Rainoldi 2002 Valtellina Superiore Sassella Riserva (Lombardy) Buttered toast with a slight char. Red fruit thats been sitting in the sun too long, with a nice bite of amaro and barely-restrained aggression, but why does it taste like nasty old oak diluted with brackish water? Barely drinkable. (2/09)
Vajra 2006 Langhe Rosso (Piedmont) Fuzzy and a bit fusty, with the soft particulate texture one might expect, but brooding in the darkness of a troubled adolescence more than usual. Vintage effect? Bad bottle? Theres usually more appeal here. (2/09)
Fasoli Gino 2006 Bardolino La Corte del Pozzo (Veneto) Headier than most Bardolino, without sacrificing the crisp edge of cool acidity and the bitter touch of skin that give the wine its essential character. Berries here are a mix of bright and dark, smelling as if freshly-crushed directly underneath ones nose, with a brisk prickle and zip darting back and forth. Quite good. (2/09)
Quinta da Romeira de Cima Tradio 2002 Palmela (Portugal) A friendly whoosh of fruitberries, plums, and so forthsmoothly presented. Starts and finishes fully-rounded, without discernable flaws. Of course, this roundness comes at the cost of additional complexities, but this is a fine value at an excellent point in its evolution. (2/09)
Fromm La Strada 2002 Pinot Noir (Marlborough) Towering, for sure, but more of a concrete edifice than a true work of architecture. Theres dark fruit with concentrated aromatics, black earth, a fine and very adult appeal to the head as well as the heart, but theres also layer upon layer of structure (almost all of it a silkily ripe tannin), and while it does not overwhelm the wine, it dominates it. This is not a pinot for zinfandel lovers, as so many modern interpretations are, but it just might be a pinot for Bordeaux lovers. (2/09)
Dominio de Tares 2003 Bierzo Albares (Northwest Spain) Theres a struggle here, in that a wine that wants to be lighter and more aromatic tries to, but cannot, escape an inherent gravity that no doubt comes from the vintage. There are hints of enticing crushed-petal aromatics, but theyre sensed only through shadow and density, rather than in full burst and bloom. Its a good wine, but the weight it carries cant quite be supported by its skeleton or flesh. (2/09)
Martini 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley) Artificial blackberry syrup, in taste and texture. The damage done to this name by the new owners is unforgivable. (2/09)
Montana Brancott 2007 Pinot Noir (South Island) A wretched nose of rotting garbage and moldering stew makes it very, very hard to put this wine in my mouth. But I persevere. And the palate isnt all that bad. A little strawberry, some red cherry, perhaps a bit of raspberry, light and relatively friendly, though edging towards unwelcome lozenge flavors. But ugh, that stench. (2/09)
Rosemount 2002 Show Reserve Shiraz (McLaren Vale) No shrinking violet, this wine nevertheless avoids the usual shiraz flaws of over-concentration, soy, stew, and burn. And yet, to little purpose does it avoid them, because while its a fruity, fun drink with a healthy dollop of palate weight, thats all it is. In other words, its a basic shiraz for everyday drinkingexcept that its not presented or priced as one. Could we at least get a dusting of pepper here? A clod of earth? Some leather? Any texture at all? (2/09)
Fromm La Strada 2002 Pinot Noir (Marlborough) Intense and brooding, with a mille-feuille of tannins enveloping the dark berry fruit. Theres acidity, too, and the wines no modernistic leaden monster, nor is it particularly thick or hard, though a physical sensation of depth is its primary characteristic. But Id consider drinking rather than holding this wine, and even then with the right, structure-scalpeling food. (2/09)
J. Lohr 2007 Wildflower Valdigui (Monterey) Lightly sweet without much else to show for it. Chewy, almost gritty berries, with a nice tartness that carries through and a good bit of grip. Its insubstantiality is somewhat mitigated by the fact that it hasnt been messed withbut only somewhat. (2/09)
Vajra 2006 Langhe Rosso (Piedmont) Fuzzy and a bit fusty, with the soft particulate texture one might expect, but brooding in the darkness of a troubled adolescence more than usual. Vintage effect? Bad bottle? Theres usually more appeal here. (2/09)
Fasoli Gino 2006 Bardolino La Corte del Pozzo (Veneto) Headier than most Bardolino, without sacrificing the crisp edge of cool acidity and the bitter touch of skin that give the wine its essential character. Berries here are a mix of bright and dark, smelling as if freshly-crushed directly underneath ones nose, with a brisk prickle and zip darting back and forth. Quite good. (2/09)
Quinta da Romeira de Cima Tradio 2002 Palmela (Portugal) A friendly whoosh of fruitberries, plums, and so forthsmoothly presented. Starts and finishes fully-rounded, without discernable flaws. Of course, this roundness comes at the cost of additional complexities, but this is a fine value at an excellent point in its evolution. (2/09)
Fromm La Strada 2002 Pinot Noir (Marlborough) Towering, for sure, but more of a concrete edifice than a true work of architecture. Theres dark fruit with concentrated aromatics, black earth, a fine and very adult appeal to the head as well as the heart, but theres also layer upon layer of structure (almost all of it a silkily ripe tannin), and while it does not overwhelm the wine, it dominates it. This is not a pinot for zinfandel lovers, as so many modern interpretations are, but it just might be a pinot for Bordeaux lovers. (2/09)
Dominio de Tares 2003 Bierzo Albares (Northwest Spain) Theres a struggle here, in that a wine that wants to be lighter and more aromatic tries to, but cannot, escape an inherent gravity that no doubt comes from the vintage. There are hints of enticing crushed-petal aromatics, but theyre sensed only through shadow and density, rather than in full burst and bloom. Its a good wine, but the weight it carries cant quite be supported by its skeleton or flesh. (2/09)
Martini 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley) Artificial blackberry syrup, in taste and texture. The damage done to this name by the new owners is unforgivable. (2/09)
Montana Brancott 2007 Pinot Noir (South Island) A wretched nose of rotting garbage and moldering stew makes it very, very hard to put this wine in my mouth. But I persevere. And the palate isnt all that bad. A little strawberry, some red cherry, perhaps a bit of raspberry, light and relatively friendly, though edging towards unwelcome lozenge flavors. But ugh, that stench. (2/09)
Rosemount 2002 Show Reserve Shiraz (McLaren Vale) No shrinking violet, this wine nevertheless avoids the usual shiraz flaws of over-concentration, soy, stew, and burn. And yet, to little purpose does it avoid them, because while its a fruity, fun drink with a healthy dollop of palate weight, thats all it is. In other words, its a basic shiraz for everyday drinkingexcept that its not presented or priced as one. Could we at least get a dusting of pepper here? A clod of earth? Some leather? Any texture at all? (2/09)
Fromm La Strada 2002 Pinot Noir (Marlborough) Intense and brooding, with a mille-feuille of tannins enveloping the dark berry fruit. Theres acidity, too, and the wines no modernistic leaden monster, nor is it particularly thick or hard, though a physical sensation of depth is its primary characteristic. But Id consider drinking rather than holding this wine, and even then with the right, structure-scalpeling food. (2/09)
J. Lohr 2007 Wildflower Valdigui (Monterey) Lightly sweet without much else to show for it. Chewy, almost gritty berries, with a nice tartness that carries through and a good bit of grip. Its insubstantiality is somewhat mitigated by the fact that it hasnt been messed withbut only somewhat. (2/09)