Sorry this is a week late. Anyway, I had a lot of fun going through this exciting lineup; it's just taken me a while to type up all of my recent notes.
February 28, 2011 – Louis/Dressner Tasting, The Wine Bottega, Boston, MA
2009 Domaine de la Pépière Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine Sur Lie Clos des Briords Vieilles Vignes
Moderate in weight, bone dry, well balanced, and very mineral, with melon, citrus, and lightly peppery notes. More structured than most Muscadets; probably will get even better with a few years. Very good. $16.
2009 Clos du Tue-Boeuf (Puzelat) Cheverny “Frileuse”
A blend of Chardonnay, Fie Gris (Sauvignon Rosé), and Sauvignon Blanc; some from pre-phylloxera vines. Medium-bodied, dry, and well balanced; mineral/earthy, with honeyed tropical fruit and apricot notes. Much more than the sum of its components. Excellent. $25.
2008 Cantina Giardino Sophia IGT Campania
Cantina Giardino is a new producer to me. Two of their wines were poured at this event –based on these, I hope to try more from them in the future.
This wine is 100% Coda di Volpe, skin fermented, and aged in Amphorae. Very earthy nose. Medium-bodied, dry, well balanced with good underlying acidity; just lightly oxidative, with tangerine, mango, herbal, and nutmeg notes. Excellent. $35.
2009 Domaine de Belliviere Coteaux du Loir “Rouge-Gorge”
100% Pineau d’Aunis. Medium-bodied, fresh, with moderate tannin and acidity; lightly mineral/spicy, with bright red berry flavors. Normally, I get a white pepper aroma from Pineau d’Aunis, so I suspect that will develop over time, although it is hard not to drink this now. Very good/excellent. $32.
2009 Thierry Puzelat Touraine Pinot Noir
Light in weight, quite earthy, with blueberry, cocoa, and allspice notes. Very good underlying acidity. A completely different style than any other Pinot Noir that I have had, but very nice nonetheless. $27.
2009 Damien Coquelet Beaujolais-Villages
Earthy nose. Light-bodied, well balanced, with good acidity; shows somewhat funky red berry and cherry notes. Very good. $18.
2008 Dard et Ribo Crozes-Hermitage
Not your typical Syrah; to paraphrase the tasting sheet, this is a classic love it or hate it wine. Nose of salad greens, cooked red cabbage, and paprika. Medium-bodied, well balanced, with good acidity; shows leafy cherry/cranberry notes, with some definite funk. Supposedly this is intended to be drunk young, although I’ll note that there are not too many Crozes that are particularly ageworthy. Anyway, I thought that it was quite nice, though maybe just a little pricey at $40.
2009 Roagna Dolcetto d’Alba DOC
Last year, I had Roagna’s 2005 Dolcetto, and thought that it was one of the best Dolcettos that I have had. The 2009 is just as good – certainly less evolved, but again, with impressive balance, and enough structure to develop for several years. Medium-bodied, moderately tannic, with earthy/spicy dark berry notes. I’m sure that it will be even more interesting a few years from now. Excellent value for $17.
2008 Cantina Giardino Aglianico d’Irpinia IGT
Moderately full-bodied, fresh, moderately tannic, with good underlying acidity. Shows notes of cherries, mixed berries, minerals, and black pepper. Very good. $30.
Note: Irpinia – confusingly – can be either an IGT or a DOC.
2007 Camillo Donati Malvasia dell’Emilia IGT Dolce Frizzante “Il Mio”
100% Malvasia di Candia, bottle and skin fermented. Nose is an intriguing, addictive mixture of mace (the spice) and sage. Medium-bodied, sweet, well balanced, with good underlying acidity, and tropical fruit/earthy/orange zest flavors. Again, I really enjoyed the nose. Excellent; even better than the dry version that I tried last fall. $25.