Italian wines in January in Italy:- a selection of the more interesting drunk, eschewing reports on average chianti these are aged or unusual in some fashion...with a ringer...
1985 Sassicaia : this was one of the wines which gave this label the huge imprimatur it carries today - and the ridiculous price tag. It si a legitimate Super Tuscan which is in the Bordeaux mould but with “more†in that the CS is blended with not only cabernet franc but, I thought, some Sangiovese as there is a savoury taste I associate with that grape - albeit I don’t know whether there is any prescribed. Relatively medium weight alcohol (13.5%) but ample weight and style it was fascinating next to
1988 Sassicaia from a lighter vintage but the wine which I seem to recall WS made famous.
Both wines drank superbly - and neither looked as if they would fall over in a hurry but the 1985 just possessed greater complexity (and I donÂ’t think the 88 will improve)
1990 Tignanello another super-Tuscan drinking at its zenith this wine will not rival the Sassicaia (but neither will its price) albeit not cheap. Perhaps this is what all Tignanellos aim for with much savouriness (sangiovese) and a strong backbone from the CS to provide structure. Having tasted this wine on a number of prior occasions I was happy to say that the bottle drunk was superb.
2000 Tignanello whatever greatness 2000 Bordeaux possesses, I cannot give the same accolade to that vintage in Tuscany and it si not a patch on 1995, 1997, 1999 or even 1998 - and never will be. The price range from about 50 euro to 95 euros for this current release I found a little mysterious but believe that it is the product of an average vintage which will produce simpler wines of early drinkability rather than more complex and ageworthy style.
2003 Sanct Valentin Gewurtztraminer (Alto0 Adige): regarded as Italy’s best gewurtz (and rated by some Italians as world class), I would respectfully place it some distance below the best of Alsace and Germany. Certainly lychee on the nose and floral hit with some acid retained it will not gain the complexity (IMHO) of the best but avoids the simplicity of “grape juice†prevalent in the next rank below
2002 Lodai (Fertuna sp?) Part shiraz and part sangiovese it is an oddity in Italy for the shiraz component and termendously interesting as a result. I am not sure that the shiraz is the ideal complement to sangiovese as it does not provide the structure and I suggest that this wine will not go the distance of the best super-Tuscans.
2001 Lagrein Riserva Taber not my style of pinot or other all berry (raspberry mainly) with hint of sweetness on nose. 13.5% alcohol with a lot of acid in front and middle palate but falling away in back palate - still interesting
2000 Bradissimo Veneto Rosso (near Vicenza) this is a 13.5% alcohol combination of cabernet sauvignon and Carmenere which produces a style most similar to a cabernet-merlot, with the Carmenere presumably softening the CS but there is an oddity on the mid-palate which is most suggestive of the difference which I would almost call a stiffness to the wine that makes you sit up and take notice. Not being sufficiently familiar with Carmenere I can only guess as to the difference of vintage given my comments on the 2000 as a whole ...
1999 Osar (Masi) the truly unusual as pardon my ignorance but I had never knowingly encountered the Oseleta grape (85%) which was blended with Corvina (15%) and 2 years in barrique 13.9%. This maker - known for topline Amarone - produced something unbelievable with this wine: purple/black colour - truffle on the nose followed by dark unsweetened chocolate and savoury gamey qualities the nose alone is a serious challenge to anyone who thinks theyÂ’ve “seen it allÂâ€Â. The wine needs food and went brilliantly with truffled beef - but I was curious how it ages -so compared it with the 1995 vintage (not available generally but an odd bottle through a generous sommelier acquaintance) which displayed remarkably surprising complexity (given the apparent open style on the palate of the younger wine) and it was a distinct prvilege to try these 2 wines from this hitherto unknown grape. The grape is typically harvested later than all other reds (according to my informant) but not given the “raisin†treatment of Amarone. Based on the 1995 I estimate that this wine could improve - or at least gain maturity for an additional decade but the complete unusual nature of the wine leaves me guessing as to what that “fully mature†wine would be like...anyway I would happily go back for more...and will!
1979 Louis Guntrum Oppenheimer Herrenberg Scheurebe TBA : only 8.5% from Nierstein but stunning dessert wine after more than a quarter of a century in a very cold storage....want more - much more and so different from the more common sweeter wines of Oz - not to mention sauternes (which I also love), this rekindled memories of a JJ Prum 1971 TBA....(no, Gladys, it does NOT stand for “to be advised†in this instance)
1999 Barolo (Prunotto) contrasting with 1985 and 1989 same producer barolo: classic nebbiolo shown with appropriate age convinces me that 1999 will be an excellent vintage for this producer - but needs time and a half. I am a fervent believer in ageing barolo and that young (even with a number of hours decanting) they just will not show their stuff but the 1999 has me believing that it will sit up there with the other 2 great vintages from this producer. I chose this wine to highlight because of the chance to drink 3 vintages together (as opposed to great conterno, giacosa etc where the opportunity for comparison was not present). Unfortunately in Oz we see the lesser barolos and generally far too young and no one has yet done much more than fiddle with the grape variety when grown on this continent