You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
TN: This and that
- Thread starter slaton
- Start date
Odd Rydland
Odd Rydland
originally posted by slaton:
2001 Benanti Etna Pietramarina Superiore (8/7/2008)
Pale green-yellow in color. Very fresh, appealing nose of lemongrass, dandelion, underripe apricot, sea spray. The palate has pretty green and lemon fruit splashed with ocean water and wrapped around a core of bracing acidity, with excellent length. It's like the Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster of wines, the effect of which is "similar to having one's brains smashed out by a slice of lemon wrapped around a large gold brick." Fresh from bottle the wine is very tight and displays some alcoholic warmth on the back end, but with time in the glass the midpalate fleshes out impressively, and the alcohol integrates completely. The list of Italian whites that age gracefully is unfortunately short, but this is clearly one of them - still remarkably tight and unevolved at age 7. Fantastic stuff that needs time, and certainly one of the finest Italian whites I've tasted. Hold.
Re aging: I had the Pietramarina Etna Bianco Superiore 96, Benanti in Dec 2006. Here are my note:
Aromatic wine with some sweetness to the fruit, gooseberry and mint. Fine mouthfeel, very minerally and long with flint, lime and smoke. Very fine.
originally posted by slaton:
2001 Benanti Etna Pietramarina Superiore (8/7/2008)
Pale green-yellow in color. Very fresh, appealing nose of lemongrass, dandelion, underripe apricot, sea spray. The palate has pretty green and lemon fruit splashed with ocean water and wrapped around a core of bracing acidity, with excellent length. It's like the Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster of wines, the effect of which is "similar to having one's brains smashed out by a slice of lemon wrapped around a large gold brick." Fresh from bottle the wine is very tight and displays some alcoholic warmth on the back end, but with time in the glass the midpalate fleshes out impressively, and the alcohol integrates completely. The list of Italian whites that age gracefully is unfortunately short, but this is clearly one of them - still remarkably tight and unevolved at age 7. Fantastic stuff that needs time, and certainly one of the finest Italian whites I've tasted. Hold.
We have the 2007 in the shop right now, along with the rest of the Benanti wines (well three reds anyway).
I really like it, but can't really compete with this note.
The whole line-up was pretty good, in fact.
I stopped buying Pietramarina after a series of oxidized bottles. Not that I saw it often in our market, anyway.
The Levi once commented that earlier vintages had a low SO2 regime that may have contributed to pox, and that more recent vintages had increased SO2. What was your impression?
I've never been moved by the reds, but haven't tasted in several years either.
The Levi once commented that earlier vintages had a low SO2 regime that may have contributed to pox, and that more recent vintages had increased SO2. What was your impression?
I've never been moved by the reds, but haven't tasted in several years either.
A bootle of the 2001 opened about a year ago was fortunately not afflicted and great. Very much an evolving example of the note. I think one more remains. We'll have to try that one out sometime Slaton. Maybe, hopefully, my lucky streak will continue, trumping your unlucky one and not vice versa.