Tuesday, 17 March 2009

Tuscan Wine Tasting

Wines of Tuscany
Friday 13 March 2009

Opening the wines

A very interesting tasting this. Will update later with proper tasting notes. For now, here are links to all the wines which are still available to buy.

Whilst we're still waiting for proper tasting notes...
Whites
OK, but overpriced and not really that special. The vermentino from Colline Lucchesi was the better of the two, but for £13 from other regions a far better white could be had.

Best Value Red
The Morrelino di Scansano was by far and away the best value red. It was showing far better than the Vino Nobile - intense on the palate and with a long way to go. A real find!

Best Red
A tricky one this. From the Sangiovese-based wines, the Brunello was my favourite. Lots of people liked the Castello di Fonterutoli best, but this was probably a result of the age (which was perfect). However, the Ornellaia really was the best wine there. Although it was almost 3-times the price of the next most expensive wine!

Vin Santo
Interesting, but not my favourite sweet wine. Lots of unusual flavours going on in there. Also, the combination of this with the almond biscotti was superb.

The final red

Tasting Notes
Adam Dent
1. 2007 Vernaccia di San Gimignano DOCG, Riccardo Falchini
Cost £9.75

A pale greenish, herbal, wine with notes of green apple, mineral, kiwi. High acid, medium body, fruity. Lemons, green apple, hint of pineapple. Pretty long, slightly bitter note. Crisp and refreshing, some complexity, well balanced.

No one had much to say besides agreeing it was very drinkable. So, ok but nothing special.

2. 2007 Palistorti, Colline Lucchesi DOC. Tenuta di Valgiano
Cost £12.95

A pale straw colour. Clean, medium intensity with aromas of cloves, peaches, cream. Crisp and dry with high acidity, medium-high body. Flavour profile on palate is peach, pear, white pepper, clove, cream. Some herbal notes. Maybe Wild Thyme?

VERY long, intense finish. Good balance. Complex, unusual. Lots going on.

This generated diverse opinions within the group. Lots of comments and far more heated discussion than #1. A good, interesting, complex wine.

3. 2004 Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG. Riserva dei Mandorli, Massimo Romeo
Cost £23

Dark, brick red. Quite intense nose with blackcurrant jam, black cherries, hint of spice / pepper. High tannin, high acid, medium body. Blackcurrant, blackberry fruit.

Good balance between acid and tannins, although the tannins are a little grippy. Some oak. Needs a little more body and fruit to balance the tannins. Fresh but a little hollow. Long, but tannins are a little unbalanced.

4. 2005 Morellino di Scansano DOC. Poggio Nibbiale, Tuscany
Cost £11.95

Dark ruby. Intense smoky, gamey, nose - even with hints of leather. Black cherries are the dominant fruit note.

Very tannic (but ripe tannins). High acid, full bodied, intense. Silky blackberries and cherries. A big wine. Long, satisfying. In balance.

Very good. Very different, more international than #3. Got a very positive reaction all round. Exceptional value for money.


5. 2006 Fontodi, Chianti Classico DOCG.
Cost £17

Deep ruby. Surprisingly light nose. Slightly musty. Subdued fruit on nose, blackberry. High tannins, medium-high acid and body. Fruity on palate - some red fruit, mostly black. Medium-length.

Good, but definitely young.

6. 2004 Chianti Rufina DOCG. Riserva Bucerchiale
Cost £19

Deep brick. Lots of sediment. Medium body. Quite intense nose wih red friut, mainly red cherries. Ripe medium tannins, medium acid and body. Grippy finish. Opens up very nicely. Lots of people did not really like when first poured (even though decanter more than an hour before this). However, after about 10 mins in the glass it was a real crowd pleaser (for those who still had any left).

7. Castello di Fonterutoli 1995 (from magnum)
Cost £50

Deep garnet-brown. Pronounced nose of herbs, earth, cigars. Chipotle? Resin? Full bodied, high but soft tannins, medium acid. Quite smooth on the palate. Black cherry, spice, tobacco. Very long and flavoursome.

Nicely mature, lots of tertiary flavours and smells. Probably past it's best but still superb. Definitely drinking well now. An impressive example of how Chianti can develop.


8. 2003 Brunello di Montalcino. Gianni Brunelli
Cost £30

Medium-deep garnet. Intense nose. Cream, vanilla, cocoa. “Condensed Milk”, caramel. Dried black fruit. High tannin, high acid, full bodied but smooth. Flavour profile on palate incldes caramel, blackberry, treacle, cherry. Very long, very smooth, very complex.

Stunning. Variety and range of flavours, intensity. The whole room is audibly impressed.

9. Ornellaia, 2005
Cost £85

Deep ruby. Intense nose with smoke and pencil-shavings dominating. Hint of cream/caramel, blackcurrant. Fairly classic bordeaux blend nose. Full-bodied, high tannin, high acid, and intensw. Fine tannins. Blackcurrant and marmite on the palate.

Long, finish comes in waves of intensity. Excellent. Very different to the others (not that surprising since Cabernet Sauvignon rather than sangiovese)

10. 1992 Vin Santo di Montepulciano, Massimo Romeo
Cost £38.65

Medium golden-brown. LOTS of brown gunk comes out towards the end of the bottle. Intense nose of figa, dates, raisins, toffee. Sweet, but not massively so. High acid helps to keep the wine fresh despite the sweetness. Medium body. Caramel, toffee, sultanas, Xmas pudding, hint of brandy. Golden syrup.

Very acidic, drying finish; remarkable given the sugar. Deep, varied flavours, but lacks an extra something - maybe we've just drunk too much excellent sweet wine before.

Greatly enhanced by (the classic pairing of) biscotti.

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