Archive for October, 2014

Tuscan wines are the feature this release and I can state there are good quality wines to be found at both ends of the pricing structure. Not too many other wines to report on as little else was sent to sample. There is a Chilean sub release, but my palate was done after tasting these big Tuscan beauts.

378257 BANFI BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO 2009 $59.95
An enticing nose built of black raspberry, berry, dark caramel, espresso, polished wood and treacle. The palate has other ideas about drinkability though, it is tight, showing a little red fruit, bay leaf, sweet spice and plenty of gripping tannin on the finish. Find this wine

315150 CASTELLO D’ALBOLA RISERVA CHIANTI CLASSICO 2008 $22.95
Some pretty aromas of perfumed black fruit, thyme, cherry, tree bark and cigar leaf; sadly a little lean on the palate, tannins are dusty, but non aggressive. Find this wine

164707 LEONARDO CHIANTI RISERVA 2010 $19.95
Quite intense and stimulating, with a smoky/bacon note backed up with clove, plum, dried fruit and cave air. Fruit on the palate is quite dense showing off dark cherry and plummy flavours that render a decent wine for the price. Find this wine

222810 ROCCA DI CASTAGNOLI CHIANTI CLASSICO 2011 $17.00
A nice perfumed nose with heaps of plum, blackberry, fresh flowers and sweet spice leading to a slightly sweetish palate, but nonetheless, it has good solid dark fruit, gentle tannin and a soft texture. It is a tasty and nicely balanced wine. Find this wine

943670 AVIGNONESI VINO NOBILE DI MONTEPULCIANO 2011 $35.95
Laden with sweet fruit aromas, black cherry and fig take centre stage, but are supported well by notes of cured meat, Asian spice box and black tea. Chewy and ripe, the palate is full of flavours of damson, cherry and chocolate; there are some assertive tannins, but no bitterness whatsoever. Give this a couple of years and it will be a stunner. Find this wine

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It has been awhile since I was able to get to Vintages pre-release tasting and I was so pumped to attend the latest one, as Sonoma is the feature and wines from my favourite part of California have long held a special place in my heart. There is a secondary release of Piedmontese wines that is another region I have great memories of, and much to my delight, the board sent most of the red wines from both. Please read on.

148536 PAHLMEYER PINOT NOIR 2011 Sonoma Coast $100.95
Sonoma Coast produces some of the silkiest and sensational Pinot in Sonoma and this is no exception. It starts out showing plenty of sexy red fruit combined with Dutch licorice, dates, coffee cream and creamy caramel. The palate is laden with plum and dark cherry, and has perfect balance, showing the right amount of sweetness and gentle, but supportive tannins. Find this wine

215210 FLOWERS SONOMA COAST CHARDONNAY 2012 Sonoma Coast $64.95
Beautifully crafted, showing cooler climate traits of Chardonnay, with layer of after layer of guava, citrus, mineral and pear. Oak is deftly administered; the acids are pristine and refreshing, the finish is sublime. Find this wine

982413 RIDGE LYTTON SPRINGS 2012 Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County $52.95
Dark and deceitful, the noses allures one with aromas of warm brambleberry pie, Fry’s chocolate cream bar, blueberry, dried cherry, iron and mineral. All is great, but the fun stops here as the palate is almost backward, dusty and forceful, the fruit is there, but the tannins have serious grip, suggesting cellar time will bring the wonders of this wine onto the playing field. Find this wine

203208 FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA DIRECTOR’S CUT ZINFANDEL 2011 Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County $32.95
Not being a fan of Coppola’s wine I am happy to find pleasing aromas of mocha, tobacco, dark currant, raspberry, underbrush and plenty of peppery spice. It carries a solid fruit laden palate with good acidity and a sound finish. Find this wine

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Now that I have a little down time after lots of singing and playing during the summer, I’ve been going through various folders to try and catch up with posting notes on some damned good wines we’ve tried over the last few months. For instance, the 2013 Bonny Doon California Vin Gris de Cigare that we reported on in our Six Rosés entry from July was actually from a 6-pack sent for review by Randall Grahm & Co. several months ago. We had other rosés to review, so separating the Vin Gris from the other five seemed like the obvious thing to do at the time, but what about those other Doons?

Well, we got to four of them eventually, but the Vinferno Grenache Blanc was the holdup for this report, because we just never did take the time to check it out. Finally, I said enough is enough. This needed to be resolved in short order, so I took one for the team, twisted off the Stelvin and made it happen last night. Here then are our impressions of those remaining five wines from Bonny Doon’s spring release, which were all tasted here during the past three months. (Click images to enlarge.)
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