Mas d'en Gil Priorat Coma Vella 2004 - Spain, Catalunya, Priorat
26,90€; 15% abv; Garnacha Peluda 20%, Garnacha País 20%, Cabernet Sauvignon 25%, Cariñena 20%, Syrah 10% and Merlot 5%. 12 months in new Barrique. The scent isn't as oak dominated as I expected from such a figure. Of course there is a vanillary sheen to the scent, but it is more about vibrant and sweet berry aromas than wood. Full bodied, with rather nicely strong tannins. Simple, berry-like fruit tastes; the massive alcohol is surprisingly well hidden. Though a "modern" style of wine, it isn't as offensive as most other "modern" wines to me - possibly because it is completely devoid of personality, and no personality is better than an unlikeable personality.
Tenuta dell'Ornellaia Le Volte Toscana IGT 2007 - Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT
22€; 13,5% abv; 51% Sangiovese; 34% Merlot; 15% Cabernet Sauvignon. At first I thought this had a rather interesting scent since it was slightly reminiscent of Musar: a bit volatile, sweet and bright red fruit. Sweetly fruit palate, too, but with some (initially) nice bitter elements. 2-4yo barriques, so the oak treatment isn't very obvious (gladly). Yet ultimately this was a disappointment, because despite these promising elements, this was hard to drink. Though the sweetness of the fruit never recedes, the bitter elements never seem harmonious with the rest of the package (and I generally like bitterness in what ingest), so the result was a brutish wine. Though no one element (alcohol, wood, fruit, structure) was annoyingly to the fore, the whole was offensive. Which is strange considering how attractive my first few sips were.