Lunch notes:

2003 Montes Alpha Chardonnay - little oak and lots of acidity - which had me
praising it and others declaring it too lean. Chacun a son gout.

1978 Badia a Coltibuono Chianti Classico Reserva - a very interesting pale
colour with orange edges. I thought the nose indicated Nebbiolo (I went for
Italy right off), as it had a bit of cherry there and some earth. This wine
rides on its acidity and presents well, but fades reasonably quickly - not
unexpected at that age. Very nice.

1996 Alain Graillot Crozes Hermitage - fairly dark with a nose that was quite
nice except for the green element, though that seemed to fade. Fair bit of
acidity and some more time might improve it, but I wasn't at all happy with the
wine and am not sure if it has anywhere to go.

2002 Geil Bechtheimer Geyersberg Riesling Spatlese - clean, crisp wine, but
with no detectable Riesling characteristics - we were all over the globe trying
to nail this one down. It almost had sauvignon blanc elements in the nose, had
a sizeable presence in the mouth, and good acidity, but was simply not like a
German wine is expected to taste!

1995 Dom. Les Clos des Cazeaux Cuvee de La Tour Surrazine Gigondas - a light,
limpid colour, good fruit in the nose, and some pepper and mushroom in the
mouth at the end, following a sweet middle. An elegant Gigondas.

1999 Ch. D'Aiguilhe Cotes de Castillon - dark with a sweet vanilla nose, fairly
big in the mouth and harmonious, this claret drinks very well now.

2001 Isenhower Batchelor's Button Cabernet - pink edges (!), and a real cocoa
and fruit nose, good length ending with oak and soft tannin. Tasty wine.

2002 Montes Alpha Cabernet - these guys always seem to be a class act. Purple
wine with some mint in the nose, good fruit and lots of tannin that came in at
the last half on palate. Buy some and leave it alone for 5 years.

1997 Frescobaldi Montesodi - this Tuscan Cabernet was fairly dark and had a
somewhat stinky dusty nose that did improve with some air time. Sweet finish
with medium length. Nice wine.

1990 Quail's Gate Optima - this sweet low acid grape is not my cup of tea. I
have had other (1998) dessert wines from Quail's Gate made from this as well as
those from other producers and was not impressed. This thing was so damned old,
however, that we just didn't know quite what to make of it. The colour was
rather dark, and the nose featured rotting Mandarin oranges with a cinnamon
overlay, and a sharpness we had difficulty describing. It was not as sweet as
you'd have thought, based on the nose, and was a bit hollow in the middle and
short.

"Bill Spohn" > wrote in message
...
> Lunch notes: (a whole lot of interesting sounding wines with long, nearly
unpronounceable names)

Bill, it sounds like you drink better (mostly) than Mark Lipton! Well, at
lunch anyway... :^)

Tom S

"Bill Spohn" > wrote in message
...
> Lunch notes: (a whole lot of interesting sounding wines with long, nearly
unpronounceable names)

Bill, it sounds like you drink better (mostly) than Mark Lipton! Well, at
lunch anyway... :^)

Tom S

>Bill, it sounds like you drink better (mostly) than Mark Lipton! Well, at
>lunch anyway

I'm sure Mark gets his share of unpronounceable ones too....;-)

Tom S wrote:

> "Bill Spohn" > wrote in message
> ...
>
>>Lunch notes: (a whole lot of interesting sounding wines with long, nearly
>
> unpronounceable names)
>
> Bill, it sounds like you drink better (mostly) than Mark Lipton! Well, at
> lunch anyway... :^)

And at dinner, and for midnight snacks... Having seen his cellar
firsthand, I have no illusions as to *ever* drinking as well as Bill --
but we all need to have goals for ourselves, no? ;-)

Mark Lipton

Bill Spohn wrote:

>>Bill, it sounds like you drink better (mostly) than Mark Lipton! Well, at
>>lunch anyway
>
>
> I'm sure Mark gets his share of unpronounceable ones too....;-)

I guess that depends on who's doing the pronouncing, Bill. Several of
my wine drinikng companions can't find their way around Te Kairanga, let
alone Ch. D'Aiguilhe. And what's so hard about pronouncing Quail's
Gate, anyway? :P

Mark Lipton

ojunk (Bill Spohn) wrote:

> 1997 Frescobaldi Montesodi - this Tuscan Cabernet ...

Cabernet?

Montesodi is Chianti Rufina DOCG and 100 percent Sangiovese.

<http://www.frescobaldi.it/frescobaldi/en/index.htm>

-> "Wines" -> (Castello di Nipozzano) "Montesodi".

M.

"Michael Pronay" > wrote in message
...
> ojunk (Bill Spohn) wrote:

> Montesodi is Chianti Rufina DOCG and 100 percent Sangiovese.

OK, Michael -
I know I could Google it, but I'd rather hear it from someone that I know
_knows_.

What, exactly, is "Chianti Rufina"? I assume that's a term not actually
associated with the Chianti producer, Ruffino.

TIA.

Tom S

"Tom S" > wrote:

>> Montesodi is Chianti Rufina DOCG and 100 percent Sangiovese.

> OK, Michael - I know I could Google it, but I'd rather hear it
> from someone that I know _knows_.

I know it. I have been at Nipozzano with different members of the
Frescobaldi family nearly half a dozen times since 1987 (iirc).

> What, exactly, is "Chianti Rufina"? I assume that's a term not
> actually associated with the Chianti producer, Ruffino.

Chianti Rufina (sometimes spelled "Rùfina" to mark the
pronunciation stress on the first syllable) is a subzone of
Chianti, as Chianti Colli Fiorentini, Chianti Colli Senesi etc.
But, if memory serves me right, it's the only Chianti zone besides
Classico that has been awarded DOCG status, while Chianti "tout
court" is DOC-only. (Not that that mattes very much, but Rùfina is
known to produce long-lived, ageworthy wines.)

M.

"Tom S" > wrote in message . com>...
> "Michael Pronay" > wrote in message
> ...
> > ojunk (Bill Spohn) wrote:
>
> > Montesodi is Chianti Rufina DOCG and 100 percent Sangiovese.
>
> OK, Michael -
> I know I could Google it, but I'd rather hear it from someone that I know
> _knows_.
>
> What, exactly, is "Chianti Rufina"? I assume that's a term not actually
> associated with the Chianti producer, Ruffino.
>
> TIA.
>
> Tom S

Bill may have meeant to refer to Mormoreto, Frescobaldi's Cabernet
based blend from the Nippozano estate (IIRC)

Chianti Rufina is simply another region of Tuscany entitled to use the
word Chianti but outside of the 'Classico' zone. Arguably Rufina is
the best quality zone potentially after Classico. Rufina is much the
same as Chianti Colli Senesi, Colli Fiorentini, Colli Aretini, Colline
Pisane, and Montalbano.

Whether these other areas should be allowed to use Chianti outside of
the Classico zone is debatable. Montalcino for example is inside the
Chianti Colli Senesi zone.

Peter

>Cabernet?
>
>Montesodi is Chianti Rufina DOCG and 100 percent Sangiovese.

I'm glad someone is watching, Michael - I of course thought (and drank)
Mormoreto while blithely typing Montesodi - thanks for catching it!

"Tom S" > wrote in message . com>...
> "Michael Pronay" > wrote in message
> ...
> > ojunk (Bill Spohn) wrote:
>
> > Montesodi is Chianti Rufina DOCG and 100 percent Sangiovese.
>
> OK, Michael -
> I know I could Google it, but I'd rather hear it from someone that I know
> _knows_.
>
> What, exactly, is "Chianti Rufina"? I assume that's a term not actually
> associated with the Chianti producer, Ruffino.
>

Correct.

Chianti is a region. There are several sub-regions, including Rufina.


Chianti:
Again, not a single grape but a region in Italy world-famous for its
dry red wines that pair well with much Italian cuisine. Chianti is
located in the heart of Tuscany, between Florence and Siena. The
region is divided, with the Chianti Classico area being the center.
Other Chianti sub-regions are Chianti Rufina, Chianti Colli
Fiorentini, Chianti Colli Sensesi, and Chianti Colli Aretini.
Sangiovese is the main grape in Chianti, but that pale purple juice is
often blended with other grapes, including Trebbiano, for depth and
color. It is a dry wine with moderate weight, featuring cherry, plum,
spice and tart qualities. Those labeled Riserva have been aged longer.



http://www.awinestore.com/varietal_chianti.htm


> TIA.
>
> Tom S

"Tom S" > wrote in message . com>...

http://www.virtual-ink.com.au/afw-faq/faq014.htm


> "Michael Pronay" > wrote in message
> ...
> > ojunk (Bill Spohn) wrote:
>
> > Montesodi is Chianti Rufina DOCG and 100 percent Sangiovese.
>
> OK, Michael -
> I know I could Google it, but I'd rather hear it from someone that I know
> _knows_.
>
> What, exactly, is "Chianti Rufina"? I assume that's a term not actually
> associated with the Chianti producer, Ruffino.
>
> TIA.
>
> Tom S

"Tom S" > wrote in message . com>...

http://www.virtual-ink.com.au/afw-faq/faq014.htm


> "Michael Pronay" > wrote in message
> ...
> > ojunk (Bill Spohn) wrote:
>
> > Montesodi is Chianti Rufina DOCG and 100 percent Sangiovese.
>
> OK, Michael -
> I know I could Google it, but I'd rather hear it from someone that I know
> _knows_.
>
> What, exactly, is "Chianti Rufina"? I assume that's a term not actually
> associated with the Chianti producer, Ruffino.
>
> TIA.
>
> Tom S

Bill Spohn wrote:

> 1996 Alain Graillot Crozes Hermitage - fairly dark with a nose that was quite
> nice except for the green element, though that seemed to fade. Fair bit of
> acidity and some more time might improve it, but I wasn't at all happy with the
> wine and am not sure if it has anywhere to go.

This is a disturbing tasting note, Bill. Granted, '96 wasn't a
particularly strong year in the N. Rhone, but from a producer as
reliable as Graillot, I'd have expected a more pleasing wine. As I have
a few '96 Cote-Roties still tucked away in the cellar, you've set the
fox among the psychic chickens, so to speak...

> 2002 Montes Alpha Cabernet - these guys always seem to be a class act. Purple
> wine with some mint in the nose, good fruit and lots of tannin that came in at
> the last half on palate. Buy some and leave it alone for 5 years.

I agree that Montes Alpha is a very impressive outfit. Even their
lowest price offerings have IME been well-made and interesting wines.

Mark Lipton