Category Archives: Tasting Notes

Notes on wines I have tasted

April 6, 2013 · 12:10 pm

Castagna – 5/04/2013

Adams Rib The Red 2010 Nebbiolo Shiraz
Rich yet soft, dark red fruits but some earthy savoury notes, very delicate sweet spice. Mouth filling rich, good middling palate weight, nice extension, round yet focused with good acids. Very slight spice pepper notes.

Un Segreto 2010 Sang Shiraz
Very subtle cured meat earthy savoury notes. Brightness freshness lively raspberry zing and sweetness, exceptional balance.

La Chiava 2010
Super intense nose, almost sharp red fruits and soy. Bright and intense yet complex nose. Fresh fresh yet concentrated and dark, wonderful acid savoury components, length and carry-through yet still eminently approachable.

Julian Castagna opens some bottles to taste

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April 6, 2013 · 12:07 pm

Brown Brothers – 5/05/2013

Limited Release Prosecco 2012
Slight struck-match riesling-style flint minerality, nice crisp apples. Quite fruity with a little residual sugar, consistency and approachability, solid and reliable.

Prosecco NV
A little more vibrant in fruit, slightly creamier. Rounder, broader and more fruit sweet, most definitely palatable and serviceable than most Italian prosecco.

Vermentino 2012
Nicely bright vibrant and crisp. Balanced, good fruit, a little brisk and spritzy, slightly round but still very fresh.

Pinot Grigio 2012
Slightly talcy, crisp fresh clean and vibrant. Nice crunchy acidity, light and fruity, has character which is good to see in a wine of this style and volume.

Limited Release Single Vineyard Pinot Grigio 2012
A little fuller and more textured on the palate, density and concentration, crunchy, good extension but still fresh and vibrant.

Montepulciano 2012
Lovely and soft, bright approachable and fresh. Good style, slight savoury edge to things keeping it interesting.

Brown Brothers Italian varietal wines

Brown Brothers Italian varietal wines

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April 6, 2013 · 11:49 am

Sam Miranda – 5/04/2013

Prosecco
Clean crisp apple and lime, bright and fresh, just the right amount of fruit vibrancy, quite dry.

Pinot Grigio 2012
Quite shy on the nose, barely there. Thin and watery, doesn’t offer much at all in flavour nor texture.

Pinot Grigio Arneis 2011
A tad sweaty and funky but generally somewhat flat. Dull on the palate but quite easy drinking. Again doesn’t offer much.

Arneis 2012
Presenting a tad more character on the nose, some nice crisp stone fruit citrus.

Mothers Little Helper Rosata 2012 (pinot grigio sangiovese)
Cheerful easy drinking wine, nothing more.

Barbera Shiraz 2010
Dark soft mellow nose, straight light and clean, good purity but generally pretty nondescript.

Sangiovese Shiraz 2010
Quaffing wine. Not a lot more than that.

TNT Tempranillo Nebbiolo Tannat 2010
Sold yet soft and savoury. Serviceable. Food wine.

Moscato 2012
Nice clean and classic. Good acids, nice balance, but just sweet enough.

Sam Miranda Prosecco

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April 6, 2013 · 9:57 am

Pizzini – 4/04/2013

Arneis 2012
Honeydew vanilla cantaloupe. Wonderfully fresh focused and clean, good lines get light finish.

Pinot Grigio 2012
Nice clean apple and melon fruits. Vibrant clean pure and straight.

Whitelands Pinot Grigio 2011
Honeyed intensity, slightly more concentrated. Fuller and more intense, denser and somehow sweeter fruit. Still very pure and fresh.

Lana Pinot Grigio 2011
Lovely floral tones, very vibrant. A slight toasty biscuit character. Lovely and clean, good acidity and nice texture.

Verduzzo 2012
Generous fruit nose. Grapefruit citrus razor sharp with some nice texture. Full of fruit but still fresh and crisp.

Rosetta 2012
Fresh bright inviting red berries. Vibrant fresh acids, friendly fruit sweetness, generous length and food pairing adaptability.

Sangiovese Shiraz 2011
Clean pure and fresh, good fruit and far too drinkable. What more do you need?

Sangiovese 2011
Red fruits galore, lots of life to it, very lively and friendly juicy.

Barbera 2011
Solid soft full but building on the palate.

Il Barone 2009
Full but wonderfully balanced, plenty of good fruit, acid and tannin, but balanced and a little bit savoury too.

Nebbiolo 2009
Soft solid focused structured, wonderfully deep and long.

Rubacuori 2005
Rustic old world nose, a little funky but plenty of raspberry notes. Wonderfully full and juicy but long and savoury on the back, great extension.

Rubacuori 2008
Quite closed for now, but certainly plenty of vibrancy. Juiciness all locked up.

Coronamento 2005
Focused driven quiet serious nose. Purity finesse elegance building on the palate, extremely vibrant and plenty of acids. Still wonderfully tight.

A variety of red wines produced by Pizzini

A variety of red wines produced by Pizzini

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April 6, 2013 · 9:53 am

Dal Zotto – 4/04/2013

Arneis 2011
Light green apple citrus pith, hints of kiwi. Full and bursting, quite rich and intense of fruit.

Pinot Grigio 2012
Nice clean salty citrus notes, apple blossom quite light. Nice lines and purity, builds a little in the palate, elegant length and finish.

Rosato 2012 (sang, barbera)
Nice fresh full strawberry, bright and slightly creamy. Round yet focused, clean light finish, just savoury enough but RS keeps it friendly.

Sangiovese 2011
Slightly savoury spicy on the nose, nice red fruit tomatoes. Great lines, good volume, a bit of fruit sweetness on the back but great savoury dryness making it food friendly. Good depth.

Barbera 2011
Quite dark and intense, a little spicy and brambly, blackberries. Soft mellow rich long and yet spicy and savoury with some nice warmth.

Nebbiolo 2009
Very quiet and subdued, a little savoury sour cherry. Light and clean and fresh but packs a whallop with great length and staying power. Excellent balance with a nice soft fruit sweetness.

Dal Zotto red wines waiting to be tasted

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April 5, 2013 · 8:31 am

Costanti – 20/04/2012

Rosso di Montalcino 2010
Very bright floral raspberry tightness, with fresh fruit sweetness and generosity on the palate making it balanced, focused and approachable.

Brunello di Montalcino 2007
Had that fantastic stinky reductive power, but also showed dried cranberries and spices with full bright yet soft tannins, balance and harmony with great focus down the middle of the palate.

Brunello di Montalcino 2005
A lot more earthy development on the nose, but was also quite closed. On the palate it had developed suppleness and balance, and was wonderfully approachable.

Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 2006
Very closed and needs a lot of time to soften out and open up. On the nose it combined earthy minerality with toasty black cherries, and whilst expressive and full, with time it will become more opulent as the very tight tannin structure mellows.

Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 2004

Probably the best wine I tasted in Tuscany, and with good reason as it came from one of the best vintages ever. Exquisitely aromatic, combining delicate florals, juicy blackberries, red liquorice, delicate herbs and spices with a molasses character to boot. On the palate it was so gentle and rich, yet elegant, balanced and focused, and the classic faecal notes where hauntingly subtle to make it unmistakably great Brunello.

The Costanti range

The Costanti range

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April 5, 2013 · 8:28 am

Poggio Antico – 20/04/2012

Rosso di Montalcino 2009
Had a stalky cherry and pomegranate juiciness on the nose, coupled with approachable gentle tannins and full flavours on the palate, with some nice blackberry fruit sweetness.

Brunello di Montalcino 2005
An oxidative banana skin oak note on the nose, with chocolate, tar, blackberry and raspberry liquorice, and whilst soft and broad was a little hot at the moment, and will need some more time in bottle.

Altero 2005
A much better wine, showing more exuberance and integration, the oak reacting better to the conditions of the vintage. On the nose it of course showed toasty caramel and aniseed notes, but was showing some slight fennel notes as well, dense and powerful tannins and fruit with some earthy complexity and plenty of life left.

Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 2003
Not a strong vintage, was looking good now but won’t hold up for much longer. On the nose it showed charred wood and smoky spiced notes combining with salty caramel, prunes and crushed violets. On the palate were powerful tannins and warm oaky texture, and was decidedly more new world in style.

Madre 2006
A blend of 50% each of cabernet sauvignon and sangiovese, and expressed the volcanic nature of the soil, with complex salted liquorice and blackcurrant, herbal tea and savoury elements adding depth.

Le Martine 2010
50% sangiovese, 25% cabernet sauvignon and 25% petit verdot. It was a very soft and mellow yet tight wine, showing sweet oak and fruit tannins combining with plum, blueberries and raspberries, but also had a slight bruised character to the wine, making it look a little simple.

The Poggio Antico range

The Poggio Antico range

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April 5, 2013 · 8:15 am

Fuligni – 20/04/2012

Rosso di Montalcino 2010
This wine comes from the Ginestreto vineyard, sitting lower than the other parcels, and with younger vine age. Had a countenance that is very smooth and bright with cherry and cranberry fruits, great finesse and crispness, fantastic balance that will develop nicely over the next few years.

Brunello di Montalcino 2007
A blend of the other vineyards, and is kept for three years in barrel and up to two in bottle. Had a dusty stalky delicate raspberry character, and whilst very dense and tannic is opulent and mellow with some toasty dark chocolate. This wine actually reminded me of some of the Barolos I had tasted the previous week.

Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 2006
Showed as very reductive and stinky in the classic mould, but opened out to express wild cherries and tomatoes, very intense and velvety on the palate, focused and expressive with gentle yet firm complex tannins. Truly a wine for the ages.

One of the Fuligni vineyards

One of the Fuligni vineyards

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April 5, 2013 · 7:48 am

Palazzone – 23/04/2012

Terre Vineate Orvieto Superiore 2011
Very fresh and bright with apples and kiwis on the nose, bold and textural on the palate and some intense minerality and richness as well.

Grek 2011
Made from 100% grechetto, which is not allowed in the DOC and thus is classifies as an IGT wine. Had a richer yellow colour and more intense nose of grapefruit and cumquat, had great elegance and purity on the palate, and whilst approachable and fresh had some complexity and texture.

Campo del Guardino Orvieto Superiore 2009
The most complex of the white wines but also the richest and most expressive. On the nose there was both delicate florals and elegant herbs and spices, but also citrus and tropical notes too, whilst on the palate was mineralic and focused, with rich ripe fruit and texture.

Rubbio 2010
A blend of 60% sangiovese, and 20% each of cabernet sauvignon and merlot, showed quite spicy dark red fruits on the nose, with a mellow and rich earthy texture and softness, adding in some herbal warmth complexity.

Piviere 2009
A 100% sangiovese red wine, and had lovely sweet and mellow dark fruits, was very juicy and intense, but showed some nutty oak elements with the fresh red currant acidity.

Giovanni Dubini has good taste

Giovanni Dubini has good taste

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April 5, 2013 · 7:38 am

Cantina Fratelli Pardi – 24/04/2012

Grechetto Colli Martani 2011
Very generous and fruity, with some lime and kiwi notes and good fresh texture and acidity.

Montefalco Bianco 2011
A little softer and simpler, very balanced and fresh but also quite bland and thin.

Trebbiano Spoletino 2011
Had a fuller and more brooding ripeness and texture, showing some guava and pear spice, interesting minerals and texture with some warmth and intensity.

Montefalco Rosso 2009
Combining cumin and blackberry with intense bright focus and freshness, reminding me a little of some of the refosco wines of Friuli.

Sagrantino di Montefalco 2007
Had good volume and density, with some earthy tannic qualities and length, very well-balanced and approachable.

Sacrantino 2007
A single vineyard sagrantino wine, some very explosive power and fruit sweetness, very concentrated and hot, quite out of balance.

The all important wine press at Fratelli Pardi

The all important wine press at Fratelli Pardi

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