Last night's dinner notes:

1992 Charles de Cazanove Brut Champagne - a producer all but unknown here, but
the style that I like, flavourful and smooth.

2000 Di Maio Norante 'Contado' Aglianaco del Molise - purple with a ripe sweet
fruit nose that became distinctly raspberry over time. At first (the wine had
been decanted 2 hours before) it was pretty tight in the mouth, but balanced
with good acidity - the only tip-off to where this wine came from, as the rest
of it was pretty international - and some tannin. The wine needs some time (not
a lot - maybe a year or so, and it will last for 5), but opening well ahead of
time will substitute for early drinkers. by the time we were finishing it, the
fruit in mid-palate had come forward and the feel was much improved. Good
value. A new DOC - 1998.


2001 Kaesler Stonehorse - a blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre from
Barossa. A dark sweet nose, with only slight heat, belying the 15% alcohol
level. The nose is fruit driven, but the sort of fruit is a bit generic, a bit
indeterminate. In the mouth, sweet, with good concentration, the fruit on
palate a tad candied, good length, and much more acid than tannin. With time in
the glass the nose opened to become even more sweet, and the fruit resolved
itself into definite blackberry jam. An interesting wine right now, but I
don't believe it has the structure to improve very much with age - it will
always be a sweet fruit bomb and it lacks the backbone to become more than that
- I think keeping it for more than a few years risks it getting blowsy and
dissolute. The 2002 is due momentarily in our market and I look forward to
comparing the two (any volunteers?).

2001 Kaesler Stonehorse - a blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre from
Barossa. A dark sweet nose, with only slight heat, belying the 15% alcohol
level.

Bill
Yet another headbanging alcopop?
I have just bought some CA zins and merlot for the kids over Xmas, they are
quite cheap and come in at 14.5%.
The kids love the easy fruity drinking and the speed of intoxication :-)

Cheers
John

Yet another headbanging alcopop?
I have just bought some CA zins and merlot for the kids over Xmas, they are
quite cheap and come in at 14.5%.
The kids love the easy fruity drinking and the speed of intoxication :-)

Better than that, I think. The wine has it's points, though to some the virtues
you cite might be paramount, while we cognoscenti would value .........well OK,
it _is_ sweet and alcoholic......