No, that isn't what makes it stupid. What makes it stupid is that it's UFC, which is associated with hooters, beer, xyience and headblades. Not wine pairings. I drink wine in alot of situations, but not one where I'm jumping out of my chair screaming for one guy to beat the **** out of another guy.

FYI that's cause people buy boone's farm and franzia at wal-mart. I can understand doing that kind of drinking for UFC...

this is a rather sad attitude to take. I'll drink wine in many different situations, and some of the best times that I've had with wine were when I was drinking amazing wine in non-analytical settings(and these were all very hard hitting wines). Honestly, why be so pretentious about it, what does it gain? what makes you feel this way, and what have you drank that would make you so special as to put off this type of attitude?

I really don't want this thread to devolve into something like this, but in all honesty, this is the kind of attitude that is very off-putting, and this thread is for people that drink at all different levels, so it would be great to keep pretention out of it as that's been how its worked since it got started until recently. There isn't much positive contribution to the thread when you're saying that asking something like this is stupid or silly.


good for you, guess what I do, and I enjoy it, so what is your reasoning for putting off a pretentious air about it and pretending that you're "better" than that.

FYI, wine is the biggest seller in teh US because of KJ, Cliquot, and Santa Margherita, not boone's farm or 2buck Chuck. I work in teh business and see it on a daily basis.

relax kdawg. it's fine dude. i see what you mean, just kind of think its weird, an okay disagreement.

sit on these for a while. The 99 montebello is still very young and the 04 Monty is still in diapers. From what I've tasted of the 04 Barolos, they'll be coming around sooner than originally, but look to pop that pio cesare around 2013 at the earliest

lol, i'm far from worked up, i've said worse on this board and have gotten more fired up about less, i was just making a point and did a bit of baiting in making it

good, thread can get back to wine now

thanks for the advice.. i;m still pretty much a noob.., not sure how long i can store them for as all i have is one of those 20 bottle wine fridges. how important is humidity controlled storage to prevent the cork from drying out? i will one day have a cellar/walk in humidor built but more like in 5 years when i settle down. i'll probably end up drinking them now and buy them again when i have appropriate storage.

i recently spewed on some riedel sommelier's series cab glasses and i have to say they do make a difference.. oxidizes the wine easier and the glasses force you to drink it in a way that the wine hits your palate perfectly. what glasses do you guys use/recommend? i hear that they recently put out oregon pinot noir glasses which i'm thinking is going a little too far....

well, if you're gonna drink them, then go for the monte bello first, but I really do advise you to just keep them in your wine fridge for the next few years. The monte bello will be relatively drinking, but the other two are insanely young. Here is my note on the 04 monty:

• 2004 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon The Montelena Estate - USA, California, Napa Valley (10/1/2008)
  Montelena Seminar (Binny's Highland Park, Highland Park IL): nose: big but very well balanced nose filled to the brim with rich red fruits, cassis, tobacco, cedar tones, and bits of herbal notes and root stalks
  
  taste: full bodied feel with rich red fruits, cassis, tobacco, cedar, and dark chocolate tones
  
  overall: Wonderful full bodied feel with big chewy tannins. A massive montelena with great depth and succulent layers. More open then I expected for such a young montelena, but this will be a stunner when it comes around. It brings about a rich red fruit attack and sweet cassis finish that doesn't want to stop. (93 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker



now, mind you, something to take into account is that I've drank a fair amount of young monty, togni, monte bello, mondavi reserve, and a whole bunch of young bordeaux. The montelena will be a stark contrast from the mollydookers that you bought, as will the monte bello.


the somm glasses are great, but one can definitely go overboard on them. I hadn't really used my somm burg glass(until I broke it) all that much as it just didn't give me the nose that I wanted when I'd drink my burgs or oregons. WHen I'm drinking a pinot, I generally lean towards the Riedel Grape Burg glass that williams sonoma carries. They are a pain to clean though, but the grape glasses are really good. You'll also be more then fine with the regular Riedels, and for less money, I fully reccomend the schott-zwiesel forte glasses for general reds(you will want seperate glasses for pinots).

A word of advice, champagne flutes are generally useless unless you are drinking very well aged champagne. I prefer regular chardonnay glasses as they open up the nose a lot

man, I'm really backed up on notes and haven't really felt like putting them in. Here are the wines I had while watching the superbowl with some friends last night:

SUPERBOWL NIGHT - Chicago IL, Mike's house (2/1/2009)

Shane and I headed over to Mike's to do some wine drinking to go with the superbowl again. We each brought a wine that we could sit with and then a wine for the others that were there to drink on

• 2003 Saint Jean du Barroux Côtes du Ventoux L'Oligocène - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Côtes du Ventoux
  nose: at first this started off with nice classic french grenache tones of saddle leather, garrigue, black fruits, and a dollop of pepper. Of course, that lasted a good whole 15 minutes before it fell apart into a bad amarone/port concotion mess. All sorts of singed and stewed black fruits with old prunes to go with it. It was decent at first, but once it fell apart it was near dreadful and was appropos for the vintage for those that tried to hang it on the vine too long
  
  taste: a complete disjointed mess. Some bakers chocolate is the only decent flavor with bad port and amarone type flavors of raisins along with some charred black licorice and stewed black fruits. Drinkable I guess, but there is no acidity and the feel is very disjointed
  
  overall: a complete mess of a wine. I'm not sure what GV was tasting when he gave this a 95. simply put, this wine blows and I'm glad that I haven't and won't own any bottles of this (68 pts.)
• 1996 Paul Jaboulet Aîné Hermitage La Chapelle - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
  nose: classic and deep hermitage nose filled with black pepper, black cherries, leather, charcol and dripping with bacon fat. A really great nose that sings and opens up more as the evening had gone on
  
  taste: great medium/full feel with good medium tannins providing a nice spine with black pepper, loads of bacon fat, charcol, and a good helping of black fruits. Very polished feel thatflows well and showsits class
  
  overall: a really good La Chapelle. Good layering and great weight, this is very much a baby. While it will never be a blow away La Chapelle, its a lot of fun to drink and has a very long life ahead of it (92 pts.)
• 1985 Château Canon - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
  nose: wonderfully balanced and mature nose filled with classic st emilion notes of cedar, red cherries, smoke, various berry tones, lots of underlying tones of roasted herbs, and nice hints of dried mushrooms with hints of leather. Fully mature and very beautiful as it wafts from the glass in it's pomp
  
  taste: great medium feel with almost fully resolved tannins(they are very fine grained) with tones of leather, red cherries, berries, cedar, and some bits of roasted herbs
  
  overall: fully mature and a great aged st emilion. Wonderful balanced aromatics and flavors with a great plush feel that really starts to sing once it got about an hour or so of air (93 pts.)
• 2005 Château Marsau - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Côtes de Francs
  nose: nice and filling nose that is very ripe for bordeaux with berries, red cherries, some red licorice, and a bit of anise to top it off. Its nice and aromatic, and while not in your face ripe, it doesn't really evoke bordeaux
  
  taste: good medium feel with medium tannins providing tones of red licorice, a lot of mixed berries, and red cherries. Again, it doesn't taste or fully feel like a bordeaux, which is a bit bothersome
  
  overall: an international styled wine. It doesn't really say bordeaux in that many ways to me, and while very good, it has little sense of place. A good wine for the price, but I've certainly had other 05 bordeauxs for under 20 that tasted like bordeauxs that were accessible and excellent for the price (87 pts.)
• 2005 Strathewen Hills Shiraz Patterson Lakes - Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Mornington Peninsula
  nose: a stark contrast to the other wines that were being drunk, this was pretty in your face with tones of mint, eucalyptus, black cherries, cranberries, and cigarrette ash. bold and fairly rich, this was rather out of place from everything else that was being drunk
  
  taste: overdone, hot, and hollow on the mid palate. This didn't seem like the same wine that I enjoyed in the past. Tones of eucalyptus, black cherries, and cranberries go decent with each other
  
  overall: this wine was out of place and it probably isn't fair to do a real evaluation. c'est la vie. It would've fared much better with other shirazs, but with that said, it was a hit with other people that were at the party that weren't drinking as much wine (85 pts.)

A great game and another good night. Always a fun time, and to have such a great finish happen made it all the better. Looking forward to doing it again next year
Posted from CellarTracker




Hopefully I'll finish up putting in my notes from a Mark De Grazia selections tasting that I was at almost two weeks ago. I tasted through slightly over 50 04 Brunellos, 05 Barolos, and some 06 Barbarescos. There weren't as many brunellos as I would've liked, but I do have to say, the 05 barolos were awesome, but will need a lot of time. I should be able to post those notes in the next hour or so if I motivate myself enough

Just wanted to say that I enjoyed reading this thread even though the wines described are way above my price bracket.

I wonder if anyone can give me a champagne recommendation. I'm looking to but a nice bottle for a wedding present, spending £50-£90 (about $100 I guess). I like champagne a lot but rarely buy anything more expensive than NV Bollinger.

What shoudl I go for? Seems Dom P and Krug are the leaders in this price range but any other suggestions gratefully received.

don't go with Dom. While good, it generally disapoints for me. If you are going to go super high end on the bubbly, look towards bollinger RD, Krug, or Salon. Watch out though on the 97 Salon as I know in the states that its the same general price as the 96, and nowhere near as good of a wine. If you can get the 96, go with that as it is an absolute stunner

in the tier below that level, look towards Philliponat Clos des Goissets or Henriot Les Echentleurs. I'm also a very big fan of Feuillate's Palmes D'Or and that is generally retailing for around $80, so that may be around the 50GBP and lower price


with that said, please contribute any thoughts you may have on any wines that you try. While some of us like to drink some expensive wines, there is always a contribution that can be made by posting your own tasting notes or thoughts on wines that aren't as expensive. If there's anything I'm all about is to take out the pretention in wine and always encourage people to contribute to this thread

Go veuve-clicquot. It's in that price range and is always good, never really known anyone who had an objection to it, which is what you need for gifts.

KDawg, I just paid $3(college student special) for a few bottles of Moon Shadow Gewurztraminer(2005). Any strategies for drinking this one? Just figured I'd pick it up for that cheap, but it'll probably be gross.

i disagree a lot with cliquot. Its just way over produced and is a very poor value when you can get a lot of great grower champagnes at teh same price point, and some really good bigger houses. If they yellow label cost more around $25 I think it'd be fine, but at the 35-45 price it costs, no way



try the gewurztraminer, but I'd say cook with it more likely

Ya, I'm not a fan of Cliquot whatsoever either. The worst of the, "big houses" IMO.

Shadow Gewurtz: Add some raspberries or sprite to it to ease the heartburn.

I enjoyed watching this one:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oz_and_...Wine_Adventure

James May of Top Gear fame and wine critic Oz Clarke travel France and California visiting wine yards and overall having fun. I don't think most will find it very educational but it was quite entertaining for me.

Thanks for the help. I'll probably go for the Krug as it has greater name recognition for the recipients.

I agree about Veuve. It's the house champagne in my firm so I've drunk a lot of yellow label over the years. It's quite often faintly sulphuric and is very poor value for money IMO (it's actually about £30 here). In that range I think Bollinger is unbeatably consistent. At the tier down Gratien is a very good producer.

I buy most of my wine from the wine society. If there are any people from the UK browsing this thread, I strongly recommend joining - their buyers are unrivalled in me experience.

http://www.thewinesociety.com/

A few wines I buy frequently:

Marcillic, Domaine de Cros. £6.50. A lovely red which manages to be light bodied while retaining some tannins. Made from fer servadou, it has lots of berry fruitiness. If you like cru beaujolais, this is well worth a try.

Chénas, Château Bonnet, Vieilles Vignes, 2006 £8.95. Chenas is the smallest of the beaujolais crus but is the best value IMO. Like Moulins, it's wines are heavier bodied then most of the crus and closer in character and weight to junior Burgundy. They age better than most crus too. This is a complex wine for the price with dark cherry flavours. Goes very well with game.

Quinta de Azevedo, Vinho Verde, 2007 £6.25 An perfect vinho verde for dreams of the summer. Slightly fizzy this is very dry with crisp green apple flavours and citrus undertones. I've tried this with lost of people and they invariably love it.

The Society's New Zealand Sav Blanc. £8.50 Made for the Society by well known Kiwi producer Villa Maria this is classic NZ SB but with the typical gooseberry flavour balanced with other fruits to make a less sharp and more rounded wine.

By no means is Veuve one of my favorite champagnes, but I always thought the yellow label was a pretty decent crowd pleaser for reasonably cheap. Alright though, whatev. The gewurtz was pretty bad.

I meant to post these notes about a week ago when I finished up the notes.

I went to a trade tasting back in late jan to go through a good size of the Mark De Grazia portfolio. For those that don't know who/what Mark De Grazia is, he is a big importer of piedmont and tuscan wines.

For piedmont, he generally carries more modern barolo and barbaresco producers, so in theory they are more accessible young, but the 05 vintage has much higher noticeable tannins and acidity then the 04s that I've had(of which those 04s include some very traditional producers and they were still fairly accessible with good decanting)

Since this forum has a fair amount of people that want to build a long term cellar and are generally under 40, the 05 barolo vintage will be a great one to cellar for the long term. A lot of these wines will not be even starting to drink for at least another 8-10 years, and they have the acidity and tannin to last a long time(granted this is in a cellar that is temperature and humidity controlled)

This post will be long and exhuastive, but if you are looking at getting piedmont wines for cellaring, a lot of these will be available across the country as mark De Grazia is in any major wine selling state


onto the notes:

MARK DE GRAZIA SELECTIONS: 05 BAROLOS, 04 BRUNELLOS, 06 BARBARESCOS - MK, Chicago IL (1/22/2009)

I took the opportunity to go to this tasting after my classes were done. I was a lot more limited on time then I normally would be, so a lot of short hand was used for these notes and it was a matter of me translating my notes and trying to make sense of them. Some notes were unreadable, and it's been too long and too many wines since this tasting to remember those wines

I was really looking forward to this and hoping that the quality would be high considering the vintages that were being poured, I wouldn't be let down in any way, shape, or form
(mostly) 05 Barolos
There were a few 03s sprinkled in, but the vast majority was 05s. I wasn't at this tasting last year to taste through the 04s, so I can't compare on that end. However, from what I tasted here, 05 is looking to be a very long lived vintage and a very pretty vintage. There won't be that many mind blowing wines, but instead there will be a lot of lovely and feminine wines that will bring a lot of joy when they are ready(that is the key word). They will take a while to come around, but patience should be rewarded in spades with the vintage

• 2003 Fratelli Revello Barolo Vigna Giachini - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
  nose: very rich nose filled with herbs, florals, tar, perfumes, and various spice tones. Lovely and pretty elegant nose for such a hot vintage. Good depth too and very perfumed
  
  taste: nice and smooth feel with medium/high acidity and tannins providing tones of bing cherries, loads of herbs, spices, tar, and various floral tones. Good depth and not overbearing on the tannins too much as they are more silky tannins as opposed to big structured tannins
  
  overall: a really nice barolo that is pretty ready to go. A little more time may add some more depth and polish, but the nose was wide open and the acidity wasn't over bearing at all. Good smooth feel and has a nice elegance to it and isn't overtly ripe or stewed (91 pts.)
• 2005 Fratelli Revello Barolo - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
  nose: nice rich and spice based nose with loads of cherries, tar, bits of anise, and good undertones of herbs. well styled and balanced that was fairly open for business
  
  taste: great feel with high acidity and tannins that do hamper the palate a bit, but good, rich tones of red cherries, tar, herbs, and good tones of spices. Good balance at this young stage
  
  overall: This has really good potential. The acidity and tannins need to calm down a bit right now, but this has the ability to turn into a real beauty with time (90 pts.)
• 2005 Fratelli Revello Barolo Vigna Gattera - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
  nose: nice feminine and hi-pitched nose of various florals, cherries, red fruits, and good subtle hints of spice. Not neccessarily delicate per se, but has a nice feminine touch to it
  
  taste: nice feminine feel with subtle tones of hi-toned florals, cherries, spice tones, and herbs. Very high acidity and tannins, but they don't seem to completely interfere with the tones
  
  overall: this needs some time to coax itself into maturity. Very pretty and has the ability to be a wonderful barolo with time (90 pts.)
• 2005 Fratelli Revello Barolo Vigna Giachini - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
  nose: nice nose that has a good helping of tar and black cherries with bits of oak, mint, and spice tones. While it has nice complexity, there isn't the depth of the Barolo and Gattera. This will probably add with age
  
  taste: very high acid, but it doesn't detract from teh great feel that this wine posseses with good tones of tar, black cherries, and lots of spices
  
  overall: this is another budding beauty. The acidity doesn't provide much enjoyment right now, but when it calms down a bit and the oak integrates, this should turn out great and bea a good robust barolo (89 pts.)
• 2005 Fratelli Revello Barolo Vigna Conca - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
  nose: fairly modern nose with a good dose of oak, herbs, lots of spices, and bright tones of red cherries. The oak is a bit much right now, hopefully it'll integrate with time
  
  taste: oak starts off with tones of herbs, wood spices, red and black cherries. Good light feel with medium/high tannins and medium/high acidity
  
  overall: A very good barolo right now, but the oak is a bit too much front and center. Hopefully the oak integrates better with age. That said, there is a very nice wine here that needs some time to emerge (88 pts.)
• 2005 Elio Altare Barolo - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
  nose: very lovely and perfumed nose of spices, tar, and rich red cherries. Lush nose and very elegant with good depth at this point already
  
  taste: nice and lush with medium/high tannins and medium/high acidity with perfumes, spices, purple florals, bits of roses, herbs, and tar. Good light feel that moves across the palate well
  
  overall: a nice feminine barolo that should be approachable sooner then some of the other 05s. Lovely and perfumed it has a nice delicate edge to it (91 pts.)
• 2005 Elio Altare Barolo Vigneto Arborina - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
  nose: very delicate and feminine nose with hi-toned florals, loads of roses and violets, cinammon, dark cherries, and spice tones. Great depth that makes this just a real gorgeous nose
  
  taste: beautiful feminine feel that glides well with very big acidity providing tones of violets, roses, herbs, cinammon, and dark cherries. Very plush and delicate that intrigues
  
  overall: this has amazing potential. It just works so well and has great spices to add to the wonderful aromas and flavors. This just needs some good down time to let it fully come out (92 pts.)
• 2005 Mauro Molino Barolo - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
  nose: light and a bit reticent nose with light tones of tar, florals, and bits of red cherries. fairly straightforward nose with decent depth, but not much more
  
  taste: nice medium/light feel with medium+ acidity providing tones of tar, red florals, and red cherries. Well defined and good tannins, but very standard on everything
  
  overall: a very straightforward barolo. Not much exciting here and quite frankly, one can do better with some langhe nebbiolos or gattinaras then spending on this. Its nice, and it has classic nebb flavors, but just doesn't bring the depth or elegance of barolo that one would want (87 pts.)
• 2005 Mauro Molino Barolo Vigna Gallinotto - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
  nose: nice depth on the nose(and much deeper than the regular barolo) with rich tones of tar, red cherries, roses, and loads of herbs. Very nice and well balanced
  
  taste: very elegant feel with plush tones of tar, red cherries, and dried herbs. THe acidity is biting, but its not as searing as some of the other barolos that were tasted
  
  overall: a very nice and feminine styled barolo. Lush and elegant with a touch of class, this will be a fun one when its ready a few years down the road (90 pts.)
• 2005 Mauro Molino Barolo Vigna Gancia - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
  nose: nice lush and balanced nose of tar, red cherries, cinammon, with a nice dollop of herbs and spices
  
  taste: very high acidity with a good plush feel providing tones of tar, red cherries, herbs, spices, and bits of roses to add a nice touch to it
  
  overall: the feel makes the wine. Obviously will need some time to let the acidity calm down a bit, but a more robust styled barolo with good balance (91 pts.)
• 2005 Paolo Scavino Barolo Bric dël Fiasc - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
  nose: beautifully rich and perfumed nose filled with red cherries, spices, herbs, mint, cinammon, and slight hints of oak. Very expressive at this stage with great depth and layering
  
  taste: Very well layered with a lovely medium/light feel backed up by medium/high tannins and high acidity with rich tones of red cherries, spices, mint, and cinammon. Great depth and showing very well at this young stage
  
  overall: while its showing well now, it certainly has the stuffing to get better and blossom. Very well balanced and layered making this a very attractive Barolo and one that would be fun to have in the cellar (92 pts.)
• 2005 Paolo Scavino Barolo Carobric - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
  nose: gorgeous and perfumed nose filled with sweet tones of herbs, roses, red cherries, purple florals, and hints of spices. Very lovely and loads of depth with a great feminine touch to it
  
  taste: great dancing feel with sweet and rich tones of roses, red cherries, purple florals and perfumes. Big tannins as one would expect with high acidity to accompany it
  
  overall: give this time and it will reward you. An absolute beauty in waiting that will show lots of wonderful nuance with age. It was really working some magic right now, but the acidity and tannins thrashed the palate a bit, so when they calm down just a bit and let the aromas and flavors to fully unlock, this has the ability to be a real stunner (93 pts.)
• 2003 Paolo Scavino Barolo Bricco Ambrogio - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
  nose: a lot of oak and extracted tones of black cherries, herbs, and some dark spices. The oak influence is just too overbearing at this time and is such that it's hard to figure out if it will ever integrate
  
  taste: very rich and bold with lots of extraction with tones of oak, cinammon, spices, and black cherries. Medium/high tannins and medium acidity give this some backbone
  
  overall: a bit overdone for my personal taste. It just didn't seem like a barolo and was just too much of everything. A solid barolo that can turn real good if the heavy oak integrates, but judgement will have to be fully reserved until then (89 pts.)
• 2005 Paolo Scavino Barolo Bricco Ambrogio - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
  nose: very modern and filling nose with dark red cherries, dark florals, black spices, and a good helping of dark berries. While there is definitely some oak present on the nose, its nowhere near as dominant as it was on the 03, almost a stark difference
  
  taste: Fuller feel on the palate then normal barolos with rich tones of dark red cherries, dark florals, dark berries, and some bits of herbs. Well defined tannins and acidity, but aren't as overbearing as on some other 05s
  
  overall: Very good feel and flavors, this isn't as obtrusive as the 03 was. Definitely a modern barolo, and if one is a fan of that style of barolo, this will be right up your alley and should age well (91 pts.)
• 2005 Paolo Scavino Barolo - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
  nose: very aromatic nose filled with red cherries, herbs, lush florals, and slight hints of tar. Lovely nose that is a bit reticent at this time
  
  taste: massive tannins and acidity that are mouth inverting with tones of red cherries, herbs, florals, and various spices
  
  overall: The nose is really good right now, but the tannins and acidity are too much at this point. Will need a good amount of time to start to come around (90 pts.)
• 2003 Paolo Scavino Barolo - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
  nose: very lovely and perfumed nose filled with all sorts of red cherries, herbs, and roses. Great depth and not overdone from the heat of the vintage. Very good balance to go with the freshness of it
  
  taste: excellent feel with medium tannins that give way to rich tones of tar, red cherries, roses, herbs, and bits of perfumes. Good depth and layering
  
  overall: this is essentially ready to go. Great feel and aromatics with solid tannins and medium acidity. This isn't a long term ager by any means, but a lovely barolo (91 pts.)
• 2005 Domenico Clerico Barolo Ciabot Mentin Ginestra - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
  nose: massively deep and loaded nose filled with red cherries, herbs, roses, spices, cinammon, and tar. extremely balanced with layer upon layer revealing itself
  
  taste: Very young, but at the same time very lush with rich and deep tones of roses, all sorts of red cherries, cinammon, and tar. Very big acidity and tannins that are almost overwhelming
  
  overall: this has the ability to be a very special wine. Will need some good down time before it unleashes its full potential, but it has rock star qualitites to it (94 pts.)
• 2005 Domenico Clerico Barolo Pajana - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
  nose: very modern with tones of vanilla, dark red cherries, spices, herbs, and bits of tar. While not super extracted, there is an extracted element to it and a bit of oak influences
  
  taste: lacking some weight and mid palate with tones of vanilla, dark red cherries, spices, and bits of tar. Good feel, but a bit lacking
  
  overall: not as expressive as the Ginestra. This was a let down and was a bit hollow, but still had good tannins and acidity. Hopefully it'll come together better with some age (90 pts.)
• 2005 Silvio Grasso Barolo Ciabot Manzoni - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
  nose: succulent and very deep nose just filled with pure tones of mint, spices, herbs, tar, and all sorts of various red cherries. This is a nose that lets you get lost in already at this young stage and this really stood out from the large crowd at the tasting
  
  taste: Very pure and lovely with high acidity to let you know how young it is. Deftly balanced tones of berries, spices, tar, herbs, and a wide range of cherries. While the acidity is bordering on the searing edge, it holds back a bit to at least let you taste teh wine
  
  overall: needs a good amount of downtime to get the acidity to calm down a bit. An absolutely lovely barolo that is very expressive already and just permeates in teh glass very well. Beautiful and delicate at the same time, this should be a real stunner when it hits maturity (93 pts.)
• 2005 Silvio Grasso Barolo Bricco Luciani - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
  nose: very delicate and fine nose filled with violets, roses, tar, herbs, and all sorts of cherries. Very feminine in a southern belle type style
  
  taste: wonderful feminine feel with demure tones of tar, roses, lots of herbs and a nice big basket of cherries to compliment it all. Medium/high acidity give this a nice spine, and its nowhere near as acidic as the Manzoni
  
  overall: this will also need time to let the nuances come out. Not a wine that will blow you away, but one to sit with and reflect while it lets all of its nuances emerge once its fully mature. It'll need that time, but there is a beautiful and delicate quality to it that is very attractive (91 pts.)
• 2001 Silvio Grasso Langhe Nebbiolo Peirass - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Langhe DOC
  nose: wonderful, rich, and mature nose with hi-toned florals, bits of tea leaves, brown spices, and rich tones of dark red cherries. Very well balanced and very aromatic with a combination of secondary and primary tones
  
  taste: good mature feel with medium acidity that gives into plush hi-toned florals, brown spices, bits of earth, and a good helping of dark red cherries
  
  overall: an excellent and mature langhe nebbiolo. Well balanced that works well in giving you what you'd want from a nebb (88 pts.)
• 2005 Mario Marengo Barolo Brunate - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
  nose: lovely and well balanced nose filled with spices, herbs, all sorts of red florals, and a good dose of red cherries. Very aromatic already and really brings out the spice aspect of the vintage
  
  taste: great feel with medium/high acidity that slowly gives into tones of spices, red florals, and all sorts of various red cherries
  
  overall: a lovely barolo that doesn't seem like it will need as much time as a lot of other 05s. Well in place with a great feel and acidity (90 pts.)
• 2005 Mario Marengo Barolo Bricco Viole - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
  nose: seductive with all sorts of feminine qualities to it and subtle nuances of perfumes, red florals, cherries, and a nice touch of herbs round it all out in a way that just draws you in
  
  taste: great spice tones lead off with subtle and melded tones of red florals, cherries, and bits of herbs. High acidity and high tannins shield this a bit, but what makes its way through is very seductive and enjoyable
  
  overall: needs a good amount of time to allow all of the nuances to work themselves. Very lovely and hi-toned in the aromatics and flavors, this just hits me in the right spot of what I love about barolo (91 pts.)
• 2005 Mario Marengo Barolo - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
  nose: nice dark tones with florals, cherries, dark red fruits and various spice tones. Well put together, but lacking in depth where the other mario marengo barolos were thriving
  
  taste: good and easy feel with medium+ acidity and medium/light depth with tones of dark florals, cherries, and various dark red fruits. Good feel, but just seems lacking right ow
  
  overall: a good barolo, but why buy this when there are langhes that will provide everything that is here for a bit less. I don't know how much this will improve as it seems relatively ready right now (88 pts.)

Tuscans
The theme of this was 04 brunellos with some rossos and a IGT thrown in for good measure

There weren't enough 04 brunellos to really get a full handle on the vintage like one could with the barolos. But, there is definitely some variation in the wines here as one one hand there are some real budding gems. Inversely there were some pedestrian brunellos that were very international in style and didn't really carry all that much sangiovese characteristics.

From what was offered up, I wasn't really blown away like I expected to be. A lot of the 04 CCRs that I've had have been tremendous, so I was really hoping that the brunellos would take it to the next level, well, they didn't fully do that. Maybe its a case of high expectation. From what was offered, 04 is a really good vintage, but not as good as 01, 97, or 90. It seems more on par with 93

• 2004 Podere il Palazzino Brunello di Montalcino Le Macioche - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
  nose: very dark nose filled with black cherries, dried herbs, spices tones, anisette, and black berries. Very rich nose, though a bit tight with very good depth and class to it
  
  taste: Very rich and deep with great medium feel providing classic tones of leather, dried herbs, anisette, black cherries, and bits of spice. Good medium+ acidity and very big tannins
  
  overall: a good amount to like about the wine right now, and much more to like in the future when it emerges from its tannic shell. Great nose that needs a bit of coaxing and a great feel beaneath the tannins (91 pts.)
• 2006 Azienda Agricola due Portine (Gorelli) Rosso di Montalcino Le Potazzine - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Rosso di Montalcino
  nose: nice dark and meaty nose with black berries, black cherries, and smoke tones. Good medium depth that I normally don't get from rossos and there is some nice robustness to this too
  
  taste: fairly big tannins and acidity that catches me off guard a bit with dark berries, cured meats, black berries, and black cherries. Good depth on the palate too
  
  overall: This actually needs a bit of time, or a good decant right now. A really good rosso that has some great aromas and flavors providing some real good promise (88 pts.)
• 2004 Azienda Agricola due Portine (Gorelli) Brunello di Montalcino Le Potazzine - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
  nose: wonderful and rich nose of herbs, spices, dark florals, and all sorts of red cherries. Very lovely and deep nose that has good purity that really draws you in
  
  taste: at first seems accessible, but the tannins sneak up a bit providing a great medium/full feel with lovely tones of dark berries, herbs, dark florals, and rich tones of red cherries
  
  overall: There is a lot to like on this young brunello. Great classic flavors and very well styled, this shows off a lot already and should be ready to go at a earlier stage, though it has the acid and tannins to back it up for the long haul (92 pts.)
• 2004 Fanti (Tenuta San Filippo) Brunello di Montalcino Le Lucere - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
  nose: nice plush and elegant nose filled with leather, dark red cherries, bits of black spices, and dark herb tones. Very well balanced and very perfumed with a dark touch to it
  
  taste: Great round feel with lovely and balanced tones of leather, dark red cherries, all sorts of berry tones, black spices, and dark herb tones. Good tannins that aren't in the way, but definitely there
  
  overall: A real lovely young brunello. Nice and round with a good firmness to it. While young, this was fairly accessible which would be expected from Fanti. It doesn't have the super big fruit that Fanti can bring and is a very well balanced wine that should turn out beautiful in time (92 pts.)
• 2004 La Serena Brunello di Montalcino - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
  nose: lively nose of herbs, tobacco, spices, red and black cherries. Nice nose that is fairly open, but there isn't that extra level of depth that one would expect from a brunello
  
  taste: nice lush tones of herbs, red and black cherries, and good tones of various spices. Good medium feel, but lacking some depth and extra level of complexity
  
  overall: an almost there wine. More modern in style, but lacking some depth and is fairly accessible right now. Nice lushness to it showing off the brunello quality, but just doesn't get into that next gear (89 pts.)
• 2004 La Serena Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Gemini - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
  nose: very international and lighter nose with red cherries, spices, and cedar. Doesn't really smell like a brunello and is lacking some depth that the other offerings were giving
  
  taste: nice feel, but very international with berries, cedar, red cherries, and spice tones. Again, lacking depth and the tannins weren't exactly big either
  
  overall: a very good wine, but lacks depth and lacks character. It would be hard to know that you are drinking a brunello when drinking this, and that's a problem (88 pts.)
• 2004 Podere Brizio Rosso di Montalcino - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Rosso di Montalcino
  nose: really nice nose filled with cherries, spices, bits of earth tones and some attractive tones of leather. Good depth and very well put together that emits well out of the glass
  
  taste: fairly high tannins and acidity shock a bit with tonesof cherries, leather, and earth. Very nice medium feel with nice depth on the palate
  
  overall: a really good rosso that needs a bit of time to work itself out a slight bit. This can turn out great in 2-3 years (89 pts.)
• 2004 Podere Brizio Brunello di Montalcino - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
  nose: very pretty and perfumed nose that is filled with herbs, dark cherries, spices, and black berries. Good depth and very lovely nose with great balance and is very open right now
  
  taste: beautifully lush and elegant feel with perfumes, florals, dark cherries, spices, and blackberries. Great medium feel that is very velvety and smooth across the palate and has good medium tannins
  
  overall: this will probably be an earlier drinker. Nice and perfumed with loads of elegance and femininity. A beautiful brunello that will be a lot of fun in 5 years or so (91 pts.)
• 2007 Uccelliera Rosso di Montalcino - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Rosso di Montalcino
  nose: very light and simple nose with cherries, mixed berries, and bits of raspberries. Decent enough nose, but has little depth or complexity
  
  taste: Light feel with cherries and mixed berries. Easy feel on the palate with little acidity and low tannins
  
  overall: a decent rosso, but not much else. More of an easy drinker or for sipping, this lacks depth and anything resembling complexity (84 pts.)
• 2006 Uccelliera Rosso di Montalcino - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Rosso di Montalcino
  nose: great nose filled with dark florals, red cherries, spice tones and bits of tobacco. Great depth with good purity of flavors
  
  taste: medium+ tannins with really good depth and a nice medium feel providing tones of dark florals, herbs, red cherries, and bits of spices. Really nice on the palate with surprising depth for a rosso
  
  overall: this has some serious upside. A real treat for a rosso and has a really good sense of place with good sangiovese characteristics. (90 pts.)
• 2004 Uccelliera Brunello di Montalcino - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
  nose: beautiful and loaded nose filled with earth, tobacco, leather, black cherries, and dark tones of herbs and spices. Extremely deep nose that just fills up the glass with purity and balance
  
  taste: Very big tannins with a great medium feel. Lush tones of earth, tobacco, leather, loads of florals, black cherries, and lots of black spices
  
  overall: a really great wine now that will definitely improve when the wall of tannins sheds. Amazing feel and length with great aromatics and flavors. This will be a very special wine, it just needs a good 10-12 years of nap time to let it all sort out (93 pts.)
• 2004 Uccelliera Rapace Toscana IGT - Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT
  nose: good expressive nose of dark red cherries, leather, cranberries, and herbs. Good depth that emits well from the glass
  
  taste: young and excited with good medium/full feel and medium+ tannins with tones of anise, oak, dark red cherries, leather, and herbs. Very nice feel with good depth and polish
  
  overall: a really good young SuperTuscan for the price. Needs a bit of time to develop and gain more weight and depth and let the tannins shed a bit (89 pts.)
• 2003 Pertimali (Livio Sassetti) Brunello di Montalcino - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
  nose: dark, brooding, and meaty nose with somewhat stewed tones of black fruits, herbs, dark red chrerries, and liqueur tones
  
  taste: medium/full bodied with hard edged tannins that give into tones of smoked meats, black fruits, dark red cherries, and bits of liqueur notes
  
  overall: good, but this certainly had a insanely hot vintage profile. Not as expressive as it was back in august, it probably needed more air, but being at a big tasting, its just hard to do something like that. Will certainly need some down time to soften up the tannins a bit, but they are very hard and it feels like they're the type of tannins that won't ever really go away, or if they do, the fruit will be long past stripped (90 pts.)
• 2004 Pertimali (Livio Sassetti) Brunello di Montalcino - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
  nose: quite the contrast to the 03 that was right next to it. Sweet perfumes emit from the glass with rounded tones of earth, tobacco, black cherries, various spice and lovely tones of roasted herbs. A bit tight, but the nose is very attractive already
  
  taste: Big tannins, but with a wonderful smooth medium feel to it with deep tones of earth, perfumes, tobacco, black cherries, roasted herbs, and all sorts of dark florals
  
  overall: a lovely wine that will require patience. Classic Livio Sassetti and should be able to offer up lots of nuance when it comes around. Great feel and texture, this is a butterfly hiding in its cocoon, but the potential is there (92 pts.)

06 Barbarescos
There selection here wasn't as deep as either the brunellos or barolos. What this was good for was checking out the terroir range in barbaresco and house styles. Since there wasn't a whole lot of 06s up for offering, I'm reserving judgement on the vintage in barbaresco.

Overall the wines were good, but just lacked in depth or complexity. What was being offered up just didn't have the vigor that the 05s have

• 2006 Moccagatta Barbaresco Basarin - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
  nose: lovely and demure nose with perfumes, red cherries, and herbs. Very nice, but lacking that extra level of depth
  
  taste: Excellent feminine feel with roses, tar, red cherries, and herbs. The feel just isn't followed up with good depth of the tones of the palate
  
  overall: a very lovely wine, but lacking that next gear to really drive it. I really like the femininity of the wine and there is a nice elegance about it, but it just doesn't seem to want to get out of 2nd gear (88 pts.)
• 2006 Albino Rocca Barbaresco - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
  nose: nice standard nebbiolo nose of red florals, red cherries, tar, and herbs. Well in place, but lacking depth and some of that extra charm as it just seems more like a "here is nebbiolo" type nose
  
  taste: nice lighter feel with red florals, red cherries, and herbs. Pretty standard and straightforward, but also rather simple at the same time
  
  overall: a nice barbaresco, but this kind of profile and depth can easily be found in langhe nebbiolos for half the price (87 pts.)
• 2006 Albino Rocca Barbaresco Vigneto Brich Ronchi - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
  nose: very deep and expressive with lush tones of tar, roses, violets, red cherries, and lots of garden herbs. Very pretty nose that wafts out of the glass in a very lovely fashion
  
  taste: again, lots of depth with round tones of red cherries, roses, tar, and bits of herbs. Excellent feel with good layering along with medium/high tannins and acidity
  
  overall: a nuanced wine that will need time to fully let itself get going. A lovely wine right now, but there is so much potential for this that patience will certainly be rewarded (91 pts.)
• 2006 Albino Rocca Barbaresco Vigneto Loreto - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
  nose: nice rich nose filled with red cherries, various red fruits, all sorts of floral tones and a nice touch of herbs. Lovely nose and has more depth then the other 06 barbarescos
  
  taste: good medium+ acidity with a nice lighter feel providing spice tones, red fruits, all sorts of florals, and lovely rich tones of red cherries
  
  overall: a nice and lovely wine. Very feminine and a bit on the delicate side. This should turn into a beautiful wine in a few years to allow the acidity to calm down (91 pts.)
• 2006 Sottimano Barbaresco Currá - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
  nose: fairly oaked on the nose with earthen tones, tobacco, dark red cherries, and bits of spices. The oak isn't completely obtrusive, but its very present and almost in your face
  
  taste: medium acidity with a good medium/light feel, but again, a touch too much oak as it is the dominant flavors with good tones of earth, spices, and dark red cherries. Not a whole lot of depth on the palate, but solid
  
  overall: this would be a lot better if the oak is able to integrate. Hopefully some depth and complexity will be picked up too. A solid barbaresco, but nothing really to write all that much home about (86 pts.)
• 2006 Sottimano Barbaresco Pajore - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
  nose: polished and deep nose filled with tar, all sorts of dark florals, herbs, and a good helping of dark red cherries. This nose was a bit tight, but very lovely with a nice purity in the aromas
  
  taste: well layered with good medium/high acidity and a very polished feel that gives into tones of tar, dark florals, and all sorts of red cherries
  
  overall: a really beautiful barbaresco right now that should unravel into an utter beauty. Great aromas and feel with a lot of layering on both the nose and palate. This needs some time to unravel and trim some of the baby fat, but this has the ability to be a real stunner (91 pts.)
• 2006 Sottimano Barbaresco Cottá - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
  nose: nice nose with medium depth providing aromas of herbs, tar, earth, and a nice base of various floral tones
  
  taste: lovely feel, but lacking a bit on the depth with medium+ acidity. Good rounded tones of herbs, dark red cherries, tar, and florals
  
  overall: a very nice wine. Good acidity and feel, but lacking a slight bit on the depth. Will probably gain some weight and complexity with about 5-6 years sideways (89 pts.)
• 2006 Sottimano Barbaresco Fausoni - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
  nose: good rich nose with red cherries, florals, and herbs. Good well defined tones, with medium depth, but lacking complexity or some of the layering that a few other 06s brought
  
  taste: Good medium/light feel with medium+ acidity giving off well balanced tones of red cherries, spices, florals, and a good helping of herbs. More depth on the palate then nose, but there seems to be a bit of a lacking on the mid palate
  
  overall: a really nice barbaresco. Needs a bit of time to add in some depth and hopefully some extra complexity. Very well put together and enjoyable (88 pts.)

Other Piedmont wines
since I don't want to make a whole slew of flights based around producers, I just threw the other wines being offered up in this flight. The dolcettos were nice and the barberas disapointing. The real winner overall was the 05 Valmaggiore which has a lot more promise then the 05 M Marengo Barolo and is a better wine overall.

• 2006 Fratelli Revello Dolcetto d'Alba - Italy, Piedmont, Alba, Dolcetto d'Alba
  nose: very good and deep nose of cherries, herbs, and various berry tones. Nicely perfumed nose that brings a different depth that most Dolcettos don't bring from my experience
  
  taste: nice and easy with bits of cherries, berry tones, and some hints of herbs. Nice medium feel that flows well across the palate
  
  overall: a really nice dolcetto that is well put together and has good acidity and slight tannins. Not as fruity as some dolcettos can be, but as easy drinking and has solid depth (88 pts.)
• 2005 Fratelli Revello Barbera d'Alba - Italy, Piedmont, Alba, Barbera d'Alba
  nose: nicely balance nose of florals, tar, black cherries, and various spice tones. Very nice nose that is well balance with medium depth and is very enjoyable
  
  taste: very smooth medium feel with floral tones, black cherries, and various spice tones
  
  overall: good medium+ acidity with a very good and elegant feel. Everything to like about barbera and is right up the alley of what one would want. Nice depth and acidity, this is a great barbera for food and for drinking (88 pts.)
• 2006 Elio Altare Dolcetto d'Alba - Italy, Piedmont, Alba, Dolcetto d'Alba
  nose: medium depth with nice tones of red fruits, cherries, mixed berries, and hints of earth. Good nose that is well put together and nice andis quintessential dolcetto
  
  taste: surprisingly high acidity for a dolcetto(on the normal scope its medium acidity) with good tones of red and black fruits, cherries, and mixed berries. Good medium/light feel acompanies it
  
  overall: A good solid wine, but like most dolcettos it doesn't really excite all that much. A very nice wine that is easy to drink and is enjoyable, its a great food wine (87 pts.)
• 2006 Elio Altare Barbera d'Alba - Italy, Piedmont, Alba, Barbera d'Alba
  nose: good light and easy nose of sweet red cherries, berries, and bits of tar. Not much depth and a bit simplistic
  
  taste: Easy tones of red cherries, berries, and hints of florals. Medium feel with medium acidity
  
  overall: a solid barbera, but simplistic and doesn't bring much depth. Easy drinking, but doesn't excite at all (86 pts.)
• 2005 Mario Marengo Nebbiolo d'Alba Valmaggiore - Italy, Piedmont, Alba, Nebbiolo d'Alba
  nose: very perfumed nose with all sorts of roses, wild flowers, spice tones, herbs, fresh strawberries, and red cherries. Hi-toned and lovely with good depth
  
  taste: good medium+ acidity and velvety feel with medium/high tannins providing demure tones of roses, wild flowers, spices, and a good amount of red cherries
  
  overall: this is better and has more promise then the regular barolo from 05. More depth and good acidity to boot, this is good to go now if decanted for a bit, if not, give it a couple of years. A really lovely nebbiolo that has lots to like about it (90 pts.)

The quality was very high for this. I wish there had been more brunellos and tuscan wines to taste through, but it wasn't to be. Its not really that much of a sore spot when there was all of that great barolo to go through. It was also nice to check out some of the other offerings that were there and very educational to have some of the 03s there sitting next to the 05s to witness the vintage variation.

This was a very strong tasting and I'm very glad that I went
Posted from CellarTracker

this was a small tasting that two friends and I did at a BYO in chicago. A lot of 00 barolo can be found out there today with a slight bit of looking and its interesting to check out this semi-controversial vintage. IMO its a good vintage to check out if you are starting to get into barolo or want to learn more about it. You can find them at good prices too(well, good prices for barolo) and many are starting to enter their drinking window:

A QUICK LOOK AT 00 BAROLO - Mado, chicago IL (1/27/2009)

Matt, Claudio and I met up at Mado to take a small look at the alleged perfect vintage. Camps are divided on this vintage as the winemakers feel it was more of a "california" vintage, while Suckling gave it a perfect score. So the question is, as these wines start to fully enter their window, is the vintage all that its cracked up to be?

We headed down to Mado, which does a really good job on northern italian food, to give ourselves a backdrop for the wines

• 2000 Conterno Fantino Barolo Vigna del Gris - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
  nose: a bit reticent at first and took a good hour or two to really start to open(this had been decanted for a good 90 minutes before the dinner too). Upon opening, lovely, nuanced, and rich tones of red cherries, herbs, bits of spices, red florals, and slight hints of perfumes all melded well together. Very aromatic once it got going and wasn't really showing off much of the hot vintage on the nose as there was a refined nature to it
  
  taste: Elegant and nuanced with medium+ acidity and medium/high tannins that worked well with the food. Delicate tones of red cherries, herbs, red florals, and spices balanced each other out beautifully. Great nuanced and delicate feel while still having a slight bit of robustness to it
  
  overall: a really lovely classically styled barolo. Still needs more time, but is starting to come close. Very well balanced and doesn't really have the brighter fruit that 00 gave off. A more seductive barolo and one that requires more attention to detail rather then one that will give you everything on the first or second go (91 pts.)
• 2000 Gaja Langhe Nebbiolo Sperss - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Langhe DOC
  nose: quite the contrast from the conterno-fantino. Obviously modern with very big aromatics. Immeadiately red fruits jump out of the glass and are aided by bits of tar, succulent herb tones, hints of roses and red cherries. Very pungent and very open aromatically with excellent balance while not showing off too much of a modern approach
  
  taste: very lush and rich with a touch of elegance to it. Medium/high tannins and medium+ acidity give this a good spine with rich tones of red cherries, tar, herbs, and a nice touch of red florals poking through underneath. While there is a brightness and vibrancy to the tones, its not extracted or over done in the slightest
  
  overall: still young, but really starting to enter its window. The aromatics hit you right off the bat with their potency and work well in balance together. There is ample tannin and acidity for aging and this should be a very interesting wine in about 3-5 more years (93 pts.)
• 2000 La Spinetta (Rivetti) Barolo Vürsù Vigneto Campè - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
  nose: this is a heavyweight boxer on the nose. Massive and rich with an obvious modern influence that hasn't fully integrated yet. Deep and rich tones of black cherries, herbs, tar, aniesette, all sorts of spices, and purple floral tones. Very lush and huge nose that is firmly modern
  
  taste: Huge feel that almost belies its origin, but reigns it back in with a slight bit of elegance. Very rich and dense tones of black cherries, herbs, tar, and spices. Big tannins with a pronounced medium/high acidity to it
  
  overall: a monster of a barolo. Massive aromatics and massive feel on the palate. While its huge and massive it does get reigned in a slight bit. Easily the kind of wine that would score massively in a blind tasting, and stands in stark contrast to the Conterno-Fantino. Not normally the kind of Barolo I reach for as I generally prefer the more nuanced and classic style, but its hard to deny the quality of the wine. There is no real oak note present, so its fairly well integrated, but the largeness of the wine is still retained. It will be interesting to see how this ages as it has the tannin and acidity, but what will happen to the flavors of the wine? (94 pts.)

Well, these wines are of high quality, and there is definitely a variable aging curve on all of them. The Spinetta and Gaja are really starting to enter their windows, but how long will that window be open? The Conterno-Fantino is a couple years away from really showing and it came across as having a longer drinking window.

It was a good cross section of wines for such a small tasting. We were able to see three different styles and be able to spend time with them, and pair them with different foods to see different combinations

It was a really fun time, and the quality of the food at Mado is excellent. While the entrees don't match up to the appatizers and dessert, its still well worth the time to check this out if in chicago, especially if you want to pair some italian wines with them. Most importantly, there is zero corkage and a diverse menu that can work with any region in italy
Posted from CellarTracker

we haven't had any posts in a while, so i figure I'll give this a bit of a jump start.

For those that are looking at checking out new stuff if they aren't familiar with french, italian, or german wines, with the economy there are some really good deals to be found as the wine bubble is really starting to burst. I'm drinking an 04 Cote Rotie that I was able to get for $25. It was on clearance so I gave it a go as I love Cote Rotie, and its awesome. I'm not going to put up links to specific stores, but there is a store in the chicago area that has some 03 St Josephs for 20 a bottle, and that's a great way to learn about northern rhones for a great price(these normally aren't cheap, but provide some of the most interesting and unique syrahs in the world). If anyone is interested in that, PM me

here is my note on the 04 Cote Rotie(its CT avg value is $57):

• 2004 Pierre Gaillard Côte-Rôtie - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie (3/6/2009)
  nose: lovely and sumptuous nose that is extremely expressive already. Burgundian in the sense that there is a hi-toned quality, but this is great and classic cote rotie tones of bacon fat, woodhouse smoke, charcol birquettes, raspberries, dark cherries, tobacco and bits of leather with small purple floral hints
  
  taste: medium tannins and medium acidity, this is drinking perfectly right now with a lovely smooth texture. Extremely well balanced tones of white and black pepper, black cherries, bacon fat, purple florals, charcol, and all sorts of small berry tones
  
  overall: this is drinking perfectly shockingly. A more delicate style of cote rotie, this isn't a long term ager, but is a lovely and feminine expression of the terroir and is extremely enjoyable (91 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

Am I the only one who trusts Cellar Tracker avg scores (given at least a sample of 10 notes) more than Parker/Spectator/Tanzer on their own? Cellar Tracker has an avg score of 93, I safely assume the wine is really, really effing good. Spectator/Parker I have no such feeling of confidence.

Clark,

Dependent on who the reviewer is, I agree. For instance, WS's James Laube's California rankings I find completely backwards and I don't trust him at all (there is actually a theory going around Napa producers that when he got hit the face with a baseball in around 2000, he lost his sense of smell and now only wants big, huge fruit bombs) but, someone like Allen Meadows (Burghound) I trust, as my palate has been pretty similar to his.

I say this as drinking Robert Craig's 2004 Howell Mountain (84 points WS). It's absolutely delicious. Red fruit, berry, spice, cassis on the nose. Smooth, still very young. Needs time, but still delicious now.

clark, as always, it all depends. I certainly trust WA on the whole more then I do spectator, but I don't trust Jay Miller for the life of me. Since RP has delegated duties its really improved. Dave Schildkenecht(sp) and Antonio Galloni are both tremendous reviewers and I followed them before they latched onto WA. RP himself is generally pretty spot on with both bordeaux and the rhone. He can be a bit hit or miss IRT california, but he's a hell of a lot better then Laube

IWC is a great publication in general as Josh Raynolds and Tanzer are excellent reviewers, but Ian D'Agata is so-so with italy.

I do rely on cellar tracker a lot, but a grain of salt has to be taken sometimes. Scores can be skewed with one big or bad score, so it comes down to being familiar with certain tasters and knowing how they match up with you or if they don't

I pretty much agree with everything you said KDawg especially Galloni and Schildkenecht, who are both awesome.

Kdawg,

Awesome advice itt. I'm a wine noob but absolutely love it. I'm taking your advice and starting out with a specific region and varietal. I decided to start out with Napa Cabs, and I've found myself really liking this: