TN: '04 Pieropan and '03 Fortia

[jrufusj]

COMPANY DINNER IN HK - A "Mandarin" Restaurant in HK (4/25/2006)

When we went to dinner, I was handed the list. Always a challenge in a Chinese restaurant and this was no exception. There's no perfect match and the list was pretty thin, but these did okay and were quite reasonably priced. No need to break the bank when there's no really good match on the list.

• 2004 Leonildo Pieropan Soave Classico Superiore - Italy, Veneto, Soave Classico
  Bright and light yellow with lemon and grass hints. Fresh and clean nose of white fruit, a wee bit of lemon, a fresh whiff of sweet grass, and some flowers. Palate entry is as bright and light as the color, with a saline mineral spine, fresh cut herb, bright apple, and a beautifully refreshing finish. Not big, not bold in any blockbuster sense. Just solid, clean, and refreshing. As good a counterpoint as could be found to the lighter dishes.
  
• 2003 Château Fortia Châteauneuf-du-Pape - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
  Deep, but clean and transparent red. Much lighter than the other '03 CdP's I've tried so far. Nose has a whiff of tar, followed by ripe red fruits (cherry, berry) and some piney herbs. Palate is richer than many Fortia of late, showing more of the red fruit and a bit of blacker berry, a hint of leather and some dust. Perhaps lacking a bit of concentration on the finish, this is much more in balance and much more drinkable now than most of its '03 cousins. Did the job, but not something to seek out. However, if ever there was a case where a wine was made for a vintage and a vintage for a wine, Fortia and '03 seem to be that case.
  

The Fortia was a huge hit. One other person and I basically had the Soave to ourselves. Okay by me!

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