I attended this year's annual Boston Wine Expo on January 23 (last Sunday), and am posting the first part of my notes from this event.
For those who are not familiar with the Expo, it is held every year at the Seaport Hotel in Boston, MA, and runs for two days. The Expo runs for two days each year, and consists of a Grand Tasting, a "Grand Cru" room, and a series of seminars on various groups of wines. The tickets for the Grand Tasting run from around $70-$110, depending when you purchase them, and if you have a discount code or a special offer. By working as a volunteer for the first day, I was able to get a pair of complementary tickets for the second day. Although I attended one of the seminars two years ago, I only went to the Grand Tasting this time.
The selection of wines varies from year to year, but I have found it to be a good way to try a lot of wines from lesser known regions and producers, along with some more familiar names. This year, I thought that the best-represented countries and regions included Italy, Portugal, the Loire, and Greece, and primarily focused on wines from those areas. For the sake of not being too long-winded, I am going to post my notes from each of those regions separately, and also post a group of notes on wines from everywhere else.
Part I: Italy
As with all of my notes on Italian wines, I included the DOC(G) and IGT notations in cases where the appellation isn't widely known, but have omitted it in the case of well-known DOCGs such as Barolo and Brunello di Montalcino.
2006 Fontanafredda Barolo Serralunga d’Alba
From 1L bottle. A more traditional Barolo, although there seems to be just a bit of new oak here in the background. Moderately tannic for Barolo, nicely structured, with good underlying acidity. Shows notes of cherries, red fruits, spices, and roses, with a hint of vanilla. Very good/excellent.
2006 Pertinace Barbaresco
Medium-bodied, balanced, with moderate acidity, albeit in a very modern, overly oaky style. Lightly spicy, with cherry and rose notes. Not my favorite Barbaresco.
2007 Perla del Garda Lugana DOC Superiore “Madonna della Scoperta”
100% Trebbiano di Lugana. The unusually shaped bottle is pictured here: http://www.perladelgarda.it/images/stor ... adonna.jpg. Full, round, lightly viscous, bone dry, with notes of minerals, apples, honey, and vanilla. Very good.
2004 Val di Suga (Tenimenti Angelini) Brunello di Montalcino
Full, tannic, focused, with moderate acidity; rather tightly wound, with notes of dark berries, spices, and cayenne pepper; maybe some meatiness. Very good(+?).
2008 Cantina Sociale Bergamasca Pinot Bianco IGT Bergamasca
From one of the lesser-known parts of Lombardy. Moderately full-bodied, dry, and well balanced; floral/mineral, with apple and citrus notes. Good/very good.
2004 Pertimali (Angelo Sassetti) Brunello di Montalcino
Before this wine, I was unaware that there were two different Sassetti brothers - Angelo and Livio - making Brunello from a divided Pertimali estate. I was already familiar with Livio’s wines, but had never heard of Angelo before.
This Brunello is full-bodied, compact, tannic, and oaky, with notes of dark berries, spices, and herbs. Like other 2004s that I have had so far, it isn’t showing a lot yet at this point in its evolution, which is not surprising. Very good if you like the oakier style; I myself would prefer less new oak.
2006 Casa Vinicola Gioacchino Garofoli Conero DOCG Riserva “Grosso Agontano”
100% Montepulciano. Full, moderately tannic, somewhat oaky, though well balanced, with good underlying acidity. Shows notes of dark berries, licorice, tar, smoke, vanilla, and spices. Very good.
2008 Azienda Agricola Bricco Maiolica Diano d’Alba DOC Superiore Sorì Bricco Maiolica
100% Dolcetto, though like Dogliani, the name of the grape is no longer part of the official DOC name. (Diano d’Alba has since received DOCG status.) Moderately full, round, well balanced, with moderate acidity; shows notes of dark fruits, almonds, and violets. Very good.
2007 Enzo Boglietti Barolo Fosetti
The first 2007 Barolo that I have had. Moderate in weight, tannin, and acidity; smooth, very oaky, quite modern; not my style.
2006 Azienda Agricola Schiavenza Barolo Vigneto Broglio
Full, well balanced, with good underlying acidity; shows notes of dark berries, tea, stones, tar, and spices. Very good/excellent; I may in fact be underrating this wine right now.
2008 Azienda Vitivinicola Chiorri Colli Perugini DOC Rosso
A blend of Sangiovese, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon. Moderate in weight, balanced, with moderate acidity; notes of dark fruits, spices, tar, and grilled pork. Nothing special.
2008 Carlin de Paolo Cisterna d’Asti DOC Superiore
100% Croatina. Medium-bodied, fresh, fruity, well balanced, with cherry and red berry notes, and some floral/spicy hints. Seems to be meant to be drunk in the short term. Very good; a fun, friendly wine.
2005 Riondo Amarone della Valpolicella
I couldn’t determine the exact composition of this wine – obviously, it’s a Corvina blend of some sort. This budget Amarone from the well-known Prosecco producer is not my favorite – it doesn’t have much in the way of dried fruit notes, and I don’t think that it really captures the style of Amarone that well. I also though that the balance was a bit off – not excessively alcoholic, but a bit clunky, so to speak. Full, moderately tannic/acidic, with dark fruit and cherry flavors accented by spices and earth, and hints of currants.
2007 Azienda Agricola Spia d’Italia di Andrea Guetta Bianco dell’Erta San Martino della Battaglia DOC
100% Friulano, from Lombardia, near Garda. Light in weight, dry, well balanced, with good underlying acidity; shows apple, tropical fruit, and earthy notes. Good/very good.
2005 Azienda Agricola Bigogno Rosso Gobbo Casale Gabbadeo IGT Montenetto di Brescia
40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, and 20% Marzemino; another Lombardian wine. Casale Gabbadeo is the name of the single vineyard.
Full-bodied, moderately oaky and tannic, with notes of dark berries, crème de cassis, tar, and vanilla. Good/very good.
