Institut Agricole Regional Aoste 2005 Petit Rouge (Vale dAoste) Arctic red, restrained, and icy, with a chill wind racing through its core. Ground-up red fruit with hints of black minerality. It seems like it will never achieve full liquidity, but on the slowly devolving finish, theres eventually a brief melt of succulence. An interesting wine, though not a particularly significant one. (12/08)
Mastroberardino 2000 Lacryma Christi del Vesuvio (Campania) Very aromatic, though both the nose and palate are in danger of being overwhelmed by the wines signature volcanic ash, and the texture is pretty much all Vesuvian at this point. Dark, small-berry fruit fills in the corners. Im not sure Id hold this any longer. (12/08)
Marchesi di Barolo 2003 Barolo (Piedmont) Kind of a nebbiolo-bomb, full of appealing dark fruit and wrapped in a lush, almost gelatinous texture. A little overcooked, perhaps. Its not what I think of as Barolo, but as a non-specific wine its tasty enough. (12/08)
Sella & Mosca 1999 Cannonau di Sardegna Riserva (Sardinia) Over the last nine years, this has turned from grenache to aged cabernet franc. Howd that happen? Razor-edged fruit, sharp and porcupine-y, bristles with narrow-gauge redness around a gravelly core. Its interesting, but I think the wines more appealing in its fresh and fruity youth. (12/08)
Sella & Mosca 2004 Cannonau di Sardegna Riserva (Sardinia) Strawberry, sun, and bubblegumthough the latter is a very minor component in comparison to the other two. It seems somewhat insulting to call any wine gluggable, but this one definitely is. One of the most reliably appealing quasi-mass market labels out there. (12/08)
Mastroberardino 2000 Lacryma Christi del Vesuvio (Campania) Very aromatic, though both the nose and palate are in danger of being overwhelmed by the wines signature volcanic ash, and the texture is pretty much all Vesuvian at this point. Dark, small-berry fruit fills in the corners. Im not sure Id hold this any longer. (12/08)
Marchesi di Barolo 2003 Barolo (Piedmont) Kind of a nebbiolo-bomb, full of appealing dark fruit and wrapped in a lush, almost gelatinous texture. A little overcooked, perhaps. Its not what I think of as Barolo, but as a non-specific wine its tasty enough. (12/08)
Sella & Mosca 1999 Cannonau di Sardegna Riserva (Sardinia) Over the last nine years, this has turned from grenache to aged cabernet franc. Howd that happen? Razor-edged fruit, sharp and porcupine-y, bristles with narrow-gauge redness around a gravelly core. Its interesting, but I think the wines more appealing in its fresh and fruity youth. (12/08)
Sella & Mosca 2004 Cannonau di Sardegna Riserva (Sardinia) Strawberry, sun, and bubblegumthough the latter is a very minor component in comparison to the other two. It seems somewhat insulting to call any wine gluggable, but this one definitely is. One of the most reliably appealing quasi-mass market labels out there. (12/08)