Montefalco Rosso, D.O.C. 1997 Bottled by Ardnaldo Carprai, Italy Imported by Villa Italia Gourmet 8/26/00, by Maria - This is the first wine Alex and I have reviewed in a long time, mostly because we are too lazy to stop drinking and pick up a pen. We picked up this wine at Berkeley Bowl to go with our dinner - pasta shells stuffed with spinach and ricotta, in a tomato sauce. Alex felt this Italian red had a slight effervescence. "It's got sort of a blackcurrant [flavor], but it's not really complex. The finish is dry, crisp, maybe slightly bitter." I haven't drank many Italian wines, but I have come to expect European wines to be dry, acidic, and earthy. However, I found this wine to be very juicy in the first taste. It was lower in acidity than I expected, and I did not find it to be very dry or mineraly, but berry-ish, like Alex said. The finish is fast, however, and not long and fruity like California wines. The tannins were light, but most pronounced in the finish. Most of all, it is a very light red, and easy to drink when you don't feel like being weighed down. The verdict: It's okay. Alex gives it a B- - it wasn't too impressive and little bit flat - and I give it a B+ for flavor, although the weight is a little disappointing, with a B- overall. |
Chateau Peyraud 1998 Cotes de Blaye, Bordeaux, France Imported by Grape Expectations 8/27/00, by Alex - Maria described this wine as having a "striking, earthy aroma and a long finish", but added that it was definitely a light wine better suited for drinking with food than on its own. She found its best traits to be the long finish and medium tannins, but found fault in its lighte, thin favor. I found the aroma to be earthy, but the initial flavor was juicier than I expected, with pleasant acidity. The fruit flavor disappeared quickly however, leaving an earthy, mineral finish. The tannins were light, and on the whole the wine was pleasant to drink but lacked balance and body. The verdict: Pleasant. Maria gives this one a B. I liked it a little better: B+. This is an enjoyable wine, especially if you're not looking for a lighter-bodied red. |