We finished the VinExpo by drinking ourselves under the table with a massive and long dinner with Pekko Oksanen of a nice, new importing company Artevino.
Ratzenberger Riesling Brut Bacharacher Kloster Fürstental 2001 had a delightful nose of stone dust and strawberries and was very rieslingy. Nice, elegant fizz. Proof for unbelievers that Sekt can be brilliant.
Ratzenberger Bacharacher Wolfshöhle Erste Lage 2004 was as good and limey and precice as it was in the ViExpo itself. Refreshing and mineral but rather big-boned.
Siro Pacenti Rosso di Montalcino 2005 was deep and earthy, rather dark toned and rather a serious example of Ross di M. Nice.
Siro Pacenti Brunello di Montalcino 2000 had an open scent that was loamy, a bit raisiny (presumably from the heat) but was still elegant. It was sweetly fruity yet tannic and retained nice levels of acidity. This would be a very nice wine if the whole was a bit more compact.
Siro Pacenti Brunello di Montalcino 1998 was open and rather personal on the nose, and had very lovable nuances of peach stone. The palate is juicy, mouthfilling yet fresh.
Siro Pacenti Brunello di Montalcino 2001 had promising bright fruit underneath the youthful fruity exuberance. The palate had very nice structure.
I still don't really understand Brunellos or other Sangioveses, but these wines were pretty nice. These don't seem like really old-style Brunello, but neither were they overtly oaky. They kept up my interest in the tasting and I appreciate them to some degree, but I don't think I would buy them if they came my way.
Rio Bom Touriga Franca 2003 was all about massive oak and roasted fruit flavours. Undrinkable for me.
Finca Sandoval TNS 2004 had a nose of roast and chocolate and oak. The palate was massive. Victor de la Serna and I haven't seen eye to eye on many styles of Spanish wines as has been witnessed by endless discussions on: e.g. warm climate wines, the semantics of spoofulation, etc. I'm sorry. I don't mean VS any disrespect, but we still don't see eye to eye.
Bussola Valpolicella TB 2003 was sweet and syrupy, lacking freshness.
Bussola Amarone della Valpolicella Classico BG 2002 was a fair wine with true Amarone scents and enough savouryness to keep it interesting.
Bussola Amarone TB 2001 is one impressive wine if you like Amarone. It is compact and full of everything yet still manages to be fresh. Very impressive.
Bussola Amarone TB 2000 wasn't quite as nice as the 2001: this was too sweet, not so compact or savoury and just a bit too raisiny. It's not bad in its style, but I just find that the style is one that I very rarely warm up to.
Saracco Moscato d'Asti 2006 was very mineral and very joyous. Lovely.
Ratzenberger Bacharacher Kloster Fürstental Riesling Eiswein 2004 was full of pure Riesling fruit, minerals, high acidity, balanced sweetness and freshness. I like it.
Ratzenberger Bacharacher Posten Riesling TBA 2005 was a mineral, nicely floral, and even elegant when compared to the Leitz! Big stuff and rather impressive.
Leitz Rüdesheimer Bischofsberg TBA 2005 is huge. It is intensely rotten, intensely sweet, intensely acidic, rather inelegant, but very impressive.
Dario Coos Romandus Ramandolo DOCG Passito 2002 is a fun wine and smells of fresh flowers and hay. A very summery drink and joyous though a bit freaky in its glue and hay-like aromas.
Perusini Picolit was oaky. I couldn't get past that. It did have nice acidity, though.
Bussola Recioto GB 2004 though sweet, this did have a nice savoury, almost tobacco-like, scent. Sweet and too much work to drink.
Quinta de Baldias Tawny is a fair enough port: appley, sweet and simple but fun.
Barbeito Verdelho 1981 was lovely. It had the cleanest, razor sharp scent of apples, VA, toffee and roasting coffee. The palate was slightly sweet but delightfully acidic and volatile. It is so fresh and refreshing despite its sugar and high alcohol that I could drink this for an appetizer or even with some food during the meal. This is quite a delightful drink.
Barbeito Verdelho 1978 smelled of shit. Literally. It didn't have any of the brightness of the 1981 and the 20 YO that were served beside it. I was certain the bottle was flawed, though the others thought it fine (and I'm not really known to be squeamish about shitty scents). The taste was flat and lifeless and whatever else Madeira should taste like, it shouldn't be flat and lifeless.
Barbeito Malvasia 20 YO was nice also. It was sweet, but savoury and even elegant despite its size. A very lively wine.
S. Leonardo 40 YO Tawny Port was quite a revelation. I rarely like 40YO because they are so easily too woody. This wasn't. The fruit was lovely and it was very sweet and muscular. This is not an elegant style of port, but it is a very impressive one. I like it, but this isn't the style of port I will most often turn to.
Exhausting week, but fun.
-O-