Yes, I admit I'm a bit quaint. With nothing to sell, nothing to push, I have no agenda here, except with the aim of posting a record of tasting notes and getting some feedback. In this day and age when every kind of media have to be utilized to make a buck and plug something, I am shamelessly quaint.
Viña Ardanza, Rioja, Reserva Especial, 2001
Color has a mature sunset crimson. Weak burnished autumn fruits and leaves, tasting a little muddied and stewy, somewhat diffuse. Tasting of its age, luckily not much oak comes overtly across, this actually becomes better the second day - still a little muddy, but better structure (although admittedly, there's not much of it here). B+/A-
Pio Cesare, Barolo, 1998
Decent middle-brow nebbiolo, with cherry-licorice, slight asphalt. Smooth and sweet, not a lot of nuance or depth and 14% alcohol shows up on the finish, especially when glass warms to room temp. Fine to drink but I'd probably source my Piedmont thrills from some other producer. B+
Schäfer-Fröhlich, Bockenauer, riesling - trocken, 2009
Killer wine for eighteen bucks. You get dry German riesling for the price of a Yugo, and it's all there: lime water, elderflower, minerality, and a nice refreshing finish. 12.5% B+/A- I'd say this could keep at least 4-5 years, though it's not made in a style to age for decades.
Joseph Roty, Marsannay, 'les Ouzeloy', 2008
Appleskin and slight mentholated mint on the nose. The palate shows better, with strawberry, red fruit skin, aspirin. Medium-bodied and pretty tight right now, this needs a few years to strut better. Still, not sad to have opened it. B+
Black Ankle Vineyards, 'Crumbling Rock', Frederick County, 2006
This is expensive juice from Maryland, a blend of 38% Cabernet Franc, 33% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, 5% Petite Verdot. Lots of plummy black and red fruits. Well made but a little anonymous. Tannins virtually melted away at this point. With more air, there is a fragrant savoriness that comes out, probably from the cab franc. The blend changes year-to-year, so it's never really the same wine twice. 13.5% A-/B+
Chateau Reignac, Bordeaux Superieur, 2005
Meh. It's got Stuff in there all right, just nothing I am interested in. Plummy licorice and soft tannins, plush. Some gravel detected, but overall nothing to shout Sweet Baby James about. B
Clelia Romano, Fiano di Avellino, 'Colli di Lapio', 2007
Nobody talks about Fiano anymore, but this is the real McKoy and worth seeking out. Yellow fruited, chalky and aromatic. What else would you like in your white wine?! A- Note that this tastes almost exactly like it did 2 years ago, so I suspect aging these is not a problem.
