TN: Italy, France, Portugal

Cartuxa, Alentejo, Evora, 2004
Purchased on Oswaldo's recommendation. For the price (mid-teens, iirc), this fills a niche for lovers of a riper styled European red. This is very fruit-filled, with a nose of plummy-licorice, and dried straw notes, but is drier in the mouth than the nose would let on, with sappy red fruits, and a talc and silver finish. Light on it's feet despite teh 14% alcohol. Slightly reductive mouthfeel, but very nice. Only complaint is the massively heavy bottle. Perhaps glass is cheap in Evora? B+

Piancornello, Brunello di Montalcino, 1997
I've been starting in on 97 Brunello's recently and here's another one with plummy-tamari aromas, deep, dark and dense, with black fruits, some slight wood. Very youthful still. A-

Jean-Marc Burgaud, Morgon, 'Cote du Py', vielles vignes, 2007
Wanted to let this sit for another year or two as I like Beaujolais with a little bit of time on it but the desire to try a 2007 got the better of me. Typical but slightly boring 'correct' gamay flavors of iodine and salt plum, this is cleanly made but one would like to see a little more originality here. Points off for not taking chances. B-B+

Peter DiPoli, Sauvignon dell' Alto Adige, 'Voglar', 2004
Tarnished light medium gold colored. Pear aromas, with pear and lime meringue along with a salty finish. Declining. The one I had a year or so ago was much fresher...and better. B Drink up.

Lupi, Riviera Ligure di Ponente, 'le Petraie', 2005
An excellent Italian white here. Deep, savory nose of an outdoor herb garden, especially taragon, and lemon mint-thyme. Yellow fruits, gooseberry,mild lemony herbs, and a dry herb-almond finish. This comes off a bit flatish in the mouth, but then delivers a briny shrimp-shell finish. 12.5% Best white in the last few months. A-

Arnaldo-Caprai, Montefalco Rosso, 2001
Medium cherry red color. Fragrant nose of lowers, red fruits, coming across in the mouth as well, as well as an oaky treatment that shows on the finish. Good, and holding well. Drink now or over the next couple of years. B+

Taylor Fladgate, Quinta de Vargellas, Vintage Porto, 1991
Typical Port flavors of dense darker fruits, blackberries, and although tasting young, it lacks a feel of complexity to it. Nice enough, but a relative disappointment, given how long I've cellared it. Does anyone know if this should be showing better?

Re Arnaldo-Caprai Montefalco:

Other than that over-touch of oak you mentioned, the Montefalco is a realiably pleasant and satisfying go-to wine.

But I normally drink it younger. Guess the oak holds on longer than I would like if the '01 is holding it as you indicated.

Re Arnaldo-Caprai Montefalco:

Other than that over-touch of oak you mentioned, the Montefalco is a realiably pleasant and satisfying go-to wine.

But I normally drink it younger. Guess the oak holds on longer than I would like if the '01 is holding it as you indicated.

You would think, right? This was my 3rd and final bottle of this. The first I had about a year or two after release and it needed time. The second was the best so far: pure fruit and just nice balance. This bottle lost the exhuberant fruit, so maybe the wood crept in to fill the gap (or wasn't noticed with the upfront fruit earlier)? I would add mild oaking, nothing to make it unpleasant, just noticeable.

Hi, Mark, thanks for the excellent notes, but I dont recall drinking the Cartuxa! By coincidence, Marcia and I are going to Portugal at the end of next week for two weeks, so we´ll be trying lots of Bairradas and Douros.

Cartuxa is one of the wide range of wines from the Fundacao Eugenio de Almeida, which is a charitable foundation that is involved in various agricultural ventures benefiting education and the upkeep of churches. Their wines range from Pera-Manca, which I've never had but some consider the top wine in Alentejo, to the ubiquitous EA tinto and branco - the $7 bottles piled high in all the Portuguese shops around here. Actually, the latter is very decent wine for the money, as is the Cartuxa. In the years when Pera-Manca is not made the grapes are said to go into the Cartuxa Reserva. They also have a newish winery that is supposed to be most impressive.

Hi, Mark, thanks for the excellent notes, but I dont recall drinking the Cartuxa! By coincidence, Marcia and I are going to Portugal at the end of next week for two weeks, so we´ll be trying lots of Bairradas and Douros.

Dang, well somebody here said something positve about it not that long ago. Anyway, it was decent wine for the price. Look forward to your report, although I don't know how you are going to top the Piedmont trip I've been wanting to go to Portugal for a long time.

Look forward to your report, although I don't know how you are going to top the Piedmont trip I've been wanting to go to Portugal for a long time.

Thanks, but I doubt I'll go quite as much overboard. No questionnaires this time, just a general search for wines made from ungrafted vines! And a visit to the small town in the Upper Douro valley from where an ancestor emigrated to Brazil in the late 18th Century.