WTN: Two Reds for the Holiday
Posted: Mon Apr 24, 2006 12:42 amGreetings All:
I promised myself that I'd stop lurking and start posting here, so this evening is as good a time as any. I've gained much benefit from all of your posts on this site over the last few years; thus it's payback time!
TN: 1999 Stag's Leap Cabernet Sauvignon - Napa Valley $38 and 2001 Secco Bertani Valpolicella Ripassa $13.
Minimal nose, with a slightly nutty aroma. Very sweet cedar and full dark fruits on the palate. Completely resolved tannins, and moderate length to the finish. Ready to drink now. So which wine am I describing? Both of them!
My brother and I had opened these about a half hour before dinner in a house full of people. He tried the Cab first while I went for the Valpolicella. After he took a sip out of my glass, he exclaimed that I too had mistakenly poured the Cab into my glass rather than the Val. Not so!
Truth be told, we were quite surprised to find that both wines were identical in flavor in this setting. I suppose that if we'd had some quiet time to compare these more carefully, we'd have been able to parse out a difference or two. Perhaps more air time would have been useful also. This was for me a slight disappointment as I enjoy regional differences in wine. Converesly, my brother was thrilled with them both given his preference for a modern, international style.
I promised myself that I'd stop lurking and start posting here, so this evening is as good a time as any. I've gained much benefit from all of your posts on this site over the last few years; thus it's payback time!
TN: 1999 Stag's Leap Cabernet Sauvignon - Napa Valley $38 and 2001 Secco Bertani Valpolicella Ripassa $13.
Minimal nose, with a slightly nutty aroma. Very sweet cedar and full dark fruits on the palate. Completely resolved tannins, and moderate length to the finish. Ready to drink now. So which wine am I describing? Both of them!
My brother and I had opened these about a half hour before dinner in a house full of people. He tried the Cab first while I went for the Valpolicella. After he took a sip out of my glass, he exclaimed that I too had mistakenly poured the Cab into my glass rather than the Val. Not so!
Truth be told, we were quite surprised to find that both wines were identical in flavor in this setting. I suppose that if we'd had some quiet time to compare these more carefully, we'd have been able to parse out a difference or two. Perhaps more air time would have been useful also. This was for me a slight disappointment as I enjoy regional differences in wine. Converesly, my brother was thrilled with them both given his preference for a modern, international style.
