de Conciliis 2008 Cilento Fiano Donnaluna (Campania) Boring and alcohol-dominated. While theres some simplistic ashen, waxy throb underneath the booze, it would take an awful lot of wine to surmount this much heat. (5/10)
de Conciliis 2008 Fiano Paestum Donnaluna (Campania) Heady, edging up to the precipice of lurid, then pulling back just enough to remain a beverage rather than an artifact. Wax, gravel, herb, and seed combine for both texture and aroma, and while theres the requisite ashen undertone, its layered with structure and richness beyond the usual (5/10)
Bea 2007 Santa Chiara (Umbria) Whitewashed fruit, dried into powder and then reconstituted into something utterly fascinating. Its like drinking light in fine particulate form. Persists, persists, persistsand then its gone, clean and full of memory. Absolutely compelling. (5/10)
Bisson 2007 Golfo del Tigullio Ciliegiolo (Liguria) More interesting than good, with an unfocused burst of random florality and fabric softener luridness. Makes an impression, but Im not sure what that impression is. I keep wanting to like this, but it never quite lives up to its pricewhich is high for a ros. (5/10)
Frecciarossa 2008 Provincia di Pavia Bianco Frizzante Nai (Lombardy) Bright, almost (but not quite) brittle, bringing grass and clean greenness together with lemony citrus broth. Vivid, but only for a moment. Somethings missing here. Length? Breadth? Depth? Pick one. (6/10)
Borgo Scopeto 2000 Borgonero (Tuscany) What once may have been deep-throated strawberry and blackberry fruit has been pushed, wrenched, and twisted into something laden with Botox and fakery. Its recognizable as wine, but further precision would be problematic at best. (5/10)
Montevertine 2004 Pian del Ciampolo (Tuscany) Corked. (5/10)
Brunori 2007 Rosso Piceno Torqus (Marches) Big, over-concentrated fruit that neither deserved nor was prepared for that concentration. And even then, it manages to be a little wan. Berries in popsicle form, dirt, some slightly weedy tannin. Eh. (6/10)
Nera La Novella 2008 Terrazze Retiche di Sondrio Chiavennasca Bianco (Lombardy) Sweet fruit and pretty flowers. Tra-la-la, tra-la-la. Also, green apple, walnut skins, and puppy dog tails. Freshnfruity. Not the most interesting bottle of this Ive had. Too giggly. (5/10)
Luxardo Fernet Amaro (Italy) Mint-dominated bitterness, very heavily tipped toward the mint. Sort of a blast furnace of an amaro, with neither subtlety nor generosity. Its OK as long as mint is a favored flavor, but one has to be in the right mood. (7/10)
Fernet-Branca Liqueur (Italy) Mint. Nasty, brackish, almost fetid mint. I do not like this, Sam I Am. (7/10)
Umani Ronchi 2004 Rosso Conero San Lorenzo (Marches) Pretty straightforward red fruit, the needle wavering between tangy and merely bright, with some externally-imposed structure. Fair enough. (5/10)
de Conciliis 2008 Fiano Paestum Donnaluna (Campania) Heady, edging up to the precipice of lurid, then pulling back just enough to remain a beverage rather than an artifact. Wax, gravel, herb, and seed combine for both texture and aroma, and while theres the requisite ashen undertone, its layered with structure and richness beyond the usual (5/10)
Bea 2007 Santa Chiara (Umbria) Whitewashed fruit, dried into powder and then reconstituted into something utterly fascinating. Its like drinking light in fine particulate form. Persists, persists, persistsand then its gone, clean and full of memory. Absolutely compelling. (5/10)
Bisson 2007 Golfo del Tigullio Ciliegiolo (Liguria) More interesting than good, with an unfocused burst of random florality and fabric softener luridness. Makes an impression, but Im not sure what that impression is. I keep wanting to like this, but it never quite lives up to its pricewhich is high for a ros. (5/10)
Frecciarossa 2008 Provincia di Pavia Bianco Frizzante Nai (Lombardy) Bright, almost (but not quite) brittle, bringing grass and clean greenness together with lemony citrus broth. Vivid, but only for a moment. Somethings missing here. Length? Breadth? Depth? Pick one. (6/10)
Borgo Scopeto 2000 Borgonero (Tuscany) What once may have been deep-throated strawberry and blackberry fruit has been pushed, wrenched, and twisted into something laden with Botox and fakery. Its recognizable as wine, but further precision would be problematic at best. (5/10)
Montevertine 2004 Pian del Ciampolo (Tuscany) Corked. (5/10)
Brunori 2007 Rosso Piceno Torqus (Marches) Big, over-concentrated fruit that neither deserved nor was prepared for that concentration. And even then, it manages to be a little wan. Berries in popsicle form, dirt, some slightly weedy tannin. Eh. (6/10)
Nera La Novella 2008 Terrazze Retiche di Sondrio Chiavennasca Bianco (Lombardy) Sweet fruit and pretty flowers. Tra-la-la, tra-la-la. Also, green apple, walnut skins, and puppy dog tails. Freshnfruity. Not the most interesting bottle of this Ive had. Too giggly. (5/10)
Luxardo Fernet Amaro (Italy) Mint-dominated bitterness, very heavily tipped toward the mint. Sort of a blast furnace of an amaro, with neither subtlety nor generosity. Its OK as long as mint is a favored flavor, but one has to be in the right mood. (7/10)
Fernet-Branca Liqueur (Italy) Mint. Nasty, brackish, almost fetid mint. I do not like this, Sam I Am. (7/10)
Umani Ronchi 2004 Rosso Conero San Lorenzo (Marches) Pretty straightforward red fruit, the needle wavering between tangy and merely bright, with some externally-imposed structure. Fair enough. (5/10)