Monday, December 7, 2009

Good and strange

2003 Roagna Solea
I’ve really enjoyed drinking this wine over the last year or so. It is so flexible and food friendly. It has a noticeable structure (from the nebbiolo I guess) that is sort of like skin contact, which buttresses nice fruit and minerals. I’ve only had this vintage and the 2001 and while I was skeptical at first, I am now a true believer.

2005 Giuseppe Fanti Portico Rosso
This wine is a blend of teroldego, cabernets franc and sauvignon with some merlot from the Dolomites. I don’t have much experience with the producer’s reds, more with the whites, but if this is any indication, there is true excellence at this estate. Vibrant and juicy fruit skates a trellis of firm structure that borders on crunchy, but never quite slips from the wire. The wine is invigorated, invigorating, and compliments the food by cutting through it with structure and following it with flavor. It is on the expensive side, but well worth a try. It is drinking well now, but could improve over the medium term, I think.

5 comments:

Scott Reiner said...

i too have only had the 01 and 03 solea. i have really liked them both. interesting, different and, as you mentioned, easy to use with food.

John McCarthy said...

We'll have to have the CONTI SERTOLI SALIS Chiavennasca together sometime soon. It is actually 100% Nebbiolo vinified White from Valtellina. I think you might dig it. Very similar to the solea but maybe even a little stranger...

MATCOHEN said...

did you buy all of it? none on the market in the US.

the vlm said...

Scott, totally agree, obviously.


Skinny (John), no doubt, let's do it soon. I need to get some Dolin from you as well.


Matthew, buy all of what? Solea or Portico Rosso?

John McCarthy said...

Dolin is in the House....