It appears I'd saved the notes in Disorder-friendly form after all. So here they are: night zero's casual dinner and then everything from day one. "Enjoy."
With pizza...
San Francesco 2008 Costa dAmalfi per eva (Campania) A blend of falanghina, pepella, and ginestra. Sounds more like an opera than a wine, to me. Anyway, its a touch spritzy, full of lime and lemongrass, with a surprising chalkiness that sneaks up, takes over for a moment, and then skitters away. Sour bones of structure and pale decay clutter up the finish. Very interesting. (3/10)
Oddero 2001 Barolo Rocche di Castiglione (Piedmont) Already fairly mature in some ways, with its soil turned pepper-powdery and the fruit having yielded to well-dried black roses. Old tar, laid long ago with aspiration, through a long-fallow field permeates both the tar and the structure. The finish is soil-derived but powdery. Very approachable, and despite all expectations Id consider drinking this nowish. (3/10)
Ratti 2001 Barolo Marcenasco (Piedmont) Light and dirty, with a lift to it despite the dark-fruited, brooding core. Crushed flowers everywhere. This is still developing, and while there are prematurely mature elements present, the wine itself is still reasonably firm and grippy, and will need another five-plus years (at the very least) to yield its full range of aromatic complexity. (3/10)
Produttori del Barbaresco 2005 Barbaresco (Piedmont) Very tannic and brutish, with flailing acidity and a biting lash of tart red fruit. Powerful and concentrated in a way thats perhaps not expected from this basic blend, with sour cherry mostarda taking control of the finish. Very, very young. (3/10)
Forteto della Luja Loazzolo (Piedmont) A moscato passito, piney and floral, with a giant burst of intensity that comes up short. Striking for its moment, but that moment is soon lost. (3/10)
Saracco 2009 Moscato dAsti (Piedmont) Bright apple foam, lightly perfumed and joyous, but with a serious face as well. Neither pure fun nor overly aspirational, but forging a middle path. (3/10)
The morning's blind tasting...
Alice Bel Colle 2008 Barbera dAsti al Cas (Piedmont) Faint brett funk, chewy walnuts with a haze of rancidity. Brett continues to palate, Band-Aid & soil, tannin, sourness & greenness. Not pleasant at all. Flawed. (3/10)
Cantina Sociale Barbera dei Sei Castelli 2008 Barbera dAsti (Piedmont) Vibrant cherry, mostly red but with a brush of black, vivid and lavish. Ever so faint hint of banana. Palate absent, good balance but wheres fruit? Structured, but not interesting enough to drink. (3/10)
Cantina Sociale di Mombercelli Terre Astesane 2008 Barbera dAsti LA (Piedmont) Slightly difficult, gritty soil notes with a bit of funk; dark-as-night fruit scowls with its fist in the air. Very faint but present heat on nose. A little brett. Continues with good acidity, red fruit makes its first appearance on palate, and theres a hint of something more tropical. Finishes in the pineapple realm. (3/10)
Dogliotti 2008 Barbera dAsti (Piedmont) Black-tending cherry, intense and thick, with a spike of heat. A mlange of berries provide fair presence, but it finishes shortish. (3/10)
Galarin 2008 Barbera dAsti Le Querce (Piedmont) Dark fruit (black cherry & plum). Rich, dark-fruited, slightly syrupy, and very concentrated. Vanilla and licorice make their cases as well. Modern-styled, but supports its argument. Good. (3/10)
Caudrina 2008 Barbera dAsti La Solista (Piedmont) Brett, with cherries churning underneath. Black fruit, thick with skins, on the palate, with a bark-like structure. This would seem to desire age. A fair interpretation of the chunkier style. (3/10)
Crivelli 2008 Barbera dAsti Collina La Mora (Piedmont) Succulent dark cherries, darker berries. Intense dark fruited-core, linear but very approachable. Purplish. Good acidity. Best yet. (3/10)
Damilano 2008 Barbera dAsti (Piedmont) Very dark blueberry, black pepper, and a bit overdriven. Continues with slashing, intense fruit, rich and vibrant, almost neon-toned. Very long. Modern, perhaps, but excellent. (3/10)
Dezzani 2008 Barbera dAsti ronchetti (Piedmont) Anise, both candy and herbal, with intense licorice, dark fruit, jam, and concentrated berries. Acid and tannin are equally intense, and so theres balance of a sort, but this is an awfully powerful, dark wine (3/10)
Elio Perrone 2008 Barbera dAsti tasmorcan (Piedmont) Very obvious oak, with toasted coconut layering the mix. Dark, concentrated fruit, black cherries and blackberries, with no foundation in the region or grape that I can perceive. Overwooded, even though the quantity of quercus probably isnt that large, overall. (3/10)
Trinchero 2008 Barbera dAsti La Trincherina (Piedmont) A bit of alcohol, soil, bark, and chewy loam. Smoothed over from what would appear to wish to be something more untamed than whats evident in the glass. Finishes with dill. Never a good sign. (3/10)
La Casaccia 2008 Barbera dAsti Vigna SantAnna (Piedmont) Kinda insignificant. Seems weirdly imbalanced. Context? Yeah, probably. But I dont like it. (3/10)
lArmangia 2008 Barbera dAsti Sopra Berruti (Piedmont) Sour dill, weeds, disgusting vegetal stew. Really vile. I cant get this out of my mouth fast enough. (3/10)
Montalbera 2008 Barbera dAsti La Ribelle (Piedmont) Tropical fruitred, pink, orange, yellow, you name itthough really, drinking something thats (questionably) labeled barbera with a festive umbrella in it isnt so bad. As such wines go, well-confectedconstructed. Finishes with Malibu rum and a dash of fresh lemon peel. Of course. I have no idea what this is, but Id like one delivered to my cabana. (3/10)
Pescaja 2008 Barbera dAsti Soliter (Piedmont) Fully tropical, pure Malibu (or is it Captain Morgan Spiced?) rum. I have no idea what this is either, but even though it says barbera, its not barbera as anyone would want it. (3/10)
Prunotto 2008 Barbera dAsti fiulot (Piedmont) Dark & dirty, unpleasant corned-grape hash. Good structure, and maybe this will turn into something one day. For nowno. (3/10)
Scagliola 2008 Barbera dAsti Vigna dei Mandorli (Piedmont) Lush fruit, red, dark, and purple, extremely succulent. Acids a little tamped-down. Modernistic in approach, but a very pretty quaffing wine with short-term aging potential. (3/10)
Bersano 2007 Barbera dAsti C dGaldin (Piedmont) Some mean greenies, almost like the infamous crushed ladybug aroma in the Canadian and (rumored) Burgundian infestations, full of insect parts and pyrazines. This characteristic continues on the palate. Weird. (3/10)
Bologna Braida 2007 Barbera dAsti Montebruna (Piedmont) A full-fruited, throaty expression with nice balance. Soil and berry together in harmony. A little peppery. Good acid. (3/10)
Bologna Braida 2007 Barbera dAsti Bricco della Bigotta (Piedmont) The structure here comes with a sting of heat on the end, but before that matters are pleasant enough, with a concentrated core of berries. Nice except for that finishing burn. (3/10)
Bricco dei Guazzi 2007 Barbera dAsti (Piedmont) Heat, salad greens, capsicum, and Band-Aided brett. The palates better, but by then its too late. (3/10)
Ca dei Mandorli 2007 Barbera dAsti La Bellalda (Piedmont) Soil-driven, yet a little low on acid. Rough fruit with textural chew and stick. Perhaps this will be better in the future than it is right now, as the elements seem present but churned-up at the moment. (3/10)
Alice Bel Colle 2007 Barbera dAsti Alix (Piedmont) Dark fruit, licorice, black raspberry, and strawberry with a round and columnar structure. Quite good in its dark, solid idiom. (3/10)
Cantina Vignasone 2007 Barbera dAsti (Piedmont) Brooding, with equal parts scowl and mysterious smile. Some tar beneath and above, and then the wine gradually turns to cement. Theres some intense black fruit before that, but man does this harden quickly. (3/10)
Cantina Vignasone 2007 Barbera dAsti Selezione (Piedmont) Bread and paper, Styrofoam and fake fruit. Coconut. More rum. Ugh. (3/10)
Galarin 2007 Barbera dAsti Le Querce (Piedmont) Dense and concentrated, showing black fruit and dark chocolate. Very solid, but a slick, Milanese expression thereoffashionable and showy, rather than allowing a speck of dirt under the fingernails. (3/10)
La Ballerina 2007 Barbera dAsti GB (Piedmont) Vodka, Chartreuse (not in a good way), milk chocolate. A horror show. (3/10)
Marcaurelio 2007 Barbera dAsti Terranuda (Piedmont) Lots of dark fruit that overcomes the paper and wood. Sorta. Not entirely. (3/10)
Marchesi Alfieri 2007 Barbera dAsti La Tota (Piedmont) Milk and dark chocolates. Overly dense and just no fun. (3/10)
Oddero 2007 Barbera dAsti (Piedmont) A massive spanking of black raspberry jam. A fruit neutron bomb. Yes, yes, OK, congratulations, but everyone can do this. Why does it have to be done here as well? Edited to add: and this is from Oddero? Im shocked. Gobsmacked, in factand in more ways than one. (3/10)
I Quaranta 2007 Barbera dAsti Asia (Piedmont) Dark chocolate with spiky acidity. Is that raspberry marshmallow? Sure, why not? Wood and acid arent a combo I much appreciate. (3/10)
La Fiammenga 2007 Barbera dAsti (Piedmont) Dill, mint, graphite soil. This is what New World cabernet should taste like, albeit with less of a green tinge to the wood. (3/10)
La Tenaglia 2007 Barbera dAsti Bricco Crea (Piedmont) Full-on jam. Rock & roll fruit. Good in its style, I have to say, but that style is not mine. (3/10)
La Tenaglia 2007 Barbera dAsti Giorgio Tenaglia (Piedmont) Oh milky, syrupy travesty of chocolatewhy are you in my glass? (3/10)
Cisa Asinari dei Marchesi di Gresy 2007 Barbera dAsti (Piedmont) Sour cherry, dill, vanillin, and overworked fruit. (3/10)
Agostino 2007 Barbera dAsti Superiore Moliss (Piedmont) Bark and dill, chewy dark fruit, fine particulate tannin, and graphite. Except for the weirdness on the nose, this could actually be a good albeit dark wine. (3/10)
Boeri 2007 Barbera dAsti Superiore Prlap (Piedmont) Very fruity. Its black, concentrated fruit, in fact, chunked up by seeds and stones, then slathered with tannin and vanilla. Finishes thoroughly brutalized by its levage. (3/10)
Boeri 2007 Barbera dAsti Superiore Martinette (Piedmont) Dark, dark, darkfruit, wood, acorns, leaves, bark, nuts. Is there some salt here, as well? Very odd. Tastes like Barossa shiraz, albeit lighter. (3/10)
Cantina Sociale Barbera dei Sei Castelli 2007 Barbera dAsti Superiore Le Vignole (Piedmont) Lavish, satiny fruit. Dark and gelatinized. Texturally mouth-coating, but finishes with more of that thick vanilla miasma thats ruining so many of these wines. (3/10)
Cantina Sociale di Mombercelli Terre Astesane 2007 Barbera dAsti Superiore (Piedmont) Milkshake. Pride-like (the winery, not a group of lions) in that, with blueberry and milky, malted chocolate well-evidenced throughout. So, so anonymous. (3/10)
SantAgata 2007 Barbera dAsti Superiore Altea (Piedmont) Full-throated fruit crying out for succor in a dark and seedy alleyway. Concentrated. Actually not bad at all, for a fruit bomb. Boom! (3/10)
SantAgata 2007 Barbera dAsti Superiore Caval (Piedmont) Absolutely identical to the same winerys Altea but with the addition of a pleasant, minty complexity. Very good in this style. (3/10)
Castlet 2007 Barbera dAsti Superiore Passum (Piedmont) Mint. All mint. Mint tea, mint leaves, dried mint. But nothing other than mint. (3/10)
La Ghersa 2007 Barbera dAsti Superiore Muascae (Piedmont) Chunky black fruit, good acidity, lots of tannin, dark chocolate. Im losing my ability to perceive wood or its absence in these wines, so I cant tell if theres any here, but the goopy chocolate (a bad thing) never goes away. (3/10)
La Ghersa 2007 Barbera dAsti Superiore Vignassa (Piedmont) Dark fruit and making a reappearance after a long absence dark soil as well. But its all in the service of a chocolate/cherry layer cake. There must be good material here, but its being partially obliterated. (3/10)
Castello di Razzano 2007 Barbera dAsti Superiore Vigna del Beneficio (Piedmont) Very dark fruit ranging into the cassis realm, with some intrusive brett and spicy wood notes, plus coconut. And chocolate. Again. And again. And again. (3/10)
Cocito 2007 Barbera dAsti Superiore Violanda (Piedmont) The fetid stank of horrid, diseased wood. Spoiled candy. One of the worst noses in a quality, non-experimental, or homebrew wine Ive ever experienced. Pure candy on the palate. Pixy Stix are more authentic than this. They taste better, too. (3/10)
Elio Perrone 2007 Barbera dAsti Superiore Mongovone (Piedmont) Heat, brett, chocolate, rum. Lament for whats been done to this wine. Dill, spinach, cocoa, espresso. Lament, lament, lament. (3/10)
Trinchero 2007 Barbera dAsti Superiore Rico (Piedmont) Back to normal, everyday internationalizingfull fruit, mixed chocolates, Fruit RollUps. Spiky/spicy acidity on the finish. (3/10)
Araldica Il Cascinone 2007 Barbera dAsti Superiore Rive (Piedmont) Armpit and crotch. Yes, I just wrote that. No good at all. (3/10)
Ivaldi 2007 Barbera dAsti Superiore 1613 (Piedmont) Jam and Nutella on toast. Very short. Youd think that if one is going to do this sort of stuff to a poor, defenseless wine, one would at least supply a finish. Then again, maybe thats a blessing here. (3/10)
Marchesi Alfieri 2007 Barbera dAsti Superiore Alfiera (Piedmont) Good, solid fruit. Thick structure, dense with tannin and chocolately oak. Milkshake and wine coexist here, which isnt entirely bad for those who like that sort of thing. (3/10)
dei Fiori 2007 Barbera dAsti Superiore Rusticardi 1933 (Piedmont) Chocolate, dark berry, mint, and some earth. Gravelly. A really sophisticated, polished wine with a pretty fair structure. Its not my style, but still, I have to admit that I kinda like this one. Its got class. (3/10)
Il Falchetto 2007 Barbera dAsti Superiore Bricco Paradiso (Piedmont) Mint & rose hip jams, tangy. Theres a chewing gum element here that I cant quite decide if I like or not. Finishes high-toned and herbal. Some eucalyptus, as well. (3/10)
Il Falchetto 2007 Barbera dAsti Superiore Luri (Piedmont) Menthol grappa, kirschwasser, and detergent. A world of no. Edited to add: tasted at the winery a few hours later, this will be the best wine Ill taste all day, so what Ive written here absolutely must reflect a damaged bottle. Or a damaged taster. Maybe both. (3/10)
La Fiammenga 2007 Barbera dAsti Superiore Paion (Piedmont) Flat-aspect fruit, low-ebbing and dull. Seems tired more than anything else, as if the fruit is simply fatigued after being subjected to overt effort. (3/10)
La Meridiana 2007 Barbera dAsti Superiore Tra la Terra e il Cielo (Piedmont) Lavish dark fruit in whole-berry, jam, and jelly form, with tannin and a hard shut-down of wood on the finish. Starts showily, but ends unpleasantly and in complete disarray. (3/10)
La Pergola 2007 Barbera dAsti Superiore Cappelletta Vigne Vecchie (Piedmont) Chunky. Lacquer and paint with a varnish ofno, sorry, I cant bear to continue. Its just not worth it. (3/10)
da Vino 2007 Barbera dAsti Superiore La Luna e I Fal (Piedmont) When I was a kid, I used to mix the bobbing remnants of Count Chocula and Frankenberry in my breakfast bowl, so as not to waste the yummy sugary fakeness. I survived without becoming a diabetic, to end up heredrinking the exact same thing. (3/10)
Vinchio-Vaglio Serra 2007 Barbera dAsti Superiore Vigne Vecchie (Piedmont) Tedium in the form of overworked dark fruit. Wood and tannin, tannin and wood. (3/10)
Caudrina 2006 Barbera dAsti Montevenere (Piedmont) Chocolate malt drink. (3/10)
Cisa Asinari dei Marchesi di Gresy 2006 Barbera dAsti Monte Colombo (Piedmont) This shows very different fruit than any other wine in the room: strawberry powder with Starburst-like qualities. Watermelon, as well? Theres no doubt that its very odd. (3/10)
Agostino 2006 Barbera dAsti Superiore La Marescialla (Piedmont) Bored now. Flat, depressed (and depressing) fruit which never goes much of anywhere. (3/10)
Castlet 2006 Barbera dAsti Superiore Litina (Piedmont) Reminds me of New World pinot, which is at least an appealing improvement over the New World cabernet and New World shiraz Ive been tasting of late. Pleasant, puppy dog fruit. Strawberries and cream. Breakfast at Wimbledon? Sure, why not? (3/10)
Costa Olmo 2006 Barbera dAsti Superiore (Piedmont) Dark cherry syrup, hints of licorice. Dead fruit. Dead wine. Dead taster, if I have to suffer many more wines like this. (3/10)
Araldica Il Cascinone 2006 Barbera dAsti Superiore dAnnona (Piedmont) Stinky feet marinating in barley. And theres something uncircumcised and unclean about it. Yes, its that sort of bad. (3/10)
La Ballerina 2006 Barbera dAsti Superiore Aj (Piedmont) Very, very chocolately. Myself, I prefer these sorts of things made from a fine, single-sourced cocoa, rather than the syrupy stuff that comes in a squeeze bottle. Also, a slightly fresher milk would be better; this tastes like that room-temperature, chemically frightening milk the French drink. (3/10)
Castello di Razzano 2006 Barbera dAsti Superiore Vigna Valentino Caligaris (Piedmont) When I was in first grade, I was bitten by a dog. I had a heavily-bandaged and en-casted arm for a time, and I remember the incredible stench of trapped, humidified flesh and slowly-healing scar grunge that exploded forth when the cast was finally removed. Who knew theyd bottled that smell? The thermonuclear fruit device within helps mask the miasma, but not enough. (3/10)
No-sulfite barbera and confusion...
Paolo Marcarino 2009 Barbera dAsti Zeroincondatta (Piedmont) A no-added-sulfite barbera, one of the very few in the entire region (that is to say: I dont personally know of another, but someone might). This is, compared to other barberas of the region even the pushed-ripeness variety very violet-purple in colora color that one often encounters in the absence of sulfur, no matter which grape varieties are employed. Theres also the spiky brittleness expressed alongside a prickle of (pleasant) volatility that seems to come with the genre, and which Im told derives from the particular sort of semi-carbonic fermentation necessary when working without sulfur. As for the rest: lavish acidity, fruit in the grapey/blueberry-ish range, and fine-grained, overtly crystalline tannin. Its pretty, but theres a hint of highly-tinted mascara (think Donna Mills in Knots Landing) to the attractiveness; not that I mean to suggest that the wines made-up or artificial, just that there are some showy, lurid aspects to its visage. Acid asserts itself as the finish progresses. I like this a great deal. (3/10)
Paolo Marcarino 2007 Barbera dAsti Terranuda (pre-release) (Piedmont) Made from vines planted in the 1920s, and enhanced by the addition of the pressed juice of dried-on-mats grapes; juice that comprises 20% of the finished wine. Post-fermentation, the wine receives its first dose of sulfur and is then put in barriques for one year. As with almost all dried-grape red wines, theres a noticeable spike of volatile acidity that has a little bit of a slapfight with the dark, dusty aromatics. Despite its lifted beginnings, its a clenched fist of a wine, not overly marked by its wood, and delivers a long finish that grows juicier as it lingers. This needs time to expand and develop, obviously, but I think it will be impressive one day. Right now, its mostly just big. (3/10)
Paolo Marcarino 2009 Cortese (unfinished sample) (Piedmont) I dont know what the appellation for this wine is or will be. Its still extremely cloudy (cross-flow filtration is in its future), made without the addition of sulfites, and its fabulous. It explodes in a burst of flowers and piercing, razor-edged acidity that lashes that palate like a cat o nine tails. Eventually, it narrows to a thin wedge of steel. I suspect that, once tamed for commerciality, there will be a little less ordinance here. But its fun while it lasts. (3/10)
Paolo Marcarino 2007 Moscato dAsti Lucifero (Piedmont) Paper scented with mercaptans, and not particularly sweet even within its genre. This reminds me a bit of a Lclapart Champagne, and it also reminds me that Ive never liked Lclapart Champagne. Orange blossom and some freshly-fired ash contribute to the discussion, but only in monosyllables. Many of my fellow tasters like this, but I do not. (3/10)
Natural yeast is responsible for the death of kittens and puppies...
lArmangia 2008 Piemonte Chardonnay Pratorotondo (Piedmont) 70% stainless steel and 30% wood, sulfured only once at bottling. Shy, lending a brief glimpse of melon and lemon (the latter heavy on the rind) under the shade of an acacia tree. Kindaeh. (3/10)
lArmangia 2007 Monferrato Sauvignon EnnEEnnE (Piedmont) Yes, yes, everyone has the same question: what does that mean? Roughly, bastard child, here a reference to the unusual (for the region) grape variety. Floral aromas, woodsy and a little bit woody as well, though its less of a prominent aromatic factor than it is a participant in the muting and restraining of other aromas. Fairly sticky and dense, with some heat evident. The texture is lavish, and without that alcoholic imbalance this could have been a more interesting wine than it ultimately turns out to be. (3/10)
lArmangia 2008 Barbera dAsti Sopra Berruti (Piedmont) Chocolate and lactic milkiness with only a rough stab at integration. Kinda flat, otherwise. Not very good. (3/10)
lArmangia 2006 Barbera dAsti Sopra Berruti (Piedmont) Buttered fruit, dark raspberry jam, and spiky acidity. Alcohol prongs forth as well. The texture is somewhat unfortunate Nutella and peanut butter which just adds to the problems. (3/10)
lArmangia 2007 Barbera dAsti Superiore Nizza Titon (Piedmont) Syrupy fruit and alcohol. Were there such an English dessert as sticky cherry toffee pudding, this would be the perfect partner. Jam abounds, with infusion-like leaf bitterness on the finish. Very, very dense. (3/10)
lArmangia 2004 Barbera dAsti Superiore Nizza Vignali (Piedmont) Huge. Massive fruit layered with chocolate and mint. While this is balanced in its own hulkish way, I challenge someone to slip it into a blind tasting of Napa cabernet/merlot blends and then pick it from the lineup. Maybe the acidity would tell the tale, but I doubt it. (3/10)
Best wine all day, on the way...
Il Falchetto 2009 Langhe Arneis (Piedmont) Very lush fruit in the banana realm, but theres an edge to it thats more plantain-likesomething greener and less ripe, combined with a textural ripeness that suggests, but does not deliver, an element of tropicality; a sort of Musa equipoise, if you will. Crystalline minerality coalesces over the course of a fairly long finish. Balanced and quite nice, perhaps with the potential to be even more than that. (3/10)
Il Falchetto 2007 Barbera dAsti Superiore Luri (Piedmont) A dramatic wine, and for a change that drama has been written by the authors Grape and Site, not the infamous ghostwriter Tonnelier. High-toned minerality dominates this wine, which is firmly-structured with graphite-textured tannin and great acidity. Fruit, such as it is, is dark and scowl-visaged. Very, very impressive. (3/10)
Il Falchetto 2007 Barbera dAsti Superiore Bricco Paradiso (Piedmont) Made from three very different sites from which the overall harvest lasts about a month, then given the sort of treatment a winery gives its flagship wine (that is: well over a year in barrique). Which means we all know whats coming. Low acidity leaves roundness in its wake, and the tannin is extremely fine-grained. While the fruit is still of a reddish hue, its suave and sophisticated in the manner ofwell, the name that immediately comes to mind is Gaja, and one may interpret that based on how one feels about that winery. Theres a bit of heat showing its reddened neck, as well. While its very good in the modern, important style, I dont like that bit of heat, and I really dont need yet another wine that tastes like this. (3/10)
Il Falchetto 2003 Barbera dAsti Superiore Bricco Paradiso (Piedmont) Smells like an 03 comments a fellow taster. Tastes like one, too. Dense almost syrupy but still red-fruited (an achievement of sorts). Theres also heavy tannin thats not quite ripe, and shows hints of dill and allegations of unresolved powder. Everyone (me included) talks about the heat and overpowering fruit of 2003, but its really the chewy, undeveloped, yet massive tannin thats going to bring to many of these wines to an early demise, not the fact that theyre neutron fruit bombs. The finish is chalky sludge. I suppose this is OK for the vintage, but thats not exactly high praise. (3/10)
Il Falchetto 2007 Monferrato Rosso La Mora (Piedmont) A blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot, and barbera. The greenness of the first two grapes (in contrast to barbera, that is) really sticks its neck out here, and not in an unpleasant way. Theres minerality, good acidity and now we can thank the home teams grape and while its not all bad given that its a blend for which I dont have much personal use, milk and oak really stew up the finish. (3/10)
Il Falchetto 2009 Moscato dAsti Tenuta del Fant (Piedmont) Very fresh, sweet, and pure. Orange and apple blossoms with bright malic acidity (or at least so it seems) and hints of cider. Really fun. (3/10)
More power-tasting...
lArmangia 2006 Monferrato Rosso Pacifico (Piedmont) Nebbiolo, merlot, freisa, barbera, cabernet sauvignon, cat, 81 Volvo, and bits of the last 15 prime ministers of Italy. (No, no. Im just kidding. Send the lawyers home.) Thick and very tannic, with a chewy, leafy structure. Dull. (3/10)
lArmangia 2007 Monferrato Rosso Macchiaferro (Piedmont) Acidic strawberries. Thats all Ive written, so there must not be much more than that. (3/10)
lArmangia 2009 Moscato dAsti Il Giai (Piedmont) Very, very flowery. By-the-numbers moscato dAsti. (3/10)
Crivelli 2009 Grignolino dAsti (Piedmont) A brittle shell of a light red wine, with cold tannin encasing sharp acidity. Very severe. (3/10)
Crivelli 2008 Ruch di Castagnole Monferrato (Piedmont) Living up to ruchs reputation as red gewrztraminer with its lurid aromatics and neon fatness. Cherry, pastille, and exotic weirdness. I wouldnt want to drink it every night, but I kinda dig it. (3/10)
Crivelli 2007 Monferrato Rosso Aghghē (Piedmont) Ruch and syrah. Thats a first for me, I think, and Im surprised to find that it works. Smooth and leathery, with blueberry and blackberry paired. Micro-bead structure and lingering tannin. Quite long. Muscular but impressive. (3/10)
Damilano 2005 Barolo Cannubi (Piedmont) Laughing roses and the expected mass of structural tannin. Underneath, however, theres a swell of New Worldish concentration that pretties this wine up a little more than is good for it. The finish returns to the hard, hard road Barolo often travels. Theres a good wine in here somewhere, but I dont think its been dealt with as well as it might have been. (3/10)
Damilano 2005 Barolo Brunate Cannubi (Piedmont) Even more muscular than the Cannubi, with a wallop of angular tannin, but better-balanced. Yet again theres some syrup marking the midpalate, after which it finishes hard. Steroidal, and then dressed in designer duds. Will this ever be drinkable? And why the sheen in the meantime? (3/10)
Damilano 2005 Barolo Liste (Piedmont) Roses a surplus of them with absolutely brutal tannin. Theres fruit, too: red cherry and strawberry. Also, bark and a cheese rind texture (not the spoilage or refermentation aroma, just a texture). Probably balanced in its idiom, but the twenty or so years likely required to bring the tannin down to something manageableI just dont know. I doubt theres the complexity or fruit persistence to sustain that sort of timeframe. I guess well see. (3/10)
Cantina SantAgata 2008 Grignolino dAsti Miravalle (Piedmont) Bones and chilled fruit soup with a spicy midpalate and a flat finish. Very high acidity. Minor oxidation as well? Perhaps a bit. Its fun, though. (3/10)
Cantina SantAgata 2008 Ruch di Castagnole Monferrato Na Vota (Piedmont) Papaya, guava, and lurid pomegranateall of them in neon light. Finishes short but prettily. Surrealistically enjoyable. (3/10)
Cantina SantAgata 2008 Barbera dAsti Baby (Piedmont) Made for the American market, and despite all the talk here about the Americans wanting oaked-up, tarted-up, plastic surgery wines, heres someone who understands that theres another American marketone that might like a barbera done exclusively in stainless steel and that actually tastes like the grape. Fresh cherry, acid, and a little dirt. Classic and bright, with that acidity lingering. Varietal character, where have you been all day? Nice to meet you. Finally. (3/10)
Cantina SantAgata 2007 Barbera dAsti Superiore Altea (Piedmont) Barbera in botte. Smooth red fruit, dominated by strawberry, with roundness and persistence. Good tannin with hints of the graphite texture for which Im nearly always a sucker. Not bad at all. (3/10)
Cantina SantAgata 2007 Barbera dAsti Superiore Caval (Piedmont) Barbera in barrique. Very concentrated fruit with big structure. Tries to finish clamped down-upon by its tannin, but then theres a reemergence of sweetness. In this style, quite decent. (3/10)
Cantina SantAgata 2007 Monferrato Rosso Monterovere (Piedmont) Barbera, cabernet sauvignon, and nebbiolo. Very tannic and yet soupy, with leather, wood, and candy all fighting for supremacy. Overworked. Not at all my sort of wine. (3/10)
Bologna Serra dei Fiore 2009 Langhe Il Fiore (Piedmont) Chardonnay and nascetta. Possibly some other grapes; its a little unclear amidst the din of a crowded room. Very aromatic citrus flowers, apples (with skin intact) and a pleasant hint of fatness. Well-formed. (3/10)
Bologna Serra dei Fiore 2008 Langhe Riesling Renano Re di Fiore (Piedmont) Very ferric, austere, and long. One must like drinking both iron and steel, though. Interesting. (3/10)
Bologna Serra dei Fiore 2008 Langhe Chardonnay Asso di Fiore (Piedmont) Peach and citrus rinds. Straightforward. Nice. Hey, its only chardonnay, what more do you want? (3/10)
Bologna Braida 2009 Barbera del Monferrato Frizzante la Monella (Piedmont) Raspberry, apple skin, and needles. Short but fun. The aggressive acidity of barbera is utilized to excellent effect in a wine like this, even if this particular bottle is no more than middle-of-the-road. (3/10)
Bologna Braida 2008 Barbera dAsti Montebruna (Piedmont) Red fruit (mostly raspberry), clean and crisp. Long. Great purity of expression. This is the large Slavonian oak bottling, and it shows. (3/10)
Bologna Braida 2008 Monferrato Rosso il Bacial (Piedmont) Barbera with pinot noir, cabernet sauvignon, and merlot. Structured, very young, and completely dominated by dill, green coconut, and oak tannin. Yuck. (3/10)
Bologna Braida 2007 Barbera dAsti Bricco dellUccellone (Piedmont) 15.5% alcohol, but not showing it except in overall size. Big fruit offset by apple and walnut skins. Very spicy. Not at all bad in its style. (3/10)
Bologna Braida 2007 Barbera dAsti Bricco della Bigotta (Piedmont) Big, with an intense core of fruit nearly obscured by layers of spiced coconut and vanilla. Radiates sophistication, but all that polish comes at a very woody price. Anyone have some Pledge? (3/10)
Bologna Braida 2007 Barbera dAsti Ai Suma (Piedmont) Late-harvest barbera (that is to say, made from grapes that have desiccated on the vine). Dark. Heavy. Licorice-infused fruit, and a lot of it. Very Amarone-like in style, for sure, though the organoleptics are aside from the licorice different. I guess if one must have something like this, its a good example. (3/10)
Bologna Braida 2009 Brachetto dAcqui (Piedmont) Pure strawberry, sour cherry, watermelon Jolly Rancher. Fine acidity balances the light sweetness. Very nice. (3/10)
Dinner...
Pastura La Ghersa 2009 Gavi Il Poggio (Piedmont) Strident greenish-white fruit that gets more pleasant as it aerates. I dont have enough time with this wine to discern its destination, but theres at least hope. (3/10)
Carretta 2009 Roero Arneis Cayega (Piedmont) Spiky to the point of near-frizzante-ness. Lemongrass abounds. Nice acidity. (3/10)
Rivetto 2008 Langhe Bianco Matir (Piedmont) Made from nascetta. Light and slightly florallilies, mostly. Simple, pretty, and pretty simple. (3/10)
Pastura La Ghersa 2009 Grignolino dAsti Spineira (Piedmont) Wrenched. Skin bitterness, needles of acidity, and planar fruit. (3/10)
Pastura La Ghersa Piag 2009 Monferrato Chiaretto (Piedmont) Made from barbera. Its a pretty little thing, smirking from the glass with spiced apple, strawberry, raspberry, and mustard powder. Very crisp. Pure enjoyment. (3/10)
Pastura La Ghersa 2006 Barbera dAsti Superiore Le Cave (Piedmont) Volatile. Crushed berries with some dirt. Pretty straightforward, and decent enough. (3/10)
Pastura La Ghersa 2007 Barbera dAsti Superiore Campar (Piedmont) Thick but not overdriven, with darkish, lush fruit pushed rather aggressively from behind, but not so hard that it trips over its own feet. (3/10)
Castlet 2007 Barbera dAsti Superiore Passum (Piedmont) Huge. Massive. Sizeable. Big. The adjectives sort of peter out, and so does the wine. Oh, its long enough, but the New World blast of volume never goes anywhere, and eventually just collapses under its own weight. (3/10)
Rocche Costamagna Bricco Francesco 2005 Barolo Rocche dellAnnunziata (Piedmont) Corked, though this is a minority opinion at our table. (3/10)
Pastura La Ghersa 2009 Moscato dAsti Giorgia (Piedmont) Frothy orange and brighter citrus. Floral, of course. Simple. (3/10)
Romano Dogliotti 2009 Moscato dAsti La Caudrina (Piedmont) Lightly floral and quite supple. Usually these things are little more than explosions of the flower/perfume variety, so delicacy is something to be admired in a sense. In another sense, however, one wishes for a bit more. I know, I know: one can wish for too much. (3/10)
