Short notes from Saturday's blind Sangiovese tasting at Jojo's shop. We followed the usual practice of voting for our top 3 wines although this contest had no bearing on standings as the wines were assigned with regard to regions: 4 New World, 4 Old World.
Wine A - Quite dark. Sweet nose but rather dry. A little hollow Long finish. It's possible this is going through a dumb phase and just needs more time to express itself. Brunello di Montalcino Pina delle Vigne 2000.
Wine B - Sweet nose. Young, tannic. Sweet and a little hot. New World for sure. No votes from me but Group #1 tied with wines G and H although this wins in terms of price, being cheaper than the others. Seghesio Chianti Station 2006.
Wine C - Sweet, almost candy-like nose. Juicy, savory, firm and well-balanced. Very nice. My #2 but didn't place in group rankings. Sean Thackrey Aquila 2003.
Wine D - Strong coffee on the nose. Rich and spicy but rather sweet. Long finish. New World. No votes from anyone. Saggi 2006 Columbia Valley.
Wine E - Mushroom, High acidity and lots of tannin. Needs 3 to 5 years at least to calm down. High toned and unbalanced. Old World. Did not place. Carpineto Poggio Sant' Enrico 1999. If I recall correctly, this was IGT.
Wine F - A little minty, Sweet fruit. Firm, young, tannic. Well put together. Needs 3 years or so to soften but Very good. My #1 but didn't place. I think I was the only one who voted for this. Miner Sangiovese 2004.
Wine G - Some sulfur/rubber on the nose. Good fruit, young and well-balanced. Aside from the nose, very good. My entry and my #3. Tied with B and H for #1. Ruffino Tenuta Greppone Mazzi Brunello di Montalcino 1999. I had this just 2 months ago and this was a much better, more vibrant bottle.
Wine H - Some wet rag. Young and tannic. I found it a bit hollow but maybe it just needs more time to open up. Good now but with potential for future improvement. Tied with B and G for #1. Tignanello 1998.
Being in Jojo's shop, he couldn't help it but open a couple more bottles.
Chateau Lynch Bages 1989 - Meaty nose. Very deep, leathery. Tobacco. Nice nose but very austere on the palate. Rather flat. Jojo said it was a bad bottle due to poor storage. It should have been much better than the bottle we tried.
Joseph Phelps Insignia 1997 - Rich and chocolatey. Soft. Rather boring for me. Stored together with the Lynch so possibly also a bad bottle. He had just pulled out the Lynch and the Insignia from a less than optimal locker he was renting.
Jaboulet Hermitage La Chapelle 1997 - Served blind. Prune and game. Dark. Soft and ready. Drinking very well. A little difficult to pin down as the body was quite rich. New World texture but Old World flavor. Very good.