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Enotria 2009 Tasting - Part 2
Part 1: Here I complete my notes on wines encountered at the recent Enotria tasting. Italy certainly showed its strength here, with strong showings in the classic regions, from the likes of Fantino's Sori Ginestra in Piedmont, the Accordini Amarone Classico Acinatico from Veneto, and Brolio's Chianti Classico from, of course, Tuscany. From further afield, however, there were more disappointing wines from this nation too. And picking and choosing my way through some of the other wines on show, there were lots of other very good efforts; from Portugal, a duo from Quinta do Crasto were certainly worthwhile, as were the twosome from Spain's Marqués de Riscal.
There are a few more New World representatives here when compared with my notes on the white wines. It was instructive to taste Peter Lehmann's 2002 Stonewell again, as it was the second time within a few weeks that I have encountered this wine. I scored the wine the same, but I noted that on the first tasting I seemed to perceive a more meaty style to the fruit, whereas this time a sweet, pure, fruit gum-like quality was more apparent. I don't think this really matters, as taste is so subjective; what is more important is that the perception of quality was the same.
My notes are provided below - free of subscription or other charge! In order to locate retailers, use my wine-searcher links. For notes on the white wines, see part one. Finally, my usual disclaimer; I have no commercial connection with Enotria. (5/3/09)
Tasting Notes - Red Wines
Tasted in February 2009. Click
for stockists.
Domaine du Vissoux Fleurie Poncié 2007: From the domaine of the
quality-conscious Pierre and Martine Chermette, this wine has a nice nose of pure cherry
fruit, and a well defined palate. It has freshness, chewy red sweetness, good
acids and a little plumpness towards the finish. A good substance here; I
suspect this may well improve with time in bottle. 16+/20
Domaine Lucien Boillot Gevrey-Chambertin 2006: A calcareous terroir,
destemmed and cold-macerated fruit, and a fermentation in wood, 25% new. This
has a smoky beetroot nose, with dark chocolate, and still some evident wood,
unsurprisingly. It has a very polished, rounded character on entry, a firm
midpalate, with lots of grip and tannin through to the finish. Good potential
here. 16.5+/20
Château des Gravières Collection Prestige (Graves) 2005: A Merlot
dominated cuvée, this variety coming in at 75%, the rest is Cabernet Sauvignon.
A famous vintage. Hot stones on the nose, sea salt and fennel, neither of which
were expected. Soft, stony, with lean fruit, chalky texture, and not a lot of
back bone. For this vintage it is a little underwhelming. 13/20
Conterno Fantino Barolo Sori Ginestra (Piedmont) 2000: This has a paling,
maturing hue, fairly typical for Nebbiolo. The nose is very appealing, with lots
of cherries, violets, rose petals and a little leather. Full, rich and rounded
on the palate, it still carries a hard core of rather austere tannins. There is
an attractive array of flavour, flower petals and that leather again, but this
still has brutal structure at the moment. A lovely wine, very true to the
region, but one that would benefit from more time in bottle I think. 17.5+/20
Accordini Amarone Classico Acinatico (Veneto) 2005: This comes from fruit
harvested at around 50 hl/ha, loft-dried for 120 days, then fermented with
stalks. Two years in oak followed. It has a nose of toffee, vanilla ice cream
and brazil nuts, no doubt some characteristics down to the oak. The palate is
rich and creamy, dense and nutty, with notes of slightly stewed fruits and the
husks of freshly shelled nuts. A firm grip, plenty of tannin, and certainly a
deep, structured, interesting wine. 17+/20
Brolio Chianti Classico (Tuscany) 2006: Made from estate-grown fruit, with
ten months in oak after fermentation has finished. Plenty of colour and plenty
of fruit on the nose too, with a dense, slightly roasted, warm character. Rich
and a touch creamy on the palate, with a dry structure. Soft, not well focused,
with good acids though. A wine with good potential, even if it does have a
rather rich and warm character. 16+/20
Poliziano Rosso di Montalcino (Tuscany) 2006: From one of Vino Nobile's
leading producers, this Sangiovese comes from a 20 hectare vineyard near
Montepulciano. It has some rather lean, stony-feral fruit on the nose. The
palate shows a little more richness, with lots of grip underneath. There is ripe
tannin, moderate concentration and a nice tannic grip at the end. Good wine.
15.5+/20
Planeta La Segreta Rosso (Sicily) 2007: This is 20% Merlot, 60% Nero d'Avola
and 20% Syrah, fermented in steel and aged in cuve and old wood, and
intended for drinking young. It has an interesting nose, of liquorice,
raspberry, cherry and a touch of cola. Warm roasted herbs on the palate, sweet
and fat, confected fruit, but with a nice, firm grip beneath. A plump and easy
drinking style overall though. 15/20
Planeta Cerasuolo di Vittoria (Sicily) 2007: This wine is 40% Frappato and
60% Nero d'Avola, destemmed and fermented in steel, and bottled the following
spring. It has a very unusual nose of sweet, honeyed, medicated cherry fruit.
Full, slightly creamy, sweet fruit, herby and medicated as on the nose, with a
soft fruit texture swamping the structure. A soft grip at best. It doesn't
appeal greatly. 13/20
Marqués de Riscal Rioja Reserva 2004: A blend of predominantly Tempranillo,
with Graciano and Mazuelo making up less than 10%. Intense fruit on the nose,
dense cherries and oak, with a sweet, rounded flesh. Nicely composed, firm,
polished, with a base of ripe tannins. Dark and a touch meaty, with an
attractive substance, and lots of grip on the finish. A good wine. 16.5+/20
Marqués de Riscal Rioja Gran Reserva 150th Anniversary 2001: Unsurprisingly a
rather special cuvée, a blend of 50% each Graciano and Tempranillo. Rather
high-toned on the nose, with macerated fruit, quite classically styled, meaty
and interesting, with just a touch of balsamic at the back. Good, highly
polished fruit on the palate, elegant structure, ripe tannins and meaty fruit.
Well honed oak, good definition, and overall attractive finesse. A super wine,
with great potential although there is nothing wrong with opening one now I
think. 18.5+/20
Quinta do Crasto (Douro) 2007: This is 33% Tinta Francesca, 33% Tinta Roriz
and 34% Touriga National. There is sweet berry fruit on the nose, dark and
concentrated, but with overt oak-caramel tones as well. The palate is leaner
than expected, with sappy-juicy fruit, with fleshy, sweet and herby fruit. A
really appealing substance to it, full but balanced and certainly attractive. A
good wine. 16+/20
Quinta do Crasto Reserva (Douro) 2006: This is apparently a field blend, and
it certainly has a very different style. It is has more density on the nose, and
seems a touch more earthy, with sweet but meaty fruit and some honeyed oak. Lots
of substance on the palate, rich but with grit, and impressive depth. Nicely
polished at the finish. Really very good wine indeed. 17+/20
Peter Lehmann 'My Word is My Bond' Grenache (Barossa) 2005: Bottled under
screwcap. A rather pale hue. The nose has some leathery and sweaty fruit, with a
minty-herbal edge. The palate is big, rounded and sweet, soft and a bit oily,
with a strange burnt fat-burnt fruit character. It doesn't appeal. 12.5/20
Peter Lehmann Stonewell Shiraz (Barossa) 2002: Another look at this wine
which I tasted at the 2009 Australia Day Tasting just a week or two ago. Big,
sweet, fruit gum, meaty and chocolatey fruit on the nose. On the palate, big,
sweet, dense fruit. There's a lot of structure underneath it all too. A very
full-on style for sure, and in need of cellar time, but there is a lot of
potential here. 17.5+/20
Skillogalee Cabernet Sauvignon Trevarrick Single Contour (South Australia)
2004: A very deeply coloured wine, and one well endowed with rich aromas. There
is crème de cassis, milk chocolate and high toned, super-ripe fruit pastille
sweetness. The palate has dense and creamy tannins, lots of grip especially
towards the finish, with piles of pepper and spice and some firm acidity. It is
a huge, dense, show-off wine full of chewy-sweet fruit which no doubt some will
love but it is just a bit too far gone for me. I always aim to appreciate the
quality if wines in styles I don't favour, but I find it difficult here. 15+?/20
Clos de los Siete (Tunuyan) 2007: Hand harvested fruit, which is 30% Cabernet
Sauvignon, 50% Malbec, 10% Merlot and 10% Syrah. This sees a cold maceration,
fermented with pigeage, and then bottled unfiltered and unfined. The nose
has bright cherry fruit, with a very sweet, ripe and clean character. Soft and
creamy on the palate, with nice blackcurrant and raspberry flavours, with some
spice and pepper behind. Some grip, and certainly some substance; a rich and
pleasing, of rather straightforward fruit-driven wine. 16/20
Thelema Mountain Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon (Western Cape) 2005:
Hand-harvested fruit, fermented in steel with pumping over, then into 50% new
French oak for 20 months. Minerally cherry and blackcurrant fruit on the nose,
with a sweet slightly herby edge. Moderate texture and weight, with a crisp
style of fruit, but it is nicely ripe too. A touch gritty. Overall a big style,
but certainly interesting. It may show better with time. 16.5+/20
Peller Family Estates Cabernet Franc Ice Wine (Niagara) 2007: Plenty of
strawberry character here, swirled with cream and black pepper. Certainly plenty
of appeal. The palate holds no surprises; it is big, sweet, rich, plump, creamy
but defined by the typically piercing icewine acidity. It certainly packs a
punch. Interesting, but rather one dimensional. I wonder what these wines doe
when they age? 15.5+?/20
