A first for me

Dan Donahue

Dan Donahue
For tonight's dinner I pulled a '96 Pieve Santa Restituta Rennina BdM. The nose was in hide 'n seek mode initially, but over time cork taint started to assert its evil presence. After an hour of air I gave up and opened a '99 Felsina CCR (very nice) for dinner and put the Brunello on the counter.

Now, I do like to check later and verify that the TCA reigns supreme; probably something to do with Dominican nuns and juvenile misadventures. A quick taste a few hours later, however, confoundedly revealed that the fruits had opened up and had surpassed the taint. It is still there lurking in the background and you have to give your glass an aggressive swirl to release any aromas, but still this tastes pretty damn good. Good enough that I'm probably going to drink a glass or two and give myself a nice headache.

As an aside, I enjoyed the '06 Burgundy thread's diversion into live performance vs. recordings very much, although I didn't join in as it rapidly became too technical for me. I can read a score, but I can't play anything (my gawd they expect you to count in your head--how distracting is that). Still it inspired me to put on the Oppens recording of Rzewski's The People United as I sip on the BdM. I saw her perform it live when she took it on the road after the premier in the late 70s. It was a memorable experience indeed, but I am glad that I can refresh that memory by playing the recording.
 
Ah but what that were to be true more often...we had a 1982 Chteau La Conseillante last evening that just got nastier and nastier... initially "musty" was the impression then wet cardboard then.. UGHH!!
 
I've also had this happen with Brunello before. I'm not sure if there is any chemistry behind it, but a bottle of Camigliano Brunello (I think 2001, but not certain, maybe 2003) seemed to give us enough fruit and body to overcome the corked taint. But I assumed it was because it was so young. But we didn't finish the bottle; the waitstaff seemed to enjoy it and thanked us profusely.
 
BTW, I have never had a bottle of Felsina that failed to please. If you have a chance to get your hands on some of their olive oil, don't miss out. And I'm not trying to be funny. They really do make great oil.
 
As expected TCA was the ultimate winner by the end of the night.

Bill, thank you for the tip on the Felsina Olive Oil. Felsina is well represented in my cellar, especially since the price on Rancia and Fontalloro moderated a few years ago.
 
Shame to hear about the cork taint. And glad to hear the Felsina went down well. That's one producer I really need to try soon...
 
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