Some Italian Tasting Notes

[TongoRad]

I spent the recent Thanksgiving holiday at my parents' house, as we do every year. As my dad was opening the wines to be served throughout the day he remarked that he and my mom have recently begun to be disappointed that a lot of the wines that they are holding onto aren't really showing that well. Indeed, the 1992 Dolcetto that we opened (Abbona Dogliani) seemed to be past its prime. There just aren't enough holidays in the year, it seems

Of course, this opened the door for me to volunteer my services as a taster of sorts. I brought home six bottles this particular trip with the intention of actually opening the damn things and getting a sense of where they are. Since I'm taking some notes anyway I figured that it might be interesting to post my impressions here as well.

So far I've opened two-

1988 Sansone Amarone della Valpolicella

Bad bottle, unfortunately. It definitely requires another look pronto.

1992 Montevertine Le Pergole Torte

Rich, yet lively, wonderful bouquet full of cherry-like fruit, earthy dried mushrooms and perhaps some marjoram-ish herbal traces. It falters on the washed-out palate, however, which is mostly acid and tannin- though the cherries linger on the finish. It was a lot better with food (ravioli with tomatoes, onion, chicken and mushrooms) than on its own. Open these soon.

And these are waiting on deck-

1989 Abbona Dogliani Vigneto Terlo Ravera Barolo

1988 Il Greppone Mazzi Brunello di Montalcino Riserva

1989 Moccagatta Barbaresco

1988 Podere Il Palezzino Grosso Sanese

[Craig Camp]

Gotta ask - why in the world were you aging a dolcetto?

That Montevertine is lovely, I still have two bottles left. I disagree that the palate is washed out - I just see it as mature and delicate - almost Burgundian.

What were the storage conditions like on these wines? If good, those other bottles should be very nice.

[TongoRad]

Thanks for the response, Craig.

I'm not entirely sure if they were actually aging the dolcetto. My guess is that it is one of those things that just got back burnered and forgotten about. ( I'd love to have that sort of problem, myself ). Their wine is stored in a climate controlled cellar, 100 sq. ft. or so for wine, but it is entirely in bulk storage bins. The necks are tagged but some bottles can still get 'buried'. We found a few more of the Abbona Doglianis and moved them into a more easily accessible area. I think if we have some free time around Christmas we'll do a little more of a reorganization.

In looking over what I wrote about the Montevertine it does seem that the term 'washed-out' comes across as overly harsh. My overall opinion of the wine is definitely favorable, but I just didn't think the promise of the bouquet (which I loved) was fulfilled. We do have more so the next time we open one I will look at it from your point of view.

[TongoRad]

Some more notes:

1988 Podere Il Palezzino Grosso Sanese

Heavily sedimented. Aroma is as earthy as it is fruity and mostly resembles blackberries. There is a fairly strong alcohol presence as well. Cherries, berries and mushrooms blend nicely on the full palate balanced with a solid shot of acid. Tannins are still huge, this wine could stand a few more years in the bottle. Very nice.

1989 Moccagatta Barbaresco

Also heavily sedimented. I love this wine- there is a deep, rich complex nose. Big fruits like dried figs and plums are offset by undercurrents of anise, tar and fennel. Swirling brings the fruit to the foreground. Tannins have begun to soften. A good dose of acid shows its head at the end. The palate is full and the finish is long and woody showing the herbal notes again. Wonderful- enjoy now.