Wine Review: Masi Amarone

Masi Costasera Amarone 2001

Amarone is a big, fairly expensive, red wine from Italy that matches with a fairly small variety of foods. Although, if braised beef cheeks, lamb steaks, venison stew, or similarly gamey dishes are frequent in your home, you may disagree. Since I almost always drink wine with food as a rule, and I have neither the time nor the stomach to braise beef cheeks, Amarone has a hard time breaking into my routine.

Still, there are times when Amarone is perfect — most often, in my case, as an after-dinner drinker with a chunk of cheese (aged Parmegiano-Reggiano is a good choice). And once a bottle is started, it’s hard not to finish; Amarone can be a stunning, intriguing, highly complex, and seductive wine to contemplate over.

Tasting Notes: Masi Amarone “Costasera”

Nose is still a bit closed, but deep down are some aromas of bitter earth, tobacco, distinctly herbal spices (sage, thyme, bay leaf, maybe the slightest hint of rosemary), ash, and some black fruits – licorice, prune, cassis. On the palate the texture is smooth, the flavors are sweet prune, cassis, black licorice, mulberry, black raspberry. Tannins are ripe and surprisingly tame for Amarone, but still bigger than most red wines; I’d call the level medium to medium high. Acidity is medium. Another surprise is the alcohol, which is lower than expected. The finish could be longer, but is in better balance than similar wines. Flavors in the finish include blackberry, herbs, tobacco, and tar. Do not make the mistake of pouring this wine directly from bottle to glass – it needs to breathe, and it needs some time. Pour it into a decanter, then pour it again into another decanter, and let it sit for at least 10-15 minutes before tasting — otherwise it may seem harsh instead of polished, and you’ll likely miss out on the complexity and subtle nuances that make this wine special. It will probably be a nice match for lamb, gamey dishes, roast pork loin, or a hunk of hard cheese. A fine, polished wine to open up next to the fire on a cold winter night.

a-8 t-8 b-9 fc-7 v-9 ~ 91 Points

Importer: Remy USA

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Chardonnay Review: Franciscan Oakville

Franciscan Oakville Chardonnay Cuvee Sauvage 2005

Generally speaking, I’m against the majority of California Chardonnay on the market — but not against ALL California Chards.

What bugs me is the proliferation of formulaic, oak-driven “soda-pop” Chards that taste more like Sugar Smacks than fermented grapes. The bulk of these disasters in a bottle are in the under $20 segment, but there are also a number of higher-priced Chardonnays that are flawed by too much wood.

The problems of over-oaked are 1. the wood overpowers the fruit, so you don’t taste the Chardonnay; and 2. oak doesn’t match very well with most foods. However, that doesn’t mean oak is always bad — it merely needs to be used judiciously. The key is the fruit; if the grapes produce a very rich, ripe flavor, then it can stand up to a good dose of oak and create a harmonious, delicious sipper.

One such example of a California Chardonnay with a wonderful balance of fruit and oak is Franciscan Oakville Chardonnay Cuvee Sauvage.

Tasting Notes: Cuvee Sauvage

Wide open, delicious smelling aroma of ripe pear, peach, banana, spicy oak, vanilla, and a hint of warm apple pie. In the mouth it has a silky, creamy, buttery texture, carrying lots of succulent ripe pear, baked apple, vanilla, honey, and oak. The oak actually runs a touch bitter, giving off some tannins, in the finish. Acidity is mild to nearly medium. On the fat and oaky side, but surprisingly not overwhelming and also not too hot in the finish. It’s almost on the sweet side, making it more of a fireplace wine than something you’d match successfully with a bevy of foods. However, it will match adequately with roasted rosemary chicken, dishes drenched with garlic, and maybe hot and spicy cuisine, where the sweetness acts as a foil against the heat. Long, elegant finish. A rich, delicious, and succulent wine to enjoy by the fire.

a-10 t-10 b-7 fc-7 v-7 ~ 91 Points

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