TNs: SPRING 2012 SWEET WINE ROUNDUP

Berserkers,

Here’s my first sweet wine roundup for Spring 2012. I actually have tasted a lot more than this due to the Hamilton Wine and Food Fest and the Wine and Cheese Show but I have commented on those in their own threads so I will exclude them here:

2010 ENRICO SERAFINO MOSCATO D’ASTI - My contribution to a recent sparkling wine get-together. Rich and mellow peach flavors with an incredibly perfumed peach blossom nose. Without a doubt, the most well-balanced Moscato D’Asti I have ever had, on a par with the best single vineyard Moscatos. Even Mike Grammer was highly impressed with this one and we both agree that Moscatos tend to be one-dimensional. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

MOET & CHANDON NECTAR IMPERIALE - A French sparkler done to the sweetness level of a good Spatlese. It works. Aromas of pears and yeast, medium bodied with excellent mousse, and great taste of apples, pears, a touch of lemon and classic yeasty biscuit flavors on the finish. Very nice. I did not personally detect the touch of corkiness that Mike Grammer did but I didn’t have a second glass. RECOMMENDED

FRESITA - Of all the contributions to my sparkling wine night, this is the one that worried me most. An inexpensive Chilean sparling wine that looks like a cheap Sangria with no vintage and no mention of the wines used to make it. Just that strawberries were added to it. I actually had to look online to find out that real Patagonia strawberries are added into the bottle and their natural sugar is used to kickstart a second in-bottle fermentation that creates the bubbles.

I was expecting a sugary sweet bottle of supermarket crap. Instead, this was an amazing wine that worked. It is in fact a classic sparkling wine made of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir whose flavors you can easily detect and then it finishes with a pleasantly sweet but not too sweet strawberry finish. Very impressive that the sweetness doesn’t kick in until the end. Nice medium body and fine mousse only help. I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but RECOMMENDED.

DE BORTOLI 2008 NOBLE ONE BOTRYTIS SEMILLON – One of my favourite Australian stickies and holds a special place in my heart for helping me learn about terroir as I compared it to the French Sauternes upon which it is modeled.

Like its 2007 predecessor, this has an almost neon orange-gold color, a full body, mouthcoating texture in the mouth, and a nose of dried pineapple and honey. In the mouth, it surprised me by being very light on the glycerine and very strong on the lemon and dried pineapple flavors. The 2004 was more complex with stronger glycerin and the 2007 was more balanced. I think this needs more time in the bottle but is still incredibly delicious as it is, almost indistinguishable from icewine. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED but let it age for about a year if you get it.

MARKUS MOLITOR 2007 WEHLENER SONNHEUR RIESLING SPATLESE – I’ve long been wanting to try a Markus Molitor Rielsing for a long time and I opened this bottle with relish. Light-bodied, pale straw gold in color that reflects beautifully in light, very light petrol, green apple and eucalyptus aromas. Utterly fantastic medium-sweet and mellow taste of green apples, lemon-lime and a bit of nectarine in there as well. Though sweet, the light body, low 7.5% ABV and decent acidity means it will go just as well with your dinner as well as your dessert. If you enjoy a lemonade with your food once in a while, you can drink this instead. Just great. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

CHAPOUTIER 2006 COUFIS VIN DE TABLE DOUX – An organic sweet French table wine from the esteemed Chapoutier winery out of the Rhone made from Viognier. This has maderized to a caramel color and has an intense nose of peaches and bright orange peel. Light bodied. The initial taste is exactly like that of an aged icewine, all cooked apricots and bruised peaches with lovely burnt sugar caramel overtones. However, on the finish, the fruit flavors intensify just as the heat kicks in from the 14.5% ABV. As my friends who were sharing with me said, it finishes like a Brandy. Nice stuff, would’ve loved to have tried it younger.

DELAFORCE 1997 QUINTA DE CORTE VINTAGE PORT – Rich purple red color, full bodied, nose of caramel and sweet purple plums. Taste is exactly the same, a touch of caramel in a wonderfully smooth purple plum elixir. An excellent single quinta vintage port with a great QPR value. RECOMMENDED, though it can’t touch a well-blended and longer aged Vintage Port.

SCUBLA 2006 VERDUZZO FRIULANO CRATIS – Intense amber color. The wine comes from dried Verduzzo Friulano grapes and is aged in oak barrels. Full-bodied. Nose of honey, stewed apricots, vanilla and graham. Tastes of honey, dried apricots, a touch of caramel. Finishes long and then the heat comes on. Much better than French Vin de Pailles that I’ve had. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

ERRAUZURIZ 2008 LATE HARVEST SAUVIGNON BLANC – Pale golden color, light bodied, lovely nose of pineapple and grass. Tastes of super ripe pineapple, lemongrass and green grass. Like a tropical fruit salad. Very concentrated beginning and then a very quick finish. Not complex, but sweet and refreshing.

MASI 2007 CASAL DEI RONCHI SEREGO ALGHERI RECIOTO DELLA VALPOLICELLA –Long enough title for you? I opened this for Passover dinner to go with the garlic rosemary leg of lamb. Dark purple red color, rich full body with excellent mouthcoating texture, strong nose of cherries and tanins, and oddly bitter taste followed by super strong tannins. That was upon opening.

I left if overnight in the fridge with a cork stopper and was literally about to return the second bottle to the LCBO when I decided to give this another try. The major difference was that the tannins had severely receded, leaving the sour cherry, vanilla and dark chocolate flavors to come through. The big surprise is that there is a touch of lemon in here as well. Much drier than other Reciotos I’ve had before. May as well be labelled an Amarone. Very long finish as well. This is the second time this has happened to me with a Recioto so they likely should be hyperdecanted next time.