1995 Caprai, Sagrantino di Montefalco 25 Anni:
13.5% alcohol and, in its youth, perhaps the most tannic wine I have encountered; now, wonderful warm fruit, tar and earth nose (similar to Barolo but higher pitched) with hints of dark cherry compote and marjoram; still quite tannic but now, at least, the fruit shows through, bright, intense; chalky finish that dries toward the very end. For drinking with very flavorful, fatty food and a chaser of water handy. Considerable sediment required decanting.
2007 Bjørnstad, Pinot Noir Hellenthal Vnyd.:
Yum! A dose of whole cluster comes across on the nose (even though there was none) but with the non-green aspects of that element and plenty of texture (or at least, suggestions of texture); complete in the mouth with the terroir being every bit as important as the fruit, good textures and integration, lovely secondary qualities and a medium length finish. I like this wine, despite its 14.4% alcohol, which never evidences itself. Best guess; given a decade or so this wine will be as special as the Cronin (below) but more elegant.
1994 Dalla Valle, Maya:
This is incomplete – it reminds me of a road that was just resurfaced and the remarking isn’t finished yet – one solid straight line right down the middle and nothing at all at the sides – not a bad wine but falling well short of being what it could/should be. A bit drying on the finish. Eh?!
1995 Cronin, Pinot Noir:
Aged Santa Cruz Mtn. wine that is really special; the nose is layered, includes good fruit tones and some earth accents but is also loaded with those secondary and tertiary notes that make pinot so ethereal – rotting leaves, truffles, undergrowth, dried herbs, an old steamer trunk – this is the nose I search for; almost as good in the mouth with the same dynamic complexity, electric blackberry/black raspberry flavors, a little less in the texture and roundness department but makes up for it in length. All things considered, one of the most character driven domestic pinots I’ve had in a long while and fully mature, at that. Thanks Steve.
Best, Jim