The annual so-called “Giro d’Italia” trade tasting at Il Caratello, which I attended with Remo on Sunday, the 2nd of December, this year.
Gravner Ribolla Gialla Collio Anfora 2001
Gravner’s Ribolla Gialla can be one of the most interesting wines I know, but the quality of young vintages is not easy to judge. Lightly orange golden colour. Complex milky/lactic, musky tangerine, well-concentrated and -balanced, glyceric, somewhat refreshing if evolved. Perhaps not the most intense or longest Gravner Ribolla Gialla I have had. Rating: 89+/90?
Azelia Barolo Bricco Fiasco 2003
Dried rose and rose-hip, ripe and warm, tannic but not bitter for a 2003, tasty, forward. Rating: 88-
Piero Busso Barbaresco Vigna Borgese 2004
An oaky-tarry Nebbiolo of good ripeness, good acids, if a lightly dry medium-weight. Rating: 87+
Antichi Vigneti di Cantalupo Ghemme Collis Breclemae 1999
A bit curranty and heavy-handed compared to other vintages (my favourites remain the 1989, 1990 and 1996), but still somewhat finesseful, thus tasty enough. Rating: 87
Giacomo Conterno Barbera d’Alba Cascina Francia 2005
Quite thick, blackcurranty and smooth, fairly long, virtually devoid of finesse at this stage, but the rare Barbera bottling that may improve with bottle age. Rating: 89+/90
Giacomo Conterno Barolo Cascina Francia 2003
A minor syrupy sweetness here, warming Amarone-like currants, blood orange, shows a slight lack of minerality in this vintage. Could be longer, too. Remo finds this a major step down from the 2001, I agree, and yet, this is not bad at all – and it may still improve with bottle age. Of all the wines poured that day, this was the one I would most like to retaste in a few years from now. Rating: 89+?
Fratelli Giacosa Barbaresco Gianmaté 2004
This may be the best wine I have ever tasted from this producer. Lighter, simpler, orangier than the other Piedmontese Nebbiolos poured here, but nicely clean and racy, not bad in this vintage, and a fair QPR. Rating: 84+/85
Hastae Barbera d’Asti Quorum 2003
Syrupy chewing gum-like fruit, smooth, petrolly cherry coulis. Very modern style that is not to my taste, but I know at last one person who once referred to Quorum as his favourite wine, and lots who think of it as somthing like a Barbera reference. Rating: 88+/89
Moccagatta Barbaresco Bric Balin 2004
Quite smooth modern asphalt and marizpan oak and black cherry mix, balanced enough, if never especially expressive or deep. Rating: 87
Paolo Monti Barolo Monti/Sandberg 2003
Took me a while to realize those are naked ladies on the labels, as the one with the horizontal rear view was in front of the others (I find the idea to sell the same wine with different labels neat, if potentially confusing). Having said that, given grey-silver coloured capsules and artist labels on a Bordeaux-shaped bottle, I would not have guessed it is Barolo in the first place. I guess Sandberg is the name of the artist. What counts is that the wine seems a success for the vintage. Firm, tannic, quite structured, lively and full-flavoured, with quite good complexity and persistence, and no heat, overripeness or bitterness whatsoever. Rating: ~90
Marco Oberto Barolo Ciabot Berton 2003
Lighter than most in this vintage, drier and somewhat evolved, too. A bit simplistically blood-orangey. Rating: 87-?
Paitin di Pasquero Elia Barbaresco Sorì Paitin 2004
Denser rose petal, smooth, medium-sweet, less offensively modernistic than in some vintages, comparatively softly oaky, quite tasty and more food-friendly wine, fair enough length. Rating: 88+?
Ca’ del Bosco Maurizio Zanella 2001
The Mission Haut Brion-like and graphite-tinged Loire Cabernet Franc-like 1990 of this blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot remains quite unforgettable (the 1996 is not bad either). Bordeaux-like mineral and lead pencil nose, subtle fruit with good depth and length, balanced and interesting, but rather (almost offensively) oaky in this vintage. Has the track record to age slowly and gracefully in most vintages, though. Time will tell. Rating: 88+
Alfredo Buglioni Amarone della Valpolicella 2001
15.5% alcohol labelled. Hot, smooth cough drop, a bit chewing gum-like fruit, medium length. Youthful, apparently quite resistant to oxidation, may still improve. Rating: 87+
Fratelli Tedeschi Amarone della Valpolicella 2003
16% alcohol labelled. A bit evolved, rather oaky, fair enough complexity. Medium length. Remo likes this much less than the Brigaldara (same price category). Rating: 87
Borgo del Tiglio Collio Rosso della Centa 1996
Merlot. Aged well, tobacco ash, soft sweat, some tree bark-scented oak, a medium weight with some body and medium ripeness and sweetness. Medium-short finish, mushroom aftertaste. Rating: 87-
Montevertine Le Pergole Torte 2004
Weird, faintly rubbery-petrolly but attractive, nutty-oaky fruit. Perhaps a bit evolved for its age. Rating: 87+
Castello dei Rampolla Sammarco 2004
A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese and Merlot. Fairly warming, oaky-nutty berries, evolved, some marzipan to the fruit, medium complexity, little depth. Rating: 88+/-?
San Giusto a Rentennano Percarlo 2003
Very evolved in this vintage, although nicely so, just mature for its age, tastes as if it were, say, twice to thrice as old, nicely balanced, harmonious and not without some freshness, a bit floral, good length. Rating: 90-/89?)
San Giusto a Rentennano La Ricolma 2003
Merlot. More floral esssence smoothness of blackcurrant cough drop, some alcohol but not hot, thick wine that turns oakier on the finish. Rating: 88+/89+?)
Vecchie Terre di Montefili Anfiteatro 2003
Sangiovese. Marzipan and vanilla oak, sweet aged meat, the sweet scent of decaying flesh, warming alcohol, quite long on the finish, a bit weird but not without interest. Rating: 87
Vecchie Terre di Montefili Bruno di Rocca 2003
A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Sangiovese. Smoother, better balanced, half superripe, half crystallized fruit, good body, medium length. Rating: 88(+?)
Case Basse di Gianfranco Soldera Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 2000
Same as the last two times, but Remo thought it less impressive than last time. Lovely little oak nuttiness, more dried flowers this time, soft truffle, Burgundian, which also means lighter than in top vintages (still think this should not have been declared as Riserva). Medium length. Rating: ~90
Mastrojanni Brunello di Montalcino 2001
Another rather traditional-styled wine, some dried mushrooms, orangey rose-hip. Warming if medium-weight at best. Medium length. Rating: 88
Poggio Antico Brunello di Montalcino Altero 2001
Pretty, a bit walnutty oak, some Christmas spice box. Complex fruit, nice lightly warming body, fairly long, a tasty wine, if a somewhat half-modern style. Rating: ~90
Petra 2003
A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Fruit cake and oak spice, some density, chocolatey. Medium length. Tasty in an ultimately trivial, very modern style. Rating: 87+/88?
Tua Rita Giusto di Notri 2005
A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Thick and hyper-modern wine, thick, dense and smooth. Ginger top note. A bit hot. Could not make up my mind about this wine’s potential for harmony with bottle age. Rating: 88+?
Tua Rita Syrah 2005
Also hot, but ripe, smooth and longer, balanced and early-harmonious apart from the slight alcoholic heat. Nicely sweet finish. Rating: 89/90+?
Greetings from Switzerland, David.
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„J'ai gâché vingt ans de mes plus belles années au billard. Si c'était à refaire, je recommencerais.“ – Roger Conti
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