I'm really supposed to be "drying out" after a long week of holiday wine consumption. (Thank you to those of you who opened your wine cellars for us - it was delightful! And I'm really nervous now that I know so many of you are reading this....)
Anyway, I'm having pasta for dinner, and I just can't do Italian without wine. It may actually be illegal in Italy (given how convoluted their wine laws are, it wouldn't be surprising). Tonight's wine is a Friulian pinot grigio with a medium-pale gold hue with even a hint of brown. Pinot Grigio grapes are actually quite pink for white wine grapes, so that can happen while the wine is still young. Some even pick up some pink from the skins.
The aromas are intensely fruity, with some delicious honeydew melon and pear, as well as honeysuckle and yeasty notes. Very intriguing! In the mouth, it's a tad flabby. It could use a little more acidity to counteract the slight sweetness and medium-high viscosity. That said, it's very smooth and I think it will pair nicely (because, frankly, it's a little bland) with my pasta.
Vintage: 2009
Grape: Pinot Grigio
Region: Friuli
Price: $11
My rating: 83/100
Showing posts with label 83. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 83. Show all posts
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
2008 Villa Vallemaggiore Maremma Toscana Campostella
I'm on an Italy kick these days, it seems. This wine, also from Tuscany, is one of the so-called "supertuscans," which essentially means that the winemakers didn't follow the rules set out by the Italian government, thus there wine is not "classifiable." This particular winemaker broke the rules by blending 15% cabernet sauvignon into his or her sangiovese. This often has the effect of taming sangiovese's prevalent acid and tannins, making for a more approachable wine, in the international sense.
This one is a lovely medium crimson in the glass, obviously still quite young as it hasn't taken on any browns or oranges, even towards the rim. I feel like I can sense some of the cabernet sauvignon on the nose, as there is a distinct aroma of currants, some green pepper, and some oak. But in the mouth, this is most definitely a sangiovese. Sour city. The tannins aren't overpowering, but are fairly wooly and unrefined. I would classify this as a "rustic" wine. The finish is short and bitter, and there isn't much in the way of fruit on the palette. A little currant and spice, perhaps, but it isn't pronounced. This wine will be fine with dinner, but I wouldn't just sit down to a glass of it unaccompanied (often how I feel about sangiovese-dominant wines). 83.
This one is a lovely medium crimson in the glass, obviously still quite young as it hasn't taken on any browns or oranges, even towards the rim. I feel like I can sense some of the cabernet sauvignon on the nose, as there is a distinct aroma of currants, some green pepper, and some oak. But in the mouth, this is most definitely a sangiovese. Sour city. The tannins aren't overpowering, but are fairly wooly and unrefined. I would classify this as a "rustic" wine. The finish is short and bitter, and there isn't much in the way of fruit on the palette. A little currant and spice, perhaps, but it isn't pronounced. This wine will be fine with dinner, but I wouldn't just sit down to a glass of it unaccompanied (often how I feel about sangiovese-dominant wines). 83.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
2006 Paso Creek Merlot Paso Robles
Poor merlot. It has such a bad reputation, ever since that guy in Sideways whose name I can't remember derided it vociferously. But this is a guy who drinks out of a spit bucket. So why do people listen to him??
Merlot is, perhaps, a little out of vogue right now, but it's an estimable wine, one of the varietal foundations of nearly all Bordeaux wines, and the sole grape used in Chateau Petrus, one of the most expensive and revered wines in the world.
This bottle is not Chateau Petrus. I seriously doubt I will ever be in the same room as Petrus, let alone have one in my apartment. But this is a wine from Paso Robles, a place where wine grapes have been grown since the late 1700s. Not bad for the "new world!" The wine in my glass is a deep, vibrant, gorgeous crimson with a tiny pink rim. The aromas are robust and savory, with earth, umami, and something biscuity in the background. And there is also some of that plum that one expects to find in a merlot.
In the mouth, it's a little aggressive - high alcohol and overt sourness make it a prickly and puckersome wine, and there isn't much fruit to balance it out. The wine does have excellent structure with mild but firm tannins, but it's just not a joy to hold it in my mouth. And it doesn't get much better once swallowed. Sourness and a slightly bitterness remain long after any fruit flavors have dissipated.
Not a wine to go out of your way to find. 83.
Merlot is, perhaps, a little out of vogue right now, but it's an estimable wine, one of the varietal foundations of nearly all Bordeaux wines, and the sole grape used in Chateau Petrus, one of the most expensive and revered wines in the world.
This bottle is not Chateau Petrus. I seriously doubt I will ever be in the same room as Petrus, let alone have one in my apartment. But this is a wine from Paso Robles, a place where wine grapes have been grown since the late 1700s. Not bad for the "new world!" The wine in my glass is a deep, vibrant, gorgeous crimson with a tiny pink rim. The aromas are robust and savory, with earth, umami, and something biscuity in the background. And there is also some of that plum that one expects to find in a merlot.
In the mouth, it's a little aggressive - high alcohol and overt sourness make it a prickly and puckersome wine, and there isn't much fruit to balance it out. The wine does have excellent structure with mild but firm tannins, but it's just not a joy to hold it in my mouth. And it doesn't get much better once swallowed. Sourness and a slightly bitterness remain long after any fruit flavors have dissipated.
Not a wine to go out of your way to find. 83.
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