strike 2

la spinona barolo sori gepin 2003

wish i had the time

ascheri barolo 2005

darkish ruby, garnet rim; some volatility initially, sharp, acidic, tar, some funk, oh oh ...; bit of cherry/berry, cinnamon (hint), meagre ... broadened just a touch with time but ...; fine tannins; very acidic/ astringent!, may calm down with age ...; medium weight, short; meaningless at this stage; FIZZLE! does nothing for me ...

a miss

ceretto barolo zonchera 2001

the usual place had a coupla bottles of this stuff. thought it might be nice to see it now as the last time was about a year ago. nowadays, it's the 03s and 04s on the shelves.

as bad luck would have it, the sample uncorked had basically gone south. think our friend brett, had a hand. whiff of bandaid ... whoa boy ... then absolutely nothing ... flat ... no flavours whatsoever, nada. was just a slightly acidic rose coloured liquid. FIZZLE!

rejected it and waited for the management to concur ... they did. would not have continued with it even if they had not. decided not to chance it and try the other bottle ... same shipment, same ullage.

had to go with the old standby:

pio cesare barolo 2003

thankfully, it was as expected. BANG!
barbequed ribs and other porky stuff ... uurgh ... really got to start eating something else.

neb and stu III

again, courtesy of the friends who feed me for free. some sort of "experimental" lamb stew for dinner sunday. meat and veges done separately. resulting in a very meaty yet fresh tasting concoction.

fontanafredda barbaresco 1999

garnet, bricking; cedar, mushroom, plum?, bit of smoke and very little primary fruit on the nose; follows onto palate, fruit, tannins and acid intergrated; medium bodied; medium length; mellow with some age, not really over the hill but something missing, ... bit dull. nearly a POP!

nuther weekend ... could have been worse

1)tea time
confuron cotetidot gevrey chambertin 2004

cherry; plum, ... fur(?), dried flowers/ herbs; plum, cranberry (?) on palate, bit sweet initially; light bodied, tannins a bit rough, pleasant acidity (some might think it still excessive now); not very long; 12.5%; with the brett thing and the cost over here ...no joy. FIZZLE!

pio cesare barolo 2003 (their basic one)

garnet; plum, black/blueberries, flowers(violets?) on nose; plum,dark cherry, bit of cinnamon?, bit of stalkiness (woody not green) on palate; lots of tannin (but nice and ripe), crisp acid; medium bodied; long; nice drop even at this stage; comfortingly consistent, 13.5%. BANG!2) dinner ... tuna pasta, goat's milk cheese and homemade bread.

kumeu river chardonnay 2004

straw/light gold; peach/nectarine,citrus (lemon rind?), oak, caramel, bread on nose; juicy nectarine/peach (like biting into fresh fruit, impressive), orange/grapefruit and nuts on the palate, rich mouthfeel; lots of tannin, could do with a bit more acid to balance the fruit, wood and overall richness; longish; medium/big bodied; fruit and freshness seem to die off after 20-30 mins in glass, then it becomes somewhat dull and oaky; 13% or 13.5%, cannot remember; drink it very fast ... then its a blast. POP!

tea time

been dry for days so it was off to the regular haunt. the conch blown and usual suspects tapped up.

bricco rocche barolo prapo 2001 (ceretto)
garnet, bricking; plum, cedar, tobacco (? was having the real thing), orange peel; palate fresh, cherry, plum (fresh and preserved), hint of coffee; medium bodied; fine tannins (lots but soft and not at all mouthpuckering); acid obvious but gentle; fruit and wood coming together; long finish; bit of roast pork with it; you can keep the darjeeling and scones. BANG!

14.5% ... but didn't taste like it.

drinks

had to pay up on the wager i lost, had the barolo de highbury over the weekend. a gianni gagliardo preve 2001,decanted for 1 hour.

translucent ruby colour; violets(?), plums, cedar and tobacco on the nose; latter 3 follow through on the palate together with fine tannins and refreshing acidity (no puckering here); medium bodied; balanced; long finish; very very nice indeed, could go another 5 years easy. BANG!

supportig cast of the simonsig tiara 2003, a south african bordeaux blend, provided a big oaky bang for the buck as usual while the chateau potensac 1998 medoc was good (the others did not think much of it) but rather overpriced here. BANG! and POP!

very agreeable few hours with friends ... would have been better if the goners weren't firing blanks ... sigh ... theres always next season.