Category Archives: Tasting Notes

Notes on wines I have tasted

January 12, 2013 · 5:13 pm

Collecapretta – 10/01/2013

2012 Trebbiano Spoletino
Again, lovely floral aromatics, juicy fresh musky, clean salty stone fruits. Some sharpness but also crispness, sweet core of fruit with lots of body and weight, nice roundness and density, not too fruity but generous and full of character.

Terre dei Preti 2011
Same orange colour, skin contact and oxygen contact. Honeyed syrupy dried floral, glazed apricot, betrays the wine as it smells like a dessert wine. Syrupy and weighty like a dessert wine, textural and full in flavour, consistent with aromatics. Sharp and plenty of acidity, but not a commercial wine in my opinion. Too different.

Il Rosato 2011
Apparently closed initially, tight and savoury at first, a little wild and earthy, very interesting for a rose wine, expect more fruit. Full warm and dense, very ripe and rich in darker fruit, certainly savoury with some sharpness to it but a fascinating style of rose. Great food wine, opening up over time. Raspberries and red apricots, plenty of acidity.

Le cese Sangiovese 2010
Deep dark earthy and intense, full rough around the edges, savoury and rustic, oodles of black fruit. Sweet core of black fruits, dark molasses consistency, very late harvested and quite hot. Not heavy or aggressive tannins, but extremely hot, hiding a lot of the other components of the wine.

Selezione Le Cese 2007
Wild earthy savoury meaty and leathery, dark red fruits, oxidatively old-world. Intense bright and fresh on the front, wonderful fruit and density, plenty of tannin and warmth, intense round and generous, extremely high quality, a product of the vintage and the vines, delicate and very long finish.

Le Cese 2005
Tighter and more focused, earthy and sharp, dusty and the character of bosco, a tad green, lean and mean. Fresh and intense, good sound dark fruits, round and dense with plenty of depth. Concentrated full and warm. Lovely generous tannins, nice and round, less characteristically old-world, could possibly come from anywhere. Great with parmigiano.

Copyright Az.Agr.Mattioli Vittorio Aprile 2011

Leave a comment

Filed under Tasting Notes

Tagged as , , , ,

January 12, 2013 · 4:57 pm

Paolo Bea – 10/01/2013

2012 Trebbiano Spoleto
Incredibly aromatic, very floral with some musk characteristics not unlike moscato, nice spicy apricot and peach, some aniseed and anejo. Textural wild and dense, full and concentrated, dark and brooding for a white wine, chewy and gruff, skin contact and lees having a huge impact on texture and weight.

2011 Trebbiano Spoleto
Very different fruit notes, brighter fresher and cleaner but no less complex; seashell salinity, very oyster mussel like, quince citrus. Lighter fresher and more pure on the palate, less spice and more honey elements, less density and rough edges, cleaner fruit profile and finish. Nicer balance and approachability. Still has a nice savoury sharpness to it, less than the 2012.

2010 Trebbiano Spoleto
Significantly more colour development. Darker riper and more concentrated fruit nose, almost stewed and preserved apricots and nectarines, honey spice and dried floral elements. Opulent oily texture, generous and rich, some seashell but good integrated fruit, more complex and long, balanced and subtle.

Arboreus Trebbiano Spoleto 2009
Natural wine colour, quite orange, huge impact from the extended skin contact. Smells like a dessert wine, somewhere between passito and vinsanto. Smoky spicy honey bacon, limited fruit, very different aromatically. Dense round yet sharp and focused, biting and quite aldehydic. Honeyed banana warmth and density, but still fresh. Unlike any white wine I’ve tasted, somewhat acquired, far from approachable in style. Polarising wine.

San Valentino Rosso Umbria 2006
Fairly closed aromatically, deep dark berry fruits with some spicy plum in there, a little floral. Dense rich ripe ruby intense savoury and sweet at the same time, generous velvety and full, but not heavy nor too aggressive. Nice long tannins. Bright fresh and yet complex.

San Valentino Rosso Umbria 2007
Deeper and more intense, ripe and dark, more earthiness. More dark chocolate influence. Fuller and denser tannins, cleaner less complex finish, plum blackberries, cocoa and coffee.

Pipparello Rosso di Montefalco Riserva 2006
Savoury earthy old world stink, leathery and slightly meaty, more red fruits. Tighter and brighter, more savoury than fruity, straighter and more integrated with balance between fruit and savoury. A lot more complex as well, seriously long tannins.

Rosso de Veo Umbria IGT 2005
Extreme old world lack of freshness, oxidative oxidised VA, wild and untamed, little to no fruit. Hot wild intense meaty complex, leathery and oxidised. In my humble opinion faulty. In a natural wine lovers opinion, gloriously complex.

Pagliaro Sagrantino di Montefalco 2005
More integrated and complex, certainly more approachable and relatable. Complex in an old bottle kind of way. Very intense and dark with lot’s of tannin and oodles of structure, round long full and dark but still bright. Typical of sagrantino(?)

Pagliaro Sagrantino di ontefalco 2006
Most certainly faulty, not sure what it is but it is faulty. Too wild and extreme. Undrinkable. Bottle..?

The only wine that suits this approach is the passito wine. The sugar perhaps hides all the flaws with this approach. There is a reason people don’t make wine like this any more.

©2005 Paolobea.com

Leave a comment

Filed under Tasting Notes

Tagged as , , , , ,

December 31, 2012 · 10:38 pm

Pieropan – 28/12/2012

Soave 2011
Lovely bright citrus honeyed slightly grassy and herbaceous, a little oily on the nose, very aromatic and soapy. Wonderfully textural, ripe and oily with some warmth but still wonderfully fresh, bright tight, floral influence on the palate. A little creaminess and very subtle sweet nuttiness, roasted chestnuts.

Calvarino 2010
Deeper richer and riper on the nose with more concentration, more subdued spice and green notes, ripe citrus and melon notes. Bright tight focused acids, very intense but also quite subtle fruit characters, soft generous extremely long and complex, rolling around the palate, stone fruit and some pear as well.

La Rocca 2010
Rich ripe very strong creamy crunchy oak character, very burgundian in style, plenty of malolactic and battonage characters, dried stone fruit and citrus. Pretty extreme toastiness. Soft and gentle on the front, but builds with some very intense work characters, at the moment it is difficult to see past the winemaking characters of the wine, particularly in this vintage the fruit and terroir is not showing as much. Approaching Californian chardonnay characters. Opens up nicely once allowed to breathe.

Ruberpan Valpolicella Superiore 2010
Wonderfully spicy and peppery, sloe berries, dark fruit and florals, crushed rosemary. Lovely and soft and fresh, still bright but excellently approachable with lovely depth and length, fills the palate, tight and bright but generous and ageable for at least five years.

Amarone Vigna Garron 2009
Soft ruby nose with some dark cherry and plum characters but also some lovely savoury notes as well. Soft generous smooth velvety tannins, dried berries lovely and intense, certainly in the ripe sweet region, the tannins are very long and grippy. Very balanced alcohol, deceptively well balanced.

Le Colombare Recioto di Soave 2008
Subtle but intense citrus marmalade oxidative characters, some lemon curds and lemon tart, still a little spice and grass notes. Very fresh and not cloying at all, subtle and generous, focused and bright, rolling and yet lifted, exceptional acid holding things together. Wonderfully balanced and full of personality.

Pieropan

Leave a comment

Filed under Tasting Notes

Tagged as , , , , ,

December 17, 2012 · 8:53 pm

Poggio di Sotto – 17/12/2012

Rosso di Montalcino 2007
Very light delicate pure colour, fine and lovely brick colour. Bright and fresh on the nose, good red fruit but showing some lovely maturity and finesse. Light clean and yet subtle and pure. Wonderfully light fresh and clean, good fruit concentration without being dark and dense. Not simple fruit, refined and balanced with some lovely savoury notes as well. Good core of acidity but lovely soft round tannin structure.

Brunello di Montalcino 2007
A little darker and denser showing a little sweet cherry oak character. Slightly rosy red floral elements as well. More complex and a little closed still, certainly ripe and juicy. Bright fresh lovely dark red fruit, wonderfully fresh with excellent acids, still youthful in fruit and tannins, but dense with plenty of complexity and time to develop over time. The same soft ripe rich tannin structure but plenty of freshness and mouth-feel very important.

Poggio di Sotto

Leave a comment

Filed under Tasting Notes

Tagged as , , , ,

December 15, 2012 · 10:48 am

Domaine du Vissoux – 13/12/2012

Beaujolais Blanc 2011
Nice bright fresh citrus and floral, crisp fruitiness, a little minerality but just nice and clean. Zingy zesty fresh not overly fruity or fat, extremely focused and fresh, clean mineralic acidity, lovely balance and extension on the palate, very complete, but clean and light. Great balance and harmony.

Les Griottes Beaujolais 2012
Lovely and bright and fresh, clean and straight, good acids but nice and short and fresh. Light and a little spicy with good fruit concentration. Cassis and myrtle.

Vielles Vigne 2011
A little stinky at first but blowing off and opening up, spicy and dark, good deep earth characters. Bright intense on the mid-palate, very fresh and great acidity, nice and savoury too, great concentration.

Les Griottes 2011
More closed and fresh, light and clean, more simple less concentrated fruit nose. Light fresh balanced good red fruits, a little earthy. A much more simple vintage, prefer the 2010 and 2012.

Cuvee Traditionelle 2011
Slightly closed and a bit reductive now, needs a little bit longer in the bottle to settle down, soft and subtle, nice dark fruits. Supple tannins with plenty of freshness and liveliness. More on the mid-palate with a little more extension. Integrated spice.

Couer de la Vendage 2011
The vintage isn’t expressing the different terroirs and styles well, bright intense, more tannins on the front but clean finish, very light but very tight, needs more time to open and express more. Very intense and quite concentrated.

Brouilly 2011
Deep dark spicy fruits with some dark salted chocolate and bramble. Soft and fuller, richer and heavier on the palate, intense full expressive tannins, tight and balanced, nice extension with potential for ageing. Lengthy tannins and tighter structure all around.

Fleurie Pensierre 2011
More whole bunch stalk maceration character, dark woody but crisp and intense. Soft and velvety, longer on the palate, fresh bright and light, nice dark red fruit characters, clean and appealing. Lovely and savoury spice.

Fleurie Les Garants 2011
Softer and fuller structure, more fruit less spice and savoury tannin. Round and long.

Moulin-a-Vent 2011
Dark full and round, denser and heavier in structure and darker in fruit, well managed maceration. For those liking fuller wines.

Moulin-a-Vent la Rochelle 2010
Really concentrated and spicy very floral as well, violets and dark marmalade. Deep intense masculine structured concentrated complex with some cassis sweetness on the back.

Extra Brut Cremant de Bourgogne
Crisp mineralic nose, nice lime and lemon aromas, a little autolysis but very fresh and light. Some spice and herb notes, quite complex and interesting, leesy and a little cheesy too. Some soy notes for complexity.

Domaine du Vissoux

Leave a comment

Filed under Tasting Notes

Tagged as , , , ,

December 15, 2012 · 10:44 am

Paul Janin & Fils – 13/12/2012

Beaujolais Village 2011
Bright and spicy, dark red fruits, stalky, woody but not oaky, foresty. Full and soft, some structure and sweet tannins, some creaminess in the texture, round but still very fresh and not too full in fruit, good acid giving some brightness.

Moulin a Vent 2011
Darker fruit, earthier intensity, deeper more mature spice. Riper and fuller extension on the palate, still very light and fresh but deeper and longer. Still nice soft full tannins, certainly more savoury characters. Dark and stormy.

Clos du Tremblay Moulin a Vent 2011
Quite intense very mature and confident, subtle and aloof, distant almost. Serious fruit and minerality. Dense and very focused, really intense core of dark fruit, fine yet firm tannins, drive and extension with plenty of aging potential, tight and needing time for the more complex characters to develop.

Beaujolais Blanc 2011
Really lovely bright traditional English marmalade with some nice ripe florals. Carries through on the palate with just a little creaminess and some vanilla and lanolin texture.

Paul Janin & Fils

Leave a comment

Filed under Tasting Notes

Tagged as , , , ,

December 15, 2012 · 10:40 am

Jacky Janodet – 13/12/2012

Beaujolais Blanc 2010
Very floral and fruity, bright pear and citrus cordial, quite intense and very fresh, very aromatic style. Bright crisp mineralic style, lots of apple and pear fruit, brisk clean limited oak or malolactic influence, perfectly fresh and crisp. Great aperitif but great with seafood as well.

Beaujolais Village 2010
Nice intense dark colour but quite light. Very quiet and delicate, fresh dark berries, cranberries and a little blood orange, also quite spicy. Very intense and fresh on the palate, spice comes through but is well integrated, expressive but bright crisp fruit, great acidity making it very food-friendly. Yes nice and peppery as well.

Chenas 2010
A little darker and more intense colour. Fuller earthier extraction, a little toasty and mushroomy, a little truffle influence. Quite fresh and wonderfully intense fruit, but great acidity and a very clean finish. Tannins are a little full at the moment for the structure, needs a little more time, very intense and concentrated. Maraschino cherry.

Moulin-a-vent 2011
Very rustic and stinky on the nose, somewhat oaky and perhaps a little bit over macerated, lacking brightness and freshness and fruit. Per haps even a little bit reductive. Very intense and tight on the palate, tannins are overwhelming things a lot, focused and intense through the middle palate with a touch of sweet dark fruit on the back, very spicy with acidity overwhelmed by tannin and fruit at the moment. Not alcoholic, just too young. Reduction blows away.

Jerome Janodet Saint-Amour 2010
Nice tight small dark berries, some pomegranates and even some dark radishes, quite fresh and spicy. Tight light and clean, very nice fresh fruits, cherries and strawberries, some good spice characters but showing some minerality as well. Clean and very light, might develop some complexity if given time in bottle. Very nicely balanced.

Jacky Janodet

Leave a comment

Filed under Tasting Notes

Tagged as , , , ,

December 11, 2012 · 4:01 pm

Domaine Bruno Colin – 11/12/2012

Chassagne-Montrachet 2011
Brisk very bright and crisp, sharp biting citrus notes. Quite creamy in texture actually, very gentle and supple, quite sexy, supple, lovely and round and approachable, wonderfully appealing style with just a little cheekiness.

Charmois Saint Aubin Premier Cru 2011
Moving into a melon area, a little rich and creamy on the nose. Soft gentle supple and subtle, some creamy sweet texture, a little nut characteristic, round and opulent but not heavy or fat. Quite rich and ripe though, good acidity but perhaps lacking in precision.

Les Chaumees Chassagne-Montrachet Premier Cru 2010
Smoky toasty ripe peach lemon, creamy richness, very intense and fine. Generous and rich again, nice and ripe, white peach moving into some pineapple and lime, very supple and generous, a hands off approach but not the same crispness and high acids as previous producers. Texture good.

Les Maltroie Chassagne-Montrachet Premier 2010
Bolder concentration, very heavy mineralics and florals, ripe dense stone fruit, full expression. Generous again, subdued, lacking a little intensity and character, the wines are on the simple side for now, they may improve with age. I’d like to see some funky things being done on the wines. Perhaps fining them or fermenting in tank is not the way to go, too modern?

Les Maltroie Chassagne-Montrachet Premier Cru 2008
Honey lemon floral mineral, a little waxy, a little cheesy. Very bright and fresh, nice intensity, some zing and bite to it, much better expression, high acids and freshness, appears younger and more exuberant than the 2010 somehow.

Chassagne-Montrachet Vielles Vignes 2010
Dark intense fruits, black olives, a little spice and brambley characters. Dark and extractive on the palate, full robust and not-subtle tannins, quite biting and a little aggressive, thankfully not heavy or too long. But a bit of a work-out. Right decision to move towards stainless steel tanks.

Domaine Bruno Colin

Leave a comment

Filed under Tasting Notes

Tagged as , , , , ,

December 11, 2012 · 3:57 pm

Domaine Blain-Gagnard – 11/12/2012

Chassagne-Montrachet 2011
Bright crisp fresh citrus, quite flinty mineralic and zingy, some burnt toast. Dense and compact, good level of ripeness adding some weight and structure, not too tense or aggressive, supportive acids. Approachable but with lots of character.

Clos St Jean Chassagne-Montrachet Premier Cru 2011
Quite aromatic but not too exuberant, friendly but elegant and fine, nice minerality, fresh and forward. Quite light and fresh, very precise and direct, a little but more density and structure, more length as well. Complex but tight for now, needs another year in the bottle. Balanced with good personality.

Boudriotte Chassagne-Montrachet Premier Cru 2011
Denser darker mineralic quality, black limestone granite, less fruit and less floral. Extremely tight and closed, much longer and more complex on the palate, heavy mineral qualities, density and structure, compact but still very elegant and well balanced.

Morgeot Chassagne-Montrachet Premier Cru 2011
More aromatic, richer and denser nose, floral ripe stone fruit characters, very intense and flinty. Deeper and richer, very round and certainly a much more contemplative wine. Opulent and rich without being fat and heavy, some creamy texture but still retaining freshness acidity and minerality on the palate.

Caillerets Chassagne-Montrachet Premier Cru 2011
Intense flinty seashell citrus floral notes, bright and fresh yet concentrated and full. Soft and generous, forgiving but firm, quite dense in structure, round and rich but focused, great purity and longevity, Approachable but deserving of cellaring, sits in the perfect spot, wonderfully balanced.

Criots Batard-Montrachet Grand Cru 2011
Quite complex and intense, very deep and brooding, still quite charming with floral and nice ripe stone fruit characters, but showing very assured minerality. Astonishingly subtle, deep complexity, exceptional length, expressive but elegant, some freshness but much more serious, and more deserving of cellaring.

Batard-Montrachet Grand Cru 2011
Not as expressive and open, certainly not in a floral vein, brooding and complex, quite stoic in fact. Just a hint of salty caramel and some green elements. More subtle and complex but without the same structure, less intensity of minerals, fresh but very quiet and lacking a little character. All on the mid- and back-palate.

Le Montrachet Grand Cru 2011
Very seductive but also very mysterious, lots going on all in harmony so nothing really stands out, there are some interesting lanolin characters though. Intense balanced broad yet focused, the best length of all. Really not expressing much at all, extremely mysterious and slightly confusing wine. Amazing though, needs time.

2011 Chassagne Montrachet
Lovely bright red fruits some spice and a little earthy. Wonderful purity and minerality, freshness and acidity but all about the red fruits, soft fresh tannins.

2011 Clos St Jean Chassagne Montrachet Premier Cru
Bright fresh red fruits on the nose but also a little smoky and stalky, on the brown characters, Soft round opulent and silky tannins.

2011 Morgeot Chassagne-Montrachet Premier Cru
Slightly darker in colour but still very light and pure. A little more savoury and ripe vegetal characters. Fresh but more intense and rustic, density and better for aging, more masculine and robust. Expressive but the tannins are pretty strong now, the fruit isn’t expressing very much.

2011 Pitures Volnay Premier Cru
Bright fresh and intense, red fruits with a little but of blood orange as well. Dense and a little tannic, perhaps needs a little more ripeness in the fruit, certainly more time in bottle. On the rustic side, certainly long.

2011 Champaux Volnay Premier Cru
Much darker fruits; blackcurrant black berry blueberry, black olives on the nose as well. Better structure fuller and rounder, soft but firm tannins, much better balance and expression.

2011 Pommard
Nice fresh bright clean expression of the dark fruits and earthy masculinity rusticity of the appelation. Nice and soft and generous which has a lot to do with the vintage.

Domaine Blain-Gagnard

Leave a comment

Filed under Tasting Notes

Tagged as , , , , ,

December 11, 2012 · 6:56 am

Marc Morey – 10/12/2012

Bourgogne Aligote 2011
very tight fresh green citrus, a little citric tropical notes too. Nice and full flavoured, very fresh with good acidity, friendly and balanced, nothing wrong with it at all, just a good dry young drinking white wine with some texture and length.

Saint Aubin Charmois Premier Cru 2011
Classic chardonnay, bright rich ripe citrus and peach, good minerality on the nose. Dense and ripe, taken to good point of ripeness, perhaps some skin contact or perhaps the lees contact, richness depth and length, ripe and full on the palate, some length but not super long.

Chassagne 2011
A little richer and soapier on the nose, more minerality coming through, a little leesy but very mineralic. Wonderful purity and density, good depth and extension, long and straight but in a few will open out a little.

Les Chenvottes Chassagne Premier Cru 2010
Much more complexity on the nose, showing the seashell characters, some sweet smoky notes, a little toasty brioche. Very rich creamy but not fat, quite delicate with great finesse, nice ripeness and lines, round on the palate, plenty more time to develop. Good density and intensity of minerals.

En Virondot Chassagne Premer Cur 2009
Very open mineral nose, crush sea shell elements, a little rubbery, perhaps closed. Very delicate ripe tropical notes. Volume and weight but already shifting backwards on the palate, more alcohol and viscosity, but well handled, good balance and freshness, nice integrated oak and plenty of acidity.

Les Vergers Chassagne Premier Cru 2008
Very intense, already ageing very well, concentrated tight vintage, fruit characters fleshing and opening out a lot. Picking up some developed richness from some age, round rich and creamy, developed fruit and minerality, showing even some sweet caramel notes. Full but soft texture, very long and complex.

En Virondot Chassagne Premier Cru 2008
Very intense, very quiet, very complex. Extremely complete chardonnay. Simply stunning. Nothing more to say.

Morgeot Chassagne Premer Cru 2006
Dark and deep, black fruits and black olives. Very young for its age. Quite full and intense but not heavy at all, nice and fresh and precise, good purity and finesse, ripe and intense yes but not at the sacrifice of elegance and approachability. Sitting in a nice place.

Domaine Marc Morey

Leave a comment

Filed under Tasting Notes

Tagged as , , , , ,