TN: My first Occhipinti - 2007 Frappato

J

Jay Miller

Jay Miller
Beautiful clear ruby color, the nose is heavenly. The taste comes as a bit of a shock, aggressive cherry, a bit Robitussin. I'm taken aback but decide to see if some food changes things and miraculously it does. I say miraculously since while it improved dramatically with both roast duck and with mashed potatoes it positively sang with some crispy artichoke. Also a fine match with bread and brillat savarin.

After about 10 minutes the cough syrup note was completely gone though I don't know if it was air or the fact that I had eaten.

Bonus TN - the kind folk at CWS offered me a taste of some Mitolo Shiraz. As repulsive as any other overfruited,overextracted and overoaked wine.
 
originally posted by Jay Miller:
TN: My first Occhipinti - 2007 FrappatoBeautiful clear ruby color, the nose is heavenly. The taste comes as a bit of a shock, aggressive cherry, a bit Robitussin. I'm taken aback but decide to see if some food changes things and miraculously it does...
Click to expand...

This was also my first full bottle of Occhipinti (previous experiences with other bottlings were small sips at tastings) and I too was shocked by that Robitussin note. But unfortunately for me it never went away.

Perhaps we weren't eating the right stuff. We had shrimp in a spicy tomato caper sauce which made one think about Sicily, but it didn't click.
 
originally posted by Rahsaan:
originally posted by Jay Miller:
TN: My first Occhipinti - 2007 FrappatoBeautiful clear ruby color, the nose is heavenly. The taste comes as a bit of a shock, aggressive cherry, a bit Robitussin. I'm taken aback but decide to see if some food changes things and miraculously it does...
Click to expand...

This was also my first full bottle of Occhipinti (previous experiences with other bottlings were small sips at tastings) and I too was shocked by that Robitussin note. But unfortunately for me it never went away.

Perhaps we weren't eating the right stuff. We had shrimp in a spicy tomato caper sauce which made one think about Sicily, but it didn't click.
Click to expand...

Artichoke is certainly a counter-intuitive wine match but it worked.
 
Cherries regular and black. Robitussin is sweet with residual sugar taste. Didn' pick that up on numerous tastings, neither did JBL. Arichokes!? what the hell are you smoking?
 
originally posted by Lou Kessler: Robitussin is sweet with residual sugar taste. Didn' pick that up on numerous tastings, neither did JBL.
Click to expand...

It's Jay's descriptor and not one that I would have chosen but it made sense to me because my bottle showed a similar 'glossy' characteristic. I don't think he was referring to the thick/sweet side of Robitussin. Hard to describe but it works for me.
 
originally posted by Rahsaan:
originally posted by Jay Miller:
TN: My first Occhipinti - 2007 FrappatoBeautiful clear ruby color, the nose is heavenly. The taste comes as a bit of a shock, aggressive cherry, a bit Robitussin. I'm taken aback but decide to see if some food changes things and miraculously it does...
Click to expand...

This was also my first full bottle of Occhipinti (previous experiences with other bottlings were small sips at tastings) and I too was shocked by that Robitussin note. But unfortunately for me it never went away.

Perhaps we weren't eating the right stuff. We had shrimp in a spicy tomato caper sauce which made one think about Sicily, but it didn't click.
Click to expand...

Okay, that explains a lot: Shrimp in spicy tomato caper sauce calls for Grillo.
 
originally posted by Jay Miller:
TN: My first Occhipinti - 2007 FrappatoBeautiful clear ruby color, the nose is heavenly. The taste comes as a bit of a shock, aggressive cherry, a bit Robitussin. I'm taken aback but decide to see if some food changes things and miraculously it does. I say miraculously since while it improved dramatically with both roast duck and with mashed potatoes it positively sang with some crispy artichoke. Also a fine match with bread and brillat savarin.
Click to expand...

Good to hear the 07 is a winner.

To my taste, bread and brillat savarin is a nearly impossible match for red wine. Good to hear that the Frappato pulled it off.
 
My notes from August: "Exotic and intensely aromatic, showing fresh raspberry jam, spices (not the church kind, more like spice cake) and a greeny, minty thing, close to menthol. Good acidity, quite pleasantly saline, with a nice touch of tar in the finish. Marcia and I both enjoyed it very much, the bottle seemed to vanish in a flash. My only complaint would be with respect to body: I found it a bit thin, holding back the satisfaction. With more body and/or extraction, this would be quite something."
 
Has Occhipinti fixed the cork problem? In 2005 it seemed the corks were leaky, the ones I had came out of the bottle soaked.

Also curious how much brett if any you noticed in the 2007s. It was variable but sometimes a big component in the 2005.
 
Occasionally, but not regularly based on my limited encounters, in the '06 as well. (Edited to add: brett, I mean. Not leakage.)
 
havent noticed any leakage through many cases of the 07 (yet?). I def. had issues with the 06 and recently opened one at home from my cellar saying to myself "well, if that is leaking like that, i may as well give it a shot." It was the most brilliant, corked vinegar i've ever had (opened an 07 and had a great rest of the evening).

Sidenote: i have started to keep a few of my experimental 06's standing in an effort to ward off any leaking.
 
originally posted by Lee Short:
originally posted by Jay Miller:
TN: My first Occhipinti - 2007 FrappatoBeautiful clear ruby color, the nose is heavenly. The taste comes as a bit of a shock, aggressive cherry, a bit Robitussin. I'm taken aback but decide to see if some food changes things and miraculously it does. I say miraculously since while it improved dramatically with both roast duck and with mashed potatoes it positively sang with some crispy artichoke. Also a fine match with bread and brillat savarin.
Click to expand...

Good to hear the 07 is a winner.

To my taste, bread and brillat savarin is a nearly impossible match for red wine. Good to hear that the Frappato pulled it off.
Click to expand...

Yes, my food choices were based on whatever looked good when I stopped at Bouley Market and had no idea what/if I'd open anything at CWS.
 
SP68 last night was damn fine with my wretched pasta at an undisclosed location in Mendocino mushroom country.

you guys are spoiled.
 
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