- 2002 Georg Breuer Rüdesheim Orléans - Germany, Rheingau (1/4/2009)
Bottle #169/400; from reputedly 200yo vines! - could it really be so? A very pure and elegant scent, very mineral and citrussy. Concentrated but very elegant, pure, ripe and sweet fruit but I would imagine quite low in RS; pétillant and vibrant and very, very lively. I thought this was a fantastic wine.
Then we had the main flight. All I knew was it was Tuscans and the maximum Parker points were 93 (strange info given...) - which was alarmingly high considering our tastes!
- 2000 Antinori Tignanello Toscana IGT - Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT (1/4/2009)
Blind. Seemingly the most advanced wine of the evening with plenty of sous-bois, tobacco, dark cherry and also some brighter red fruit notes. Very full bodied, sweet even, but with a pleasant kick of acidity providing brightness on the finish. Strangely advanced, yet the maturity was also much of the appeal. Nice. - 1998 Antinori Tignanello Toscana IGT - Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT (1/4/2009)
Corked. NR (flawed) - 2004 Antinori Tignanello Toscana IGT - Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT (1/4/2009)
Blind. Oaky and lactic, dark fruit, very sweet and open, but not showing much Sangiovese character despite some sandalwood. Full bodied, very sweet and oaky, but with a lovely tannic and acidic brightness to counter the sweetness. I think it might turn out ok once the oak and fruit start to fade. - 2003 Antinori Tignanello Toscana IGT - Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT (1/4/2009)
Blind. A very sweet and red scent: strawberry jam. The palate was full bodied and flabby. Not as catastrophic as many other 2003s but not really to my taste. - 1999 Antinori Tignanello Toscana IGT - Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT (1/4/2009)
Blind. This might have been my favourite of the tasting. This and the '97 where the only ones that to me showed obvious Sangiovese aromatics. Bright, red cherry aromas, sandalwood, pure even having lost the overt oak that younger Tignanellos seem to have. Very full bodied and sweet in fruit, but lively, quite high in acid, still refreshing tannins - it was actually very moreish. Nice! - 2004 Cosimo Maria Masini Nicolo Maremma Toscana IGT - Italy, Tuscany, Maremma, Maremma Toscana IGT (1/4/2009)
Cabernet Sauvignon. Blind. It fit right in with the Tignanello theme and was therefore a perfect ringer. Dark fruit but pleasantly lifted, seemed quite oaky (though when revealed we were told it sees only used wood!), sweet. Full body, very sweet, good upright tannins and acidity but the whole seemed quite oak forward and darker toned in fruit than I prefer. - 1997 Antinori Tignanello Toscana IGT - Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT (1/4/2009)
Blind. Alongside the '99 this was my favourite of the tasting as it showed an obvious Sangiovese character of bright, red fruit and sandalwood. So it might be a bit sweeter than my Platonic ideal of the grape but it had good structure from both refreshing tannins and bright acidity and frankly most aspects of the wine didn't seem like they would come from such a warm year. Refreshing and moreish despite the sweet fruit. Nice! - 2001 Antinori Tignanello Toscana IGT - Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT (1/4/2009)
Blind. So different from the other wines of the evening that we were all sure this was the ringer. A dark toned scent, heavy handed oak, inky and unrefreshing scent. Full bodied palate, flat and sorely lacking in liveliness despite there being seemingly good levels of acidity. More obviously "modern" in style than the other Tignanellos.
Finally we had a blind cleaning-up wine, which alongside the lovely Orléans was my favourite wine of the evening (perhaps not a surprise to anyone):
- 2007 Frank Cornelissen Etna contadino 5 - Italy, Sicily, Etna DOC (1/4/2009)
Blind: What a lovely wine! Very sweet, red fruit aromas and plenty of earthiness - it reminded me of Spätburgunder but was much better than any Spätburgunder that I have ever had. So lively and energetic that it must be "natural wine", sweet but immensely refreshing, bright and extremely moreish. Lovely stuff!