WTN: pizza and a six (seven) pack

[John W.]

A few of us gathered last Sunday to relax, catch up, or at least be in a house with electricity. A couple of excellent Italian Store pizzas provided the nourishment.

Fiano di Avellino, Fuedi di San Gregorio, 2002

Aromas of crushed rocks, pear, and lemon rind. Flint and more mineral notes combine with pear and green apple on the palate. Medium body and finish, nice crisp acidity. Definitely a food wine.

Valhalla "Cornucopia" (75% Cab Franc, 18% Syrah, 7% Cab Sauvignon), North Fork of Roanoke, VA, 1999

Light in color and already fading a bit on the tongue. Very fragrant wine with blackberry, spice and sweet tobacco aromas, with a definite meaty streak (some said fresh raw tuna). Black tea, overripe berry and vanilla flavors round out this interesting wine. I think the fruit was cooked a touch, but it's definitely a fun drink.

Viognier, Darioush, 2000, Napa Valley

Definitive aromas of kirsch, pear, dried apricot and brown sugar. Kirsch is confirmed on the palate, along with caramel and oatmeal flavors, with a hint of wood. More of a science project then anything. Not terribly enjoyable, lacking the enticing fragrance this wine is known for. Lends credence to the "drink this year's viognier before the next one comes out" statement by Steve Devitt, Darioush's winemaker.

Zinfandel, Robert Craig, Amador, 1997

Brick red in color, fading a bit on the edge. Obvious nose of coca-cola and dark berries. Primary fruit has started to fade. Flavors of cherry coke, black raspberries, dried strawberry and vanilla are supported by still-present tannins, this wine finishes pretty long to boot. Not a big fan of zin, especially from Amador, but I was quite pleasantly surprised.

Cabernet Sauvignon, Marques de Casa Concha, Puente Alto, Chile, 2001

Purple hued with lots of extraction showing in the legs. Aromas of currant, dried bing cherry and sage combine with a touch of bell pepper and olive, plus a smell I always identify as insecticide that blows off (It's not offensive). Flavors of smoke, creme de cassis and cherry. Very good tannin structure, pretty long finish. This wine seems to be the flavor of the month in the local papers and wine stores. I think it retails for $13.99 here. Pretty good value.

Chateanuef du Pape, Guigal, 2001

Intense ruby/purple color. Dense sweet plum, crushed raspberry, pepper and spice aromas. Walls of raspberry, cherry, plum and black pepper flavors seem to last for awhile. Definitely alcohol in this one. I bought a case of it, wanted to see where it starts. Probably will visit this one again in 5 years or so.

Cabernet Sauvignon, Dalla Valle, Napa Valley, 1990

Consisent ruby color throughout. Beautiful lead pencil, creme de cassis and sage aromas. Elegantly structured with attractive blueberry, herb and currant notes. Still seemingly youthful. I would love to drink a bottle of this wine a day. This is how I like my CA cabs to taste. Consensus was that we drank this bottle when all the planets were aligned, or at least was payback for the storm.