WTN: Catching up on some notes

[Brad Ballinger]

I've been traveling quite a bit for work. As I sit in a Singapore hotel taking a break from the heat, I thought it best to catch up on some notes.

1999 H. de Montille Volnay. I brought this to the Netherlands with me looking for some wine types from my company to join me in drinking it. Finding none, I was on my own. This is, simply put, a pretty bottle of wine. In light levels, but well balanced, there is tart fruit, warm spice, buoyant acids. An earthy spine keeps everything together.

1996 R. Monnier Meursault, Le Chavalieres Premier Cru. This wine I was able to share. I was leading a distribution simulation called The Beer Game. I promised people they could drink beer during it (this was after dinner), but also provided wine for those few who didn't drink beer. Monnier's wines have only been so-so for my palate -- neither remarkable nor offensive. This one was firmly in that spectrum. The wine may still be on the young side. The aromas were apple/pear with a hint of oak. Creamy texture on the palate, with a decent combination of citrus and pear flavors. Enough acid to keep it intersting. Turns slightly woodsy on the finish. This was sipped on its own, and might have done better with some cheese.

2002 Domaine Metrat Fleurie "La Roilette" Vieilles Vignes. This was the red wine I offered during The Beer Game. Only one taker, which left plenty for me in the bottle to watch a poorly played soccer match between Netherlands and Germany afterwards. If I called the Volnay pretty, I don't know how to take that word to the next level to decribe this wine. This was a glorious wine. Beautifully perfumed, tremendous finesse. Equally enjoyable to smell and drink. Superb balance, and offers more complexity with every sip.

1999 Gini Recioto di Soave. There's a pleasant spiciness to this wine, but in the long run there's simply too much oak that shows up. Nice extraction of fruit, some live-preserving acidity, but it suffers from all the oak treatment -- both in fermentation and aging.

1999 Felsina Chianti Classico. For one of the two evenings I was home before flying off to Singapore, my wife and I shared this wine. If I look hard, I can probably find more of it. And that's something I'll be sure to do. This is a great CC. There is so much spice, graphite minerality, bright cherry fruit, and acid that make the wine a great food partner for a variety of dishes.

[Rieslingfan]

Felsina is my "go-to" Chianti. I just love the stuff. I'm still drinking the '97, which is just gorgeous right now. The '99s will be in the drinking queue starting next year.

Any thoughts on the '97 Reserva or Rancia? I've got a couple of each in the bins.

[Brad Ballinger]

Felsina is my "go-to" Chianti. I just love the stuff. I'm still drinking the '97, which is just gorgeous right now. The '99s will be in the drinking queue starting next year.

Any thoughts on the '97 Reserva or Rancia? I've got a couple of each in the bins.

I haven't had those. I have a 97 Rancia (one only) I'm sitting on. The 95 Rancia is drinking nice, though. FWIW.