I wasn't able to attend the Wine Expo last week, as I was away. Anyone spot any winners? (or losers?)
Count on Iron Chef to have something to say - here are his brief notes on the Wine Expo:
--- Iron Chef's Notes ---
Pierre Sparr Extrem - Table 3
I think this was the Riesling- highlighter on the label, fresh crisp minerals and tropical fruits- very nice
Pierre Sparr Sublima- Table 3
Very nice Gewurztraminer- mango and passion fruit, balanced acidity surprisingly.
Sandhill Syrah- Table 4
Had all the bombastic fruit flavors, but there was some old world leather tastes that where nice.
Peller Estates Ice Cuvee- Table 4
Fun sweeter bubbles.
Erasmo 2005 Chile- Table 9
I had heard a lot about this, and it was ok, but for $29, I thought it needed more depth of taste.
Nearco Sant Antimo IGT 2004- Table 9
Wow, this had what you would expect for $47, dark fruit, mushrooms, leather, and tannins. This was really great.
Diemersfontein Pinotage 2008, $29
Aromas of burnt rubber and tasted like elastics.
Mulderbosch Chenin Blanc- Table 13
I like Chenins, but this one was flabby even for them.
Ardhuy La Cabotte Garance 2005 $26.79- Table 14
Great favours, ripe fruit, some tannins and great oak.
Ardhuy La Cabotte Gabriel 2006, $34
A bit more in your face than the Garance, more Grenadine sweetness.
Ardhuy Savigny Aux Clous 2006 $46
Wonderful Pinot Noir, deep tastes and aromas, more milk chocolate than I would have guessed.
Ardhuy Corton Renardes 2006, $116
Compared to a rich wine like the Savigny, this was an absolute monster, the finish lasted for 15 miinutes.
Beringer Knights Valley Alluvium Rouge 2005 $54 - Table 17
I was interested to try this, quite sweet with surprisingly like structure.
Mezzacorona Riserva Teroldego Rotaliano $19- Table 19
First time I had a Teroldego - smelled very pungent almost acrid, good fruit. I liked it.
Torres Mas La Plana 2005, $46
Highly structured, dusty tannins- enjoyed it.
Ventisquero Pangea 2006, $52- Table 21
Highly extracted, syrupy, great aromas, maybe too heavy.
Oreno IGT 2006 $81- Table 24
Very nice wine, deep aromas and long finish.
Saia IGT 2006, $36
Never had good success with Nero d'Avola, I always found them too acidity, chewing on an old style foil potato chip bag. This one was no different
Parducci Zinfandel- Table 26
Really nice Zin, tobacco and dry herbs favors.
Pio Cesare Altro Chardonnay Table 29
Great Chardonnay- lemony buttery fruit
Pio Cesare Langhe Nebbiolo 2006 $46
Very approachable Nebbiolo, good tannins but not astringent. Dried Roses and black tea.
Pio Cesare Barolo DOCG 2003, $85
Again very approachable as a young wine, maybe to much. Has the price on this stuff just takeoff ?
Poggio al Tufo Rompicollo 2007, $20.49- Table 34
One of the best wines of the show for me. Beautiful red fruit, nice tannins and great aromas of fresh herbs and coffee. 60% Sangiovese, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon and aged for one year in oak barrels
Poggio al Tufo Alicante 2007, $27.79
Made from Alicante Bouschet grapes- beautiful colour, some bubble gum flavors and mocha coffee. Just loved this stuff.
Donnafugata Mille una Notte 2006, $75- Table 35
Again, had a tough time with the acidity of this wine. Just didn't enjoy it.
Winemakers Lot 115 Cabernet- Table 39
Solid wine. Good Cab like mint and chocolate.
Winemakers Lot 148 Carmenere
Peppery and fun, good rich oak also.
Winemakers Lot 54 Syrah
Very flavorful and some gamey aromas.
d'Arenberg The Laughing Magpie 2007, $29- Table 52
Full on Coke Cola taste with an interesting aromas - very impressed with this
Valdivieso Single Vineyard Cabernet Franc- Table 54
Looking forward to a Cab Franc, but this was so dominated by Green Peppers.
Valdivieso Caballo Loco $66
Didn't really think much of it, flat, somewhat boring.
Rivetto Ce Vanin Barbaresco 2006, $54- table 57
Great aromas of Dried flowers and dark oak. Still really tight. Lots of Tannins.
Rivetto Leon Barolo 2005, $81
Really tight, loads of drying tannins- Young Barolo, but my favorite Barolo of the show.
Finca Antigua Petit Verdot- Table 58
Beautiful Purple colour - great taste of red liquorish.
Travaglini Coste Sesia 2007, $24- Table 61
Very approachable nebbiolo, dry herbs and back tea. Tannins were there in force but manageable.
Travaglini Gattinara 2004 $37
Classy wine, deep cassis and the tell-tale favors of that region. Just Super
Travaglini TreVigne Gattinara 2004, $57
This was tight, and tannic. But also rich like cocao powder- this would be really interesting in 10+ years.
Clos Triguedina Petit Clos 2006 $23- Table 65
One of the surprises of the show was how good the little Probus was. Medicinal favors mixed in with Black bart chewing gum.
Clos Triguedina Probus 2005 $57
Dark Fruit, Black liquorish, strong tannins. Super Cahors.
Piedmont, after Nebbiolo and Barbera. It is meant to make wines for early drinking, soft, with flavours of cherry. Unfortunately this example had a nose of Ozonol (phenol) and a sour finish. I suppose you might imagine the finish was sour cherries, but cherries or not, it wasn’t particularly appealing. An interesting contrast with the Nebbiolo d’Alba from the same producer.
get much of that. I had this at the same party as the Cister da Ribera, which was a hands down favourite over Alticelli. Again, the notes are sketchy, but this came across as a fairly nondescript white wine with a bit of a sour finish. Drinkable, but not more.
was well balanced - good acidity without being sharp or sour - and bursting with a bundle of fruit. You could taste the grapey Muscat, but there was plenty of other stuff going on. A steal at the price. A Wine Expo product and not much left.
my surprise to discover that the area can also produce a pretty decent Bordeaux type blend. The nose is mostly blackberries, cedar, and wood smoke. These follow through on the palate, which is full and smooth and finishes with tannins that are firm but not obtrusive. We had it with squash gnocchi with tomato sauce and spicy Mexican beef stew, and it definitely paired much better with the gnocchi. Great value.
seem to be available in F’ton, but a selection from the Wine Expo has made its way here. This Nebbiolo d’Alba looked interesting, so I picked it up for a dinner party last night. I can only give general impressions, since I was drinking it at a party, but I was very pleased with what it delivered. The nose was delightful - distinctly floral (it would be traditional to say roses, knowing it is a Nebbiolo, but I will just leave it at ‘floral’) with bright fruit - cherries. Recognizably Nebbiolo. The structure was very clean and drinkable - the tannins were subdued and enough acidity to make it crisp without being too sharp. It didn’t have the leather / tar and richer floral notes that are associated with a good Barolo. Maybe those will come with age - or not. In any event, it’s not a Barolo, and it's not priced like one, so you can’t ask too much. This is distinctive, well made and reasonably priced. I think I’ll get a few more bottles for everyday drinking.
Posts
