Giuseppe Rinaldi Barolo Brunate-Le Coste 2006
Thanks to Oliver. About 75% from Brunate and 25% from Le Coste. Medium ruby. Rather closed on the nose. Dried rose petal, ethereal, pretty plum, herbs such as dried oregano, soft brown spice, faint tar. Faintly dry tannin only, nicely favourful, on the whole, the 2006 is still quite traditionally-styled. Lovely depth. More Burgundian than the 1996. Balanced, long. Beautiful wine, and promising, this should evolve well in bottle, and quite a long time. Wines like this are becoming rare. Fair QPR. Rating: 93+/94
Giuseppe Rinaldi Barolo Brunate-Le Coste 1996
Thanks to Oliver. Similar colour, slightly more evolved. Tougher/harder, a bit less concentrated and intense in terms of backbone, if firm enough to seem more sizeable than it is. No more complexity or length. A bit grainier, saltier even, with a touch of dried walnut skin to the tannin. A bit dried-meatier/beefier perhaps. Still outstanding, of course, but a 1996 that emphasizes the vintage’s backbone more than the density of the best. Rating: 91(+/-?)
Niepoort Vintage Port Pisca 2007
Sample half bottle thanks to Dirk. From a single vineyard whose fruit has formed the backbone of the house’s Vintage Port (e.g. of the 2003) for years, and which now belongs to Niepoort. Of 12’000 liters total production in 2007 (a yield of 22 hl/ha), 3’500 liters were bottled separately. The idea, Dirk says, is to make a more traditional style of Vintage Port, less reductive, bottled later than is the norm today. He believes the 2007 is not quite there yet, and that the 2008 (which is aged in 100% pipes – the 2007 only partially) should measure up to the concept even better. Also, he is convinced a lesser amount of primary fruit to be a fair tradeoff given he expects this “controlled-oxidative” style to retain its fruit longer, and age more finessefully. Virtually opaque ruby-black, slight purple hue. Tiny bit hot with alcohol. Coffee-tinged chocolate and marzipan. Relatively firm, cocoa-flavoured tannin. Rather oaky, even more so with airing, albeit along with a little more florality/violet, and sweetness, too. Medium length. More chocolatey than fruity, as Oliver noted, who much prefers e.g. the fuller-flavoured, fruitier, sexier, more accessible Graham in this vintage (which I remember as less overtly modernistic – perhaps only fractionally, but noticeably – than some 2007s). Unique and different, if not in style, then in flavour profile, from the Niepoort Vintage Ports we know (have not tasted the standard, that is the blended, 2007 Vintage Port). Oliver felt this should be drunk young, whereas I am curious to see (more so perhaps than confident) what will become of it with bottle age. Rating: 89+/90?
Greetings from Switzerland, David.
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„J'ai gâché vingt ans de mes plus belles années au billard. Si c'était à refaire, je recommencerais.“ – Roger Conti