up north for the weekend. locals relaxed, cuisine fine, subtlely different. but lunch at a place which rarely dissapoints, sucked. funny place this ... no proper plonk unless you're at one of the few fancy establishments here ... ok, heard that there were some less pretentious drinking holes around but not being local, didn't know where ... just some bottleshops ... sigh. some cafes on this rock even close up at 10pm saturday nights. dry weekend, i fear.
weird shot 1: a small independant cafe proudly boasted that it roasts it's indonesian beans (sumatran arabica and balinese robusta) on the premises. am sure they do something but i doubt it was roast, more like incinerate. shots were excruciatingly bitter and tart, as well as tasteless ... guess the beans got the cr*p burnt out of them.
weird shot 2: at a truck stop, ok, i was asking for it ... altho they had what looked like a proper machine, did not hold much hope for the latte ordered (if it was sh*tty, the milk would mask it) ... anyway, it was as expected a tasteless milky beverage but that was not the odd bit ... the guy making it extracted the coffee in the normal manner, poured fresh milk in it and frothed the mixture ... :-O
15 November 2008
13 November 2008
08 November 2008
spanish ayes
only one suspect yesterday, the other was purportedly working.
1) bodegas y vinedos alion 2004 [ribera del duero (tempranillo)]
some kind of vega sicilia baby. also a baby in that it was very young and tightly wound. develops in air and opens up a little ... had it over 4 hrs.
inky purple; lavender?, plum, blackberry, hint of vanilla, cocoa, mushroom and soy, wood; rich dark fruits, lots of wood(new) but not enough to be an immediate putoff ... can't think why cos the punter normally dislikes freshly sawn lumber, a little alcohalic burn; heaps of fine chalky tannins; all balanced by enough acid; linear; med/big bodied; longish; 14.5%!!! but did not feel like it ... hic; has the ingredients for the long long haul; BANG! i suppose but i wouldn't necessarily want to see it again soon, maybe in 3. in the end it felt like i had had a good young bordeaux.
2)la rioja alta vina arana rioja reserva 1995
after the one above, wanted to see the same grape (albeit from a different region) with more age ...
consistent with the initial bottle here BANG! not a bad afternoon ...
hope our little catalan performs as well against manure this weekend.
1) bodegas y vinedos alion 2004 [ribera del duero (tempranillo)]some kind of vega sicilia baby. also a baby in that it was very young and tightly wound. develops in air and opens up a little ... had it over 4 hrs.
inky purple; lavender?, plum, blackberry, hint of vanilla, cocoa, mushroom and soy, wood; rich dark fruits, lots of wood(new) but not enough to be an immediate putoff ... can't think why cos the punter normally dislikes freshly sawn lumber, a little alcohalic burn; heaps of fine chalky tannins; all balanced by enough acid; linear; med/big bodied; longish; 14.5%!!! but did not feel like it ... hic; has the ingredients for the long long haul; BANG! i suppose but i wouldn't necessarily want to see it again soon, maybe in 3. in the end it felt like i had had a good young bordeaux.
2)la rioja alta vina arana rioja reserva 1995
after the one above, wanted to see the same grape (albeit from a different region) with more age ...
consistent with the initial bottle here BANG! not a bad afternoon ...
hope our little catalan performs as well against manure this weekend.
06 November 2008
the turntable in my mind
flicking thru an old copy of the speculum recently ... was a short interview with sammy hagar, seems he's a wine nut with a 10k bottle collection. anyway, it was weird cos some of his old live stuff (late 70's) started playing in my head ... positively juvenile sh*t (but hey, was about 18 then and the hair rather longer)... "bad motor scooter", "young girl blues", "red" ...wonder what his drop of choice would have been in those days? said he started on fine wine in the mid 70's but i reckon the music was fueled more by bourbon than bordeaux. seems he's still a shareholder in a tequila distillary... more like it.
wonder if they ever reissued the album? mine was the uk version ... "loud and clear".
04 November 2008
just a little please
half a bottle of the la rioja alta vina arana rioja reserva 1995 . . . this one had a port-like characteristic which i did'nt really care for (the cork's integrity seemed ok though). but not enough to spoil dinner. POP!
03 November 2008
food and drink
got fed for free again. washed down with:
ponte prosecco
straw, fine mousse but without any persistence; grapey, lemon zest, yeasty; lemon, bread; sharp acidity; 11% but goes to my head rather fast; goes flat fast too; FIZZLE!
domaine laporte pouilly fume les duchesses 2005 [loire, sauv blanc]
straw/light gold; herbal, lemon, cut grass; lemon curd/jam (quite rich), grass, savoury, chalk/mineral; off dry; balanced by sharpish juicy acidity; medium bodied; medium length; 12.5%; BANG! nice with the grilled portabello mushrooms and the baked camembert. no kiwifruit in sight.
ponte prosecco
straw, fine mousse but without any persistence; grapey, lemon zest, yeasty; lemon, bread; sharp acidity; 11% but goes to my head rather fast; goes flat fast too; FIZZLE!
domaine laporte pouilly fume les duchesses 2005 [loire, sauv blanc]straw/light gold; herbal, lemon, cut grass; lemon curd/jam (quite rich), grass, savoury, chalk/mineral; off dry; balanced by sharpish juicy acidity; medium bodied; medium length; 12.5%; BANG! nice with the grilled portabello mushrooms and the baked camembert. no kiwifruit in sight.
01 November 2008
some juice at last
to misquote david attenborough, the rain finally arrived at the serenghetti ...
chapoutier cote-rotie les becasses 2004 (syrah plus a bit of voignier) ruby; floral, sarspirilla?, cherry/rasp, pepper, round, warm, nice; savoury, a little smoke on entry, raspberry, soy (hint), a little chalky/mineral, hint of cherry nougat at the very end; fine drying tannins, nice bit of acid; overall a little lean even though it broadened out a bit with time and food; medium bodied; short/medium length; 13%; needs food, help arrives as roast pork, yesss ... but didn't lenghten; BANG! only just as it could do with a bit more richness, weight and depth; 2002 had last year was a little fleshier ... but then i could be wrong. not complaining though... the rain, the rain ... 
chapoutier cote-rotie les becasses 2004 (syrah plus a bit of voignier) ruby; floral, sarspirilla?, cherry/rasp, pepper, round, warm, nice; savoury, a little smoke on entry, raspberry, soy (hint), a little chalky/mineral, hint of cherry nougat at the very end; fine drying tannins, nice bit of acid; overall a little lean even though it broadened out a bit with time and food; medium bodied; short/medium length; 13%; needs food, help arrives as roast pork, yesss ... but didn't lenghten; BANG! only just as it could do with a bit more richness, weight and depth; 2002 had last year was a little fleshier ... but then i could be wrong. not complaining though... the rain, the rain ... 
27 October 2008
24 October 2008
and the saga continues ...
and the investigating mags have their say.
“Recent news published in the mass media — local and national — with regard to the investigation of ‘Brunello di Montalcino’ has prompted the Siena Prosecutor’s Office to provide some clarification in order to ensure that all producers and consumers receive correct information.”
According to the statement, “the Siena office of the Italian Treasury Siena and the Florence office of the Central Inspectorate for Quality Control of Food and Agricultural Products have conducted numerous investigations ordered by the Siena Magistrate. Seizures were ordered in corporate offices and in private homes; documentation was seized at the Brunello Producers Association and analyzed; vineyards were inspected; photographic surveys were conducted on the ground and from the air; and substantive analysis was made of financial and other documentation.”
The investigation began in September 2007.
The investigation has revealed that "many of the companies implicated have violated the appellation regulations for Brunello di Montalcino DOCG and Rosso di Montalcino DOC ."
Authors of the statement, magistrates Nino Calabrese and Mario Formisano, who both signed the letter personally, wrote: “6,500,000 liters of Brunello di Montalcino and 700,000 liters of Rosso di Montalcino were impounded. Roughly 1,100,00 liters of Brunello di Montalcino have been declassified to IGT Toscana Rosso. Roughly 450,000 liters of Rosso di Montalcino have been declassified to IGT Toscana Rosso.”
“Following declassification, the producers implicated in the investigation requested that their wine be released.”
The wine was released, write the magistrates, only after producers agreed to declassify the adulterated wine and after “the remaining quantities of wine were found to be in conformity with appellation regulations, in part through laboratory tests.”
“Recent news published in the mass media — local and national — with regard to the investigation of ‘Brunello di Montalcino’ has prompted the Siena Prosecutor’s Office to provide some clarification in order to ensure that all producers and consumers receive correct information.”
According to the statement, “the Siena office of the Italian Treasury Siena and the Florence office of the Central Inspectorate for Quality Control of Food and Agricultural Products have conducted numerous investigations ordered by the Siena Magistrate. Seizures were ordered in corporate offices and in private homes; documentation was seized at the Brunello Producers Association and analyzed; vineyards were inspected; photographic surveys were conducted on the ground and from the air; and substantive analysis was made of financial and other documentation.”
The investigation began in September 2007.
The investigation has revealed that "many of the companies implicated have violated the appellation regulations for Brunello di Montalcino DOCG and Rosso di Montalcino DOC ."
Authors of the statement, magistrates Nino Calabrese and Mario Formisano, who both signed the letter personally, wrote: “6,500,000 liters of Brunello di Montalcino and 700,000 liters of Rosso di Montalcino were impounded. Roughly 1,100,00 liters of Brunello di Montalcino have been declassified to IGT Toscana Rosso. Roughly 450,000 liters of Rosso di Montalcino have been declassified to IGT Toscana Rosso.”
“Following declassification, the producers implicated in the investigation requested that their wine be released.”
The wine was released, write the magistrates, only after producers agreed to declassify the adulterated wine and after “the remaining quantities of wine were found to be in conformity with appellation regulations, in part through laboratory tests.”
stuck
dinner at the pharmacy ... had no choice as traffic was nasty this evening.
duca di saragnano chianti riserva 2004
ruby; floral,cherry, plum; plum, mineral/chalk, not much else, savoury?, lean, slight alcohalic burn; tannins a little furry(?); wish the acid had a little more edge to it (but it's not dull by any means); short but the aforementioned burn sticks around; 13%; POP! not much point to this one, heaps of other alternatives. the glass of stock standard castello di querceto chianti 2007 had yesterday was more fun ... had that nice sharp acidity which is missing here.
prawn ravioli, another pork chop, pinenut and lemon tart and a shot of gianni gagliado's grappa, cannot remember what it's called but it was not happening ... wimpy and short ...
duca di saragnano chianti riserva 2004
ruby; floral,cherry, plum; plum, mineral/chalk, not much else, savoury?, lean, slight alcohalic burn; tannins a little furry(?); wish the acid had a little more edge to it (but it's not dull by any means); short but the aforementioned burn sticks around; 13%; POP! not much point to this one, heaps of other alternatives. the glass of stock standard castello di querceto chianti 2007 had yesterday was more fun ... had that nice sharp acidity which is missing here.
prawn ravioli, another pork chop, pinenut and lemon tart and a shot of gianni gagliado's grappa, cannot remember what it's called but it was not happening ... wimpy and short ...
23 October 2008
21 October 2008
the accused sez ...
Banfi Brunello released October 20, 2008
Kerin O'Keefe
Siena prosecutors have released Banfi's 2003 Brunello, confiscated in April as part of an investigation into commercial fraud regarding grape blending.
Banfi's proprietor Cristina Mariani-May made the announcement today. 'This clearance closes the case for Castello Banfi Brunello,' she said. 'Our Brunello has been liberated.'[update: see post above, ... why didn't she just clear the air by stating unequivocally that none of their stuff was found adulterated, therefor released and would not be declassified? ... deafening][update2: cos half of the stuff is shonky here]
She said the formerly impounded stock will be shipped worldwide immediately [ BUT AS WHAT?], and that the 2004 will be released in February 2009 as regularly scheduled. Banfi was among several high-profile producers, including Antinori and Frescobaldi, whose wines were confiscated during what is still an ongoing investigation involving nearly 90 Brunello estates according to local sources. Banfi's wine was cleared after a controversial laboratory test that measures the wine's anthocyanin level demonstrated the wine was exclusively Sangiovese.
Earlier this year Antinori's Pian delle Vigne Brunello was also released, as was half of Frescobaldi's as-yet-unbottled 2003 Brunello.
Kerin O'Keefe
Siena prosecutors have released Banfi's 2003 Brunello, confiscated in April as part of an investigation into commercial fraud regarding grape blending.
Banfi's proprietor Cristina Mariani-May made the announcement today. 'This clearance closes the case for Castello Banfi Brunello,' she said. 'Our Brunello has been liberated.'[update: see post above, ... why didn't she just clear the air by stating unequivocally that none of their stuff was found adulterated, therefor released and would not be declassified? ... deafening][update2: cos half of the stuff is shonky here]
She said the formerly impounded stock will be shipped worldwide immediately [ BUT AS WHAT?], and that the 2004 will be released in February 2009 as regularly scheduled. Banfi was among several high-profile producers, including Antinori and Frescobaldi, whose wines were confiscated during what is still an ongoing investigation involving nearly 90 Brunello estates according to local sources. Banfi's wine was cleared after a controversial laboratory test that measures the wine's anthocyanin level demonstrated the wine was exclusively Sangiovese.
Earlier this year Antinori's Pian delle Vigne Brunello was also released, as was half of Frescobaldi's as-yet-unbottled 2003 Brunello.
18 October 2008
no grape tonight
friends wanted to do some barley instead. following were at hand.
1)aberlour a'bunadh batch #17 nas 60.2% [700ml] (speyside)
deep burnt orange; sherry, chocolate(?), candied fruit, fruitcake, nougat, did i say sherry?; follows onto palate, malt, bit of wood; sweet entry, rich, mouthfilling, smooth but with an underlying alcoholic burn (had it with a coupla drops of water); long
2)laphroig 10yr 43% [750ml] (islay)
as before, smoke, seaweed, peat and iodine to the fore (hey, where's the teka maki?) but this time had an oatlike flavour running thru ... nice [earlier]
1)aberlour a'bunadh batch #17 nas 60.2% [700ml] (speyside)
deep burnt orange; sherry, chocolate(?), candied fruit, fruitcake, nougat, did i say sherry?; follows onto palate, malt, bit of wood; sweet entry, rich, mouthfilling, smooth but with an underlying alcoholic burn (had it with a coupla drops of water); long2)laphroig 10yr 43% [750ml] (islay)
as before, smoke, seaweed, peat and iodine to the fore (hey, where's the teka maki?) but this time had an oatlike flavour running thru ... nice [earlier]gamble
with my strike rate ... shouldn't have but ......
faiveley volnay 2000 (village stuff)
very pale garnet (portent of blandness?); kirsch, plum, a bit floral, a little cedar and cinnamon, musk(?), someone said sarspirilla, grilled meat, sweaty t shirt(?); very very little brett taint, thank god; lean mouthfeel; unripe plum ... that's it!!!, slight minerality; fine tannins; pleasent amount of acidity; short, short, short, lean, lean, lean; 13%; waited for it to at least open up a little ... please ... 30mins., 45mins., 60 mins. ..., it does not oblidge, not even food helps. FIZZLE! not happening at all. price performance ratio is woeful.
faiveley volnay 2000 (village stuff)very pale garnet (portent of blandness?); kirsch, plum, a bit floral, a little cedar and cinnamon, musk(?), someone said sarspirilla, grilled meat, sweaty t shirt(?); very very little brett taint, thank god; lean mouthfeel; unripe plum ... that's it!!!, slight minerality; fine tannins; pleasent amount of acidity; short, short, short, lean, lean, lean; 13%; waited for it to at least open up a little ... please ... 30mins., 45mins., 60 mins. ..., it does not oblidge, not even food helps. FIZZLE! not happening at all. price performance ratio is woeful.
17 October 2008
what's next?
new research shows:the more you drink, the smaller your brain becomes, and as little as eight drinks a week could cause damage!!! here
what's next? smoking causes cancer? ...... er, you mean it does?
montalcino bites back
Kerin O'Keefe
The Consorzio of Brunello di Montalcino is suing two major Italian newspapers for defamation.
L'espresso, a weekly publication, and the daily La Repubblica, ran articles on 4 April this year on two scandals – the Brunello grape blending scandal, and the massive investigation into wines made with potentially harmful products, led by the prosecutor's office inTaranto, Puglia.
L'espresso even used the headline 'Benvenuti a Velenitaly', which literally translates as Welcome to Poison Italy. It was also a pun on Vinitaly, Italy's most important wine fair, which opened as the articles appeared.
Patrizio Cencioni, president of the Brunello Consorzio told decanter.com the articles, published close to each other, damaged Brunello's image by association. 'We're suing for unspecified damages, because we feel these two articles have hurt Brunello's image by insinuating that Brunello was harmful to consumers, which of course is not true.'
International consumers became confused over the issues and concerned that drinking Brunello could be dangerous, Cencioni added.
Shortly after the article many importers asked Brunello makers for certification that their product was safe, Cencioni said.
He and others feel that later problems over certifying Brunello for US importation may have been generated by the negative fallout from the articles in question.
The Siena prosecutor running the investigation in Montalcino, and the Minister of Agriculture, Luca Zaia, have publicly confirmed that the Brunello case concerns only grape blending, which is illegal under the wine's strict production code.
L'espresso and La Repubblica are both owned by Gruppo Editoriale L'Espresso Spa.
The Consorzio of Brunello di Montalcino is suing two major Italian newspapers for defamation.
L'espresso, a weekly publication, and the daily La Repubblica, ran articles on 4 April this year on two scandals – the Brunello grape blending scandal, and the massive investigation into wines made with potentially harmful products, led by the prosecutor's office inTaranto, Puglia.
L'espresso even used the headline 'Benvenuti a Velenitaly', which literally translates as Welcome to Poison Italy. It was also a pun on Vinitaly, Italy's most important wine fair, which opened as the articles appeared.
Patrizio Cencioni, president of the Brunello Consorzio told decanter.com the articles, published close to each other, damaged Brunello's image by association. 'We're suing for unspecified damages, because we feel these two articles have hurt Brunello's image by insinuating that Brunello was harmful to consumers, which of course is not true.'
International consumers became confused over the issues and concerned that drinking Brunello could be dangerous, Cencioni added.
Shortly after the article many importers asked Brunello makers for certification that their product was safe, Cencioni said.
He and others feel that later problems over certifying Brunello for US importation may have been generated by the negative fallout from the articles in question.
The Siena prosecutor running the investigation in Montalcino, and the Minister of Agriculture, Luca Zaia, have publicly confirmed that the Brunello case concerns only grape blending, which is illegal under the wine's strict production code.
L'espresso and La Repubblica are both owned by Gruppo Editoriale L'Espresso Spa.
11 October 2008
stayed on for dinner
friends came over before the barbaresco was finished, so stayed on for dinner.
lungarotti rubesco vigna monticchio 2000 (sangiovese 70%: canaiolo 30%) [umbria]
dark ruby, young; musk and sweaty t-shirt (initial whiff then dissipated ... thank god), dark cherry, ripe plum, a little floral; sweet ripe (but not "over") fruit, plum and red berries (cran?), raisins, fleshy and very smooth (lush?); very fine and ripe tannins but could do with a little more acid to balance the rich fruit (sample had last year seemed to have a nicer balance ... but then, don't trust my memory); medium bodied and longish; 14%; BANG! altho a nice chianti would be more refreshing methinks.
barbequed ribs and bacon sandwiches ... must really learn to get my nutritional requirements from other kinds of food.
lungarotti rubesco vigna monticchio 2000 (sangiovese 70%: canaiolo 30%) [umbria]dark ruby, young; musk and sweaty t-shirt (initial whiff then dissipated ... thank god), dark cherry, ripe plum, a little floral; sweet ripe (but not "over") fruit, plum and red berries (cran?), raisins, fleshy and very smooth (lush?); very fine and ripe tannins but could do with a little more acid to balance the rich fruit (sample had last year seemed to have a nicer balance ... but then, don't trust my memory); medium bodied and longish; 14%; BANG! altho a nice chianti would be more refreshing methinks.
barbequed ribs and bacon sandwiches ... must really learn to get my nutritional requirements from other kinds of food.
not really happening
ceretto barbaresco asij 2004garnet 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.
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