2006 Les Crêtes Torrette Vigne Les Toules [Petit Rouge] (Valle d'Aosta DOC, northwestern Italy) cork closure, 12.5% - imported to USA by DSWE, New York, New York – my first Petit Rouge – appears see-thru cranberry, smell explosive out of bottle, bit of game and dried cranberries, rich floral, very nice, mouthfeel is delicate, taste cranberry lightly layered with lavender and lightly volatile acidity, this wine is like drinking violets, after a day, it is too beautiful to leave for any longer, nothing in particular about it that makes it catching, but I adored adored adored this wine, it was so beautiful, I wish I could do the tasting equivalent of just starting at it for hours, lovely, paired better with a wonderfully fatty and sweeter, yet bright and spicy duck pâté with pistachios embedded and tastes of indian spices with a touch of oil within than it did with a rougher and chewier beef pâté wrapped with some pancetta and prunes embedded within—I liked both, however, very different indeed. Also went nicely with a Ossau Iraty sheep's milk cheese from the Pyrenees in southwestern France which was fatty, nutty, mild and bright, with a bit of grittiness within—so fatty as to be gluey, I really liked it.
2007 Elio Grasso Dolcetto d'Alba dei grassi (Dolcetto d'Alba DOC, Piemonte, northwestern Italy) cork closure, 14% - imported to USA by Oliver McCrum Wines, Richmond, California – appears darker crimson, smell dark and brooding, slight burnt hair, jumpy nose, very finely tuned mouthfeel with some medium crunchy tannins, taste currents of electricity on the first day, but that fades, violets, minerals, iron, really nice combo of juicy light fruit then dark intense chewy tannins, delicious. The kind of wine that really, really makes me miss having access to a grill—I savor some charcoal with this wine. Couldn't taste any alcohol, but seemed like I did feel it a bit . . . but that just meant popping the cork back in and more to save for the following days!