WTN: Weekend wines

[Jean Brislance]

On Saturday, I gathered with several friends for a dinner party. Everyone brought some appetizers and a little wine, and I brought my homemade Bolognese sauce. Here are the three Italians we drank:

2000 Masi Ripasso “Campofiorin” Rosso del Veronese - A rather rustic and earthy nose, with dark fruit, a nice bit of funk to it as well. Flavors of red berries, dark dried fruit, some pepper and spice. Some pleasant floral notes too as it opened up a little. The flavors leaned toward the subtle side, displaying restraint. Lighter to medium bodied, good acidity, tannins that are on the softer side, and well-balanced. I thought this was a solid food wine. Rustic, nothing fancy, but it was tasty and cleansing on the palate.

2001 Zenato Ripassa Valpolicella Superiore - Masi says “Ripasso”, Zenato says “Ripassa”! This wine showed more of a fruit presence on the nose than did the Masi. Definitely a more powerful wine than the Masi, showing lots of dark dried fruit aromas. Flavors of raisiny dark dried fruits, with a hint of sweetness, and also a nice herbaceous quality , showing some fresh thyme and mixed dried herbs as well. The texture was fairly smooth, with fine grained tannins, and the finish was long and flavorful. Very tasty and enjoyable.

2001 Planeta Nero d’Avola “Santa Cecilia” Sicilia - A pretty nose of red berries, flowers, and a hint of tar. Really nice fruit flavors in this one, with lovely red berry and cranberry notes, along with a pleasant smoky, tarry, and mineral presence as well. There is some oak here too, but it did not seem overblown. I thought this might be a powerful wine, but I found it displayed some elegance as opposed to power, which was nice. The flavors were very up front on the palate, and then the tannins clamp down and don’t give up very much at all. This was still very tight, even after a good hour in the glass. I will be giving my remaining bottle some time. I think this has a chance of being really lovely when the tannins settle down.

There were two additional non-Italians opened that I did not take any notes on. From memory, one was a 2000 Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley that showed a lot of dark fruit and oak, and also had a "green" edge to it. I didn’t find this to my liking at all. The other was a 2001 Toasted Head Meritage, which was a simple fruit bomb, with some powerful dark berry, dark fruit, and vanilla. A crowd-pleasing party wine...quaffable, fruit-forward, with a goopy deliciousness, and not a lot of structure.

And, two Germans from yesterday…

2002 Schloss Schonborn Riesling Kabinett Rheingau - No village or vineyard designation on this one, just Rheingau grapes, I presume. Pale golden color. Nose of dried apricot and citrus fruits. Flavors of apricot, pear, lemon, and minerals. Acidity is there, and it is fairly crisp, but not terribly concentrated. The finish is fairly quick as well. Not unpleasant, but nothing terribly exciting or inspiring. A pretty simple and straightforward $10 bottle of wine.

2000 Joh. Jos. Prum Riesling Auslese Mosel-Saar-Ruwer Wehlener Sonnenuhr - My first Auslese. A pretty golden color, deeper than that of a Kabinett, and there are some microscopic bubbles present. Nose is rich and fragrant, with an intense diesel aroma, also with peach, dried apricot, and minerals. Somewhat restrained, muted, and firm on the palate initially, but becoming rich and expansive with extended air time (even more so on day two). Flavors of peach pit, petrol, wet stone, dried apricot, and some floral and spice notes towards the finish. A lively acidity, with an effervescent “spritziness.” Dense texture. Mmmmm, is this ever yummy. Seems as if it could use more time, and will age nicely. Very, very enjoyable. $26 on sale.

All the best,

Jean

[Brad Ballinger]

2000 Joh. Jos. Prum Riesling Auslese Mosel-Saar-Ruwer Wehlener Sonnenuhr - My first Auslese. A pretty golden color, deeper than that of a Kabinett, and there are some microscopic bubbles present. Nose is rich and fragrant, with an intense diesel aroma, also with peach, dried apricot, and minerals. Somewhat restrained, muted, and firm on the palate initially, but becoming rich and expansive with extended air time (even more so on day two). Flavors of peach pit, petrol, wet stone, dried apricot, and some floral and spice notes towards the finish. A lively acidity, with an effervescent “spritziness.” Dense texture. Mmmmm, is this ever yummy. Seems as if it could use more time, and will age nicely. Very, very enjoyable. $26 on sale.

Jean, I would say it's an understatement that the wine will age nicely. JJ Prum wines usually need quite a bit of time to fully evolve. Lots of sulfur and diesel until they do. Good sale price.

[Andre]

Wonderful notes Jean,

Although familiar with the Planeta wines, Idid not paty attention to 2001 Planeta Nero d’Avola “Santa Cecilia” Sicilia.

Funny Masi has a Chardonnay under the same name: “Santa Cecilia” from the Northern Garda area of Italy.