WTN: 4 under the European sun

Domaine de Cambis, Saint Chinian, 'Caudomato', 2005
Why do wines taste better at store tastings than when you bring the wine home? Hmmm... The nose is not particularly attractive, with swamp water and a bit of creosote. Neither does this blossom in the mouth, or with air: has the creosote and commercial hot roof tar that many cheap Southern Rhones possess and I find unattractive. Dark fruits, with alcohol showing. Drink now, although, to it's credit, it drinks well for the next 3 days, with falloff on the 4th. Still, B/B- [carignan 40%, grenache 40%, syrah 20%] $13

(Salvo Foti) I Vigneri, Etna Rosso, 2005
I'm just Blessed by nastiness this week. The aromas are pleasant: strawberry and bitter orange. Very tart on the palate, with pomegranate, redcurrant, a chalky finish, but then it becomes medicinal, almost chemical, and the alcohol (13.5%) works against the lightness in this wine. For $30+, this simple wine is a disappointment. B+/B I'm hoping Foti's other bottling under his name is better than this.

Clerico, Barolo, 'Ciabot Mentin Ginestra', 1989
Ahh, now we're talking! 20-year old nebbiolo, even if it is from a modernist. Fairly youthful color, with only some lightening of the rim. Nice nose of cherry, orange peel, balsam. Very smooth and ripe, with morello cherry-plum, dried floral arrangements, balsam. Not etheral, but well-built with superb balance. A- [this wine had the most sediment of any recent wine I've had, with flakes of sediment flapping from even high up on the sides of the bottle near the neck. Glad this came in a Bordeaux bottle instead of the traditional Albesi one since it would have been harder to draw off the solids]

L'Oustal Blanc, Vin de Table Francais, 'Naick 6' (2006)
A white, for white's sake! Medium brownish gold. A dullish nose of walnut shell and crumpled autumn leafs. Very nutty wine, with pecan meat, nut oils, orange oil, and a warming fragrant heat (almost like a spirit) on the bitter end. 14% An interesting wine that seems like it wants to aspire to a unique place, but just doesn't quite attain. There is another white that has the Minervois La Liviniere appelation and I'm not clear how they differ, or what the constituent grape varieties may be, but at the prices charged (around $30 and up), probably won't investigate. B+

I am with you Mark. I am done with Naick......as are many round here as the bottles seem to be collecting dust in the westend!

Why do wines taste better at store tastings than when you bring the wine home? Hmmm...

Thanks for the notes, Mark.
You have raised a very interesting question, too. It reminds me of the battle between Coke and Pepsi several years ago. During taste tests, people tended to like Pepsi better because they had only one or two sips and Pepsi was sweeter; in the real world where people drink more than what is usually offered in taste tests, people actually tended to prefer Coke when drink an entire serving. The sweet Pepsi was too sweet when drinking a whole can.
This is why I never trust the samples at Costco, or any samples for that matter.