Impressions April 2020

[VLM]

originally posted by Jeff Grossman:
Thanks, Monkey, especially for the COS notes. My favorite local shop tasted the lineup and refused the Cerasuolo normale - he said it seemed thin; he took the rest of the line, though, and has recommended I pickup the Frappato right away.

Re the Caparsa, I think it is a one-man band (well, now father and son, but you get my point).

It *does* seem thin at first blush. It isn't deeply colored or particularly concentrated. It's one of those sneaky length wines. Like some thin carbon tube that's stronger than steel. Lots of complexity.

 

[VLM]

originally posted by Brian C:
Nice notes, thanks Nathan. I love the COS wines.

originally posted by VLM:

2013 Yarra Yering Dry Red N°2 - Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Yarra Valley (4/21/2020)
Wow, I really liked this. I was in the mood for a bigger, fruitier wine than we normally drink and was afraid (despite the reputation of Yarra Yering for restraint) that the wine might be goopy or overblown. Not at all. It was rich for sure, with lots of blackberry and black currant fruit, but there was a strong earthy-cocoa element along with a hint of dark licorice. With some air, a nice floral topnote added to the complexity and the wine firmed up. I also really like the shape of the tannins. I went back to buy some more from the same source, and it was gone. I gotta get better at trying things faster. (94 points)

I remeber there being a firesale of older vintages when the founder passed in 2008. I bought a bunch through Garagiste and they were all pretty thought provoking wines. A lovely restrained touch and grace to the winemaking.

They seem to be more or less unavailable in the US these days. Shame. These types of wines got smeared with the Sparky brush but they're a different beast.

 

[VLM]

originally posted by MarkS:

originally posted by VLM:

2010 Antoniolo Gattinara Castelle - Italy, Piedmont, Northern Piedmont, Gattinara (4/5/2020)
These Antoniolo's are really hitting a sweet spot for me. They show really great depth of fruit and notes of minerals, woods and licorice. A bit of a floral top note as well. I was worried this might be closed but it was delicious. There is still a good bit of structure here and it may even get better with time, but I love this sort of expression when there is still lots of fruit but some other notes have really emerged. (94 points)

I love Antoniolo as well. I always thought the Castelle was the most 'wooded' and modern of the bunch.

There is definitely a modern edge to these wines. Not enough to bother me for whatever reason. I'm not as doctrinaire about cooperage as a lot of folks.

originally posted by MarkS:

2017 Girolamo Russo Etna San Lorenzo - Italy, Sicily, Etna DOC .... I'm not really sold on aging Etna reds much thus far either so I don't know that this will improve in the cellar.

I'm unclear how Etna reds age either, but I still keep trying. I find the more aggressive tannins mellow out but sometimes nothing fills in, sometimes it helps and sometimes it doesn't. The whites seem to have a better trajectory.

That's been exactly my experience. I am going to avoid aggressively tannic ones for the cellar. I just don't think it'll work out in a way I can understand.

originally posted by MarkS:

2017 Domaine Bernard Baudry Chinon Blanc La Croix Boissée ... I still have no idea whether these will continue to improve with longer term aging and I may never find out given how delicious they are at this stage.

Nicely. Just had a 2010 blanc couple weeks back that was beautiful and aging well.

No chance of mine lasting that long except by accident.

originally posted by MarkS:

2013 Yarra Yering Dry Red N°2 - Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Yarra Valley (4/21/2020)
Wow, I really liked this. I was in the mood for a bigger, fruitier wine than we normally drink and was afraid (despite the reputation of Yarra Yering for restraint) that the wine might be goopy or overblown. Not at all. It was rich for sure, with lots of blackberry and black currant fruit, but there was a strong earthy-cocoa element along with a hint of dark licorice. With some air, a nice floral topnote added to the complexity and the wine firmed up. I also really like the shape of the tannins. I went back to buy some more from the same source, and it was gone. I gotta get better at trying things faster. (94 points)

I've only had 2 Yarra Yerring wines before from the 90's that were both memorable. If I could have found more I would definitely be buying more Australian wine beyond the occasional Hunter Valley Semillon!

I'm going to start dipping my toe back in to Australia. This particular style would be nice to have in the rotation.

 

[VLM]

originally posted by Asher:
Great notes. Very evocative.

On the 2015 Caprili, your comment that "it seems to have an oxidative, dried style of fruit and floral notes" perfectly captures the five or so bottles I've opened during the quarantine (at $35/b, it became a recent house wine). Caprili is one of the few Brunello that I will consistently buy because they are traditionally made, family owned and well priced.

Yeah, I really wanted to love this wine. I've met the family a few times as the local importer has a long relationship with them and they seem like great folks. I'm just not sure that Brunello is a wine for me with a few notable exceptions.

 

[VLM]

originally posted by mark e:

originally posted by Jeff Grossman:
Thanks, Monkey, especially for the COS notes. My favorite local shop tasted the lineup and refused the Cerasuolo normale - he said it seemed thin; he took the rest of the line, though, and has recommended I pickup the Frappato right away.

Yes, nice notes on COS. I really enjoy them - even more than Occhipinti, which I find a bit extracted. I laughed about the Cerasuolo being thin. One man's thin, is another's delicate and understated. The reg Frappato remains my favorite, but the amphora wines are quite enjoyable as well. I've stopped buying the whites as I always enjoy their reds more, but they are good, too.

The whites are very particular. The issue with Occhipinti is more with price. The frappato was such a joyful wine but it doesn't really fit what we're doing these days, especially with COS at half the price. There wasn't a dog among all the reds I had and they were all so lively.

 

[Joe Cz]

originally posted by VLM:
I'm going to start dipping my toe back in to Australia. This particular style would be nice to have in the rotation.

Was that a shiver down my spine, or a slight tremor in the universe? You seem way too open-minded to be disorderly. :-)

 

[scottreiner]

originally posted by VLM:

originally posted by Brian C:
Nice notes, thanks Nathan. I love the COS wines.

originally posted by VLM:

2013 Yarra Yering Dry Red N°2 - Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Yarra Valley (4/21/2020)
Wow, I really liked this. I was in the mood for a bigger, fruitier wine than we normally drink and was afraid (despite the reputation of Yarra Yering for restraint) that the wine might be goopy or overblown. Not at all. It was rich for sure, with lots of blackberry and black currant fruit, but there was a strong earthy-cocoa element along with a hint of dark licorice. With some air, a nice floral topnote added to the complexity and the wine firmed up. I also really like the shape of the tannins. I went back to buy some more from the same source, and it was gone. I gotta get better at trying things faster. (94 points)

I remeber there being a firesale of older vintages when the founder passed in 2008. I bought a bunch through Garagiste and they were all pretty thought provoking wines. A lovely restrained touch and grace to the winemaking.

They seem to be more or less unavailable in the US these days. Shame. These types of wines got smeared with the Sparky brush but they're a different beast.

They are fantastic wines, which I unfortunately have not drank for years. Verity seems to cary them in NYC, but I am not sure of the availability.