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 ...

shy

fontanafredda gavi del commune di gavi 2008

later

lamb & some friends

cantine rizzi barbera d'alba 2006

later

correct

ceretto barbera d'alba piana 2006

later

ba ba ba, ba barbara ann ...

1)rizzi barbaresco boito 2004

just had to do it again ...

2)suoi barbaresco 2006

not really happening this ... young, strident ...

later

long time between

1) azienda vitivinicola rizzi barbaresco boito 2004 (cru rizzi)
garnet, very slight rust rim; floral, sour cherry, strawb, spice ... cinnamon, tobacco, someone said leather?, hit of soy, some tar, good start ...; fruit and spice follow through on the palate, balsamic?, some mineral/chalk; wonderful juicy acid; finely textured tannins very obvious but somehow does not intrude in the proceedings; balanced; svelte, ever so slightly creamy; light/medium bodied; loong; hope i can see it in another few years; BANG!(+) really enjoyed this one. + some beautifully grilled lambchops ... heaven.

2) chateau fonsalette CDR reserve 2006
still excellent ... perhaps more intergrated even ... splitting hairs ... just drink up.
see earlier sample

some value

1)domaine santa duc vacqueyras les aubes 2005 (80g:20s)
ruby; cherry, spicy/pepper, some wet clay; off dry entry, fruit, long pepper; fine tannins; just enough acid to balance things out; medium bodied; medium length. plum at the end?; BANG!

2)antoniolo gattinara 2001 (all nebbiolo)

needed some neb at lunch ... the place had some barolos and barbarescos but they were priced marginally higher than everest so settled for this ...

garnet; strawb, sour cherry, floral/herbal, hint of tar, mint; needs air to open up; fruit, spice; fine tannins; just enough acid; quite balanced; medium bodied and length; BANG!(-)

whiter shade of pale (wimpy friday)

1)pio cesare gavi 2007

2 bottles of this stuff, one for lunch at a cafe ... very nice but the mark up seemed a little stiff ... was later told of the retail cost ... had shelled out 90% over ... 8-O ... holy grand theft, batman ... so being the cheapskate that i am, got another at the normal price to go with the pasta dinner, just to average things out ...

straw; subtle honey, dried apricot and kernel, almond; follows onto the palate, love the thread of dried apricots, citrus, papaya and pineapple (hint only), oats?, mineral; just enough acid to keep things fresh; light bodied, medium length; do not overchill; good one BANG! (at normal retail)

2)domaine des aubuisières vouvray cuvée de silex 2008

duh ... not for me this.

out of character

la spinetta langhe nebbiolo 2005

ruby ... darker than you'd expect; nice strawb/raspberry, hint of tar, vanilla?; simple fruity flavours; rather hard and tannic; there's some nice acid; unbalanced; that hardness really bugged me; FIZZLE!

early drinking elegance ... nope.

the strike rate worsens

more free food at my friends' on saturday
mushroom and pesto bruschetta, alio olio spaghetti with black truffle shavings and apricot, feta and chives wrapped in procuitto.

1)serge dagueneau pouilly fume 2006
straw/gold; nectarine, gooseberry, straw, lemon?; follows onto palate, red delicious, stony, chalky; initially overchilled but opened up as it warmed up a bit; very nice almost rich mouthfeel; a little tart but guess that's par for the course; longish finish with them apples at the very end;12.5%;BANG! nice.

2)fontanafredda barbaresco costa rubin 2001
dark ruby with slight bricking; whiff of dried strawberries upon uncorking (cork in good condition), decanted ... then my old friend brett gatecrashed and stayed ... woe. band aid and musk, otherwise tasteless. was so looking forward to this. FIZZLE!

not really happening

ceretto barbaresco asij 2004

garnet light; dried flowers, plum, bit of tar, mushroom/natural gas (kid you not), bit of cedar; dried plum, blackberry/blueberry (hint), tar, musk? (hint), chalky, initally nothing much going on as far as flavours are concerned, raisins; fine tannins, alcohol little hot; balanced acidity; light/medium bodied; short/medium length, early swigs had no length at all ... became water after midpalate!, lenghtened and broadened somewhat after 45 mins. (slight update: needs 90 mins.); 13.5%; BANG! (-); needs air and food; and prices are rising ...

some roast pork helped.

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.

went home happy

drouhin domaine de vaudon chablis 2006 (their next to base model)

bandaid...oops, blew away completely in a short while...phew; greenish straw; lemon, apple, peach on the nose; lemon/citrus fruit, pear, mineral/chalk (very little); interplay of juicy fruit and acid; not bone dry on entry; slightly broader and less minerally than you might expect a chablis to be but not plump like a burg; linear and very balanced; long; medium bodied; can develop but why wait?; 12.5%. BANG! very very nice.
bruno giacosa barbaresco 2001 ("casa vinicola" label/basic/bought-in grapes)

decanted 45 mins; light ruby (you'd think this drink was thin and tasteless); nice broad nose of plum, dried flowers/violets, mushroom, dusty cedar, all beginning to meld, a bit of tar; plum/dark fruits, cinnamon (very little), hint of coco?; flavours broadened midpalate; fine tannins and balanced acidity; long; medium bodied; probably even nicer in a coupla years; 14%. BANG! a joy.

bruschetta, mussels (tomato/garlic/chilli), pork sausages, roast pork, barbequed ribs...and friends.

dinner sat

barbequed pork ribs and ceretto barbaresco asij 2001.

consistent and again, much better about 45min after uncorking ... nose just opens up and palate broadens appreciably. BANG!

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!

dinner friday

tried to de-stress after the adventure at teatime, had roast duck for dinner, tough old bird. others had some form of pasta or salad each.

bruno giacosa nebbiolo d'alba valmaggiore di vezza 2004 ("casa vinicola"/bought in grapes, single plot). stuff's not so common around here.garnet; dried flowers, plum, cherry, mushroom, cedar, tar/menthol on the nose; stalky flavours (but not green), ripe sweet fruit, cherry/rasp?, plum, tar/menthol, some raisin; fruit, firm ripe tannins and acid balanced; medium bodied; long; very slight bitterness at the back; s'pose it will age further but why wait; very nice indeed; baby barba. BANG! [only just as it was at a restaurant with the obligatory markup].

went home happy.

ribs and a neb on saturday

at a rib joint. barbequed, braised ... etc., brutal meal it was.

washed down with a ceretto barbaresco asij 2001 (their basic one, consistent and cost effective)
garnet; raisins, dark berries, coffee (?), cedar, tar; ripe plum, berries, raisins tar/menthol on the palate; still a little tannic (but fine) with lots of refreshing acid; balanced enough i guess, slight bitterness at the finish; medium bodied; longish. BANG!

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!

last weekend ... very little joy

not a particularly successful one. nothing really refreshing ... not enough acid everywhere.

(A)

1)terramater unusual 2003

had coupla of bottles of chilean. carmenere/shiraz blend. dark red; smooth, big and fruity (plums, raspberries) but with lots of wood and vanilla (that means wood); oh, did i mention wood?; chunks of fruit and chunks of wood; unintergrated and unbalanced; not enough acid; longish with little bitterness at the very end. FIZZLE!

2)ceretto monsordo (la bernadina) 2002

then, a neb with some bourdeux bits blended in. easy, smooth and fruity. somehow a bit dull this time round. FIZZLE!

3)drouhin oregon pinot noir 1999

followed by a pinot. dull deep red; strawberry (hint), plum and cinnamon on the nose; palate of rich plummy fruit; tannins and acid (insufficient) intergrated; smooth and rounded; medium bodied; medium length; medium dull; the last bottle had many months ago was livelier. FIZZLE!

(B) slight relief

1)isole and olena chianti classico 2003

the only only thing that i really enjoyed this weekend. with lunch: pork chop. BANG! [only just, restaurant markup]

(C)

1)petaluma piccadilly chardonnay 2004 [adelaide hills]

being a dumbass, picked a stinking hot year. straw; citrus peel, pear, apple, caramel on the nose; lemon,ripe pear, creme brulee, caramel, wood; rich and buttery but where is the acid to balance things out?; not really dry initially; big mouthfeel; longish; 14.5%! FIZZLE!

an unpleasent drop. flabby and dull. the description on the rear label implied sufficient freshness and acid notwithstanding the boiled grapes that year... liars (croser should be ashamed he put his name on it).

messed up an otherwise simple but lovely (and free) meal of risotto with porcini mushrooms and parmagiano reggiano. this is usually such a superior and consistent drink ... really disapointing. heard ws gave it 92 !???

anyway, 2005's got a stelvin on it. hmmm.