An Italian offline in Newton, Massachusetts, but with an injunction. No sangiovese. No nebbiolo. With the latter condition in mind, Im tempted to bring a Gaja Barbaresco, but think better of it. Nonetheless, I attend having rolled off a plane from Copenhagen less than two hours earlier, so the question for me is less about the wines and more about whether or not I will fall asleep in my risotto. Thankfully, I do not, though we do keep the restaurant open about an hour past the last non-wine geek customer.
Balbi Soprani 2006 Moscato dAsti (Piedmont) Flowers and powdered apple. Softtoo softwith more gentility than Id like; the laughing sweetness of moscato dAsti needs a little more self-confidence. (9/08)
Chartogne-Taillet 1996 Champagne Brut Fiacre (Champagne) Mushroom and Rainier cherry, which is a combination Im not sure I like. Crisp and maybe even a bit puckery. This never comes together for me, but following a moscato isnt the easiest thing in the world. (9/08)
Pieropan 2004 Soave La Rocca (Veneto) Melon and metal. All primary pre-primary, actually and promise, with absolutely nothing indicating current drinkability except in the pursuit of academic curiosity. (9/08)
Bellavista Franciacorta Cuve Brut (Lombardy) Obvious fruitapple and pineapplethat never gets going anywhere more interesting. (9/08)
Brovia 2007 Roero Arneis (Piedmont) Though I love this producer, I realize Ive never tasted their take on this grape. Its a good one. Theres fat peach that crisps considerably by the finish, and dried white flowers cover everything. Despite the initial breadth of fruit, the overall impression is one of delicacy and beauty. (9/08)
Valentini 1999 Trebbiano dAbruzzo (Abruzzi) Smells like lambicsour berries and an edge of brettwith leaves and fresher berries in the mix. A baffling wine. It seems flawed one moment, then fresh the next. Too old, too young, then just right. Its impossible to get a handle on it, or to say anything useful about where it is or where its going. Deliciously weird. (9/08)
Giacomo Conterno 1998 Barbera dAlba Cascina Francia (Piedmont) Barbed-wire acidity with its points through a forest of wild lingonberries and a sea of cranberries. This is barbera. (9/08)
La Spinetta 2000 Barbera dAsti Ca di Pian (Piedmont) Dense blueberry with pretty good acidity, but the finish is goopy, flat-nosed, and awful. This is not barbera. (9/08)
i Clivi di Ferdinando Zanusso 2000 Colli Orientali del Friuli Galea Rosso (Friuli Venezia Giulia) Smoky meat, mushroom, and fine-grained tannin. But thats all there is, and this wine is beyond difficult at the moment; I have confidence for the future based on past performance, but its not worth drinking right now. (9/08)
Foradori 1997 Teroldego Rotaliano (Trentino) Dark blackberry, raspberry, and boysenberry with a bit of brett. Toothy and medium-bodied, with a fair wallop of acidity. More interesting than excellent, though its definitely good. (9/08)
Martini di Cigala San Giusto a Rentennano 2001 Merlot di Toscana La Ricolma (Tuscany) Sweet blueberry and milky; this feels more like a thickened soup than a wine, despite a sharp bite of tannin that seems out of place. That said, as wines in this style (which isnt mine) go, its reasonably good. But Id never choose to drink it. (9/08)
Librandi 2000 Val di Neto Gravello (Calabria) Structured and very aromatic. Structured. Did I say that already? Well, theres a lot of it in relation to the aromatics. Some salted gravel makes up the middle, and its reasonably long, but Im not sure this wine is in its best stage. (9/08)
Banfi 1998 Cabernet Sauvignon Tavernelle (Tuscany) Very simple. Generic fruit. Andnothing. Profoundly indifferent wine. (9/08)
Mastroberardino 1995 Taurasi Radici (Campania) Cashews. The texture, which I expect to be a little wrenched and puckery, is frankly gorgeous, and the balance of earths including earth-laden fruit of the darkest, broodiest kind is lovely. (9/08)
Cavallotto 1990 Barolo Vignolo Riserva (Piedmont) The only wine to directly flout the rules, and its aromatic beauty rather dominates the proceedings. Mixed red fruits and the usual crushed petals abound, but the wine is gentle and still seemingly holding its best in reserve. (9/08)
Masi 1990 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico (Veneto) Prune and roasted meat, but balanced in the context of this very particular style. Theres a bit of offputting rot, but it doesnt really distract. Nor does the expected VA. What Id like is a little more complexity, but thats not easily found in Amarone. (9/08)
Bea 1999 Montefalco Sagrantino Secco (Umbria) Corked. (9/08)
Bea 1998 Montefalco Rosso Riserva (Umbria) Sharp and biting, with a dark, dusty tar foundation. Wine as asphalt. Very impressive. (9/08)
Speri 2006 Valpolicella Classico Superiore Ripasso (Veneto) Big acidity, strawberry, chocolate, and butterscotch. Oak? Whatever it is, its nasty. I cant possibly imagine what they were thinking here. (9/08)
Colli Spoletini 1990 Sagrantino di Montefalco Roccaducale (Umbria) Texturally, this combines powder and silk, like old European royalty, with ancient black fruit and a finish thats both vivid and faded. Strikingly excellent. (9/08)
Bea 1998 Montefalco Secco Superiore (Umbria) Very tannic, but aromatically lush with crushed lilacs. Lovely. Young. (9/08)
Castellani 1995 Recioto della Valpolicella Classico Il Casale (Veneto) Dominated by its volatile acidity, with sweet syrup, sweat, and a sticky, nasty finish. Recioto rides such a fine line between drinkability and utter failure, and this crosses the line. (9/08)
von Buhl 1996 Forster Ungeheurer Riesling Auslese 35 97 (Pfalz) Huge mineralityI mean, truly massive rockinesswith, nonetheless, a fine balance between the stones, biting acidity, and precise sweetness. And yet, its actual palate presence is less insistent than it threatens; its like a really outstanding German riesling is blowing past ones nose, but not yet settling on the palate. Despite the age, this is still one for the future. (9/08)
Papin Chteau Pierre-Bise 1997 Coteaux du Layon Beaulieu Les Rouannires (Loire) Structured but fruity, with metal-jacketed apple, sweet apricot, and a tangible sense of size dominated by a very intense sweetness. Very long, but wow is it sweet. Still, theres enough structure for me to bet on its future, though not with 100% confidence. (9/08)
Balbi Soprani 2006 Moscato dAsti (Piedmont) Flowers and powdered apple. Softtoo softwith more gentility than Id like; the laughing sweetness of moscato dAsti needs a little more self-confidence. (9/08)
Chartogne-Taillet 1996 Champagne Brut Fiacre (Champagne) Mushroom and Rainier cherry, which is a combination Im not sure I like. Crisp and maybe even a bit puckery. This never comes together for me, but following a moscato isnt the easiest thing in the world. (9/08)
Pieropan 2004 Soave La Rocca (Veneto) Melon and metal. All primary pre-primary, actually and promise, with absolutely nothing indicating current drinkability except in the pursuit of academic curiosity. (9/08)
Bellavista Franciacorta Cuve Brut (Lombardy) Obvious fruitapple and pineapplethat never gets going anywhere more interesting. (9/08)
Brovia 2007 Roero Arneis (Piedmont) Though I love this producer, I realize Ive never tasted their take on this grape. Its a good one. Theres fat peach that crisps considerably by the finish, and dried white flowers cover everything. Despite the initial breadth of fruit, the overall impression is one of delicacy and beauty. (9/08)
Valentini 1999 Trebbiano dAbruzzo (Abruzzi) Smells like lambicsour berries and an edge of brettwith leaves and fresher berries in the mix. A baffling wine. It seems flawed one moment, then fresh the next. Too old, too young, then just right. Its impossible to get a handle on it, or to say anything useful about where it is or where its going. Deliciously weird. (9/08)
Giacomo Conterno 1998 Barbera dAlba Cascina Francia (Piedmont) Barbed-wire acidity with its points through a forest of wild lingonberries and a sea of cranberries. This is barbera. (9/08)
La Spinetta 2000 Barbera dAsti Ca di Pian (Piedmont) Dense blueberry with pretty good acidity, but the finish is goopy, flat-nosed, and awful. This is not barbera. (9/08)
i Clivi di Ferdinando Zanusso 2000 Colli Orientali del Friuli Galea Rosso (Friuli Venezia Giulia) Smoky meat, mushroom, and fine-grained tannin. But thats all there is, and this wine is beyond difficult at the moment; I have confidence for the future based on past performance, but its not worth drinking right now. (9/08)
Foradori 1997 Teroldego Rotaliano (Trentino) Dark blackberry, raspberry, and boysenberry with a bit of brett. Toothy and medium-bodied, with a fair wallop of acidity. More interesting than excellent, though its definitely good. (9/08)
Martini di Cigala San Giusto a Rentennano 2001 Merlot di Toscana La Ricolma (Tuscany) Sweet blueberry and milky; this feels more like a thickened soup than a wine, despite a sharp bite of tannin that seems out of place. That said, as wines in this style (which isnt mine) go, its reasonably good. But Id never choose to drink it. (9/08)
Librandi 2000 Val di Neto Gravello (Calabria) Structured and very aromatic. Structured. Did I say that already? Well, theres a lot of it in relation to the aromatics. Some salted gravel makes up the middle, and its reasonably long, but Im not sure this wine is in its best stage. (9/08)
Banfi 1998 Cabernet Sauvignon Tavernelle (Tuscany) Very simple. Generic fruit. Andnothing. Profoundly indifferent wine. (9/08)
Mastroberardino 1995 Taurasi Radici (Campania) Cashews. The texture, which I expect to be a little wrenched and puckery, is frankly gorgeous, and the balance of earths including earth-laden fruit of the darkest, broodiest kind is lovely. (9/08)
Cavallotto 1990 Barolo Vignolo Riserva (Piedmont) The only wine to directly flout the rules, and its aromatic beauty rather dominates the proceedings. Mixed red fruits and the usual crushed petals abound, but the wine is gentle and still seemingly holding its best in reserve. (9/08)
Masi 1990 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico (Veneto) Prune and roasted meat, but balanced in the context of this very particular style. Theres a bit of offputting rot, but it doesnt really distract. Nor does the expected VA. What Id like is a little more complexity, but thats not easily found in Amarone. (9/08)
Bea 1999 Montefalco Sagrantino Secco (Umbria) Corked. (9/08)
Bea 1998 Montefalco Rosso Riserva (Umbria) Sharp and biting, with a dark, dusty tar foundation. Wine as asphalt. Very impressive. (9/08)
Speri 2006 Valpolicella Classico Superiore Ripasso (Veneto) Big acidity, strawberry, chocolate, and butterscotch. Oak? Whatever it is, its nasty. I cant possibly imagine what they were thinking here. (9/08)
Colli Spoletini 1990 Sagrantino di Montefalco Roccaducale (Umbria) Texturally, this combines powder and silk, like old European royalty, with ancient black fruit and a finish thats both vivid and faded. Strikingly excellent. (9/08)
Bea 1998 Montefalco Secco Superiore (Umbria) Very tannic, but aromatically lush with crushed lilacs. Lovely. Young. (9/08)
Castellani 1995 Recioto della Valpolicella Classico Il Casale (Veneto) Dominated by its volatile acidity, with sweet syrup, sweat, and a sticky, nasty finish. Recioto rides such a fine line between drinkability and utter failure, and this crosses the line. (9/08)
von Buhl 1996 Forster Ungeheurer Riesling Auslese 35 97 (Pfalz) Huge mineralityI mean, truly massive rockinesswith, nonetheless, a fine balance between the stones, biting acidity, and precise sweetness. And yet, its actual palate presence is less insistent than it threatens; its like a really outstanding German riesling is blowing past ones nose, but not yet settling on the palate. Despite the age, this is still one for the future. (9/08)
Papin Chteau Pierre-Bise 1997 Coteaux du Layon Beaulieu Les Rouannires (Loire) Structured but fruity, with metal-jacketed apple, sweet apricot, and a tangible sense of size dominated by a very intense sweetness. Very long, but wow is it sweet. Still, theres enough structure for me to bet on its future, though not with 100% confidence. (9/08)