Wine of Merit: ****Tenuta Guado al Tasso, Bolgheri Superiore, 1997: Wow. This wine is enormous and just bursting at the seams. Dense, deep, concentrated, primal; it seems to me that this is showing none of its 11+ years of age. Laser-focused black berry fruit, spearmint, tar, floral violets and crushed gravel elements make me think new world, or maybe new styled Barolo. The palate mimics these initial impressions. Deep, almost impenetrable, with more black fruit and minerals, coating and firm front to back. Even with much time in the glass this seems to be a wine that will benefit from years if not decades of aging. Wonderful.
***++Castello dei Rampolla, Sammarco, 1997: Really wonderful. Perhaps a touch more mature than the Guado al Tasso, but perfectly balanced and deftly integrated. A similar new world profile of black berry, menthol and minerals, the notes are complemented with some red fruit and an undertone of citrus. The palate is simply integration and balance exemplified. Lovely fruit profile on the coating entry, good firm tannic backbone, great mid palate feel, long fine finish. Just a dynamite wine that, like Guado al Tasso, gets lost a bit in the crowd of wines whose names end in "aia".
***++Argiano, Brunello di Montalcino, sangiovese, 1997: Wow. Quite the tour de force. The complexity and savage nature of this wine would have made me guess St. Estephe if the wine were blinded. Ox blood in hue, smoke, roasted meats, red fruit, mocha, rosemary, truffle, oil cured black olive. Chewy, dense, mouth filling wine with a slight raciness to the mid palate before a firm, mineral finish. Delicious and totally worth it. A meal in a glass.
***Tenuta dell'Ornellaia, 1997: I was introduced to Ornellaia at the Cantina Antinori in Florence with the 1988 vintage and was bowled over. Since then, it has come to be one of poster children of the "Super Tuscan" genre of wines made in the Bolgheri area. And rightfully so, as it is typically breathtaking, vintage in and vintage out. This iteration may have been one of the vintages that propelled Ornellaia past Tignanello and into the spotlight. 11 years later, this wine is showing its maturity, adding complexity and nuance to its initial exuberant expression. Stewed plum, tomato skin, smoke, bacon fat, espresso, soy and mocha create a melange that reminds me of much older cab based wines from California and Bordeaux. The palate is fine and not tired at all, showing more red fruit and chocolate. The finish is fine and resolved...a top wine that has evolved nicely and will reward patience with a fine drinking experience. Lovely.
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