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Notes from a Montreal Tuscan Tasting

steve8steve8Member
Last Saturday night at Le Bleu Raisin our local group got together for a Tuscan themed wine dinner. The wine was Tuscan, but the food wasn't. French/Canadian would be the best way to describe the food, which was excellent as usual at this restaurant. Wines were tasted blind and my notes are in the order we tasted. A lot of very good to excellent wines, but no wow's.

2001 Cecchi Spargolo

Dark ruby red colour with cocoa and plum on the nose. Medium-full bodied, young wine with plum and vanilla flavours on a medium finish. Firm tannins and good acidity to balance it out, this wine should improve. I thought it was a sangiovese blend, but it is apparently pure sangio. 89 points.

1997 Jacopo Biondi-Santi Sassoalloro

Definitely sangiovese from the nose. Slightly translucent with plum, oak and a floral nose. Medium bodied with plum and cherry flavours on a slightly thin and steely, but not unpleasant finish. 88 points.

2001 Poggio Scalette, Il Carbonaione

One of the wines that our local monopoly had on sale last weekend, so not too surprising that someone brought it. Dark, crimson colour and completely opaque. Big nose of plum and black fruit that really developed with a little time in the glass. Full bodied, quite tannic and modern styled wine with plum and chocolate flavours on a delicious finish. I thought this was a sangio blend, but got that wrong. This will improve with age. 91 points and my number 3 WOTN.

1999 La Poderina, Brunello di Montalcino

Dark, opaque ruby red colour which I identified as a pure sangiovese right away. Nose was somewhat muted with aromas of plum and cocoa. Medium-full bodied and very tannic with plum flavours on a medium finish. Good acidity, so I would say this one needs more time. 88 points. I hope this one gets better since I have 4 of them.

1997 Campogiovanni, Brunello di Montalcino

Slightly translucent with tar, violets and plums on the nose, which led me to correctly identify this as Brunello. Medium-full bodied, very elegant and well balanced wine with good plum and cherry flavours on a medium finish. 90 points. When uncovered I was a little disappointed, because this bottle didn't show as well as previous ones I had.

2001 Col D'Orcia, Nearco

The cassis on the nose made me write down cabernet blend on my notes, which wasn't bad since I now know that it's a cab, merlot and syrah blend. Full bodied, silky mouthfeel with black currant and plum on a good finish. Very well made wine. 90 points.

1999 Rocca Delle Macie, Ser Gioveto

Very dark, purple-reddish colour with black cherry and vanilla on the nose. Full-bodied, slightly extracted modern style wine with plum and cherry flavours on a long sweet finish. 91 points. It scored as high as my numbers 2 & 3 WOTN, but I gave the others the nod because of the extracted style. I brought this wine. Roll Eyes

1997 Terrabianca, Campaccio Riserva

Nice nose of plums, flowers and earth. Medium-full bodied, lively acidity with plum and cherry flavours on an excellent finish. 91 points and my #2 WOTN.

2000 Barone Ricasoli, Casalferro

Earth and plum on the nose. Full bodied, modern style wine with chocolate, plum and vanilla flavours on a firmly tannic finish. Very well made wine that should improve. 91 points.

2003 Carpineta Fontalpino, Do Ut Des

Not much on the nose, other than oak and a little plum. Full bodied, very modern and very tannic. Some plum flavour, but this wine seems to be shut down. 88 points.

1993 Banfi, Brunello di Montalcino, Poggio All'Oro

This definitely has some age to it. Secondary aromas with plum and cedar. Medium-full bodied wine with some stewed plum flavours. Very soft mouthfeel. Past it's prime, but not terrible. Some of us knew that this wine was in the line-up so it wasn't that difficult to correctly identify it. It should also be noted that the provenance of this bottle is unknown. It was recently purchased at a good price after a restaurant went bankrupt. 88 points.

2000 Fuligni, Brunello di Montalcino

Ruby red, translucent with lots of red fruit on the nose. Medium-full bodied with plum and cherry flavours on an excellent finish. Elegant and well-made wine. 91 points.

2001 San Fabiano Calcinaia, Cerviolo

Beautiful nose of plum, vanilla, violets and some secondary aromas made me think this had a little age to it. Full bodied, well integrated tannins with plum and vanilla flavours on a delicious sweet finish. I would drink this sooner than later, but an excellent wine right now. 92 points, the groups and my WOTN.

That was all of the red table wines. There was a 2001 Bellavista Gran Cuvée Brut Franciacorta Sparkling Rosé to start, which I didn't take notes on, but was very good. We also had the following two sweet/fortified wines, 2001 Klein Constantia, Vin de Constance and 1991 Taylor Fladgate, Quinta de Vargellas VP, for which I'll post notes on separate threads.
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F futronicMember
Thanks for the notes, steve. Sounds like a nice dinner.

Just out of curiousity, where was the Bellavista Franciacorta sourced from? Is it readily available at the SAQ? In Ontario, in generally needs to be bought from the importer, and usually only the NV is available, not the Gran Cuvee vintage or the Saten, which I've only seen in Italy.
Last edited by futronic
L lovelandreMember
Having been there at the Bleu raisin, I can attest to the high quality of the wines and the fine food. From the other experienced comrades there, I would like to know their opinion as to how representative of Tuscan wines was that tasting? In other words, were we near the top of the Tuscan wine chain? I am asking this cos' I haven't had much exprerience with those wines yet,

Lovelandre
steve8steve8Member
Lovelandre. First of all, it was great meeting you and your friend. Hope to see you back at other tastings. As for your question about these wines, this was kind of disappointing to me. No bad wines, just no "knock your socks off" wines either. On the other hand, the group didn't really bring out any of the big name Tuscan wines. Most of these bottles were the mid-tier level wines, but I'll drink 90-92 point wines all night long. Smile
L lovelandreMember
This is the "Friend" of Lovelandre - Karolynn...
I just want to let you, and Lovelandre know that there is still some Bellavista available at the SAQ... Maybe a typo in your search Lovelandre? Razz

Anyway, I had a great time with all of you and we will see each other very soon I hope!

BTW, found a very nice wine - spain/catalogne.. I'm curious to read your thoughts about it... Embruix de Vall Llach priorat 2003 WineSpec rated it 93 and I agree ! for a small 27,90$

Karolynn
mimikmimikMember
While it was great offlining with the group and meeting our newest members(who coincidentally brought the wine of the night!! Smile Bravo Lovelandre and Karolynn), I felt that the food was good but subpar with previous visits and I attribute this to the fact that Fred the chef was out of town. But I digress. The wines were quite interesting and as brunellos are still a subject of growing interest for me, I found the wines to be very very nice.

Here are my notes:

2001 Cecchi Spargolo

Dark colour with a earthy, chocolate, cherries and blackberry and dark fruits on the nose. A oaky tannic palate but structured. A long finish. Nice. 90 pts.

1997 Jacopo Biondi-Santi Sassoalloro

This was a weird wine to evaluate because it was relatively thin on the palate and diluted in colour. Nevertheless, it exhibited a floral nose with strawberries, caramel, cherries scents. Sour cherries on the acidic but astringent tannic palate. Don't think this will get better. 88 pts.

2001 Poggio Scalette, Il Carbonaione

Candied nose of cherries and plums and some asian spices. Cloves? More cherries and plums on the the palate with a long tannic finish. 93 points and my #4 WOTN.

1999 La Poderina, Brunello di Montalcino

Dark wine with a nose of blackberries and black cherries. Very well structured, grace and poise to this wine. Tight and young and needs lots of time but a very pleasing drink nonetheless. 94 pts and my #2 WOTN.

1997 Campogiovanni, Brunello di Montalcino San Felice

Nose of dark cherries and iodine, licorice, and leather notes. More iodine and sour cherries on the acidic and tannic but highly glycerin-like finish. 92 pts.

2001 Col D'Orcia, Nearco

Nose of cassis and flowers with some oak. More cassis on the palate with oak and vanilla. Sounds like a Cab to me?? Eek Ok but little character in my mind. 87 pts.

1999 Rocca Delle Macie, Ser Gioveto

Nose of candied cherry. The palate was kinda astringent and felt the wine was out of balance. Very tannic and sour cherry taste on the med-long finish. 88 pts.

1997 Terrabianca, Campaccio Riserva

Nose of cherrries, vanilla and oak with sour cherries on the finish. Not much there. 86 pts.

2000 Barone Ricasoli, Casalferro

Nose of coffee, earth and dark cherries and some green herbs. In the mouth, a tannic bed more cherries and vanilla on dense extracted texture. 91 pts.

2003 Carpineta Fontalpino, Do Ut Des

Nose of dark cherry, plums, oak and some cedar with hints of chocolate. Tannic palate with dark cherries(sweet) and a tangy acidity. Tannics were mouth-searing. Needs time but a fine drink now. 91+ pts.

1993 Banfi, Brunello di Montalcino, Poggio All'Oro

While I got this bottle at a good price $77.00, provenance was uncertain. I guess I am a sucker for old wines because the nose on this was the best of all the wines scented that night. A nice bouquet of cherries and that caramelly/butterscotch smell I get from aged Brunellos. Some cassis and caramel on a slightly bitter palate. The finish was short and tart which was deceiving given the nose but this wine opened up quite a bit over the course of the night. I'm being very generous by giving it a 93. My #2 WOTN

2000 Fuligni, Brunello di Montalcino

Nose of cherries and vanilla. Nice balanced wine with crisp acidity while being a smooth velvety textured drink on the palate. Mid-long finish and very enjoyable. 91 pts.

2001 San Fabiano Calcinaia, Cerviolo

Nose of cherries, flowers, cassis and vanilla. The palate had sweet red fruits like raspberries, cherries and cherrycheesecake and vanilla notes. Very dense and very hedonistic. Well made and modern. 94 pts and my #1 WOTN (and the groups.)
L lovelandreMember
Not wanting to be redundant, but I have to concur with Mimik, ze food was ok but not great.
But I did find the Cerviolo, the WOTN to possess all the better qualities of that night's wines, including a great nose of violets,dark cherries and prune and provided a masterful balance of acidity, length and sheer sensual pleasure.
One other wine struck me as different from the rest, that being the Campogiovanni, an almost CDP like vibe, with mineral and tar notes. Are those characteristics of Brunellos too?
V vinaigreMember
Finally had some time to write my notes, sorry for the delay !!!

MONTREAL OFFLINE (TUSCANY) - Restaurant Bleu Raisin (27/01/2007)

Our first offline of the year. Once again at Bleu Raisin. I found the meal OK, not great. Better last time I was there. The sides were great, just the main was off just a bit.
All the wines were served blind. Wines are in the order served.
  • 2001 Luigi Cecchi & Figli Spargolo Toscana IGT - Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT
    Dark ruby red, nose of port, stewed cherries with cherries and raspberries on the palate. Medium acidity with integrated tannins. Short to medium finish. (89 pts.)
  • 1997 Jacopo Biondi-Santi Sassoalloro Toscana IGT - Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT
    Slightly translucent ruby red, nose of cherries and a slight funk (brett ??) on the nose. Light red fruits on the palate, present acidity with a short metallic finish. Did not do much for me. (84 pts.)
  • 2001 Podere Poggio Scalette Il Carbonaione Toscana IGT - Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT
    Very deep ruby red, nice nose of mixed dark fruits. Nice frontal attack on the palate but a short mid palate. Short but very fruity finish. Balance acidity and tannins.
    This was one of mine, I had good hopes for this wine when I decanted it, but this will improve for sure. (89 pts.)
  • 1999 La Poderina Brunello di Montalcino - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
    Deep ruby red, very nice nose of fruits: cherries, raspberries, plums. Nice blast of fruits on the palate. Medium plus length with a good balance of fruits and tannins. (92 pts.)
  • 1997 Campogiovanni (San Felice) Brunello di Montalcino - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
    Ruby red with a very slight bricking on the edge. Nice nose of red fruits. Very nice palate of fruits. With integrated tannins and acidity on a short to medium finish. I had this as an older brunello, but I thought it was older than 97. (89 pts.)
  • 2001 Col d'Orcia (Cinzano) Nearco Toscana IGT - Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT
    Deep ruby red. Nice nose of fresh cherries, oak, raspberries, vanilla. Full mouth of fruits. balanced tannins and crisp acidity on a medium plus length. (93 pts.)
  • 1999 Rocca delle Macìe Ser Gioveto Toscana IGT - Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT
    Deep ruby red with violet edges. Fruits and meat on the nose. With a nice palate of cherries and raspberries. Nice acidity and tannins, the tannins have a nice texture. Medium plus length. (93 pts.)
  • 1997 Terrabianca Campaccio Toscana IGT - Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT
    Deep ruby red. nice nose of red fruits and cherries, raspberries and whiff of flowers. An oaky sweetness on the palate with a nice mouth feel. Nice balance on a medium finish. (91 pts.)
  • 2000 Barone Ricasoli Casalferro Toscana IGT - Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT
    Nice ruby red, floral nose with oak, spices, and meat. Nice mouth-feel of fruits, with gripping tannins and present acidity. Medium length. (92 pts.)
  • 2003 Carpineta Fontalpino Do Ut Des Toscana IGT - Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT
    Nice very deep ruby red, violet edges. Nice delicate nose of fruits, oak, and spices. with a nice mouthful of fruits, very present tannins and a well balance acidity. this one will get better. My runner-up WOTN (93 pts.)
  • 1993 Castello Banfi Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Poggio All'Oro - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
    Ruby red with bricking on the edge. Nose of perfume (Chemical), leather and bretty also. Very sour taste and very present acidity. No finish. Gave some points just because I thought I should. (82 pts.)
  • 2000 E. Fuligni (Cottimelli) Brunello di Montalcino - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
    Light ruby red, Floral-patchouli nose with sweet oak and cherries. Sweet cherries and red fruits on the palate. Nice integrated tannins and acidity. Short medium finish. (90 pts.)
  • 2001 San Fabiano Calcinaia Cerviolo Toscana IGT - Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT
    Night.. Opaque. Nice nose of fresh cherries and oak (vanilla) and new leather. Sweet oak and cherries on the palate. With a nice balance of tannins and acidity that marked it`s young age. Nice length with lingering fruits. My WOTN (93 pts.)


Thanks to all for the great company and wines. Thanks to Mimik for putting this together.
I was expecting a lot more from this offline. But with our cellars that need more time, these offline's will only get better.
Posted from CellarTracker

Edited for typos !!
Last edited by vinaigre
L lovelandreMember
As a further refinement on the notes, I had some more Spargolo this weekend (wine number 1 in our Tuscan tasting) and after 3 hours of decanting, it opened up very well, with an almost kirsch-like nose and earthy mouthfeel, adding in a few layers of cocoa and plum and a medium to long finish makes it a very enjoyable drink, but it does prove to have a very reticent approach,still a bit young probably, 91 pts

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