Light straw yellow. Apricot and light honey with hints of grass and smoke. Slightly creamy texture, ripe fruit flavour, tame acidity. Finish is a bit loose but the length is good. Drink now with white fish or poultry.
Amarone is made in northeastern Italy from a blend of indigenous grapes. What makes it unique, and delicious, is that the grapes are partially dried before fermentation. The resulting sweet juice easily produces alcohol levels of 15% or more, but it remains drinkable because the highly concentrated flavours, and some oak aging, balance the wine. This particular version is a very deep garnet colour, has smells of stewed black cherries and caramel and is very full-bodied, tasting of cooked fruits, caramel, chocolate and spices. Perfect to accompany rich dishes such as osso buco. Drink in the next couple of years.
Made from Cannonau grapes that are dried for 15 to 20 days and then fortified and aged in casks for an extended period (the 2005 is the current release). The wine is concentrated and rich, but still fresh and balanced showing dried cherries and figs, as well as wild berry jam with hints of cocoa. Perfect with Sardinian sheep cheese and medium dark chocolate. (GB) Kracher TBA No.6 Grand Cuvée 2015, Burgenland ($75/375 ml) From Austria’s dessert wine producer par excellence comes this unctuous blend of 70% Chardonnay and 30% Welschriesling which possesses 240g/l of residual sugar. Layers of fig, nectarine, peach, pineapple, golden apple, cantaloupe and spice just bowl over the senses. Insane finale. It should age well for 2 decades, if not more.
Pale ruby, orange rim. Typical nose of tar and red flowers, only hints of oak. Rather full-bodied but not as much as Nebbiolo can sometimes be, with firm and tight but very finely grained tannins. Compact finish. It should become more expressive over time.
Garnet red in the glass with lightly scented violets, a touch of clove and a pinch of cinnamon. Red berry fruit in the mouth is partially masked by harsh tannins and aggressive acidity typical of relatively young Barolo. Needs 3-5 years additional aging.
Light red, transparent rim. Subtle nose of great finesse, perfumed with hints of tea leaves and tar. Striking in its elegance, the mid palate shows extremely firm but fine tannins, no aggressiveness is to be found. A telling example of restrained power and a superb expression of the Nebbiolo grape. Great future.
Floral violets and grippy, equally determined and nonchalant, welcoming and restrained, this dichotomous wine from Christoph Kensal, who purchased the property in 1998, is alluring. No inputs or outputs other than a touch of sulphur, he makes wines to reflect this special site in northern Piedmont. This is 40% Nebbiolo, 40% Croatina and 10% other indigenous grapes from 80-100-year-old vines trained in the ancient maggiorina system, where three vines are directed upwards in the four points of the compass to form a goblet. These vines are located on high altitude, volcanic and south sloping vineyards between 400 m and 450 m. Bright purple and blue fruit leads a vibrant, brisk palate, elegant and gossamer in form, and refreshing with white pepper on the finish. Tannins are fine but bamboo firm, housing diaphanous persistence on the mid palate. Lovely elegance and drinking well now, especially with truffled or wild mushroom dishes.