Tag Archives: Italy

July 3, 2014 · 8:11 pm

Chiara Boschis E. Pira & Figli – 4/06/2014

Dolcetto d’Alba 2013
Slightly talky floral pomegranate dark cherry. Very clean fresh and pure, generous yet focused, on the amaro side.

Barbera d’Alba Superiore 2012
Very clean light colour. Fairly shy, showing lean herbal, a tad earthy. Builds a bit on the palate, hints of cocoa leaf and salted caramel, on the violet side.

Langhe Nebbiolo 2012
Still very clean but dark and earthy. Tight lean focused, hints at dark fruit but looks a little stripped.

Barolo Via Nuova 2009
Squeaky, somewhat smothered in oak, deep dark earthy, vanilla tar coffee, extractive chewy tannins.

Barolo Mosconi 2009
Smells eerily similar to the Vigna Nuova, more earthy tarriness of oak, approaching coconut. It’s hard to see the nebbiolo, has the wine changed or have I?

Barolo Cannubi 2010
Much better vintage for the style, sweet balsamic reduction. Better composition and structure, concentrate yet lightness, sweet profile of fruit and some new oak.

Barolo Via Nuova 2010
Subtle tarry leather caramel, florals a bit hidden. More concentrated tighter tannins, chewiness, complicated rather than complex.

Barolo Mosconi 2010
Deeper darker chocolate notes, more pronounced aromatics. Lifted bright intense, fairly vibrant fruit.

Barolo Riserva 1990
Funghi sweet artichokes, very mature cheese. Some mature sweet & sour notes, tomato soy reduction, still lively with good acidity.

DSC00080

4 Comments

Filed under Tasting Notes

Tagged as , , , , , ,

July 3, 2014 · 7:45 pm

Vittorio Bera – 4/06/2014

Le Verane 2012 (Frizzante Barbera, bottle re-fermentation)
Fresh light bright clean yet dry. At bottling 4g of residual sugar is left, meaning some bottle variation in terms of bubbles and dryness. Showing nice balance of fruit and herbal savoury notes.

2013 Arcese
Reminds me of the 2013 Moscato d’Asti from Bera already in Australia, much more generosity of fruit compared to the 2012, bright yet lean. The wine is filtered through paper under pressure at bottling to retain frizzante.

Ronco Malo Barbera d’Asti 2011
Deep dark fruits, brooding earthy. Extremely fresh and lively, alcohol perfectly in balance, lot’s of goof acidity and focused tannins.

Monferrato Dolcetto d’Asti 2010
Roasted tomatoes stuffed with rosemary turmeric and a bit of pork. Wild savoury meaty yet soft and rich, freshness and persistence, fruit comes late on the palate.

Monferrato Dolcetto d’Asti 2009
Showing way more fruit but so many other things as well. Vibrant fresh fruits and savoury meats as well, somewhat tighter.

DSC00063

Leave a comment

Filed under Tasting Notes

Tagged as , , , ,

July 3, 2014 · 3:18 pm

Mamete Prevostini – 19/06/2014

Monrose Rosato 2013
Quite sharp on the nose, very intense focus. Quite powerful tannin structure, a hint of fruit sweetness at the back, nice sharp acids, definitely a food rosé, a little bit of herb note.

Botonero 2013
A little brighter and fresher than the 2010. Soft sweet supple fruit, not as savoury spicy and dense as the 2010, but still nice acids and some herb notes.

Sassella 2010
A little more intense and darker in fruit, very lovely and bright on the glass, quite floral too. Very tight and focused, some big flavours but still a lot of acid. Nice tight red fruit.

Corte do Cama Sforzato di Valtellina 2010
Intense sweet mature oak and oxidative in an old way. Very intense of fruit and fruit sweetness, a lot of vanilla notes from the oak, still quite a lot of acidity but a fairly modern kind of wine.

Albareda Sforzato di Valtellina 2010
Even squeakier and more intense, softer and sweeter on the palate, very hot too, robust and generous but big wine.

DSC00889

Leave a comment

Filed under Tasting Notes

Tagged as , , , ,

July 3, 2014 · 3:12 pm

Il Mosnel – 18/06/2014

Brut NV
Nice clean mature citrus notes, really crunchy autolysis notes, a hint if toastiness as well. Beautiful ripe grapefruit, lovely texture and breadth, good length and freshness. Really great.

Pas Dosé NV (15,000 bottles, blend the same but an extra year in lees)
Softer and creamier thanks to time on less, a little richer in terms of fruit, but purer more mineral influence. Super fine high quality bubbles.

Brut Rosé NV (40/40/20 pn/ch/pb) NV pn sits on skins very short time
Deep earthy ripe red berries, wonderful mealy richness and savoury complexity. Very complex for an NV rosé.

Brut Satèn 2010 (100% Chardonnay, 40% in Barrique, 4Bar pressure, 3 years on lees, 6g dosage)
Quite intense fruit, lots of ripe citrus and some white peach. Very soft creamy silky elegant, very subtle too. A very different expression of Franciacorta.

EBB 2009 (Chardonnay only in Barrique, 40 months lees, extra brut)
Creamy toasty shell-fish citrus, very complex nose. Much broader expression, quite late on the palate but still good acidity. A little broad and unfocused.

Pas Rosé 2008 (70/30 Pinot noir/Chardonnay, 40 months on lees, 18 months in bottle)
Very focused blood orange precision, hints of roasted nuts, some woody notes too. Spicy wild tomato forest notes, nice sharp raspberry tartness, very interesting again.

Pas Dosé QdE (Questione d’Etichetta) Franciacorta Riserva 2006 (pas dosé, 5 years minimum age on lees)
Too fat, leesy cheesy, broad and not vibrant enough. Interesting, but not a fan.

Satèn 2005 (disgorged 2009)
Still really lovely and fresh, wonderful creamy citrus autolytic notes. Still exceptionally fresh with some gorgeous sherbet sorbet characters going on, more tightness and acid focus than the 2010. Awesome wine.

QdE Pas Dosé 2004 Riserva (disgorged 2010)
It’s nice. But I’m just not convinced about this much Pinot Bianco for the style and time on lees. Maybe I’m just not used to it.

DSC00846

Leave a comment

Filed under Tasting Notes

Tagged as , , ,

July 3, 2014 · 2:59 pm

Cantrina – 17/06/2014

Riné 2012 (Riesling, Chardonnay, incrocio manzoni)
Nice bright fresh fruit aromatics, some apple peach pineapple. Quite dip end broad, some good citrus acidity but a bit of honey sweet texture.

Rosanoire 2013 (Pinot noir)
Fresh rose petal strawberry purée. Clean fresh good acids very light, nice delicate fruit with a touch of fruit sweetness whilst maintaining dry. Just doable at the price ($21.20)

Valtènesi 2013 (Gropello)
Some concentrated dried herbal potpourri, a little spicy. Very light bright herbal spicy, nice fruit, very interesting floral notes.

Zerdí 2011 (Rebo)
Sweeter plum notes, a hint if spice but quite soft and sweet in fruit and tannin. Some darkness which is nice, but the making is still a little safe, too much like Merlot.

Nepomuceno 2008 (70% Merlot, Marzemino & Rebo)
Sweet dark earthy savoury, some meaty notes. Dense quite focused and full, good acidity and fruit combination.

Sole di Dario 2007 (Passito of Sauvignon, Semillon & Riesling)
Deep orange honey caramel. Nice balance, fresh full of flavour not cloying or oaky, not oxidative, very complex with some caramel toffee notes.

DSC00809

Leave a comment

Filed under Tasting Notes

Tagged as , , , ,

July 3, 2014 · 2:44 pm

Foradori – 17/06/2014

Manzoni Bianco 2012
Honeyed spice leaps out of the glass, lots of citrus herbs, and the crunchiness that comes from protected skin-contact. Soft and fresh with a hint of bite, nice tight complete texture, a hint of spicy warmth, ripe citrus skin.

Nosiola 2012
Decidedly saltier on the nose, tighter and riper apple notes, less spice more mineral. Lifted on the palate, tingly mineral notes, tighter meatier nashi intensity of acid.

Sgarzon Teroldego 2012
Very intense pure floral fruit aromatics, slightest salted dark chocolate, with a delicate herbal note. Bright and fresh, very contained and focused, nice pure lines, supple fruit and tannins, juicy acids.

Morei Teroldego 2012
Darker more brooding and closed, earthier meatier notes. Fuller and rounder, more supple tannins, denser and more generous on the back of the palate, a touch of rich soil texture very late.

Foradori 2012
Confident mineral fruit, quite complex for the quality, spiced chocolate. Soft and juicy, a little sweetness of tannin, fairly long but also broad. Lacking the freshness if the previous wines, but still very drinkably good.

Granato 2010
Deep sweet charry fruits, mellow oak. Supple sweet yet tight and fresh, initially looks handled but actually very authentic and balanced, released at a good time. Very dense, needs a bit more time in bottle. Lots of freshness.

DSC00761

Leave a comment

Filed under Tasting Notes

Tagged as , ,

July 3, 2014 · 10:43 am

Elena Walch – 16/06/2014

Pinot Grigio 2013 (screwcap)
Nice clean fresh pure varietal character. Very clean bright inoffensive fresh style. A little too easy.

Pinot Bianco 2013
A bit squeakier on the nose, a little sweeter and broader in the fruit structure, rolls a bit more on the palate. No less fresh and clean.

Castel Ringberg Sauvignon Blanc 2013
Quite ripe guava passion fruit. Great ripeness without being fat, juicy fresh and concentrated varietal notes.

Gewürztraminer 2013
Soapy fresher expression, initially warm but finishing clean. Nice subtle fruit notes.

Rosé 2013 (Pinot Nero, Merlot & Lagrein)
Quite candied and pretty, strawberries and cream. A tad on the sweet side, good fruit fresh balance. Extremely safe wine.

Castel Ringberg Kalterersee 2013 Schiava
Very pretty sweet berry wine nose, exceptionally inviting, sweet and spicy at the same time. Really lovely.

Pinot Nero 2012
Nice and light, very fresh and fruit driven. Good quality.

Lagrein 2013
On the closed side at the moment, but quite pretty. Quite tight at the moment, focused acids and tannins, good length for the quality. Nice personality.

Castel Ringberg Lagrein 2009
Sweet plummy cherry wood notes, a little bit more maderised in a modern way. Far too oaky and sweet.

Ludwig Pinot Nero 2011
More powerful expression of the variety, a lot more classic style. But style very vibrant and fresh, with much more structure and finesse, length too.

Cashmere 2010 Gewürztraminer Passito
Really rich intense floral fruit honeyed nose. Quite thick and sticky, some food freshness and balance. Some mature cheese rind notes.

DSC00715

Leave a comment

Filed under Tasting Notes

Tagged as , , ,

July 3, 2014 · 9:54 am

Manni Nössing – 16/06/2014

2013 Sylvaner
Slightly more dense fruit, less floral, approaching green apricots. Crisp light fresh and precise, friendly acids, nice fruit balance. Good enough for the price.

2013 Gruner Veltliner
60% in Austrian acacia
Deep sweet florals. Wonderful concentration and precision, clean finish, a little bit of length, a hint if texture but just missing the minerality of Austrian examples. A little bit of saltiness though.

2012 Riesling
Really lifted sherbet notes, really intense floral minerality. Nice and juicy, broad but consistent, a bit of sweet texture. Actually pretty good!

2013 Kerner
Really fruity, lots of white peach and green nectarine. Really bright fresh fruits, nice length and texture, clean and pure but very lively. Good clean drinking.

DSC00647

Leave a comment

Filed under Tasting Notes

Tagged as , , ,

July 3, 2014 · 9:47 am

Capovilla – 13/06/2014

Moscato Fior d’Arancio 2006
Very pretty orange blossom bright aromatics. Super smooth elegant soft intense fruits and lifted acidity. Brighter style.

Moscato Rosa 2005
Slightly darker more intense aromatics, spicier herbal notes. Broader in the palate and rounder, denser deeper, more masculine expression.

Mele Cotogne 2010
Super soapy citrus intensity, tight florals. Silky candied characters on the palate. Intense bite yet soft.

Pere Williams 2011
Classic and shows the fruit beautifully, intense and a bit oxidative in nature. Amazingly soft and luscious, rich and long but wonderfully fresh.

Pesche Saturno 2006
Smells like something Japanese (soy, miso, mirin, that brown paste with beans mum makes). Warm rich sweet but also umami, dense warm bold. Fruit character comes very late.

Albicocche 2009
Unmistakable apricot character in a medicinal way, so intense it stings the nostrils. Has a wildness to it, sweet yet dark and intense.

Ciliege Duroni 2006
Smells savoury again, very interesting. Bright tight lean and a bit hot.

Amarene & Marasche 2009
I prefer this one much more, more focused fresher and intense.

Starting to get a bit sloshy…

DSC00609

Leave a comment

Filed under Tasting Notes

Tagged as , , , , , , ,

July 3, 2014 · 9:14 am

Casa Coste Piane – 13/06/2014

Casa Coste Piane (2013 vintage)
Fresh bright gleaming in the glass, nice texture salinity, vibrant peach pear fruit, seamless acidity and salinity, refreshing without a lot of bubbles.

DSC00570

Leave a comment

Filed under Tasting Notes

Tagged as , , , , ,