I'm grouping these three wines together to highlight the kind of foreign wines I enjoy drinking on what I like to call, for lack for a better term, non-events.
Terre Nere, Etna Rosso, Calderara Sottana, 2009
Terre Nere, Etna Rosso, Calderara Sottana, 2009
Stingy at first, with red cherries, band-aid funk on the nose and some forest floor, but opening up to present itself as wine to satisfy lovers of cool, level headed, distanced finesse. For a grape often compared to Nebbiolo and Pinot Noir (or, conversely, a DOC compared to both Barolo and Burgundy), it comes off this time as a Bourgogne on the lighter, elegant side of the scale. Quite a feat for 14% ABV. (Jun. 4, 2013)
Fat Guy, 230 NIS.
Chateau Bouscasse, Madiran, Vieilles Vignes, 2006
Earthy and meaty, with notes of iron, like a blackberry bush covered with dust and barbecue ashes. Viscous without being heavy or overbearing, powerful and tannic, yet nuanced enough to appeal to me. I've had the 2005 regular cuvee, and this is not as obviously friendly - and thus more appealing to me. (Jun. 6, 2013)
About 20 GBP at Fortnum and Mason.
Produttori di Barabresco, Langhe Nebbiolo, 2011
Dror Paz mentioned it was a very forward, fruity wine, but I found it borderline over mellow, with hardly a nose at all, at first, and even with air, just a sketchy hint of Nebbiolo spices over almost non-existent fruit. The color is almost as pale as a rose, yet the palate is decent and I can't find an indication of any obvious fault, such as oxidation or TCA. The fruit emerges in time and the entire effect is that of an Old World, food friendly, wine, not an oil painting but a postcard, quite nice in all, with a "drink now" imperative. Maybe it's just a rose in disguise. (Jun. 7, 2013)
WineRoute, 129 NIS.
Earthy and meaty, with notes of iron, like a blackberry bush covered with dust and barbecue ashes. Viscous without being heavy or overbearing, powerful and tannic, yet nuanced enough to appeal to me. I've had the 2005 regular cuvee, and this is not as obviously friendly - and thus more appealing to me. (Jun. 6, 2013)
About 20 GBP at Fortnum and Mason.
Produttori di Barabresco, Langhe Nebbiolo, 2011
Dror Paz mentioned it was a very forward, fruity wine, but I found it borderline over mellow, with hardly a nose at all, at first, and even with air, just a sketchy hint of Nebbiolo spices over almost non-existent fruit. The color is almost as pale as a rose, yet the palate is decent and I can't find an indication of any obvious fault, such as oxidation or TCA. The fruit emerges in time and the entire effect is that of an Old World, food friendly, wine, not an oil painting but a postcard, quite nice in all, with a "drink now" imperative. Maybe it's just a rose in disguise. (Jun. 7, 2013)
WineRoute, 129 NIS.
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