a charred earth quality. On the palate, nice acidity. Works well with food. Not a profound wine, but deep and some complexity. Very nice dinner wine. (91 pts.)
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