Saina Nieminen
Saina Nieminen
Quatrovinos Sigla 4 2008
A blend from Maipo of Syrah, Cab Sauv, Petit Verdot; 14% abv. Very dark. It smells of blackcurrant juice with a slight savoury twist. Full bodied and fruity but nicely tannic and with adequate acidity. The 12 months in oak only show a little. It is ok for a Chilean wine, but I am not hugely excited. But it is good to see something slightly different being made in Chile.
M. Doudet-Naudin Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru Les Serpentières 1999
Elegantly rustic. Perhaps more Musar than Savigny, however. Not overtly bretty to my tastes, however.
Le Fracce Villa Rajna Pinot Nero Provincia di Pavia IGT 2009
An uncomplicated and fun wine that gave me much pleasure: sweet aromas, typical of the grape, some pleasant tartness.
Westvleteren 8
I thought it quite boring despite some interesting funky/animal aromas: sweet, soft, not crisp enough to really be interesting. Why this is considered the holy grail of Trappist beers is incomprehensible to me. I'll stick to Orval.
Yannick Amirault Bourgueil La Coudraye 2009
13% abv. Dark fruit, very ripe but gladly not too ripe, some nice tobacco and earth aromas. Dry and refreshingly tannic, has enough fruit to be drinkable now, but ideally should see a bit more age for the tannins to become less drying; moderate acidity; rich and full bodied for a "basic" cuvée. Very nice and wonderfully perfumed even though I usually prefer a less slick and less ripe style of Cab Franc.
Ca' del Bosco Franciacorta "Satèn" 2005
39,90; 12,5% abv; 70% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Bianco; aged for at least 46 months before disgorgement
I love Bl de Bl Champagne and I have long heard that Ca' del Bosco's "Satèn" is supposed to be one of the better Chardonnay-dominant wines from outside Champagne and that it is in most years very like a Bl de Bl Champagne.
And, for once, its reputation seemed true! At first it had lovely apple and mineral aromas; it gets strong bread aromas quickly after opening. Crisp, racy and steely yet there seems to be sun/fruit coiled up inside this structure that is bursting to get out. If Pierre Peters made fizz in a warmer/sunnier place, I can imagine it tasting like this. Great stuff, and considering the general price of fizz in Finland it isn't even as drastically over-priced for this quality as most others!
Trimbach Gewurztraminer 2007
14% abv; 4,4 g/l acidity; 9 g/l RS
I must admit first of all that I rarely enjoy this grape; but I must also admit that my experiences with Ribeaupierre have almost made me a convert.
This "basic" Gewurz isn't as interesting as the Ribeaupierre, but I still liked it. The scent is sweet and spicy - my "madeleine" that always takes me back to the souqs of Damascus and Aleppo. Rich and sweetish (but not cloying and not such a sucrosity that I would have thought RS; instead it manifested itself more as what just healthy, ripe grapes are like; but perhaps there isn't an organoleptic way to distinguish them), but refreshing though not very acidic. Very clean and pure finish. Nice!
After work I didn't feel much like cooking so I bought some takeaway Indian chicken curry. Though not a hot curry, the alcohol of the wine was accentuated by the spices and the match was certainly not good. I do like a Nebbiolo with curry, but generally I think high alcohol wines just do not work with spicy food.
Since a big chicken curry isn't quite enough for two, I did make a side of spinach with nutmeg - and that did work well with the wine. The slight bitterness of the food and the slight sweetness of the wine completed each other.
A blend from Maipo of Syrah, Cab Sauv, Petit Verdot; 14% abv. Very dark. It smells of blackcurrant juice with a slight savoury twist. Full bodied and fruity but nicely tannic and with adequate acidity. The 12 months in oak only show a little. It is ok for a Chilean wine, but I am not hugely excited. But it is good to see something slightly different being made in Chile.
M. Doudet-Naudin Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru Les Serpentières 1999
Elegantly rustic. Perhaps more Musar than Savigny, however. Not overtly bretty to my tastes, however.
Le Fracce Villa Rajna Pinot Nero Provincia di Pavia IGT 2009
An uncomplicated and fun wine that gave me much pleasure: sweet aromas, typical of the grape, some pleasant tartness.
Westvleteren 8
I thought it quite boring despite some interesting funky/animal aromas: sweet, soft, not crisp enough to really be interesting. Why this is considered the holy grail of Trappist beers is incomprehensible to me. I'll stick to Orval.
Yannick Amirault Bourgueil La Coudraye 2009
13% abv. Dark fruit, very ripe but gladly not too ripe, some nice tobacco and earth aromas. Dry and refreshingly tannic, has enough fruit to be drinkable now, but ideally should see a bit more age for the tannins to become less drying; moderate acidity; rich and full bodied for a "basic" cuvée. Very nice and wonderfully perfumed even though I usually prefer a less slick and less ripe style of Cab Franc.
Ca' del Bosco Franciacorta "Satèn" 2005
39,90; 12,5% abv; 70% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Bianco; aged for at least 46 months before disgorgement
I love Bl de Bl Champagne and I have long heard that Ca' del Bosco's "Satèn" is supposed to be one of the better Chardonnay-dominant wines from outside Champagne and that it is in most years very like a Bl de Bl Champagne.
And, for once, its reputation seemed true! At first it had lovely apple and mineral aromas; it gets strong bread aromas quickly after opening. Crisp, racy and steely yet there seems to be sun/fruit coiled up inside this structure that is bursting to get out. If Pierre Peters made fizz in a warmer/sunnier place, I can imagine it tasting like this. Great stuff, and considering the general price of fizz in Finland it isn't even as drastically over-priced for this quality as most others!
Trimbach Gewurztraminer 2007
14% abv; 4,4 g/l acidity; 9 g/l RS
I must admit first of all that I rarely enjoy this grape; but I must also admit that my experiences with Ribeaupierre have almost made me a convert.
This "basic" Gewurz isn't as interesting as the Ribeaupierre, but I still liked it. The scent is sweet and spicy - my "madeleine" that always takes me back to the souqs of Damascus and Aleppo. Rich and sweetish (but not cloying and not such a sucrosity that I would have thought RS; instead it manifested itself more as what just healthy, ripe grapes are like; but perhaps there isn't an organoleptic way to distinguish them), but refreshing though not very acidic. Very clean and pure finish. Nice!
After work I didn't feel much like cooking so I bought some takeaway Indian chicken curry. Though not a hot curry, the alcohol of the wine was accentuated by the spices and the match was certainly not good. I do like a Nebbiolo with curry, but generally I think high alcohol wines just do not work with spicy food.
Since a big chicken curry isn't quite enough for two, I did make a side of spinach with nutmeg - and that did work well with the wine. The slight bitterness of the food and the slight sweetness of the wine completed each other.