Reported by Dawn Harvie

Guild members were back at the Chelsea Club for the first time in several months to taste wines from the September 2 Vintages release. Antonio Mauriello and Jay Hunt were our hosts for the evening. At the beginning of the evening, we were informed that one of the four wines in each of the three flights was not Italian. A challenge!

We started off with four whites. Antonio told us that some Italian white wines should be served cold to improve those acid and bitter qualities that the winemaker is aiming to achieve. The Prosecco was rather closed on the nose, although some got a hint of floral notes. In the mouth, it had nice fruit, lots of acidity and bitterness on the finish. A pretty classic Italian white. The Vernaccia had notes of gingerale, “gingerbread fresh out of the oven”, “tooth powder”, cloves, and toasty notes. In the mouth, it lacked somewhat in acidity and was herbaceous with some spicy cloves. The favourite of the flight was the Rocca di Montemassi Vermentino with its austere, lemon, and floral perfume, that all followed through in the mouth with a hint of a bitter afterbite. The Viognier was unfortunately corked, but not so much so that you couldn’t get some aromatic notes and experience its good body.

Flight two featured reds. The first was the definite favourite of the four—the Le Farnete Carmignano. It had lots on the nose: black cherry fruit, earthy and smoky notes, and dark chocolate. In the mouth, it had big fruit with some cedar and tobacco, nice gripping tannins, good balance, and a long finish. This is a wine that could handle some years in the cellar. The second wine, the Nk’Mip Merlot had a sweet nose with some cedar, smoky notes, and wet leather. In the mouth, it was rather out of balance in terms of its hot alcohol and green, bitter tannins, but it did have decent fruit concentration. The Volpaia Chianti Classico had some spice and lots of green notes including “dill pickle”, “stemminess”, and “bell pepper”, but it had a long cherry finish according to some and was quite smooth in the mouth. The Moris Morellino di Scansano was the second favourite of this flight. Initially, it gave off the aromas of a Gamay, but given a little time, someone said it was a “black forest cake in a glass” with its cherry and chocolate notes, spice, tobacco, and leather. It had less structure than the Le Farnete, but was well-balanced in terms of fruit, tannin, and alcohol.

The third flight included the Barbi Brunello di Montalcino which had a rich nose with barnyard, cedar, bacon, and leather. In the mouth, it was a bit dusty (dry tannins), with chocolate, cherries, and bitter almond. It had good balance, but needs food. The Frescobaldi Montesodi Chianti Rufina was the favourite of the flight with lots of fruit, a touch of menthol, some spice, and tobacco. As someone noted, it had everything! In the mouth, all of the flavours came through with some cedar and leather. And several people thought this wine could potentially age for 15 to 20 years. The Schoolhouse ‘Recess Red’ was a decent wine for $18 and the second favourite of the flight. It had a nice nose of red fruit, cedar, vanilla, and cloves. I found it a bit on the sweet side, which could, in part, be due to the level of alcohol, but it had nice easy fruit and a touch of herbaceousness. The Poliziano Vino Nobile di Montepulciano had some floral notes and some cedar. Some thought it was a more refined wine that the Frescobaldi and that it would be pleasant still if cellared for five years, but it did not garner the same enthusiasm or number of votes for favourite as either the Frescobaldi or the ‘Recess Red’.

Flight 1
Prosecco di Valdobbiadene Brut, Santa Margherita, DOC (100% Prosecco) 687582 $17.95
Fugnano, Vernaccia di San Gimignano, 2005, DOC (100% Vernaccia) 687202 $14.95
Rocca di Montemassi, Gianni Zonin, 2005, IGT (100% Vermentino) 6908 $14.25
Domaine Des Aspes Viognier, Vign. Roger, 2004, Vin de Pays d’Oc (Viognier) 712638 $14.95

Flight 2
Le Farnete Carmignano, Tenuta Le Farnete, 2003, DOCG (80% Sangiovese, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon) 1321 $21.85
Merlot, Nk’Mip Cellars, 2003, VQA Okanagan 626416 $17.95
Volpaia Chianti Classico, Castello di Volpaia (Giovannella Stianti), 2003, DOCG (100% Sangiovese) 953828 $21.95
Morellino di Scansano, Moris Farms, 2004, DOC (90% Sangiovese, 10% Merlot and Syrah) 992560 $19.95

Flight 3
Brunello di Montalcino, Fattoria dei Barbi, 2000, DOCG (100% Sangiovese) 928028 $39.95
Montesodi Chianti Rufina, Castello di Nipozzano, Frescobaldi, 2003, DOCG (100% Sangiovese) 304501 $58.95
Schoolhouse ‘Recess Red’, Adelaida Cellars, 2002, Paso Robles (Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Sangiovese) 686253 $17.95
‘Asinone’, Poliziano Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, 2001, DOCG (85% Prugnolo Gentile + Canaiolo, Colorino, Merlot) 952473 $39.95