**2002 Hugel Gentil - France, Alsace (1/3/2005)

With a casual dinner of slightly spicy tacos, with family that are
occasional, non-serious wine drinkers. I am predisposed to likethis, as
it is one of my house quaffers and good QPR. This is the first bottle
out of the latest case I've bought, so it gets a note.

Soft, light yellow/green, but bright and clear. Floral and grapey nose,
clearly showing gewurz and muscat. There is a slightly metallic/mineral
edge to the nose that may be riesling (or may be my imagination).
Otherwise, simple but nicely persistent nose. Good streak of acidity on
palate amidst simple peach and apricot fruit. Not exactly taut and not
complicated, but a good foil to a simple spicy meal.

**1990 Villa de Vetrice Chianti Rufina Riserva - Italy, Tuscany,
Chianti, Chianti Rufina (1/3/2005)

Slight orange tint joining the red, but not looking fully mature. Still
bright. Good mature nose of earth, leather, cherry fruit, a little
herb. First impression on palate is a nice dose of Rufina acidity.
Would be bothersome in some wines, but that's what we're looking for
from this one. Acid comes into balance with a little chocolate, more
cherry, some tart plum. Tannins are lurking in the background, but the
acid is doing the bulk of the structure job. I don't see much more
development in this one, but it should hold fine for a good while if
stored well. I'm in no hurry, but will enjoy drinking this over the
next few years with simple grilled meat and substantial, but acidic,
pasta dishes.

Jim

thanks for notes. I actually usually like the Gentil, unsure why I don't buy
more often. Usually a good deal at under$10.

It's funny, around here we seldom see a Riserva from any of the Chianti
appelations other than Classico.
Dale

Dale Williams
Drop "damnspam" to reply

Dale, Frescobaldi's Nipozzano(sp) Chianti Rufina Riserva is widely available
and was the top in their line until they succumbed to super-tuscan mania and
started promoting their Montesodi bottling, which is now a Chianti Riserva.
The Chianti Rufina is the best of all the other zones outside of classico
and is often better then many run of the mill Classico's. For the most
part, lazy merchants resist the Rufina Riservas because they cost as much as
the Classico's(the Tuscano's know their true worth) but lack their instant
recognition to a customer taught that Classico is the ne plus ultra of
Chianti zones. Rufina is a "hand sell" and store owners usually don't like
"hand selling" as it interrupts their time on the 'puter or phone with their
broker. Of course that's what places like Zachy's are geared up for "hand
sells". But 95% of so called wine shops usually have an owner-"expert", a
clerk to watch for theft, someone to run the lottery machine and a cashier
or two. Maybe they hire someone like me to be their wine expert for Friday
night and Saturday and holiday season, but they really want to move their
merchandise, so even the time a designated "expert" spends to sell one
bottle to a customer, is not cost effective. What they really want experts
to do is "plus" their sales by pushing overstocks and mixed cases, not just
one bottle. This is also the premise of wine superstores where the clerk-
experts are timed by supervisors and told not to waste time chatting with
wine geeks. The days of having your experts build trust in a customer by
understanding their palate and pocketbook are long gone.

If the stores don't want Chianti Rufina, the wholesalers are going to resist
buying them and importers then resist ordering them. Meanwhile, cork-dorks
in Germany, Switzerland and Luxembourg are gobbling them up. That's why you
don't see much Rufina out there in the USA besides the Frescobaldi products.

--
Joe "Beppe" Rosenberg
"Dale Williams" > wrote in message news:200501030822
...
> thanks for notes. I actually usually like the Gentil, unsure why I don't
buy
> more often. Usually a good deal at under$10.
>
> It's funny, around here we seldom see a Riserva from any of the Chianti
> appelations other than Classico.
> Dale
>
> Dale Williams
> Drop "damnspam" to reply

Dale/Joe:

I really like the Rufina's. With fruit that is grown at slightly
higher higher altitudes, I find that the best has the kind of acid I'm
generally looking for when I think Chianti. Also, they seem to be less
subject to the super-tuscan/new Chianti wave than the Classico
producers are. I may be wrong, as these are just impressions based on
very limited samples, but I'm guessing that it is harder to get
super-ripe fruit that will support high(over) extraction and new oak
from the Rufina vineyards.

Over the years, I've not seen a lot of Rufina riservas, but when I do
and the price is not outlandish, I'm good for a few bottles. If those
are good, I'm generally going back to snap up more. (And they generally
are good.)

Joe...I've not seen much (if anything) of Riservas other than Classico
and Rufina. Anything else the Germans, Swiss, and Luxembourgeois are
snapping up that we are missing?

Jim

Nebbiolo based wines of Novarra-Vercelli: Gattinara,Ghemme, Fara, Sizzano
and Spanna. Most in US are Vallana, Desilani & Cantelupo(only Ghemme)

also Valtellina ie Valtellina, Inferno, Sassella, Valgella,Sfursat in
Lombardy

NE Piemonte: Bramaterra and Lessona--only Sella in US

The Alp Twins: Carema in Piedmont & Donnaz across the border in Aosta

All are "lighter" then Barolo/Barbaresco and don't usually do well with
Parker, he did attend an old Dessilani-Vallana tasting I conducted but those
were wines made by elderly men who are long gone Vallana's son in law, is
good but not the old man, same with Desilanni and people I represented,
Giuseppe Bianchi.

Also in the Langhe, Roero, Nebbiolo delle Langhe, Nebbiolo d' Alba

In Tuscany, the Chianti Colli Senese, Vino Nobile and Carmignano have never
really caught on

The US market has not embraced the wines of Alto-Adige, or Friuli---besides
the low end plonk

Besides Bolla, Bertani, Masi,Allegrini, Zenato you do not see many fine
Valpolicellas or Amarone's.in the US--Having tried to peddle my best
producer in New England, I can tell the La Ragose, Quintarelli, Dal Forno,
Tommasi are found in Boston area and NY but nowhere south. My guys Ca Del
Monte, were very good in the DC-MD market but outclassed in Boston.

On the Left Coast, SF is a great Italian market but not LA for these lesser
known wines.

Other hubs of Italian wines are St Louis, Chicago and Detroit. Two stores
in DC are good Cal-Woodley & McArthur's but they just learned in Atlanta
that Chianti comes in more than Classico and normale. Barbaresco is only
now catching on. Most "Italian" Restaurants South of Richmond Va, have one
chianti on their list, the rest is white zin and low end California sold for
400% profit.

--
Joe "Beppe" Rosenberg
"Jim" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> Dale/Joe:
>
> I really like the Rufina's. With fruit that is grown at slightly
> higher higher altitudes, I find that the best has the kind of acid I'm
> generally looking for when I think Chianti. Also, they seem to be less
> subject to the super-tuscan/new Chianti wave than the Classico
> producers are. I may be wrong, as these are just impressions based on
> very limited samples, but I'm guessing that it is harder to get
> super-ripe fruit that will support high(over) extraction and new oak
> from the Rufina vineyards.
>
> Over the years, I've not seen a lot of Rufina riservas, but when I do
> and the price is not outlandish, I'm good for a few bottles. If those
> are good, I'm generally going back to snap up more. (And they generally
> are good.)
>
> Joe...I've not seen much (if anything) of Riservas other than Classico
> and Rufina. Anything else the Germans, Swiss, and Luxembourgeois are
> snapping up that we are missing?
>
> Jim
>