I’ve been enjoying the 2009 wines from Europe, mostly France and loving the richness and depth of flavors. Some 2010 wines have tickled my fancy, but there are many more of those arriving over the next year, or so… And then, sometimes an “older” vintage shows up and, wham! You remember how great certain past vintages are. Take 2007 – a stellar vintage in Europe, especially in France and Italy… I was tasting some wines for possible addition to Harvard Faculty Club’s wine list and came across this gem:

2007 Chateau de Lascaux Coteaux de Languedoc ($14.99 approximate retail)

Dense, earthy nose with black cherry, cocoa and dried herb hints. Full-bodied with moderate acidity and supple tannin – good balance. Cherry, blackberry jam and black currant palate – youthful with mint and licorice notes. Long finish – smooth – tight, showing a nice layered complexity. Drinking well now – should continue to hold for the next 3 to 5 years. Good value.

(I picked up a case at Martignetti’s in Brighton – the current vintage at most shops is 2008)

If France is my favorite wine producing country (and this is tough given my penchant for Italian and Spanish wines…), then the Rhone is probably my favorite region within France. The originator of the wine that smacked me square in the forehead and started me on my wine journey 28 years ago, the Rhone is a region steeped in history and amazing wine. This has certainly been true over the last decade, as the Rhone has had a string of near perfect vintages stretching back to 1994, save one – 2002. The one downside to all these great vintages is that the Rhone is no longer a region of consistent value. Prices have escalated and what used to be a fine $9 – $10 Cotes du Rhone is now $15 – $20. The wine is still great, the prices not so much… I have posted the occasional find in two recent vintages 2007 and 2009, both regarded as exceptional vintages on a par with the near perfect 1998 vintage and now 2010 wines are making their way to market. Regarded as a very good vintage, 2010 is quietly being referred to by some critics as a “shadow vintage,” meaning that it is following in the shadow of a truly memorable and massively-hyped vintage: 2009. The benefits to a shadow vintage are that the quality is usually very good with somewhat moderate prices and great availability.

Two recent finds are:

2010 Saint Cosme Côtes du Rhone $14.99 (approximate retail)

Earthy nose with dense tarry fruit hints and anise and dried mint leaves. Full-bodied with firm acidity and moderate tannin – good balance. Fruit forward palate with dark berry notes – herbaceous – youthful. Moderate length with a smooth, layered finish. Drinking well – should hold for 3 to 5 years.

2010 Domaine la Garrigue Cuvée Romaine $14.99 (approximate retail)

Fresh, fruity nose with dried herbs and floral hints. Full-bodied with moderate acidity and supple tannin – good balance. Youthful, fresh cherry palate with tar, rose attar and allspice notes – exotic. Moderate length with a persistently herbaceous finish. Smooth. Drinking well now – should hold for 2 to 3 years.

I generally have a set of “go-to” wine stores in the area, ones that I have been frequenting for over 25 years. The lengthy history is due to the fact that either the people, the wines, or both have developed a track record of satisfying. These are my preparatory remarks to a cautionary tale – one that I know too well (admitted somewhat sheepishly)…

I receive a number of mailings (electronic and paper) from lots of wine outlets, including many on my “frequented” list. One in particular is a real favorite – The Wine & Cheese Cask in Somerville, MA. The Wine Cask is a place of permanence… The small, cramped store has not changed one iota since I first stepped through the door back in 1985 – 26 years and the floor-to-ceiling, rustically-appealing wine racks are still the same dusty dark brown. To boot, the Wine Cask still faithfully mails out a paper monthly newsletter, filled with lots of fun and exciting wine. Mails… as in USPS… who does that anymore? But you know what? I eagerly anticipate each issue… more so than any other newsletter.

With over 25 years of reading and buying from the Wine Cask I’ve learned that sometimes the descriptions of the featured newsletter wines are a wee bit enthusiastic, with language that is equivalent to air-brushed celebrity photography… Not really misrepresentation or false advertising, just one person’s interpretation… I’ve learned this the hard way… need I say more?

Anyway, what does all this have to do with the 2006 Principiano Serralunga Barolo? Well, the wine was in the September-October Wine Cask newsletter, and I quote:

Is it possible to have too many good vintages? Some Piemontese producers must be wondering this as their cellars are full of Barolo and prices appear to be dropping. We are certainly glad to take some stock off their hands. This is the second vintage in a row that we are able to sell for $29.99 from Principiano. The 2006 is a ripe, full bodied Barolo with deep yet delicate fruit and impressive yet flexible tannins. Decant this or let it breathe for a few hours to allow the flavors to knit together. Or age this impressive red for another five years. A great wine for a roast leg of lamb.

Who wouldn’t race to the Wine Cask to buy a case? Barolo with this kind of description at $29.99 – are you kidding me? So off I went to liberate a case for our pleasure… Popped one open last night and found myself re-reading the above description, over and over again… after each sip as a matter of fact… Must have given me the wrong wine, I thought, because all I tasted was TANNIN. And I don’t mean nicely structured, firm tannin that is balanced harmoniously by ripe fruit. No, I mean rip the skin off the inside of your mouth and leave you puckering like a dying camel after crossing the Sahara tannin. Ripe fruit? I’ve been tasting wine for ne’er 30 years and I think I know ripe fruit when I taste it and this ain’t it… My notes went like this:

Tight nose with hints of dried cherry, saddle leather and violets – pretty, though restrained. Full-to-medium bodied with punishing tannin and firm acidity – poor balance. Closed palate with any fruit flavors driven into obscurity by the overabundant tannins. Harsh. Long finish, although not particularly pleasant – this wine needs time. If the fruit is hidden beneath this veil of tannin, then there may be hope with some time. Otherwise this wine was a dud…

Am I angry? No. Given my relationship with the Wine Cask, if I complained I am sure they would happily refund my money. Besides, I didn’t follow my own rules of engagement: buy a few test bottles before committing to a full case – My bad, in other words. Why not return the wine anyway? Despite what many people say about me, I’m an optimist when it comes to wine. I’ll hope that sometime over the next 20 years, this wine will blossom. I’ve been witness to this kind of transformation before, so it is not impossible. Bottle variation is a specter as well, although what I tasted does not suggest issues with bottle variation.

So – the take aways:

• I will still continue to eagerly await the arrival of the Wine Cask’s monthly newsletter…
• I will still rush into the Wine Cask and buy those newsletter wines that tickle my fancy…
• I will repeat the words “only buy a few bottles to try” as I cross the Wine Cask threshold…
• I will wait patiently for the 2006 Principiano Serralunga Barolo to shed its cocoon of harsh, mouth-punishing tannins to become the lovely, enticing bottle of Barolo that I crave… and I’ll be telling stories of how I paid less than $30 per bottle at a time when classic Barolo was selling for three times as much…

The wines of Italy used to be wines of tremendous value, not always the finest or most ageworthy, but just good, solid values. Then something changed… a string of successive vintages where the flagship wines of Barolo, Barbaresco, Brunello di Montalcino and those pesky “Super Tuscans” were all absolute gems! Say goodbye to value and hello to the inevitable price creep.

All that aside, sometimes it just doesn’t matter… Last night we enjoyed a fabulous bottle of Brunello from a long-favorite producer: Castello Banfi. We have been enjoying these wines since the mid-90’s and have had the fortune of collecting a nice little vertical.. Well the 2006 needs to find a way into our cellar – magnificent, majestic with refined, yet potent tannin. Deep, dark fruit core with a wonderful melange of flavors: anise, cherry, cocoa dust, saddle leather and violets delight the palate. Long on the finish, smooth, suggesting many years of aging potential, perhaps 15+ years.

The wine went perfectly with our food: a perfectly trimmed filet and a gigantic stuffed veal chop – Heaven!