Saina Nieminen
Saina Nieminen
A grape, Pas, that I hadn't heard of before, a winery, Clos Ouvert I hadn't heard of before and an appellation in Chile, Maule Valley, I hadn't heard of before. But the wines were enjoyable. Apparently it is a French couple who make these wines, apparently adhering to the "natural" movement, but I know nothing else about the property.
Clos Ouvert Huasa 2008
Made from the Pas grape, once Chile's most planted variety, commonly thought of as mediocre according to the Wikipedia article on the grape. But this wine wasn't mediocre (nor cheap at c.20 if it were available in Finland). It seemed very natural, with bright aromas despite obvious ripeness and sweetness. No oak that I can detect. It never became heavy despite the warm climate fruit. It reminded me a bit of unspoofulated Grenache in its aromas. Not a very structured palate, but is somehow delightfully lively anyhow. Fun wine. But I'm not sure it should be a 20 wine.
Clos Ouvert Primavera 2008
Almost completely Carignane. Like the Huasa, this was a very decent wine (though rather overpriced at 20). It has darker fruit and is less overtly sweet than the Huasa, and also has a rather Southern Rhne feel to it. It doesn't seem as light on its feet or as "natural" as the Huasa despite being more obviously structured. Also a fun wine.
Shelter Winery is a new arrival in Baden with the first vintage in IIRC 2003. The name comes from the Canadian Air Force bunker where Hans-Bert Espe and Silke Wolf started making wine.
Shelter Winery Sparkling Brut 2006
Quite a neutral scent, some citrus and mineral. Crisp, clean and pure. Fun and well made, but rather neutral - and at 25 I would hope for something more than just neutrality in a sparkler.
Shelter Winery Sptburgunder Blanc de Noir 2008
Well, this was fun! A Pinot Noir made into a white wine, with no oak or bubbles. It had a crispness and citrus character to the Pinosity. Quite full bodied but wonderfully crisp. It showed some of the grape's great personality yet didn't make me wish it were red, so it was a total success! Fun!
Shelter Winery Pinot Noir (sic!) 2005
A Baden Pinot Noir with a pretty hefty price tag (if it were imported here, it would be c.30). It is quite a modern style of Pinot with plenty of oak and dark, sweet fruit - it almost seemed like a Californian Pinot to me! Despite the overt, sweet fruit and sweet oak, the Pinosity was still noticeable. Big, sweet palate with enough grip to keep it alive. I can very well see many people liking this very much, but I would enjoy something more subtle.
On the whole a pretty interesting bunch from Domaine Henri Naudin-Ferrand, a producer I also hadn't heard of before. Sometimes they seem to use a bit more oak than necessary, but largely they let the the Pinosity come through beautifully. I was also happy to see some relatively low abvs on some bottles. Anyone have experience with them? I haven't seen any talk about them.
Domaine Henri Naudin-Ferrand Aligot Traditionnel 2007
11% abv. Lovely wine, crisp, full of citrus aromas, mineral, yet with a more friendly, inviting white fruit character slightly reminiscent of unoaked Chardonnay. Crisp, citrussy palate. Very much fun for those of us who enjoy slight tartness!
Domaine Henri Naudin-Ferrand Vin de Table Franais A... Naudin 007
11% abv. Very old vines, planted in 1902, so 105 yo, and tiny production of only 743 bottles. Sadly I didn't understand why this isn't sold as Burgundy and Aligot but rather as VdT. Sadly, I also didn't really enjoy the wine. I don't know what sort of oak this sees, but it clashed with the lovely tartness of the grape even though the actual oak aromas weren't strong. The result was a wine with a schizophrenic personality. Nice to get to taste such a rarity, but sadly it wasn't to my taste.
Domaine Henri Naudin-Ferrand Bourgogne 2007
From Magny ls Villers, from the lieu-dit "En Daisey"; 12,5% abv; 30yo vines. Quite a nice wine with plenty of brightness and lift to the Pinosity. Some will find it sharp and thin, others, like me, will enjoy the purity of the Pinosity in a lighter, tart frame with proper structure. Perhaps not a wine of immense complexity but it was one that gave me pleasure.
Domaine Henri Naudin-Ferrand Bourgogne Hautes-Ctes de Beaune "Orchis Mascula" 2006
12% abv. Strangely for a producer that IIRC is "natural" and tends to have relatively low alcohol percentages, the wine smells rather of new oak. Yes, there is nice Pinosity to be seen also, but rather the sweet, dark fruit and oak seem like a "modernist" example of Burgundy. Good grip, racy, despite the oak. I suspect this just needs some time to settle down.
Domaine Henri Naudin-Ferrand Cte de Nuits Villages Vieilles Vignes 2004
13%; 50-70 yo vines. Unlike with the '06 Orchis Mascula, the oak had begun to integrate well in this one (though could use more time still) and the Pinosity (of quite a ripe and forward type for the year) was well to the fore. It was on the fleshy side of Burgundy for an '04 with good, sweet, ripe fruit, good acidity, I still don't see the greenness that almost everyone else complains about. Should be pretty nice in a year or two once the oak totally integrates.
Domaine Henri Naudin-Ferrand Echezeaux 2001
13,5% abv; 22 yo vines. Closed scent, in a bad spot now. But it still seems pretty special with some elegant red berry aromas, integrated wood; it seems restrained and poised. I would love to try this when it wakes up. Give it time.
Lee Greene of Cosimo Maria Masini, Maremma, was visiting the Finnish importer and I was kindly invited to taste their range. In typical Musar fashion, the whites were shown after the reds. I can understand that with such "orange" whites as they really can overpower the reds though they don't always seem like they would!
Jarno Malmberg of Funky Wine Imports (l), Lee Greene of Cosimo Maria Masini (r)
Cosimo Maria Masini Nicole 2006
100% Sangiovese, as opposed to 2005 which had 10% Cabernet Sauvignon mixed in. I think this 2006 is more pleasurable because of its purity of fruit. It smells of cherries and has a general sense of bright, unadulterated redness about it. As befits the vintage, the fruit is very ripe but it is in no way overdone. It is full bodied with 14% abv, but has wonderful grip and refreshing character. The aftertaste is long. It seems like a very "natural" wine. Very nice!
Cosimo Maria Masini Cosimo 2006
90% Sangiovese, 10% Buonamico from 50 yo vines; matures in big casks. The scent is dark and ripe but obviously Sangiovese with its cherry tang. The palate is also big and ripe (14% abv IIRC) but has refreshing tannins and tangy acidity. I don't often say this but this was very nice for such a big wine!
Cosimo Maria Masini Daphn 2007
A lovely "orange" and "natural" Trebbiano! Earthy, herbaceous scent of copper pans and red berries - yes, it reads like a red wine and in some ways that is more what it reminded me of. Lovely if a bit low on acidity, but it does have good grip and a general sense of liveliness so the soft acidity is forgiven. An intriguing and very pleasurable wine.
Cosimo Maria Masini Vin Santo Fedardo 2001
Trebbiano-Malvasia Bianca of 50 yo vines. It smells of toffee and despite exuding some herbaceous aromas they don't really bring a refreshing lift to the sweetness. It tastes massive and thick and sweet, but does have fair structure. It just seems a bit monolithic now - probably just in need of age. Still, I do rather enjoy a super-sticky on occasion in small amounts, and this was indeed fun!
Clos Ouvert Huasa 2008
Made from the Pas grape, once Chile's most planted variety, commonly thought of as mediocre according to the Wikipedia article on the grape. But this wine wasn't mediocre (nor cheap at c.20 if it were available in Finland). It seemed very natural, with bright aromas despite obvious ripeness and sweetness. No oak that I can detect. It never became heavy despite the warm climate fruit. It reminded me a bit of unspoofulated Grenache in its aromas. Not a very structured palate, but is somehow delightfully lively anyhow. Fun wine. But I'm not sure it should be a 20 wine.
Clos Ouvert Primavera 2008
Almost completely Carignane. Like the Huasa, this was a very decent wine (though rather overpriced at 20). It has darker fruit and is less overtly sweet than the Huasa, and also has a rather Southern Rhne feel to it. It doesn't seem as light on its feet or as "natural" as the Huasa despite being more obviously structured. Also a fun wine.
Shelter Winery is a new arrival in Baden with the first vintage in IIRC 2003. The name comes from the Canadian Air Force bunker where Hans-Bert Espe and Silke Wolf started making wine.
Shelter Winery Sparkling Brut 2006
Quite a neutral scent, some citrus and mineral. Crisp, clean and pure. Fun and well made, but rather neutral - and at 25 I would hope for something more than just neutrality in a sparkler.
Shelter Winery Sptburgunder Blanc de Noir 2008
Well, this was fun! A Pinot Noir made into a white wine, with no oak or bubbles. It had a crispness and citrus character to the Pinosity. Quite full bodied but wonderfully crisp. It showed some of the grape's great personality yet didn't make me wish it were red, so it was a total success! Fun!
Shelter Winery Pinot Noir (sic!) 2005
A Baden Pinot Noir with a pretty hefty price tag (if it were imported here, it would be c.30). It is quite a modern style of Pinot with plenty of oak and dark, sweet fruit - it almost seemed like a Californian Pinot to me! Despite the overt, sweet fruit and sweet oak, the Pinosity was still noticeable. Big, sweet palate with enough grip to keep it alive. I can very well see many people liking this very much, but I would enjoy something more subtle.
On the whole a pretty interesting bunch from Domaine Henri Naudin-Ferrand, a producer I also hadn't heard of before. Sometimes they seem to use a bit more oak than necessary, but largely they let the the Pinosity come through beautifully. I was also happy to see some relatively low abvs on some bottles. Anyone have experience with them? I haven't seen any talk about them.
Domaine Henri Naudin-Ferrand Aligot Traditionnel 2007
11% abv. Lovely wine, crisp, full of citrus aromas, mineral, yet with a more friendly, inviting white fruit character slightly reminiscent of unoaked Chardonnay. Crisp, citrussy palate. Very much fun for those of us who enjoy slight tartness!
Domaine Henri Naudin-Ferrand Vin de Table Franais A... Naudin 007
11% abv. Very old vines, planted in 1902, so 105 yo, and tiny production of only 743 bottles. Sadly I didn't understand why this isn't sold as Burgundy and Aligot but rather as VdT. Sadly, I also didn't really enjoy the wine. I don't know what sort of oak this sees, but it clashed with the lovely tartness of the grape even though the actual oak aromas weren't strong. The result was a wine with a schizophrenic personality. Nice to get to taste such a rarity, but sadly it wasn't to my taste.
Domaine Henri Naudin-Ferrand Bourgogne 2007
From Magny ls Villers, from the lieu-dit "En Daisey"; 12,5% abv; 30yo vines. Quite a nice wine with plenty of brightness and lift to the Pinosity. Some will find it sharp and thin, others, like me, will enjoy the purity of the Pinosity in a lighter, tart frame with proper structure. Perhaps not a wine of immense complexity but it was one that gave me pleasure.
Domaine Henri Naudin-Ferrand Bourgogne Hautes-Ctes de Beaune "Orchis Mascula" 2006
12% abv. Strangely for a producer that IIRC is "natural" and tends to have relatively low alcohol percentages, the wine smells rather of new oak. Yes, there is nice Pinosity to be seen also, but rather the sweet, dark fruit and oak seem like a "modernist" example of Burgundy. Good grip, racy, despite the oak. I suspect this just needs some time to settle down.
Domaine Henri Naudin-Ferrand Cte de Nuits Villages Vieilles Vignes 2004
13%; 50-70 yo vines. Unlike with the '06 Orchis Mascula, the oak had begun to integrate well in this one (though could use more time still) and the Pinosity (of quite a ripe and forward type for the year) was well to the fore. It was on the fleshy side of Burgundy for an '04 with good, sweet, ripe fruit, good acidity, I still don't see the greenness that almost everyone else complains about. Should be pretty nice in a year or two once the oak totally integrates.
Domaine Henri Naudin-Ferrand Echezeaux 2001
13,5% abv; 22 yo vines. Closed scent, in a bad spot now. But it still seems pretty special with some elegant red berry aromas, integrated wood; it seems restrained and poised. I would love to try this when it wakes up. Give it time.
Lee Greene of Cosimo Maria Masini, Maremma, was visiting the Finnish importer and I was kindly invited to taste their range. In typical Musar fashion, the whites were shown after the reds. I can understand that with such "orange" whites as they really can overpower the reds though they don't always seem like they would!
Cosimo Maria Masini Nicole 2006
100% Sangiovese, as opposed to 2005 which had 10% Cabernet Sauvignon mixed in. I think this 2006 is more pleasurable because of its purity of fruit. It smells of cherries and has a general sense of bright, unadulterated redness about it. As befits the vintage, the fruit is very ripe but it is in no way overdone. It is full bodied with 14% abv, but has wonderful grip and refreshing character. The aftertaste is long. It seems like a very "natural" wine. Very nice!
Cosimo Maria Masini Cosimo 2006
90% Sangiovese, 10% Buonamico from 50 yo vines; matures in big casks. The scent is dark and ripe but obviously Sangiovese with its cherry tang. The palate is also big and ripe (14% abv IIRC) but has refreshing tannins and tangy acidity. I don't often say this but this was very nice for such a big wine!
Cosimo Maria Masini Daphn 2007
A lovely "orange" and "natural" Trebbiano! Earthy, herbaceous scent of copper pans and red berries - yes, it reads like a red wine and in some ways that is more what it reminded me of. Lovely if a bit low on acidity, but it does have good grip and a general sense of liveliness so the soft acidity is forgiven. An intriguing and very pleasurable wine.
Cosimo Maria Masini Vin Santo Fedardo 2001
Trebbiano-Malvasia Bianca of 50 yo vines. It smells of toffee and despite exuding some herbaceous aromas they don't really bring a refreshing lift to the sweetness. It tastes massive and thick and sweet, but does have fair structure. It just seems a bit monolithic now - probably just in need of age. Still, I do rather enjoy a super-sticky on occasion in small amounts, and this was indeed fun!