[France / Italy] Montirius Gigondas Confidentiel 2010 & Fattoria Le Pupille ElisabettaGeppetti 'Poggio Valente, Morellino di Scansano Riserva DOCG Italy 2009 Wine Tasting

I have been so busy on these past weeks but still have time for wine tasting. These 2 wines are worth to try, let’s share these simple wine reviews for your reference.

The 1^st one is Montirius Gigondas Confidentiel 2010, from Gigondas which is locating in Southern Rhone Valley. The terroir here is limestone and clay slopes up to 1,300 ft. Here is Mediterranean climate hot temperature, dry and sunny. Gigondas only has black grapes plantation, so no white wine is yielding. The wine blended big amount of Grenache grape, it gives the wine firmer and longer aging potential. Montirius Gigondas Confidentiel 2010 blended with 80% of Grenache and 20% of Mourvèdre, the average age of the vines are 75 years old. Before, I decanted for around 30 mins. The color is dark purple, has plum, cherry, spices, black pepper and light smoke aromas. In the mouth can found richness of plum and cherries, powerful tannins, aftertaste has little mineral. Overall, this wine is dry and full body with luscious fruits, can drink now or keep in cellar for aging.    

The 2^nd one is Fattoria Le Pupille Elisabetta Geppetti 'Poggio Valente, Morellino diScansano Riserva DOCG Italy 2009, an Italian wine from Southern Tuscany. Morellino di Scansano DOCG is a dry red wine region from Village Scansano. Here the wine made with at least 85% of Morellino grapes, which is identical with Sangiovese grapes, the characteristics are medium to full body with cherry, plum, herbs and cedar aromas. Then, it matured in barrel between 4 to 12 months, for “Riserva” wine had 2 years of maturation which has 1 year in barrel. Fattoria Le Pupille winery owns by Elisabetta Geppetti, she is also the President of Morellino di Scansano Consortium. This Morellino di Scansano blends with Sangiovese and Merlot, the grapes are from Poggio Valente vineyards. After fermentation, the wine matured in a big barrel for 15 months. This wine shows very fleshy fruits aromas such as cherry, plum, raspberry, and it has tobacco, nutmeg and liquorice aromas. Overall, it is full body, dry with high acid and balance tannins, then aftertaste has richness of fruits come out, I found this is ready to drink now

近期因工作比較忙所以好少出文,不過都可以抽少少時間出嚟飲下酒. 就飲咗呢兩枝紅酒感覺都值得同大家分享一下.

第一枝係 Montirius Gigondas Confidentiel 2010, 來自法國隆河谷南部的 ”Gigondas”. 這裡是地中海氣候, 溫度比較熱, 乾燥和陽光普照. 主要土壤是石灰石和粘土, 地勢是斜坡型最高可到1,300FT. Gigondas主要種植黑葡萄為主, 所以只有釀製紅酒沒有白酒. 而釀造紅酒的主要葡萄是Grenache, 這款葡萄釀出來的酒會比較硬身, 可陳年, 帶有香濃的Plum(李子)風味.  Montirius Gigondas Confidentiel 2010 用了80% Grenache 和20% Mourvèdre來釀製, 每棵葡萄樹的平均年齡是75歲. 飲之前Decant大約30分鐘, 酒色深紫色, 有李子, 車厘子, 香料, 黑胡椒芳香和輕微的木桶煙燻香. 口感方面帶有豐富的李子和車厘子味道, 單寧較強勁, Aftertaste 可感覺到一些礦物質既感覺. 整體這是一款Dry 和Full Body 紅酒, 而帶有出色的水果風味, 濃郁得嚟又容易飲. 現在可以飲用或可以繼續陳年.

第二枝是來自意大利Tuscany(托斯卡納)的紅酒Fattoria Le Pupille ElisabettaGeppetti 'Poggio Valente, Morellino di Scansano Riserva DOCG Italy 2009. Morellino di Scansano DOCG 主要生產紅酒, 位於Tuscany南部的一個村莊叫做Scansano. 這裡的紅酒最少85%都是用Morellino葡萄來釀製, 而這款葡萄其實是跟Sangiovese "山吉歐維榭" 同一種葡萄, 釀出來的酒是近乎中等到厚身, 帶有車厘子, 李子, 草藥和雪松芳香. 釀成酒之後會放在木桶內陳年4至12個月, 如果”Riserva”紅酒需要陳年2年最少1年在木桶內. 酒莊Fattoria Le Pupille的莊主是Elisabetta Geppetti, 她又是Morellino di Scansano聯盟的會長. 這款酒主要是用了Sangiovese其餘是Merlot, 所有葡萄都是來自Poggio Valente葡萄園, 當紅酒釀成後放入大型木桶內15個月. 這款酒有飽滿的水果芳香, 有車厘子, 覆盆子, 李子和有一些煙草, 肉荳蔻(Nutmeg), 甘草的芳香. 整體這款酒的口感是, Dry, Balance 單寕, 酸度較高的紅酒不過Aftertaste可帶出豐富的水果甜味, 我覺得現在可以飲用.

[Italy] Wine & Dine

Last week was my wife’s birthday. We went dinner at 1 Michelin Star The STEAK HOUSE winebar + grill in HK Intercontinental Hotel. This is our 2^nd time dining at this restaurant. It provides famous charcoal grilled steaks, and a wine list with 450 wines. During the meal, the waiter will thoroughly explain twelve special mustards, eight kinds of rock salt from multiple countries and ten types of peculiar steak knives for us to choose. For the steak, they provide very fine Dry Aged prime beef, Japan and Australia Wagyu beef, etc.

                                
                                         

For the first course, my wife had Lobster Bisque and I had Salads Bar. The Lobster Bisques is tasty and very rich. The Salad Bar has variety of vegetables, cold cuts (prosciutto, coppa, salami, etc), cheeses and some different appetizers, etc. The cheese platter had my favorite Comté cheese (hard cheese, not strong, little salty, inside the cheese has little crunchy crystal).   

For the main course, we shared a 16oz Rib Eye Steak (Dry Aged U.S Prime Beef) and one grilled Boston Lobster tail. I ordered the steak for medium rare, and it was perfect. The steak was tender and juicy. The Boston Lobster Tail was so fresh that the texture was completely springy. Both dishes were only flavored with little black pepper and rock salt and it’s already pretty tasty. For the steak, I also choose the mustards with garlic flavors. On the side, we had Baked Lobster macaroni, which the sauce was creamy with rich lobster flavor. Seems lobster has became the theme of this dinner!

Of course, we also have wine for this celebration. We had Vietti Nebbiolo Perbacco, Langhe Piedmont Italy 2011. This wine is quite new because the total ageing time took around 2 years. Normally, Langhe Nebbiolo should use the grapes from outside of Barolo and Barbaresco. Viette Perbacco used the grapes from different vineyards of Barolo, it is close to a Mini Barolo wine. The average age of the vines is 35 years. All vineyards are vilified and aged separately. 

My taste note: This wine shows cherry, earthy, leather and oak aromas, with vibrant acidity and medium body. The tannins is quite firm, it is nice to pair with grill steak. The after taste has sweet cherry feel and powerful tannins for finishing. I found, it has nebbiolo bold and cherry flavor, very worth to try.  

上星期是我太太生日. 我們去了香港洲際酒店獲得米芝蓮1星的The STEAK HOUSE winebar + grill. 這次已經係是我們第二次來這裡用餐. 這裡提供它們著名的炭燒牛排. 在用餐的時候服務生都會詳細地跟我們講解他們12種特式的芥末, 8種來自多國的岩鹽和10款獨特牛排刀, 給我們選擇. 牛排方面, 它們有精美的美國頂級風乾(Dry Aged)牛排, 日本和澳洲和牛, 等等.

前菜我太太要了龍蝦湯而我就選擇了Salad Bar. 龍蝦湯好好味和好濃郁. Salad Bar 有多種蔬菜, cold cuts (prosciutto, coppa, salami, etc), 芝士和有一些不同的前菜. 芝士併盤有我最鍾意的Comté cheese (硬芝士, 不是太重味, 少少咸, 芝士內部有一些脆脆的Crystal).

主菜我們分享了一塊16oz Rib Eye Steak (Dry Aged U.S Prime Beef)和一件燒波士頓龍蝦尾. 牛排我叫了medium rare. 當我食第一口的時間, 感覺這是完美的. 風乾牛排的肉質是特別嫩, 肉汁是保存在牛排內. 整體牛排是鮮嫩和肉汁 豐富. 波士頓龍蝦尾好新鮮, 口感是完全彈口!! 兩款菜式只是放少少黑胡椒和岩鹽, 已經很美味. 牛排當然可以沾小小芥末, 印象比較深刻是一款有蒜味的芥末. 配菜我們要了一個焗龍蝦通粉, 都是有濃郁的龍蝦味和creamy. 他們的通粉是比較細粒的. 整個晚餐都在食龍蝦 haha.

當然我們有叫紅酒來慶祝, 我們飲了Vietti Nebbiolo Perbacco, Langhe Piedmont Italy 2011. 這款酒應該都很新, 因為當酒釀好時會陳年大約兩年. 正常Normally, Langhe Nebbiolo 應該會用Barolo and Barbaresco 以外的葡萄(Nebbiolo )來釀製. Viette Perbacco 是用Barolo 內某幾個葡萄園的葡萄來釀製, 它有點像Mini Barolo wine. 一般的Barolo 是比Langhe Nebbiolo貴一兩成. 葡萄榭平均年齡是35歲. 釀製葡萄酒和陳年都是分開葡萄園做的.

我的品酒筆記: 這款酒有明顯的車厘子, 泥土, 皮革和木桶香味, 配有鮮明的酸和中等酒體. 單比較結實, 我覺得可以配牛排一起飲用, 感覺牛排的油讓單寧軟化. After taste 有車厘子的甜味和強勁的單寧. 整體是它有Nebbiolo 的剛勁和車厘子的甜美. 

[Italy] Fair price to taste Amarone !

                                       
                                    Sartori Amarone Della Valpolicella DOCG 2010

                                                              Unfiltered!!  

Sartori Amarone Della Valpolicella DOCG 2010 

Last month, I found an excellent bottle of Amarone in a local supermarket. This is 2010 Sartori Amarone Della Valpolicella DOCG Veneto, Italy (North-Eastern). Compare to other Amarone, the price of this is not too high. Amarone is dry red wine made from dried grapes (passito). The production stipulated a blend of Corvina, Rondinella, Molinara and other local or international varieties authorized by Valpolicella. Corvina has light color, light tannins and thick skin, used to go appassimento (drying process). After the grapes are harvested, the unripe and broken grapes will be abandoned. Then, the grapes will be laid on a wooden trays and left to dry in natural temperatures for at least 3 months. The dried grapes give intensely flavored, increase body, high sugar, complexity, and show more dry fruit. Dried grapes containing high sugar will make a strong wine with 15% or 16% alcohol. After fermentation, the wine will be aged in barrels for at least 2 years.

This wine blended 50% Corvina, 40% Corvinone and 10% Rondinella. After being harvested carefully, the grapes were put in a small plastic crates and left to dry in ventilated room for about 3 months. The vinification includes, pressing, fermenting in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks, malolactic fermentation in concrete tanks and transferring to large oak aged for 3 years.

My Taste Note: Purple and Ruby Red Color, aromas with raisins, dried fruit like plum and little green pepper at the end. It has opulent medium body, dry, the style is fleshy with fruit palate, light tannins and delicate acid. This wine is very plummy, like drinking dry plum juicy and it shows Amarone wine typical flavor. Considering the price, this wine is excellent

Before Sartori, I had tasted Tommasi Amarone della Valpolicella Classico DOCG 2007 and Masi Costasera Amarone della Valpolicella Classico DOCG 2007. 

Masi Costasera Amarone della Valpolicella Classico DOCG 2007

上個月我在本地的超巿買了一枝出色的Amarone紅酒. 這就是2010 Sartori Amarone Della Valpolicella DOCG威尼托, 意大利 (東北部). 相比於其他Amarone, 這枝酒的價錢不算太高. Amarone 是用風乾葡萄(passito)釀製的乾紅酒. 生產規定混合上Corvina, Rondinella, Molinara三款葡萄和其他Valpolicella授權的一些意大利本地或國際葡萄. Corvina是一款比較淺色, 低單寧, 厚皮的葡萄,通常都會用來appassimento (風乾過程). 當葡萄收成後, 他們不一些要不夠熟或破爛的葡萄. 然後放在木盤上和放在一間有天然溫度的房間內進行風乾過程, 過程最少需要3個月. 風乾葡萄可以帶出濃郁口味, 提高酒身, 高糖份, 複雜和很多乾果風味. 風乾葡萄含有高糖份, 可以釀製高酒精度的紅酒 (酒精度 : 15% & 16%). 發酵完都會放進大木桶內成熟最小3年.

這款酒用上 50% Corvina, 40% Corvinone and 10% Rondinella. 他們小心地採摘之後, 葡萄會放在一些小型的膠箱. 然後放進一間通風房間內進行風乾過程大約三個月. 釀酒過程包括壓榨葡萄, 溫度控制發酵, 混凝土水箱內浸皮, 最後轉移到大木桶內成熟三年.  

我的品酒筆記 : 紫紅寶石色, 香氣有葡萄乾, 乾果好像一些西梅乾(李子), 最後有小小青椒. 它有華麗中等的酒身, 乾紅酒, 豐滿的風格, 帶有果香口感, 低單寧, 精緻的酸度. 這款酒好像有好多西梅乾(李子), 好像正在飲一些不甜的西梅汁(李子)和它有明顯的典型Amarone的風格. 相比於價格, 這款酒是很出色的一枝Amarone.

Sartori之前, 我有品嚐過Tommasi Amarone della Valpolicella Classico DOCG 2007 and Masi Costasera Amarone della Valpolicella Classico DOCG 2007.

                        Tommasi Amarone della Valpolicella Classico DOCG 2007