TN: Covid-19 era wines (April 2021 - May 2021)

[Jeff Grossman]

At home. I think this is the last of the Pandemic Era 'at home' notes.

There was, of course, easily half a case of Brun FRV100 consumed as well... April is the birthday month.

Dom. de Bois D'Yver 2017 Chablis - by the book Villages (or Petit?), good if the price is right

Falkenstein 2019 Niedermenniger Herrenberg Riesling Spatlese Feinherb AP 3 "Palm" - limey, juicy, pure and pretty, skimpy texture though

Proprieta Sperino 2020 Rosato "Rosa del Rosa" - 13%, a transparent and pale pink, this is cherries and a bit of peach, but not at all sweet, I'd call it tangy rather than say it has cut but it was crisp enough to handle avocados and sardines, a good wine to drink cold on a warm day

Foillard 2019 Beaujolais-Villages - this is really quite a nice quaff: not sweet, not spirity, a lot of berries and a little earth, medium-weight at most, this could be a house wine fairly easily (...if it were half the price)

Breton 2015 Bourgueil "Nuits d'Ivresse" - 13%, Day 1: yup, that's Loire franc, sturdy tannins over a relatively delicate flavor palate, warm year but this is not strongly affected (e.g., sweet, jammy, low-acid); Day 3: funny, it has a big, big nose of green peppers - and a little shoe polish - but the mouth is medium-weight (at most!) with the usual darkberry flavors jazzed-up by a sliver of orange peel, good and vivid finish (maybe 30 seconds or more)

Dom. De Belliviere 2015 Coteaux du Loir "Le Rouge-Gorge" - recognizably this wine and this grape, a little richer than usual, tastes as if a little bit of ripe gamay was mixed in (it wasn't), great stuff

Jadot 2010 Pernand-Vergelesses "Clos de la Croix de Pierre" - no note?

Jasmin 2006 Cote-Rotie - cough syrupy, needs waking up; Day 3: better but either still sleepy or just a tad tired

Produttori del Barbaresco 2006 Barbaresco - much better than the last bottle, earthy, spicy, achingly dry; with air, intensely cran-cherry, perfect remaining acidity and just enough tannic grip to remind you that This Is Wine

La Cantina di Cuneaz Nadir 2018 Valee d'Aoste Rouge "Les Goesses" - Day 1: inky look, blackberries and saddle leather; Day 2: this has unclenched a lot, still blackberry flavor but a lot lighter, no detectable brett, a whiff of roses and minerals, shame there isn't any left for Day 3

Fattoria Colleallodole Milziade Antano Eredi 2006 Montefalco DOCG Sagrantino - 15%(!), blue-black flavors, strong proofage but does not show it especially much, clean, still purple-black, good acidity but not barbed-wire, kinda liking this (for strong proofage wine), the winemaker's profile is branded on the cork (isn't that a tad prideful?)

Monte Bernardi 2017 Chianti Classico Riserva - textbook Chianti, maybe a little extra bosky raspberry to go with the cherry, if I'm not careful I'll drink this whole thing in one sitting; Day 3: maybe lost a little of its acidity, and showed a quick whiff of something minty/eucalyptusy, but mostly the same

d'Angelo 2007 Aglianico di Vulture Riserva - very faintly corked, big and tannic but no "bold" and no fruit, drat; Day 3: more obvious

Cameron 2011 Pinot Noir "Arley's Leap" - nice balance of austere and funky, but viciously reduced; Day 3: still reduced! I slip a penny in... and swirl... it is very slightly better, perhaps; strong red fruits (strawberry, raspberry) over a still-tannic base, acidity good, dry dry dry, last glass is best

Kelley Fox Wines 2013 Pinot Noir, Momtazi Vineyard - finally, one that isn't too young! drinks with grace and beauty and a bit of tangy wet earth; Day 3: fabulous, entrancing nose of sweet black cherry and tangy, bitter iodine; it has gained weight and texture (made it all the way to 'mid-weight'!); there is also a whiff of fruit-drink powder (SweeTARTS?) and something like spinach roots (water and iron and mud and antioxidants); love it

Ch. Climens 2015 Barsac "Cypre(grave)s de Climens" - 375ml; confusingly, the front label says both "Barsac" and "Grand Vin de Sauternes"; back label gives the AOC; anyway, this is rather nice: lots of botrytis, acceptable acidic vim, and it's neither overwhelmingly oaky nor dizzyingly sweet, a few small tartaric crystals in the bottom of my glass, quite happy to have this with some foie gras one day and as dessert on its own a week later

Graham's 2000 Vintage Port - just about perfect, the extra-sweet style has receded a bit and brought balance

 

[VLM]

originally posted by Jeff Grossman:
TN: Covid-19 era wines (April 2021 - May 2021)At home. I think this is the last of the Pandemic Era 'at home' notes.

Get out there while the gettin's good. Delta (epsilon, zeta?) and the next wave is coming.

originally posted by Jeff Grossman:
Proprieta Sperino 2020 Rosato "Rosa del Rosa" - 13%, a transparent and pale pink, this is cherries and a bit of peach, but not at all sweet, I'd call it tangy rather than say it has cut but it was crisp enough to handle avocados and sardines, a good wine to drink cold on a warm day

This is a go to for us mot years but it recently switched distributors locally (it is a market-to-market DI wine) and screwed up the Rosato getting here. Hoping Nervi-Conterno is a decent substitute.

originally posted by Jeff Grossman:
Fattoria Colleallodole Milziade Antano Eredi 2006 Montefalco DOCG Sagrantino - 15%(!), blue-black flavors, strong proofage but does not show it especially much, clean, still purple-black, good acidity but not barbed-wire, kinda liking this (for strong proofage wine), the winemaker's profile is branded on the cork (isn't that a tad prideful?)

Despite the high octane, I also really like these wines. I even visited a few years ago and it's a cool, very down-to-earth operation. Spending two days hitting 2-3 Sagrantino producers in a day is intense. I didn't drink a Sagrantino after I got back to the states for a couple of years. Sometimes, wild, soulful expressions like Antano are the only things that scratch a certain itch.

 

[Jeff Grossman]

originally posted by VLM:

originally posted by Jeff Grossman:
Proprieta Sperino 2020 Rosato "Rosa del Rosa" - 13%, a transparent and pale pink, this is cherries and a bit of peach, but not at all sweet, I'd call it tangy rather than say it has cut but it was crisp enough to handle avocados and sardines, a good wine to drink cold on a warm day

This is a go to for us mot years but it recently switched distributors locally (it is a market-to-market DI wine) and screwed up the Rosato getting here. Hoping Nervi-Conterno is a decent substitute.

Have you tried it?

 

[Jayson Cohen]

originally posted by Jeff Grossman:

originally posted by VLM:

originally posted by Jeff Grossman:
Proprieta Sperino 2020 Rosato "Rosa del Rosa" - 13%, a transparent and pale pink, this is cherries and a bit of peach, but not at all sweet, I'd call it tangy rather than say it has cut but it was crisp enough to handle avocados and sardines, a good wine to drink cold on a warm day

This is a go to for us mot years but it recently switched distributors locally (it is a market-to-market DI wine) and screwed up the Rosato getting here. Hoping Nervi-Conterno is a decent substitute.

Have you tried it?

We need to try it. Suzanne loves it.

 

[VLM]

originally posted by Jayson Cohen:

originally posted by Jeff Grossman:

originally posted by VLM:

originally posted by Jeff Grossman:
Proprieta Sperino 2020 Rosato "Rosa del Rosa" - 13%, a transparent and pale pink, this is cherries and a bit of peach, but not at all sweet, I'd call it tangy rather than say it has cut but it was crisp enough to handle avocados and sardines, a good wine to drink cold on a warm day

This is a go to for us mot years but it recently switched distributors locally (it is a market-to-market DI wine) and screwed up the Rosato getting here. Hoping Nervi-Conterno is a decent substitute.

Have you tried it?

We need to try it. Suzanne loves it.

Will be getting some next week.

 

[Jeff Grossman]

Drank another over the weekend. A little less zippy than the first bottle but a little more substance. Just fine with my July Fourth hot dogs!

 

[VLM]

On 2020 rosé, since I have fallen behind on impressions, these are house staples (meaning I've bought 6-12 bottles):

Marquiliani Corse Le rosé de Pauline: really good as always, this pale rose is almost like a white wine. Salty light red fruit. Rocks.

Marquiliani Rose’ Gris de Marquiliani: new to me and maybe a new wine, more pale even than the above. I love this. Steph didn't like it as much and said that I liked it because it was very grapefruit like and I can't eat grapefruit anymore (statins). Maybe, but I'll stick with just awesome.

Montenidoli Canaiuolo Toscana IGT: year-in, year-out, a house favorite and this continues the streak. She bottles it with a Diam 10 but our bottles never make it to the next summer. Maybe this year I'll hide an extra case somewhere. This was my dad's favorite, which is a bit surprising. Focused, cool, red fruit with herbal, floral and mineral notes. Tension on the finish.

Vajra Rosabella: the darkest of the rosato/rosé and, thus far, the least interesting. I generally love this wine and this was the first bottle of a case, so we'll see in a different context. In fact, I think I'll put one in the fridge right now.

These are one-off bottles that I bought:
Ameztoi Getariako Txakolina Rubentis: generally something I like to have around, but either wasn't offered it or missed the offer so picked up a bottle at retail. Juicy, easy drinking, maybe a less acid structure than previous vintages (but not soft, just in comparison to extreme bracingness).

Mesclances Mediterranée Charmes: a new producer in the Rosenthal portfolio, pretty good but didn't make a large impression.

 

[Jeff Grossman]

You remind me that I haven't had a recent bottle of Dom. Bagnol Cassis.

 

[VLM]

originally posted by Jeff Grossman:
You remind me that I haven't had a recent bottle of Dom. Bagnol Cassis.

As luck would have it, it was in some other singles I tried:

Tiberio Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo: dark, fruity and a joy to drink. I ordered a case. Word is that it ages well, so maybe I'll try to hide a few bottles.

Gobelsburg Schlosskellererei Rosé Cistercien: bracing with white flowers and tart strawberry. My local merchant loves this and he's not far off.

Domaine du Bagnol Cassis Rosé: another excellent version f this. Pale and mineral with provencal herb and mineral complexity to the tart fruit.

Clos Cibonne Côtes de Provence Rosé Tentations: fine, I'd be OK as a BTG somewhere but given what Clos Cibonne represents, this negoce wine isn't really what I'm looking for. Maybe I'm being unfair because of my expectations, it does retail for like $15.

 

[Jeff Grossman]

originally posted by VLM:
Tiberio Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo: dark, fruity and a joy to drink. I ordered a case. Word is that it ages well, so maybe I'll try to hide a few bottles.

Thanks for the note on Cassis.

And everybody drinks Tiberio but me!

 

[Jayson Cohen]

originally posted by Jeff Grossman:

originally posted by VLM:
Tiberio Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo: dark, fruity and a joy to drink. I ordered a case. Word is that it ages well, so maybe I'll try to hide a few bottles.

Thanks for the note on Cassis.

And everybody drinks Tiberio but me!

I can bring a bottle of the 2020 white to dinner at some point. I have one at home. Really nice steely wine with a hidden layer of complexity and textural verve. Very good for clean seafood based Italian food. We need to find a place. Not Chinese.

I also sent a couple 2020 Cerasuolo to the cellar from Astor because it was easier than sending home but I can pull one of those at some point too.

 

[Jeff Grossman]

Thanks, Jayson. (I did some 'send to storage because it's just too much hassle during pandemic to pick it up or be home to receive it' too.)

 

[Pavel Tchichikov]

originally posted by Jeff Grossman:
Thanks, Jayson. (I did some 'send to storage because it's just too much hassle during pandemic to pick it up or be home to receive it' too.)

feel free to convince me to pull one anytime, mon ami

i recently opened my first bottle of the cerasuolo (the 2019, not 2020). Niiiiice. Next one in about 6 months - i am not looking for any development in that time frame, but expect it to mellow out a bit. I find that many of the young wines I get with the intent to drink within 2 years hit a nice spot in terms of balance after sitting around for a few months, perhaps as much due to recent shipping as anything else.

as far as ageing, the cerasuolo has some autumnal vectors, and if they turn out to be non-negligible then it's certainly fruity and concentrated enough to generate something interesting with secondary, or perhaps even some tertiary flavors. When? No idea, so a box would be more optimal than my 6-pack.

i may have just opened my last bottle of 2018 Pecorino. I hope that's not the case, as this was fantastic and unexpectedly more "Alpine" than previous bottles. Very finely chiseled minerals, despite having been permanently spoiled by Muscadet and Chablis in that respect.

the trebbiano is ( and i hate this word when applied to wine because we, as a group, often use it ahem disrespectfully ) probably the most useful wine in the house that is not rosé.

the montepulciano is da bomb.

 

[Jeff Grossman]

originally posted by Jayson Cohen:

originally posted by Jeff Grossman:

originally posted by VLM:

originally posted by Jeff Grossman:
Proprieta Sperino 2020 Rosato "Rosa del Rosa" - 13%, a transparent and pale pink, this is cherries and a bit of peach, but not at all sweet, I'd call it tangy rather than say it has cut but it was crisp enough to handle avocados and sardines, a good wine to drink cold on a warm day

This is a go to for us mot years but it recently switched distributors locally (it is a market-to-market DI wine) and screwed up the Rosato getting here. Hoping Nervi-Conterno is a decent substitute.

Have you tried it?

We need to try it. Suzanne loves it.

Picked one up today.