Two Exceptional Wines

 In a recent tasting of benchmark wines I came across two wines which I thought were exceptional. The first wine was a 2009 Lucien Le Moine Clos de la Roche Grand Cru.

Clos de la Roche is one of the best terroirs in Morey-St-Denis. Lucien Le Moine is a high quality negociant house who picks one hundred barrels or so from each vintage. There is no winemaking here. They are bought after fermentation. 2009 was a warm and highly regarded vintage.

In Burgundy, the view is that Grand Cru wines need to fire on three cylinders; fruit, tannins, and acidity. And this is what this wine does, almost. This is a concentrated, yet elegant wine with strong aromatics of rose petals and red cherry. There are interesting secondary flavours here, bacon stands out for me. The fruit has started its downhill run, but only just. The wine is quite tannic, like a Gevrey-Chambertin. So: fruit 9, tannins 10, acidity 7. The finish is long.

Score: 96/+++ 

The second wine was a 2016 Podere S. Giuseppe Brunello di Montalcino Stella di Campalto

The grapes come from a 25 year old vineyard, organically/biodynamically farmed. The combination of Stella di Campalto's uncompromising farm management and the Podere San Giuseppe winery make this one of the standout Brunello producers.

The wine is red and black fruited, black olive and some herbal notes. It is still quite youthful. The wine is incredibly elegant, while underneath its flavours sits restrained power. It is so harmonious. The tannins are very firm. The wine is 100% Sangiovese, but in the tasting a number of us thought this wine to be Nebbiolo. 

The best Sangiovese I have ever had.

Score: 97/+++

These two wines are expensive. Are they worth two or three Mt. Edelstones? I think so.

Casanova Di Neri Tenuta Nuova Brunello

 I am not a big drinker of Brunello, but recently the 2016 Casanova di Neri Tenuta Nuova impressed me.

The palate is quite complex: red and black cherry, blood orange, chocolate, forest floor and a little bit of spice. This is a big wine, but quite pure, nicely packaged in firm acidity and dry tannins. This wine is powerful and elegant at the same time.

Score: 96/+++

 

Gianni Brunelli Brunello di Montalcino

 I will start with a cheap shot: If your name is Brunelli you would want to make Brunello, wouldn't you. But to be clear, the 2012 Gianni Brunelli Brunello di Montalcino is a remarkable wine. Remarkable for two reasons. First, you would take this for a Nebbiolo, second, this is a very good wine.

The wine has a garnet colour, and the floral and perfumed notes on the nose are strong. On the palate, the wine is red fruited, and has interesting secondary flavours of leather and smoke. This is an elegant wine with great finesse. It finishes with dry and chalky tannins.

The wine is perfect to drink now.

Score: 95/+++

San Filippo Le Lucére Brunello

 When it comes to Italian wines, my favorites are Barolos from Piedmont. I love the aromatics, complex flavours, and tannin structures. The other star performers are the Sangioveses from Montalcino, known as Brunellos. While they are generally highly regarded, I find them less interesting and enjoyable. However, every now and then I should put this to the test. Last night I tried the 2013 San Filippo Le Lucére Brunello.

From a good year and a single vineyard, this wine delivers fruity and savoury flavours, with red and black cherry, espresso notes, leather and spice. It is a medium- to full-bodied wine with high acidity, typical of Sangiovese. I find it a bit flat on the mid-palate. The firm tannins play in the background. But then, it comes together well on a harmonious, slightly salty finish.

This is a good wine, no doubt, but it is also very expensive. My opening paragraph still stands.

Score: 93/+

Le Chiuse Brunello

 

The 2010 Le Chiuse Brunello di Montalcino from a good vintage would have shown  medium fruit weight of black cherry and tobacco and elegance on release. Unfortunately, the fruit has now dried out, and the wine is thin in the mouth. Dusty tannins are now quite prominent, but there is little of interest left in this wine.

Score: 87/- 

Cigliano Chianti Classico

The Cigliano wine comes from an original Antinori estate and has become a leading producer in the area. The 2016 Cigliano Chianti Classico Riserva is an excellent Chianti expression.

This wine has a bright ruby colour. The key aspects of this medium- to full-bodied wine are its vibrancy and structure. Red cherry, cranberry, tea leaves and black pepper are balanced by lively acidity. This wine has drive and elegance in spades. The finish is quite long.

Score: 95/+++

Castagna La Chiave

Those of you who read my posts regularly may have seen me dismissive about the hype of so called ‘ alternative varieties’. My point has not been that it is not worth while to explore varieties which may be better suited to warmer climates of the future, but simply that the Tempranillos, Nebbiolos, Touriga Nacionals and Montepulcianos grown in Australia are generally not yet up to the European standards. One exception has been Castagna's Sangiovese.

I was therefore looking forward to my last bottle of the 2008 Castagna La Chiave. The wine showed a garnet colour as I poured it, which made me a little nervous. This was justified, as I soon found out. The wine was quite developed, with its primary fruit almost gone. Secondary flavours of forest floor and a little ash dominated in this medium to full-bodied wine. The acidity was not showing as much as expected in this Sangiovese, and the tannins had mellowed past their best.

If you have this wine in your cellar, I suggest you drink it now, and maybe slightly younger vintages as well.

Score: 89/-

Felsina Chianti Classico

Felsina is one of the stalwarts of the Chianti Classico style: you get the Sangiovese profile, high acidity, good with food, in particular tomato based dishes.

The 2013 Felsina Chianti Classico is very savoury. Actually, it is surprisingly tart and lean. Red cherry and olive flavours are drowned out by acidity and firm tannins. This still makes it a reasonable, but ultimately not very interesting food wine.

Score: 89/- 

  

Frescobaldi CastelGiocondo Brunello

The 2010 Frescobaldi CastelGiocondo Brunello has the appealing mix of black cherry, mocca and earth, typical of Brunello. However, the mouthfeel is a bit flat and the acidity level is too high in comparison to fruit and tannins (and I had it with Italian food). This is a somewhat disappointing effort for the esteemed 2010 vintage of Montalcino.

Score: 90/-

Antinori Peppoli Chianti Classico

The Peppoli wine brand is high volume, yet a cut above industrially made wines.

The 2014 Antinori Peppoli Chianti Classico tastes of red cherry and warm spices. The wine is well balanced, and the acidity creates a line through the palate. The wine is medium in concentration and mouthfeel. It is quite elegant, with firm, but not coarse tannins, as it comes to a harmonious finish.

Score: 91/++

Lucy Margaux Wines

Lucy Margaux is one of the new breed of natural wine producers. Nothing gets added, no fining, no filtration. If wines were scored on the old 20 point scale, where 3 points are reserved for colour, these wines would not get out of the starting blocks. The colour of the wines is cloudy. Is this a fault? Not necessarily. The proof is really in the drinking.

The first wine I taste is the 2016 Lucy Margaux Vino Rosso Sangiovese Pinot Gris. You now know already that conventions do not count for much here. This wine is a 50/50 blend. Maybe the Pinot Gris is supposed to do to the Sangiovese the same as the Viognier to Shiraz. But do you need 50%? The wine is very fruity and sweet and bares little resemblance to the kind of wines I normally drink (82 points).

The main game is Pinot Noir. The first of four is the 2016 Village of Tiers Pinot Noir. This is quite an accomplished effort. Forest berries dominate on the palate, before some elegant tannins kick in (89 points). Then come the single vineyard wines. The 2016 Little Creek Pinot Noir is much darker, with black cherry fruit and fresh acidity - a well structured wine (92 points). The 2016 Monomeith Pinot Noir is quite different. It is red fruited and very feminine with an open and gentle texture (91 points). The 2016 Estate Pinot Noir is from the home vineyard. Its profile sits in the middle between the last two. It is the most complex wine with quite an intriguing fruit mix on the palate (92 points).

The Pinot Noirs are certainly an interesting set of wines. I have been worried about the age-ability of natural wines, but apparently a six year old Monomeith was drinking well, according to a friend. One concern is that Anton van Klopper, the winemaker has now stopped to add any sulphur. He added a small amount in the past.

The types of wines tasted here find an enthusiastic following with young wine drinkers. I am still a little puzzled: normally, what you look for in wine is intensity and/or elegance, freshness or finesse. I am not sure what I am supposed to look for in natural wines, because they are not particularly strong on those dimensions. There is a strong philosophical bend in these wines, not to be a 'chemist', but an artist, says Anton van Klopper. Hmm.

If you look for something funky and different, and a natural wine made with some skill, then these Pinot Noirs could be for you.

Farnese Edizione Cinque Autoctoni

The 2012 Farnese Edizione Cinque Autoctoni has been bestowed with  extraordinary acclaim: best Italian red wine 2015 and 99 points (and not even by the points master James Halliday). It is an unusual wine, in that it blends Montepulciano and Sangiovese grapes from Abruzzi with Primitivo (Zinfandel), Negroamaro and Malvasia Nera from Puglia. Therefore the name Cinque Autoctoni. Montepulciano, Sangiovese, and Primitivo are the dominant grapes of the blend. This signals acidity and tannins.

Lifted aromas emerge on opening the bottle, blackberry and cocoa. On the palate, there is plum and sour cherry to start with. The wine is quite dense and meaty, filling the mouth well. It is an elegant wine on the front and mid palate, with the acidity cutting through the concentrated fruit. The tannins are a little coarse, and detract from an otherwise fine finish.

This is an unusual and serious wine. But almost perfect (99 points)? Not close.

Score: 94/++

Casanova Di Neri Tenuta Nueva Brunello

Brunello, a wine with long maturation, is unquestionably the best expression of the Sangiovese grape. There has been a lot of excitement about the 2010 Brunellos, so I thought I might check how one from an older, also highly regarded vintage has developed.

The 2006 Casanova Di Neri Tenuta Nueva Brunello has a beautiful nose, with violets and dark cherry notes raising from the glass in a measured, elegant way. This continues on the palate, with concentrated and intense black cherry flavours, blood orange, chocolate and some spice. These flavours are wrapped up in a full-bodied and dense frame. But at the same time, the wine is nicely balanced by acidity and not overly heavy. The finish is smooth, but slightly alcoholic.

Score: 93/++

Querciabella Chianti Classico

You know you are getting cherry flavours and plenty of acidity from Chianti Classico. But then, the mouthfeel is often dusty, as the fruit does not stand up to the tannins.

This 2012 Querciabella Chianti Classico is different. The red and black cherry flavours are vibrant and have considerable depth. The overall impression is savoury, though. This wine has a beautiful mouthfeel, with all components in harmony. Neither acids nor tannins are overblown, but provide an excellent structure. At present, the wine is very lively and enjoyable. It will be even better in a couple of years, when the fruit aromas integrate and the tannins soften.

Score: 93/+++

Castagna, Seghesio, Wendouree

It is said that if you are at a wine tasting and want to buy wine, you taste wine with apple, whereas if you want to sell wine, you offer cheese. And it is true, cheese numbs the taste buds. Nonetheless, cheese and wine are a good and popular combination. On this particular cheese night, I thought to pair the food with three different wines, which represent a spectrum of Australian and Italian characteristics. As I did not take notes, the comments below are quite general and no points are awarded.

First up was the 2008 Castagna La Chiave. This is a Sangiovese grown at altitude in Beechworth, Victoria. It showed typical varietal characteristics with red cherry flavours and acidity. Being Australian, the acidity was less than from a typical Chianti, but there was enough to 'cut' through the cheese.

The 2004 Seghesio Barolo La Villa offered a different experience. The flavours of this wine are quite complex, more savoury, and with mushroom and earthy components at the forefront. This wine added taste experiences to the cheese. It was food friendly and an excellent compliment to the food.

The 2002 Wendouree Shiraz/Mataro was different again. This is a big and quite 'fat' wine with strong plum and other dark fruit flavours. It matched well with soft, 'fat' cheeses. My main impression here was that the cheese made it easier to drink the wine, which - on its own - was very bold.

So while cheese may numb the palate, cheese/wine combinations can still be rewarding. The wines tried expressed their terroir and grape variety in a very typical fashion and offered different, yet sensible combinations.

Castagna La Chiave

Julian Castagna is not shy when he talks about his wines, calling them world class. This sets the expectations pretty high. Tonight is pizza night, so I opened a bottle of the 2008 Castagna La Chiave. This is his Sangiovese, his most serious wine next to the Genesis Syrah, Being a Sangiovese, you expect the wine to have plenty of acidity and bite.

What evolves in the glass, is a bit surprising. The colour of the wine is crimson, still quite bright. The bouquet is red cherry, and this continues on the palate. The flavour is not very complex, however. This is a surprisingly big, almost fat wine. It is quite well balanced, and there is just enough acidity to keep the wine together and counterbalance the sweetness which appears on the back palate. But bite? No.

This is an unusual wine, not like a Chianti, certainly quite Australian, and not as intriguing or unfolding as I would have liked.

Score: 92/+

Casanova di Neri Tenuta Nuova

Brunello di Montalcino is the most satisfying expression of Sangiovese, largely due to the strict rules and long maturation period in this appellation. Casanova di Neri is one of its famous names.

The 2004 Casanova di Neri Tenuta Nuova tastes of black cherry. The fruit is very pure, but it only just stands up to the acidity and tannins in this wine. Your mouth is left quite dry on the finish. This is a classy wine, but the balance is not perfect.

Score: 93/+

Kirrihill Italian Varieties

Kirrihill is a fairly new, quite large winery in the Clare Valley. The range of Italian wines is produced in small volumes, though. Hamish Seabrook is its experienced winemaker.

When I tasted the range of the 2012 wines, I was confronted with a number of strange and unfortunate choices.

The 2012 Kirrihill Sangiovese tastes hot and alcoholic, not surprising given an alcohol content of 14.9%. This also masks the characteristics of Sangiovese flavour and is very unusual for this variety.

Score: 85/--

Montepulciano is a grape variety  originally from the Abruzzo region in Italy - not to be confused with the Sangiovese called Montepulciano, based on the Tuscan village -. It can handle heat well and is being talked about as a replacement of Shiraz should temperatures in hot regions like the Barossa or Clare raise further. However, the 2012 Kirrihill Montepulciano comes from the Adelaide Hills, a weird choice. The wine is clean and fleshy, but a bit harsh and not very forgiving in the mouth.

Score: 87/-

The 2012 Kirrihill Nebbiolo follows the unfortunate Australian trend of releasing this variety after one year. Nebbiolo is a small grape, with a high pulp-to-flesh ratio and intense tannins. This variety needs time to soften. This wine is very dry and dusty, and the fruit too thin for the tannins. The wine falls off somewhat at the finish.

Score: 86/-

Overall, an underwhelming experience, largely based on unexpected winemaking choices.

Montalcino Rosso and Brunello

The next few reviews might be of Italian wines. In Montalcino, a hilltop town in Tuscany, Sangiovese reigns supreme. The two main styles produced are the Rosso, an early drinking style, and Brunello, which requires significant maturation before release. The wine has to be 100% Sangiovese. The area is just recovering from a blending scandal, where a number of producers were accused and taken to court because of using other grapes as well. I don't believe the case is closed at this point in time.

Of a number of Rossos tried, the 2006 and 2007 Querce Bettina Rosso di Montalcino from a small family winery were the most impressive. They are quite similar. The 2007 in particular shows vibrant cherry fruit. The wine is balanced with a firm acidic finish.

Score: 90/+

The 2006 Villa Le Prata Brunello di Montalcino, also from a small producer, displays clean and pure raspberry and cherry fruit with more depth than the Rossos above. This is an elegant wine with some length and good minerality. It is more about structure than fruit and has a somewhat sinewy and taut finish.

Score: 91/+

Overall, these wines are very different from Australian wines. They are not as fruity and are made to accompany food, playing second fiddle to what is on the plate. However, there are other Brunellos with more character.