Beppe Rinaldi...Brunate-Le Coste a vertical...

The first of a few posts I hope to nail today, a rather large, but good, backlog has built up. I was pretty knackered when this dinner came around but I was equally excited by both the prospect and the chance to see some of my very favourite wine folk - Eric, Mr Burns, Column, Mr Rafferty (jnr) and my favourite, but sadly on sabbatical, pumpkin chef!!

The venue was the Medlar Restaurant which is seeing a lot of action these days including these events. It came about through the wish to drink some Rinaldi, or Azienda Agricola Giuseppe Rinaldi to give it is full name, wines! Eric kindly co-ordinated this with Chris Delalonde at Medlar and everything was in place for a fun evening - expectation dangerously high.

To start, and after Burnsie had insisted on hugging everyone (is he really English), we had 
Louis Roederer Cristal 1999. It was an amusing choice as I had only been saying in the office that day that of the prestige Champagnes it is the one I see served least at wine dinners. It was mellow and a little honeyed but not OTT at all. More biscuity than nutty and with some citrus. If you had to be critical it could do with a dash more verve and length but that really is nitpicking, lovely.

Predictably we then all had the Crab Raviolo, Medlar's signature dish that has to be had. Alongside this we had Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Referts 2011 from Francois Carillon, here comes the usual bias warning but this is "a point" right now I think, in common with a lot of white Burgundy 2011s. A slight whiff of reduction  then easy yet rich fruit and lemon driven energy, a little spice on the finish...these two led us to the "work" at hand.

There are very few estates that I fearlessly buy totally "blind" - by this I mean I would buy more of these these Rinaldi wines than I can afford, at any chance I get. This doesn't mean to say they are all brilliantly faultless and perfect - wine isn't like that and arguably isn't meant to be. However, if I think of the top ten producer labels that lift the spirits immediately then this is one (others include - Soldera, Conterno, Coche, Rousseau, DRC, Chave etc - must do that list one day). I have only visited Rinaldi once but it was memorable in the extreme. Beppe's views and manor is well documented and long may it last. There will be a follow on to this post when we look at Barolo Cannubi S.Lorenzo-Ravera next month. The Rinaldi estate makes brilliant: Langhe Nebbiolo, Dolcetto, Barbera and Freisa but the focus tends to go to the two Barolo which I tried to explain at the end of the post here. Essentially from 2010 you can't have two Crus on the same label so in crude terms.

Barolo Brunate-Le Coste (65% Brunate and 35% Le Coste) has become (from and including 2010) Barolo Brunate (85%Brunate and 15% Le Coste) and...

Barolo Cannubi S.Lorenzo-Ravera (a blend of the two named Crus, sorry I don't know the rough balance) is now Barolo Tre Tini (a blend of Cannubi S.Lorenzo, Ravera and the remaining Le Coste that now can't now go in the Brunate).

To add some confusion there have been vintages when a Brunate alone has been made and also quite often the magnums have been pure Brunate (*see notes at end of post for clarity with thanks to Ken Vastola). Right, enough facts...the wines. We attacked them three by three, deciding not to work by age but my vintage type, often a more fun and logical way to do things.

Flight 1 - Brunate-Le Coste - The Warm vintages

1997 - A predictably more evolved and less pure colour than the others in the flight. Saline and deep fruit with some cucumber-water (sorry but I know what I mean). Spice and cherry fruit, deep, a shade powdery in texture which somehow works. Good. Perfect now, will last but in 5 more years will be old and whilst in 20 years it'll be interesting there is, for me, no real upside - enjoy now, degraded hedonism.

2003 - A little more cherry here and an almost candied note (that Monprivato and Cascina Francia both have in 2003 as well). There is a glycerol character here. If I had to draw a parallel with another producer in another region for this 2003 it would be Rayas, there is red fruited, Grenache like purity. When to drink is very tricky. If I had 12 bottles (as if!) I'd have drunk three by now, drink a bottle a year for the next six years or so, hold three just to see.

2007 - Tight, focussed, very fine, a shade muted on the nose, brilliantly saline on the palate. I know this wine quite well, a splendid 2007, does not show "warm" at all. Much as I would want to own more of this than any wine in the flight the 1997 is the wine I would drink most of right now. This is a 2007 to buy if you can find it!

Flight 2 - Brunate-Le Coste - The "should be a bit open" vintages.

Brunate Riserva 1986 - Ok so one of the exceptions I mentioned above and a wine I have had, and loved, once before in magnum also with Eric. A clouded texture, some frazzles and red fruit, degraded sweetness followed by a little bitterness. The mid-palate is a little quiet but the finish is super, a little herbal green drive at the end. Lovely. At it's peak.

2000 - A bit of a brute. The only wine in the first two flights where I thought this would be good alone but not in this company. It's a good wine, savoury and a bit adolescent right now. I feel I am being harsh but there is just a little sweetness missing. I'd love to try this again in 3-5 years.

2004 - Superb and universally the "wine of the night", not that one is needed. Power and poise, drive and precision. Not ready to show everything but is appreciably good. My note says "what wine is all about". Bold in density and structure but in no way too much. The nose is just sublime and the palate follows through. Don't open for 5 years I recon because if you do you will just drink the bottles you have.

Brunate-Le Coste - "Classic or closed?"

1999 - Bricky, salt and orange spice, very serious, delicious, good astringency, already in third gear, may be a little more open than I expected. Nervously classical. Hold but try every two years.

2001 - In Piedmont I have found quite a few 2001s to be just that bit too serious, too heavy. This is not one of them though Eric was a little disappointed in it. Savoury, serious and dense. Tight, a slightly soupy structure but a good savoury Bovril like finish, a real food wine (aren't they all). I would take the same drinking approach as the 1999.

2005 - I almost didn't mention this, we figured there was some labelling error with this bottle. The juice was not Nebbiolo and was more like 3-5 years old. Nice but not Nebbiolo...

1998 - This bottle was opened at the beginning of the evening and put to one side as it was a shade disappointing but we drank it again at the end and whilst it is a weak link and, on this showing, a lesser wine than the 1997 it is still true to the Nebbiolo grape if a little prematurely aged.

We had a most bizarre Champagne to finish and clearly the level of conversation deteriorated rapidly but then that that was to be expected.

Conclusions, or what auditors always refer to as the "opinion piece". My feelings about this estate are unchanged...I will keep buying. There is so much character to these wines, a lack of compromise that I love. Is there more precision (in the same period of vintages), elsewhere in Piedmont? Yes for sure...but is better always actually better? The daughters are having more and more input and the precision is being refined. Recent bottles from 2008 and 2011 were simply stunning, moreish and intense without being in any way remotely a waste to drink now.

An iconic man? Yes. Iconic wines? They probably are but the thing is, I am not sure they want to be...drink them whenever you can.

------
*The labeling of Brunate with Le Coste  began with the 1993 vintage, when Beppe took over the winery from his father, Battista.  It was Battista  who (in the best vintages) bottled Brunate separately (and usually as a riserva) starting in 1964.  I think, but am not sure, that some Le Coste may have been in those old Brunates as well. Ken Vastola 
www.finewinegeek.com

Tuscan evening...

Back in March a customer of a colleague wanted to do a celebratory Tuscan dinner and I was roped in to help given my penchant for all things Italian. It was a cracking line up for dinner but first we had a vertical of Andrea Franchetti's Tenuta di Trinoro from Magnum. Having done a few verticals before this was an exciting prospect.

Whilst everyone gathered we started the evening with a glass of Guilio Ferrari Riserva Franciacorta 2002, I know Ferrari pretty well from Zucca days of old, this 2002 had spent 10 years on the lees and is from 100% Chardonnay having been first made in 1972. A good good fizz with character and a nutty freshness.

Then it was time to start the evening proper, to have Andrea there to lead the tasting made it all the more special. Andrea gave an overview back to the start of the estate even before the first vintage which was 1997.

Tenuta di Trinoro 2009 Magnum - This has sublime completeness, rounded ripe tannins and delicious decadent yet fresh fruits, it is a wine to drink now or in 20 years time. It comes across, and this is easy for someone who has never made wine to say, as a wine that probably made itself. Long lasting red and black fruits, no signs of oak just ripe aromas.

Tenuta di Trinoro 2007 Magnum - Andrea commented how this was a vintage characterised by a low water table and a lack of water in the season itself. The vintage, fortunately, was not excessively hot in itself. There is a more secondary nature to this wine, a little less obvious juicy fruit and a more leathery, tobacco and savoury element. It is more degraded and more animalistic, there is a spiciness too.

Tenuta di Trinoro 2003 Magnum - The 2003 is seductive and in many ways has the opposite challenges of the 2007, very hot but not without a decent reserve of water from the wet 2002 vintage. I like this wine, there is a feel of smaller more concentrated berries but not a lack of freshness. Impressive.

Tenuta di Trinoro 2000 Magnum - "So complete" is how my not starts here, at 15 years of age this is in a lovely place, neither vibrantly young nor decaying, it just begs to be drunk. Mellow soft fruit, not bruised but easy to appreciate. Some of the character of the 2009 but with the lighting dimmed down. A wine you don't really need food with...just wallow in it.

We then made our way down for dinner and a lovely classcial Tuscan inspired menu.

Mushroom Ravioli with Truffle Sauce

Fillet of Beef with Chianti Sauce, Rosemary Potatoes, Grilled Vegetables

Tiramisu

Pecorino

The wine line up was rather monumental with a great spread of wines and vintages:

Tignanello 1988 - Sangiovese based wine with a little bit of both Cabernets. 1988 is cracking all round vintage in Tuscany, often better than the famed 1985 (which owes much to the Sasscaia 1985). This was a lovely easy mellow wine at its peak, probably has been for a while.

Brunello Case Basse, Soldera 1985 - I have a rather massive vertical of Soldera to write up and regular readers will know I love these wines and visit regularly so I will not dwell too long here. Tar and degraded sweet fruit, lovely.

Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Biondi-Santi 1990 - An iconic winery in Brunello if not seen as the dominant producer that Soldera is. This is fully mature with a lovely decayed sweetness and a good acidity with a saline aspect too.

Solaia 1982 - I learnt most of what I know about this from a vertical organised five years ago by "Sussex". This had a marked mintiness, not in bad way, it is just the Cabernet Sauvignon really showing through. This is a very early Solaia as the wine was first made in 1978. There was then a 1979 but no Solaia in '80, '81, '83 and '84. An easy and quite gentle wine.

Sassicaia 1988 - In so many ways the standard bearer for the Super Tuscans. The 1988 is a superb wine, iron and dark fruit with good body but also a completeness. I love the balance of this.

Masseto 1998 - from the most Iconic of the Cabernet Sauvignon Super Tuscans in Sassicaia we move to the Merlot one in Masseto. This wine has been around even less time than Solaia with the first wine made on 1986 but the first commercially released vintage was 1987. The 1998 is a wine I know well but before this I had not had it for 3 or 4 years. It retains a real vibrancy and densely fruited nature. A wine probably only now really getting into the drinking window. Delicious.

Tenuta di Trinoro 2011 Magnum - This is a bold vintage of Andrea's wine and shows such extreme ripeness that even Andrea at times wonders if it is too much. There is a slight toning down of the richness from the 2012. I love the decadence of this and it works well at the end of the meal.

Ornus dell'Ornellia 2009 Halves - Thomas Duroux, the former winemaker, now at Palmer, planted this plot of Petit Manseng in 2003. This is a late harvest desert wine, that is a tricky wine to describe the fruit character I'd pick out most is dried Apricot possibly with a little honey.

What a great evening... 

Mushroom Ravioli with Truffle Sauce 

Fillet of Beef with Chianti Sauce, Rosemary Potatoes, Grilled Vegetables

Tiramisu

Pecorino

Masterclass & Dinner - Latour a Pomerol & Trotanoy...

"Wine is not for sharing"

The above is a quote from Edouard Moueix and those that know him will know it is very much "tongue in cheek", he was referring the fact that often the very end of a bottle in the kitchen late at night or the next morning when your guests have gone is the most delicious, and that glass is only for you...Quite the opposite of the not sharing idea!

A few months back we (C&B) were looking at which of the Moueix estates to focus on, to me it was a matter of going for two very special ones that compliment each other well - Latour a Pomerol and Trotanoy. I have written a fair bit on each in the past as the links below show.

Latour a Pomerol a Historic Vertical

Trotanoy at La Fleur-Petrus

Trotanoy at The Ritz - 4 years ago!

Trotanoy - the-lesser-vintages

The format for this evening was a Masterclass and then dinner, both at St Pancras Renaissance Hotel. The wines for the Masterclass were all served straight from the bottle and the dinner wines were double decanted gently late in the afternoon. Edward gave a good insight into both properties. I will not repeat these - I strongly recommend that people read the profile chapters on each in Neal Martins book "Pomerol". One point of particular interest was that when asking if anyone had questions Edouard said "the blend, which is the most asked question, is Merlot with more Merlot". In fact both properties are planted with 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc, he was not trying to be awkward - merely pointing out that a blend is so much more that just grape varieties; different parcels, differently aged vines, different picking times, different clones and many other factors go into it".

MASTERCLASS

Latour à Pomerol 2009 - Succulent richness, soft yet deep, nothing over the top or overblown at all, mouthwatering and persistent. The fruit is both red and black on the nose with a redder side to the finish. Juicy but contained and good. This has all the positive (and there are many) aspects of 2009 with none of the bruised or overipe elements that there can be. Delicious. 18-18+

Latour à Pomerol 2010 - Edouard commented on the 2010's when talking about them and the 2009's that "everytime you open a 2010 you see something else". This was really superb. Initially more muted on the nose, needing more coaxing and swilling. A cool nose with a power packed palate, tannin and acidity in abundance but so balanced. Ever so slightly saline to compliment the fresh intensity. A shade darker in fruit character than the 2009. Special. 18.5

Latour à Pomerol 2011 - A trickier vintage and only the 2009 and 2010 to follow on from! If wines could get nervous then this one should have been! Leaner and a little leafier on the nose, a little more standoffish. Then the palate has both more depth and a greater sense of properness, this wine has some grip and would love to be drunk with food. 16.5-17.25

 
Latour à Pomerol 2012 - It is quite a while since I had tasted or drunk this wine. I would say it was one of the big discoveries of the night for me and something I plan to add to the cellar pronto. The nose had a lushness but this was kept in check by a cool freshness, possibly that is a contardiction that just means it was balanced. It did not seem showey, just nicely complete. The palate in contrast was an explosion of lovely rounded open freshness and red fruits, really delightful. I asked Edouard, hoping he'd say "no not really" if the wine would shut down and he said "they all close down but for varying times". 17.5-18 

And so we moved to the same four vintages of Trotanoy. Edouard made one general observation on Trotanoy and that was that the wines can be "quite a ball" in youth, tight and sometimes hard to access. I found this the case, to a degree, with the stellar 2010.

Trotanoy 2009 - Bold, serious, delicious, more depth, darker fruits with flashes of red. Succlent without over doing it. The acidity it good but the over-riding impression is of generosity and depth. 18-18.5 (+)

Trotanoy 2010 - Big fruit, if muted, great acidity (can acidity be ripe?) bold but defined and perfectly ripe tannins. Other than the amount of time you will need to wait to see this at its best there is nothing not to like here. Boldly classy, like a novic chaser that you know will go on to compete in the Gold Cup one day...am I overdoing it? Possibly, but I really don't think so. 19

Trotanoy 2011 - More closed on the nose then a little cherry as well as black fruit in a compote style. More red fruited on the palate and quite viscous. Almost like there has had to be a lot of selection. 17

Trotanoy 2012 - Saline, classical Trotanoy nose as my mind's eye sees it. Then on the palate wave upon wave of fresh fruited intensity, long on the finish but so fresh and moreish. When it comes to scoring this wine, it really highlights the silliness of doing so because in a many ways I feel it is as good as the 2010 just entirely different but then to give it the same score doesn't seem correct, anyway I'll sort of dodge the issue and go for 18.5(+).

I really enjoyed the tasting - 2009 and 2010 is a debate that will go on for decades but the 2012's are wines not to overlook and the 2011's will gve pleasure while one "tries" to be patient with the others. Being able to chop and change amongst the 8 glasses was brilliant.

We then had a brief interlude and short talk from a historian who spoke about the background to the hotel whilst we drank some Wiston Blanc de Blancs 2010 from Sussex, and rather splendid it was too.

We were then seated for a dinner of:

Roast quail, warm spring pea salad and game consommé
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Oven-Roasted Cornish Beef Fillet, 5 hour braised beef cheek, wild mushrooms, soft mash

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Blue monday and Cornish yarg cheeses

The first two wines served, in drinking rather than tasting measures(!) were Latour à Pomerol 1990 and 1998. I found the 1990 to be so elegant, right in the drinking zone now, sure it'll go on but you have everything where you want it now.The fruit was relaxed and balanced by the ripe tannins, there was just a shade of the soy arriving, a wine to just drink and enjoy. The 1998, in many ways still an insider's vintage on the right bank - Merlot worked, Cabernet largely didn't - was more primary, a wine moving into third gear, poised and whilst open it is still coiled quite tight, this will be luscious very soon I think.

With the beef it was time for the Trotanoy pair of 1989 and 2000. My note for the 1989, and notes were getting more basic by now, starts "wow, sexy and seductive", this had such vibrant energy and hightoned fruit, some tar and sweetness, a lovely degraded extrovert character. This is a purely hedonistic wine that picks you up and demands you enjoy it, sweet and succulent. The 2000 is, accounting for the age difference, always going to be a more savoury, mineral and, arguably serious, wine. This has darker cooler fruit and is possibly a more clasical Trotanoy, either way a lovely pair and a real treat. 

There was one more wine - C&B Sauternes 2010 - served from halves. It's from a rather top-end address but little more than that can be said!!

When you expect a lot - and I do from these two great Properties - you can often be left a little flat. Not a chance here!

The last Hurrah...

When the news of the end - for now - of Zucca came out there was quick booking made by fellow Zucca addict - Mr Rafferty for the last but one night, the last night would have been too much.

So nine of us including Mrs Duvault-Blochet joined together for a dinner. The theme being the last bottle from a case, any case. When I say bottle in true style most people brought a magnum or two bottles. This was a very relaxed evening with much opinion expressed and piss-taking. New friends made. We ate from the "normal" menu and rattled off the classics:

Zucca Friti

Carpaccio of Sea Bass

Burrata with Cavalo Nero

Beef Carpaccio

Vitello Tonnato

Squid Bruscetta

-

Taglierini, Pork & Fennel Ragu
-
Grilled Octopus

Veal Chop
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Chocolate SemiFreddo

We hadn't managed to co-ordinate anyone doing some fizz so we started with a couple of bottles of the fresh but just a shade toasty Satin La Montina Franciacorta. I really ought to get to know what's what with Franciacorta, beyond Ferrari and Ca'del Bosco I am just not that knowledgeable.

Then time for some white and we started with "Jazz Hand's" magnum - Meursault Les Grands Charrons 2009 from Boisson-Vadot. I've been lucky enough to drink a decent amount of Boisson-Vadot but never have I had it from magnum before. This had all the smokey, slight reduction you expect of this producer and the richness you expect of 2009, a really decadent start to proceedings. Alongside this was Hattenheimer Pfaffenberg Jubilee Spatlese 2008 from Schloss Schonborn from bottle. This wine was served in the same room at Mrs D-B's 40th so it seem appropriate to have it again. Lovely Rhine richness with the middle ground of Spatlese, a wine to just enjoy, no pretence.

And on to the reds! Tignanello 1986 was a really easy wine to quaff, not to say it was not more serious but it had slightly lost a sense of place. It wasn't showing the Sangiovese acidity and it's kind owner was a little disappointed as it was from "his" vintage (youngster!). I liked it just think that 5 years ago it would have had that bit more personality. 

It's partner was my offering, Cascina Francia Barbera 2008 from Giacomo Conterno, my thinking being that it is a producer I love and we (C&B) even did a dinner here with Roberto. On the other hand none of the Conterno wines are what could be remotely called mature so this seemed a good compromise. It drank well, still good rich dark cherry fruit but with that cool saline edge you always get from the site, wonderfully food friendly as ever. That was my last mag but I do still have a bottle somewhere.

The next flight was unplanned but set itself up as a great pairing. Two of the top names from respective banks in Bordeaux. Both top estates. VCC (Vieux Chateau Certan) 1998

and Palmer 1998 . Having them then served blind I was delighted to get them the right way round. Anyone in the trade who says they aren't relieved to get this right especially after 10+ years in bottle is probably lying. The VCC had real poise and such balance, really lovely, young yes but not infanticide at all. If you have a case of this (in bottles) then don't be afraid to have a bottle of two now, you'll be missing out otherwise. The Palmer actually tasted to be a little more mature, a little more developed (2nd base may be), not quite the layers of the VCC but splendid.

The next two bottles, from Mr Rafferty were a treat - Rauzan Segla 1947 a BBR bottling - was exuberantly sweet and reminded me of some of the 1955's I have been lucky enough to have had. A lovely bottle and so fitting to have something this old and special on a night like this. Hermitage 1994 from Chave has no right to be anything like as soft and lovely and just downright delicious as it is. The vintage is not great but then how many times do us wine lovers have to be told "producer, producer, producer".

One special glass got passed back to us in the Pdr from the main restaurant and it was the really rather lovely Sori San Lorenzo 1990 from Gaja a real treat from Mr Bowker.

Hattenheimer Pfaffenberg Spatlese 1989 from Schloss Schonborn (another coincidence to have this) finished us off for the evening in some style, oily and menthol fresh with good acidity. Is it wrong to say that I think people were concentrating more on the puddings by then.

It was great that Sam (Harris) managed to pop in and join us for a glass here and there.

The end had come - I've loved Zucca and shared so many wonderful times there…I am sure it'll be back. Thanks to all those who have brought bottles and served them, cooked and given great service I am not singling anyone out as it was a team effort…onwards!

Dom Perignon 2002 to 2006 with Vincent Chaperon

When an invite arrives, from Mr Dundas, for a Dom Perignon tasting and light lunch at M Restaurant (only 5 mins from the office) it's not the hardest "yes" ever. The focus here was around the launch of the 2006 which I have tasted and liked. To set the 2006 in context we also enjoyed the previous four vintages. It is a run of five consecutive vintages and that happens rarely.

We, including lots of trade colleagues and friends (some, yes you Rupert/Gareth, not understanding that you wear a tie in the city but I'll get over it), sat down to be led through the wines by Vincent Chaperon who has "only" been at Dom Perignon 15 years and is very much Richard Geoffroy's right hand man.

I have always liked Dom Perignon - I don't have any particular need to as commercially it is significant but not a life changer and in many ways someone working with lots of smaller estate, as I am lucky to, ought/might like to find the scale "DP" a little vulgar. BUT, here's the thing, DP remains one of the few examples in the wine world of signifiant volume alongside very good to great quality. They look to make DP every year, obviously this won't happen but less vintages are being skipped as the weather seems (I'm not starting on global warming here) to be getting more "optimal" each year. Vincent led the tasting very well and seemed to invent his own word along the way - "Creamosity" - which went straight in all the note books.

So the wines:

2006 - A few notable comments on the growing season from Vincent; one of the longest harvests, a warm and dry September was key as August had not been good. So to the glass and tasting. The nose was intensely tight with an almost Chablisesque character. Very much the Chardonnay showing at the moment. Taught with lemon and lime citrus notes which then turn more to green mellon as the wine calms in the glass. The minerality is stoney and the volume in the mouth very good. There is no nuttiness as yet. The wine overall gives a very good, complete, feeling. I see no obvious reason why this will shut down.
Drink 2017 - 2026+
18-18.5

2005 - This vintage is only 45% Pinot Noir but the reason behind this is that the Pinot Noir was very good, too much more than this amount in the blend would have been "overpowering". The vintage's challenge was Botrytis. There is immediately more weight to the 2005. More opulence, but also more simplicity. There is almost a heaviness to this, a density. Somehow I don't "get" this. It is more "gourmand" bigger and bolder.
Drink 2015 - 2023
16.5-17

2004 - Lovely nose, completeness again, no rough edges. Not overly expressive, refined and poised. A little yeastiness just showing. There is a drier fruit character nose. This is the opposite of showy, a drinkers wine. Quite a savvy buy and one to be a little patient with.
Drink 2016 - 2024+
17.5-18

2003 - Vincent described this as a wine with "Gravitas" and I see where he is coming from. It was well reported as a bizarre year with exceptional temperatures. I had an open mind but in truth was not expecting too much. The nose was immediately bolder (especially after the restrained 2004), richer and the character that struck me was more Meursaultesque. There was an unctuous almost lactic feel to the wine and it is every bit as much a wine as a champagne in my view. There is a yeasty nutty finish also but not short or heavy. It will be fascinating to see how it ages…I really liked it. 
Drink 2013- 2020(+?)
17.5-18.25

2002 - The last wine of the tasting and from one of the most hyped Champagne vintages of recent decades. Rich, almost reduced, bold in style. Lovely nose of yeast, toast, toffee, hazelnut and cream, then Creme Brulee. It is high toned and extrovert, there is also a note of cocoa bean just peeking though. This is in the next stage of its life. It's for the hedonist. It will be seriously fascinating to see how this wine varies in character and evolution over different formats but also over the later (P2 /P3) releases that they do.
Drink 2012- 2022+
18-18.5

There was a good discussion, post tasting, about the later releases - P2/P3 - and how they sit in the range. I guess time will tell and there were different views on how much production should/could go into each level in % terms. An amazing phrase also got an outing in regard of the pricing differences - "economic apartheid" (more writing in notebooks). I came out of this thinking that possibly, for reasons of extreme conditions, the 2003 will be one of the most fascinating to follow.

 A good light, fish orientated, lunch followed at which we had a little more 2006, solved the problems on English Rugby and then, most importantly, tasted the Dom Perignon 1998 P2. I've said a few times on this blog that I prefer original release Champagnes (from any house) with age rather than the later releases. There is too often a mocha/cocoa bean dominance for my taste in the later. BUT this P2 was pretty special. 1998 is a rich vintage and the later release here seems to have added freshness…impressive…

Thank you Vincent and thank you Jack!

Tenuta di Trinoro vertical

I am a little overdue on posting about this cracking tasting. A colleague - Sara Guiducci - has done a far more in depth post on the C&B Blog but I wanted to get my brief notes down. I hosted the evening by introducing Andrea Franchetti who spoke and as well as ever with his own brand of savage honesty to the fore as always. Also for me it had quite a large overlap with this other Vertical in Oxford at the start of the year.

I won't go into too much background but this tasting took us back to the very first vintage, 1997, although there was a wine (Cupole di Trinoro, now the name of the second wine) produced in 1995. Andrea made his way to creating wine via Bordeaux and his passion for Cabernet Franc in particular stems from a bottle of Petit Cheval 1990 he once had. The estate picks very late, even in November on occasions with 125-135 days of "hang-time" not unusual. 

As the tasters assembled we had a glass each of the Guardiola 2012 from Andrea's estate on Etna. 100% Chardonnay but totally unoaked this is a wine I have enjoyed from the start but to be honest the 2012 is a serious step up on the good vintages before. It manages to be both unctuous and fresh, rich and delicious. There is considerable and enjoyable complexity to this wine. With that we started the reds and it was only the principal wine - Tenuta di Trinoro itself. All the wines were pre-poured and questions came along as and when. No fixed "flights" so to speak.

2012
Cabernet Sauvignon predominant which is rare. Rich and full, drought was less of a problem here than previously. It is a deep dark wine but a wine with opulent balance. The Cabernet Franc that wasn’t included was of good quality but just did not make the blend (there was a new wine made called "Magnacosta"). Opulently beautiful…time will treat this very well...


2011
A real favourite of Andrea's, a “monster” was how he described it– red fruit, cherry and almost elegant on nose then bold and generous – it is a cracking wine of extremes. It fermented for about a year which is remarkable…overall there were 12 pickings of Cabernet Franc (the predominant variety in contrast to 2012). A hot year like they used to get...unique.


2009
This is a vintage I know quite well from tasting over the years. Until the 2011 came along I considered it the most extrovert of the Trinoros. A riper, higher toned wine than previously, but elegant and in balance, it now has an ever so slightly chalkily enticing palate…Andrea commented that it was an easy vintage (a little like almost all of Europe then!).

2007

"Dry leaves being raked" was Andrea's comment as it was a very dry vintage. To my palate this was the one wine that may be showed less than I expected, it is slightly in an "in between phase". Oak a little too obvious, high octane and opulent but in a more vegetal style. I'd love to re-assess in a couple of years.

After this point everything was served from Magnum simply because there are very few bottles of these vintages at the estate (not that there are many magnums!!)

2006 Magnum
I can't quite remember the context but there was a comment about the “Disease of ripeness” this had an exoticness, balance on palate, new leather with a refreshing greenness (I can never explain what I mean by this) – more corrupt but in a good degraded sweetness fashion!

2001 Magnum
To use Andrea's own words "The best I have made". I asked around the room at the tasting and afterwards and if people were asked for 2 or 3 favourites then they all included this wine. It has a simply superb balance of sweet, slightly degraded fruit, tannin and a refreshing acidity, complete.

1999 Magnum
This was a really interesting vintage, far gentler than many. Mellow notes of herbal water, cucumber water, a lightness, delightfully mature with some sweetness still. Drink and enjoy.

1998 Magnum
“Smaller and neat” was Andrea's comment. I found a little dark fruit then some mint and iodine. A savoury saline edge gave complexity. More masculine than the 1999. I really liked this.


1997 Magnum
So the first vintage and from vines planted, amazingly, in 1993. The vintage is one that in many ways put Italy on the modern fine wine map. This was mature but with some good dark fruit, Iodine showed as well, mellowness. Very good right now!

The overall standard was very high, the differences were very encouraging with all the wines having their own personalities...I just can't wait to see what a trio like 2012, 2011 and 2009 taste like in 10 years (or for that matter the brilliant 2001)...