Tenuta Campo di Sasso (Marchese Lodovico Antinori) Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc Mount Nelson 2009
Thanks to my parents, who brought this home from Bolgheri, where this was sold to them by the shop that hitherto supplied Ornellaia’s Poggio alle Gazze. Medium-light strawy-minty colour. Relatively brightly if straightforwardly minty-grapefruity gooseberry and green apple, with perhaps a hint at guava, barely medium body, acidity and length. Rating: 83+/-?
Maximin Grünhaus Riesling Spätlese Herrenberg 2006
Tasted in passing at a local wine shop, when the wine merchant offered to open a bottle. A slightly closed and bland medium-weight for Grünhaus. Not too sweet. Quite good, lightly flinty minerality but little subtlety. Medium acidity and length. Rating: 84(-?)
Casa al Vento (Cristina & Kurt Haller) Vino da Tavola Tosco 2007
Thanks to my parents. Medium-full purple-ruby-red. The best Tosco (a Chianti in all but name/declaration) Cristina and Kurt Haller have made so far, Andreas Stössel apparently believes. We are not sure we prefer it to the 2006, but it is certainly a deep, almost opaque purple-ruby Chianti (in all but name), with almost chewing gum like sweetness to the (wholly inartificial) fruit. “Less backbone, less differentiated” than the Monteraponi, as my mother noted. Rating: 86+?
Azienda Agricola Monteraponi Chianti Classico 2007
Thanks to my parents. One of the most noteworthy, more traditional-styled, serious, structured and firm Chiantis I have tasted in a long time. Full ruby-red, soft black hue. Lightly walnutty-evolved, if not at all in a negative way, just old-style (and quite possibly the vintage – curious to sample others). Quite complex, lovely fruit. Soft Chianti metal and especially mineral underpinning. Firm tannin, nice acidity. Good body and length. Rating: 88(+?)
Moric Blaufränkisch 2007
Tasted in passing at a local wine shop, when the wine merchant offered to open a bottle. Pretty, medium-light ripe raspberry and other berries wrapped around a little lightly nutty-oaky tannin, all in all nicely balanced, a bit simple and straightforward, but tasty. Rating: 86
Fiorenzo Nada Barbaresco Rombone 1997
Identical to the bottle last month, glad to report this has entered a plateau of maturity that makes it impossible to keep one’s paws off. Youthful emphasis on freshness of fruit and nicely lively acidity for the vintage, complex and nicely firm wine, perfect with food yet gripping enough to have on its own, too. Quite long on finish. Rating: 93(-?)
Luciano Sandrone Barolo Le Vigne 2004
Thanks to Remo, from a 24 hours open bottle from the fridge, tasted at the pool hall. Thought this fractionally thicker or fatter with “fruit” (still not a fruity wine in the modern sense) than the last two samples of this wine, exhibiting greater density and more tannin, quite complex and not too oak-induced at all, a promising wine. Fairly, if not entirely resistant to oxidation in the open bottle. Rating: 92+/93(+?)
Schäfer-Fröhlich Riesling Trocken Bockenauer Felseneck 2008
Quite modern interpretation of a Trocken, some peachy herbs and hay, noticeable “sweet” 13% alcohol, quite bubbly with CO2, relatively smooth for the vintage, medium length on the finish, warming with alcohol. Rating: 86+?
Greetings from Switzerland, David.
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„J'ai gâché vingt ans de mes plus belles années au billard. Si c'était à refaire, je recommencerais.“ – Roger Conti
