WTN:Martinsancho Verdejo, Jura Chard, 01 Soave, Gros Manseng, and 2 reds

Some wines tried from the last week or so.

2005 Bodegas Angel Rodriguez Verdejo Rueda Martínsancho - Spain, Castilla y León, Rueda

Lime and tonic water nose, with some melon fruit secondary to the minerally flavors. Good concentration. My wife found a hint of vanilla towards the finish. This had enough flavor to compliment a sauce made of garlic, crushed anchovy, green olive and tomatoes with pieces of fresh tuna served over tiny shell pasta. The green olives and the wine had a real synergy. Enjoyed this one a lot.


2002 Stéphane Tissot Arbois La Mailloche - France, Jura, Arbois

A pleasant combination of sweet corn, toasted hazelnuts, and minerals. Some pear and green apple flavors with good sharp acidity and medium weight in the mouth. To me this wasn't as complex or concentrated as the 99 Tissot Bruyeres Chardonnay, and had less of the voile characteristics than the 2002 Montbourgeau Le Etoile, but I still enjoyed this very much. It went great with a bowel of ribollita soup made with white beans, fennel, zucchini, tomato, spinach and a crust of Parmesan cheese, served over toasted baguette slices. These Jura chardonnays are really useful food wines, if you like the intentionally oxidized flavors.


2001 Inama Soave Classico Vigneti di Foscarino - Italy, Veneto, Soave Classico

Light gold color, tropical fruit nose, pineapple and even banana, with some nutty almond flavors. Some noticeable oak in the nose. This started out pretty interesting although at this point I would have trouble identifying it as a Soave. After being open for an hour this was pretty oxidized tasting. I would drink these up as this is mature and maybe going over the hill.


2005 Domaine Des Cassagnoles Reserve Selection Cuvee Gros Manseng - France, Gascony

I am pretty sure this is the first wine made all from Gros Manseng I've tried. I used some of the wine in a pasta Carbonara recipe and drank the rest with dinner, which actually went OK with the food. Very aromatic with minerals and grapefruit in the nose, then some sweaty earthy smells. Decent acidity, dry and medium body, yellow apple. As it warmed up there was a plastic vinyl taste. Finish is a little short. Interesting wine, decent for the price.


1997 Antinori Pian Delle Vigne Brunello di Montalcino - Tuscany

I don't drink very many Brunellos and this wine was a gift from my sister in law. Dried cherry, earth, leather, seems a little compact and tight right now, finishes with a touch of bitterness to the tannins. Not that familiar with the genre, but this didn't seem all that modern to me with the earthy and soil driven flavors. I would hold this a few more years if I owned any more bottles. I enjoyed this, have no idea of the price.


2002 Alain Hudelot-Noellat Bourgogne Burgundy, France

Still very primary, some floral rose hip and red fruits in the cranberry rhubarb range, very tart and acidic, light bodied, with little tannin. There are many other basic Bourgognes that I have liked better than this one. It was too acidic and dilute, maybe overcropping and or poor grape selection? The village wines from Hudelot Noellat in 2002 seemed much better to me.




Best,
Marc

You drink well.
Inama has experimented with oak more than I like. Its not that all bottles show the effects but I would rather stick with Anselmi (save his Capitel Croce) or Pieropan (save his La Rocca); the majority of their wines never see wood.
Some nice chardonnays in the Jura, aren't there? Who'd a thunk.
And Martinsancho is a personal favorite. From a producer who virtually saved verdejo from extinction.
Best, Jim

Thanks, Jim.

What is the oldest Soave you have tried? I think the Inama was better to my tastes a few years ago, but it did evolve in an interesting way. The Anselmi San Vincenzo is usually available where I live but the others are harder to find.

Those Jura chardonays are great for the table. The 2002 Montbourgeau Etoile was a real winner and something like $16 IIRC.

Thanks, Jim.

What is the oldest Soave you have tried? I think the Inama was better to my tastes a few years ago, but it did evolve in an interesting way. The Anselmi San Vincenzo is usually available where I live but the others are harder to find.

I can't remember. Some of Pieropan's stuff I've had after a decade down but I just don't recall exactly.
Anselmi's San Vincenzo has a little chardonnay in it; nice but atypical of the region. OTOH, his Capitel Foscarino is about as perfect as Soave gets; full of minerals, cut, depth and a distinct sense of place.
Likewise the Calvarino bottling from Pieropan. But his regular bottling is always excellent so, even if you can't find the single vineyard wine, his straight Soave is a point.
Best, Jim