From Notes taken December, 2005:
Wine of Merit: ****Montallegro Cabernet, Santa Cruz Mountains 1997: This is one of those wines. You know what I mean…having drank your 100th “ok” wine, you wonder if it is really worth cellaring all of this stuff…and then you have that wine that makes your eyes roll back and you realize that, yes, it is worth it. Really wonderful. Cali Cheval Blanc (even though I don’t think there is any cab franc in here). Amazingly expressive right out of the bottle. Lush, velvety ripe plum, figs, grilled meats and Portobello mushrooms, picholine olives, touch of rosemary, lilac. Very developed already. Great depth and integration, ton of fruit on the palate. Graceful. Fairly resolved on the long-ish finish, this wine would have made me guess very expensive 82 St. Emillion if I didn’t know better. I think it will hold for a good while still, but be would surprised if it gets better. Hard to imagine it getting much better. I bought this bottle on a reco from the NVWE in San Fran and wish I had bought more (still, at $60 a pop back in 2001 for un-tasted Santa Cruz cab - I am not surprised I didn’t). I will now seek out Montallegro and try to buy more as it is A STEAL at $60. Easily a 95+ point wine. Unfortunately, there is like 120 cases made – and not every vintage makes it to bottle. I think the current vintage is 2001 and I hear it is good. Try http://www.nvwe.com/ if you want to experiment with me.
**++Brunello di Montalcino: Azienda Pieri Agostina, 1999. This was a very nice wine, suffering from a little TCA which muted the flavors. Very much an “international” style of Brunello, deep, dark wine with cassis and black fruit elements, very firm and structured. Not very fun. If I want this kind of wine I will more likely buy St. Julien. Buy more? Probably not.
**Fattoria Le Pupille Morellino di Scansano 2004. Morellino is another name for Sangiovese. Scansano is in the Maremma, estate area for this winery and the hot area to grow sangiovese these days. The wine was very varietal on the nose, red berry fruit, saddle leather, white pepper, clove. Very light palate, almost inconsequential. This is a pizza wine and I am on a no carb diet. Lacking depth and integration makes this a pass for me. Maybe as it ages it will take on weight? I’m not going to risk it.
***++Castello Banfi Summus, 1997. You know Banfi gets a bad rap. It is like the Opus of Tuscany – wine geeks turn their collective nose up at it as it is a crowd pleaser, maybe a bit overpriced and the estate makes a lot of wine. It is owned by Americans (!) Summus was a bit of a Johnny come lately to the Super Tuscan party, is a sangiovese, cab, syrah blend and thus is seen as a me too Trophy wine – Sassicaia for the masses. Yeah – whatever. This wine is fantastic. The 1997 vintage in Tuscany is, in my opinion, the best in many, many years –maybe ever. And this wine is great. The cab adds structure and the syrah depth, but this is all about the sangiovese. Laser like fruit focus, purity of fruit, great depth. Concentrated, red berry and black cherry flavors with saddle leather, grilled meats, pepper, earth and cola. Mocha and violets with more red fruit on the palate. Most importantly, perfect balance, which bodes well for long term aging. Amazingly clean for an Italian wine. Buy more? At $50 this is a definite buy. If you can find it. The current vintage is probably 2002.
**++Ciacci Picolomini D’Aragona Ateo 2001. Having grown up in Italy a Jew, I was pulling for a wine called “Ateo” (Atheist) made in a country of Roman Catholics. I hear ya, brother! A very well regarded Super Tuscan (RP 91/WS91). Like the Brunello, unfortunately a little dirty and muted. Underneath this wine, also, was a more international style, made of sangiovese, cab merlot and aged in French oak. It offers black fruit, licorice, nice structure, very good balance, sweet tannins. Very nice, if not very varietal. Again, I would buy Bordeaux if I wanted this kind of wine. Brought in by Skurnick, who knows good wine.
**++(*)Turjanis Steiner Pinot Noir, 2003. From the Russian River Valley area. Steiner usually offers complex, rich pinot. This is a bit of a light weight. Elegant, if not complex. Lots of good red fruit and distinct lavender notes. Integrated wood and nice cola, eucalyptus. Kinda expected. Has the weight and mouth feel of a good Bourgogne. Will not last in the cellar. A daily drinker, in my opinion. Buy more? This would be a good find at $18-22. At $35, I pass. I have 2 bottles in the cellar and will drink through them with some nice cheeses on a Saturday afternoon, watching college football. Go Nittany Lions!
**Fattoria Le Pupille Morellino di Scansano 2004. Morellino is another name for Sangiovese. Scansano is in the Maremma, estate area for this winery and the hot area to grow sangiovese these days. The wine was very varietal on the nose, red berry fruit, saddle leather, white pepper, clove. Very light palate, almost inconsequential. This is a pizza wine and I am on a no carb diet. Lacking depth and integration makes this a pass for me. Maybe as it ages it will take on weight? I’m not going to risk it.
***++Castello Banfi Summus, 1997. You know Banfi gets a bad rap. It is like the Opus of Tuscany – wine geeks turn their collective nose up at it as it is a crowd pleaser, maybe a bit overpriced and the estate makes a lot of wine. It is owned by Americans (!) Summus was a bit of a Johnny come lately to the Super Tuscan party, is a sangiovese, cab, syrah blend and thus is seen as a me too Trophy wine – Sassicaia for the masses. Yeah – whatever. This wine is fantastic. The 1997 vintage in Tuscany is, in my opinion, the best in many, many years –maybe ever. And this wine is great. The cab adds structure and the syrah depth, but this is all about the sangiovese. Laser like fruit focus, purity of fruit, great depth. Concentrated, red berry and black cherry flavors with saddle leather, grilled meats, pepper, earth and cola. Mocha and violets with more red fruit on the palate. Most importantly, perfect balance, which bodes well for long term aging. Amazingly clean for an Italian wine. Buy more? At $50 this is a definite buy. If you can find it. The current vintage is probably 2002.
**++Ciacci Picolomini D’Aragona Ateo 2001. Having grown up in Italy a Jew, I was pulling for a wine called “Ateo” (Atheist) made in a country of Roman Catholics. I hear ya, brother! A very well regarded Super Tuscan (RP 91/WS91). Like the Brunello, unfortunately a little dirty and muted. Underneath this wine, also, was a more international style, made of sangiovese, cab merlot and aged in French oak. It offers black fruit, licorice, nice structure, very good balance, sweet tannins. Very nice, if not very varietal. Again, I would buy Bordeaux if I wanted this kind of wine. Brought in by Skurnick, who knows good wine.
**++(*)Turjanis Steiner Pinot Noir, 2003. From the Russian River Valley area. Steiner usually offers complex, rich pinot. This is a bit of a light weight. Elegant, if not complex. Lots of good red fruit and distinct lavender notes. Integrated wood and nice cola, eucalyptus. Kinda expected. Has the weight and mouth feel of a good Bourgogne. Will not last in the cellar. A daily drinker, in my opinion. Buy more? This would be a good find at $18-22. At $35, I pass. I have 2 bottles in the cellar and will drink through them with some nice cheeses on a Saturday afternoon, watching college football. Go Nittany Lions!
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