Tag Archives: Europe

April 3, 2013 · 6:44 pm

Planeta – 11/05/2012

Brut Metodo Classico 2010
Made entirely from carricante in its indigenous area of Etna,  fresh, fruit-driven with slightly spicy and peppery notes on the nose combining with the golden delicious and citrus notes, and on the palate was brisk with good persistent bead.

Alastro 2011
Made entirely from grecanico grown at the Ulmo estate. Quite viognier-like, with apricot blossom and citrus, freshness and viscosity with good approachable acids.

Alastro 2010
More closed and had a honey and seashell element on the nose, with salty complexity and elegance.

Cometa Fiano 2010
A very ripe tropical nose coupled with an oily salty citrus complexity, with fantastic texture and depth and great breadth of oak.

Rosé 2011
Made entirely from syrah grown on the Menfi estate. Bright fresh raspberry and cherry notes, full flavoured and vibrant with good acids and some slight fruit-sweetness.

Plumbago 2010
100% nero d’avola from Ulmo, and whilst full and deep in dark fruit characters, also had very fresh spiciness and bright tannins and acids.

Passito di Noto 2010
Was surprisingly light and clean, with very minimal sweetness and viscosity from the drying of the berries and residual sugar.

Budburst starting at the Planeta Sambuca estate

Budburst starting at the Planeta Sambuca estate

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April 3, 2013 · 6:30 pm

Domaine Ott – 16/05/2012

Chateau de Selle Rosé 2011
A gorgeous pale colour with the slightest bronze hue, a juicy vibrant mineralic fruit nose of red berries, slightly creamy and savoury, and on the palate had a bold yet elegant structure and great purity and freshness.

Chateau Romassan (Bandol) Rosé 2011
Darker colour with the same bronze hue, on the nose was slightly wilder and more impetuous, showing fruits of dark cherries and candied pomegranates, and expressed more tannin texture and depth on the palate.

Clos Mireille Rosé 2011
Significantly more subdued in all aspects compared to the other two, which can possibly be explained by the fact that this wine is only a recent addition to the range, the estate being more traditionally used for the white wine. What it does have in spades is the crispness and freshness of a youthful rosé wine, with balance and integrity, but not showing true personality yet.

Blanc de Blancs 2010
Blend of 70% semillon and 30% rolle, and aromatically had a fascinating combination of pineapple, green peach, spice and saltiness, very expressive indeed. On the palate the wine had a creamy and nutty texture, almost like coconut skin, and had some complex oxidative notes from the maturation in large mature oak casks.

Chateau Romassan Bandol Rouge 2009
51% mouvedre, and aromatically showed blackberries, lotus, spice and some rustic fungal notes, and on the palate had vibrant but brooding fruit and tannins, still managing to keep things fresh and yet complex.

Some of the Domaine Ott wines

Some of the Domaine Ott wines

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April 3, 2013 · 6:22 pm

Domaine de Triennes – 18/05/2012

Domaine de Triennes Rosé 2011
Blend of mostly cinsault and Grenache, with a little merlot and syrah to lend some colour. Classic Provence pale colour, aromatically expressing floral spicy strawberry and banana freshness, and on the palate was clean and fruity with some very focused acids and a little residual sugar fruit sweetness.

Les Aureliens Blanc 2010
chardonnay-rolles blend. On the nose has some battonage derived lees characters, combining with orchard fruit and citrus blossom notes. On the palate the wine has texture, integrity and freshness, without obvious fruit, some apricot kernel and biscuity savoury notes.

Sainte Fleur Viognier 2009
Aromatically spicy and herbal on the nose, expressing very subtle fruit, and on the palate had drive and warmth, with good mouth-filling fruit and viscosity.

Sainte Fleur Viognier 2010
More complex salty minerality and shellfish characters, more subtle fruit with some honey, and at the moment was very quiet.

Les Aureliens Rouge 2009
A blend of cabernet sauvignon and syrah, quite dominant in the cabernet elements, showing earthy dusty cassis and very toasty tannins on the palate.

Sainte Auguste 2008
Introduces merlot to the blend, and this wine showed more of the syrah notes, as it was more plummy and juicy, with more pepper and spice elements.

Sainte Auguste 2007
Much jammier and broader than the 2008, expressing plenty of power and weight with good drive and intensity.

Domaine de Triennes vineyard

Domaine de Triennes vineyard

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April 3, 2013 · 6:13 pm

Chateau de Pibarnon – 18/05/2012

The Bandol Rosé 2011
70% mouvedre and 30% cinsault, and had a ripe savoury cherry and pumpkin spice nose, with some complex aromas of cured salty meat, whilst on the palate had very fresh and vibrant texture and warmth, with great balance and acidity with some nutty and cheesy notes on the back.

Les Retanques de Pibarnon Rouge 2009
Fascinatingly complex nose combining spice, game, dark fruits and even some pickled red onions. On the palate the wine was quite light and fresh, with good intensity and spicy tannins.

Chateau Pibarnon Rouge 2009
Very wild and feral game nose with spiced dark cherry and rhubarb, and introduced some shiitake broth elements too. Impossibly complex on the palate with full and mellow tannins and spicy fruit, but in spite of the complexity was very approachable.

Chateau Pibarnon Rouge 2008
Even more complex, showing some nut and popcorn, cinnamon, cumin and red curry aromas with star anise and red liquorice. On the palate the wine had focus, drive and precision from the concentrated acids and fruit, showing the red cherry and pomegranate freshness with good savoury elements too.

Chateau Pibarnon Rouge 2001
Developing some floral elements over time, and on the palate was decidedly silkier in the tannins, but no less focused and driven, developing some delicious mature savoury notes.

Chateau de Pibarnon range

Chateau de Pibarnon range

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March 6, 2013 · 2:23 am

Luciano Sandrone

One of the things I want to write in summarising my trip is to talk about some of the amazing people I met who imparted some of their wisdom and experience in wine and life. I am still in the process of looking back upon my blog archive which is taking me a lot longer than it should. But as it happens one of the people I intended to write about is making his first ever visit to Australia and I was lucky enough to be invited to a masterclass showing his wines here in Melbourne by the importer Bibendum Wines. This man is Luciano Sandrone, and after introducing him I will talk about why he had such an effect upon me.

Luciano Sandrone and myself when I visited in April 2012

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March 6, 2013 · 2:20 am

Luciano Sandrone – 4/3/2013

Dolcetto d’Alba 2011
Lovely and floral, brambly pomegranate, spicy sweet green pepper. Bright clear and fresh, wonderful acidity, nice tight clean finish, structure very fine but full of flavour without being simple.

Barbera d’Alba 2010
Denser and more intense, earthier and more savoury red fruits and violets. Focused yet round, clean lines yet nice and broad, tight focused fruit.

Valmaggiore Nebbiolo d’Alba 2010
Very aromatic intense floral dark fruit. Explosive structure, very intense fruit acid and tannin structure, very long and fine on the palate, very tight with plenty of aging potential.

Valmaggiore Nebbiolo d’Alba 2009
Hauntingly soft nose, very complex with cherry anise and delicate roses. Bright fresh and lively on the palate yet soft and intense, bombastic tannins yet refreshing acids, delicate structure and plenty of red fruits.

Valmaggiore Nebbiolo d’Alba 2008
Earthier darker and softer fruit, more focused mushroom savouriness, opening up over time. Very tight yet soft sweet fruit tannins, showing some chocolate and caramel notes as it develops.

Valmaggiore Nebbiolo d’Alba 2007
Falling away a bit, drinking very well now, not a keeper. Possibly a product of the vintage it is lovely and soft and approachable but won’t improve much more in the bottle.

Le Vigne Barolo 2008
Some savoury Japanese sauce notes, intense ripe red fruits, very ruby. Tight and intense, packs a punch on the front palate, delicate and clean on the mid and back. Classic.

Cannubi Boschis Barolo 2008
Darker and more intense complexity. Softer warmer tannins yet explosive mid-palate, brooding tight tannins, bright dark red fruits. Needs plenty of time in bottle.

Le Vigne Barolo 2004
Softer and earthier with age, chocolate dust, soft red cherry and plum. Sleek and silky on the palate with plenty of tannins and acid, very bright red with tight focused freshness.

Cannubi Boschis Barolo 2004
More intense and masculine broody darkness, less fruit brightness on the nose. Richer, fuller and darker on the palate, bolder but softer structure, more tannin yet somehow more approachable than the ’04 Le Vigne.

Le Vigne Barolo 2003
Soft bright and a little simple in a closed way aromatically. Hot full soft and forward with some dense red fruit but lacking extension on the palate.

Cannubi Boschis Sibi et Paucis Barolo 2003
Slightly more foresty and chocolate on the nose. Denser and more expressive, holding together much better, darker fruit and sweeter tannins still with plenty of acid.

Le Vigne Sibi et Paucis Barolo 2002
Insanely complex intense yet shy on the nose. Showing very young despite age, still plenty of life in it, very tight structure and acidity.

Le Vigne Barolo 2001
Soft round red fruit earthiness on the nose. Dense and a little aggressive on the alcohol.

Bottles of Sandrone wine

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February 15, 2013 · 12:35 am

Return to Oz

A few days ago I stepped onto Australian soil for the first time in 500 days. It is a pretty surreal experience returning home after having been on the move for so long, and seeing so many amazing and different countries. Firstly there is the fact that I have returned from sub-zero and icy temperatures in South Korea to warm and dry 30+ temperatures in Melbourne, and I can actually walk around in shorts and T-shirts like a proper Australian. I am also experiencing a kind of reverse culture-shock, as I had got so used to being in foreign and fascinating cultures and being somewhat out of my element. It probably doesn’t make sense to feel so out of place in my own home town.

I stopped in Seoul on the way home to visit a friend

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January 20, 2013 · 8:00 pm

Not what you think (Avellino, Italy)

One of the many things I’ve learnt on my journey has been to not make assumptions about things, wine or otherwise, the best thing is not listen to white noise or demons and angels on shoulders. This is one major reason I prefer to ignore a lot of wine critics and marketing hype as they can tend to cloud my judgement and enjoyment of things, in essence by not reading ‘professional’ assessment of wines or wineries, nor by reading much on wineries’ websites. What I have preferred to do is to visit a winery and establish my own impression and feel for the philosophy, approach and practices and then determine what I feel is important and good about the winery whilst avoiding the negative and generally unimportant things. A perfect example of an assumption I made was about the region of Campania, which I didn’t have the chance to visit when I was here previously, simply passing through from Puglia on the way to Sicilia when I stopped for a night in Napoli before boarding the ferry to Palermo. Not unlike every other region in Italy Campania has it’s own wine history, traditions, grape varieties and styles which it is deservedly proud of, but I was very wrong in my generalisation of this region as being warm and Mediterranean like much of southern-Europe. In fact it has a more continental climate thanks to the elevations and weather patterns provided by the mountains so close to the coast. On the only occasion that I had to visit wineries in Campania I chose to do so in Avellino which according to Jacopo Cossater is where some of the best white wines of the south come from, and I met with the two largest and most important representatives of the entire Campania region; Feudi di San Gregorio and Mastroberardino.
A model of the only thing to survive the 1980 earthquake in a nearby village, the abbey

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January 20, 2013 · 7:50 pm

Feudi di San Gregorio – 17/01/2013

Serrocielo Falanghina 2011
Lovely and bright, very fresh and aromatic, classic citrus and tropical melon fruits, clean and fruity. Balanced bright fresh and pure, light bodied and fresh, good minerality, straight-forward and approachable.

Pietracalda Fiano di Avellino 2011
More closed and less fruity, slightly more floral elements, honeyed lavender and musk, more seashell influence, a little iodine. More intense and full on the palate, textural and expressive, denser and longer on the palate, more complexity, warmer and more orchard fruit than citrus or tropical notes.

Cutizzi Greco di Tufo 2011
More basalt and dark minerality, rich ripe red citrus notes, ruby grapefruit and elderberry. Slightly wilder and almost earthier in nature, stone and orchard fruits, denser and masculine, a lot of dark minerality and some warmth and volume as well.

Aglianico dal Re 2010
Nice and dark, slightly dusty, fresh blackberries, some . Quite intense and tight, plenty of drive and focus but a little tight, not enough softness. Nice and light and approachable, fresh and clean. A tad green and undercooked.

Piano di Monte Vergine Taurasi 2007
Certainly more oaky and dark, reflections of the modern style but not too obvious, has had plenty of time in bottle to soften out the edges, need to see more aglianico to know if this is the right expression. Core of sweet dark concentrated fruit, bold and full but relatively soft and velvety, a touch sharp and also warm, intense and a little fiery, but good tannins and some sharpness. Not the style I would go for though.

Serpico 2008 (Irpinia Aglianico)
Tight and closed, intense but also brooding and shy, better integration of oak but somewhat muted fruit. Soft farily light but intense and fresh, not sweet or syrupy, quite intense warm and sharp focused tannins, long but good finish. More interesting and characterful than the previous wine, perhaps thanks to vintage.

Basilisco Aglianico del Vulture 2006
Very stinky rustic, possibly suffering some faults, bottle fault or wine fault?

Basilisco Aglianino del Vulture 2007
Not much better to be honest. Rustic and wild, sharp tannins, quite different and unique. Not bad as much as hard for many to understand and appreciate, and easy for people to say it is fantastic as it is so undeniably rustic and old-world.

Mastroberardino Greco di Tufo

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January 17, 2013 · 6:48 pm

Mastroberardino – 17/01/2013

Morabianca Irpinia Falanghina 2011
Citrus mineral freshness, bright juicy and a little salty, a little floral with also some tight tropical notes. Lovely balance, wonderful freshness, full of life and character but also exceptionally easy-drinking friendly and approachable. Nice lines with a small hint of musk.

Radici Fiano di Avellino 2011
Much more oily and stone fruit aroma, quite mineralic and almost kerosene-like, Lovely and fresh, a little fuller and longer on the palate, deeper fruit, tighter and very focused, wonderfully balanced, nice density and viscosity but not cloying.

Nova Serra Greco di Tufo 2011
Denser orchard fruits, darker deeper florals, more clay derived earthiness, The most dense and concentrated, very powerful but also subtle expression of fruit, builds wonderfully on the palate, structured and earthy, mineral texture and complexity.

Lacrimarosa 2011
Nice clean fresh red fruits, cherry strawberry. A little fruit sweetness to keep things pleasant, but nice and dry with a very slight savoury edge, a slightly creamy finish.

Radici Taurasi 2007 (Aglianico)
Very dense dark and a little smoky, round ripe rubbery, slightly oaky. Soft intense tight focused tannins, bold and powerful expression but still plenty of freshness and well integrated oak. Wonderful balance, focus and drive, expressive and fresh now with plenty of ageing potential. Lot’s of tannin.

Radici Taurasi Riserva 1998
Wonderfully bright and fresh with fruit for a wine of this age, subtly rustic in a very complex integrated way, showing some lovely bottle-aged characters as well. Amazingly focused yet complex, balanced soft yet intense and full of character, gentle supple and velvety tannins, amazing length and elegance. Lively and plenty of acid to keep things all integrated.

Mastroberardino

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