TN: Good Brunello, bad Chianti, couple others

in article snipped-for-privacy@o13g2000cwo.googlegroups.com, DaleW at snipped-for-privacy@aol.com wrote on 2/11/05 12:51 PM:

Dale,

I read all your TN's with great interest and admire your ability to capture the essence of each wine as you do. But it just occurred to me what is most distracting for me...... your at-home menus are like fine dining experiences.... every time. Please tell me you bring in an occasional barbecued chicken from the supermarket, or that take-out pizza finds it's way onto your menu from time to time. Please?

;o)

Well, when Betsy is away, I've brought home chicken from supermarket. And pizza does occasionally hit our table. But in general the thing is Betsy is even more food-obsessed than I am wine-obsessed. She is constantly reading recipes and planning meals. It's her relaxation. During the first part of opera season, when she has day rehearsals AND night performances, my dinner choices get a bit duller. :)

Dale:

The words "hard and angular" are just the ones I have been looking for to describe a wine that I have had for a while. I am rather new at this so I couldn't quite find a name for what I was tasting. I am curious if you know what the cause might be?

In my case it is a 2001 Pinot Noir from southwest Michigan. I have tried a bottle each year since '02. I think I can recognize tannins using the reference to tea and having tried several wines with tannin designed to age. The tannins can be strong and give that drying feeling but not what I would call harsh or "angular" as is my pinot.

I have also tasted wines high in acid, especially from up where we live. Again I would not call them "hard and angular" but more "tart" would be the word; as in drinking lemon juice.

I have thought possibly ascetic acid but it is not volatile and the nose is quite pretty (if a little oaky). And I can't detect anything that I could liken to vinegar.

I observe from reading this group that TCA usually presents itself as a lack of fruit accompanied (if one has the nose for it) by various musty off flavors (wet cardboard, dog etc.). I could find none of these in the above Pinot. The fruit in the aroma seemed resonably pleasant.

So I have been looking for the way to describe the sort of thing you found in the Nando Chianti. I think "hard and angular" is it.

Does this represent some specific of flaw in winemaking? What might be the cause of it, do you think?

Thanks,

Art Schubert Traverse City, Michigan

That's what I love about Dale's posts... They read like a fairy tale almost. Here's my reality a bit exaggerated:

Last night Jen wouldn't get off the couch and told me to order Pizza again. This time we went with the pepperoni from Joes house of pizza. For this meal I selected a nice Barolo, because well you know, Italian food goes well with Italian wine... Etc etc...

Art, my guess is that Ed and Bill nailed it. Not hard to imagine unripe fruit in MI (I know in some parts it gets quite hot in summer, but my impression is cool fall rolls in early). Now in Tuscany, normally ripening isn't hard. But in 2002 there were hail storms which damaged the crop, followed I think by rains. Probably only vintners who were willing to be merciless about grape selection (with the attendant loss of volume) made acceptable products (and I doubr anyone made stellar ones).

Underripeness in the fruit, typically.

Tom S

Would it be safe to say, Tom, that the "hard and angular" principal of underripe fruit is the green tannins?

Mark Lipton

Hi, Mark -

Briefly, yes. :^)

Tom S

Underripeness in the fruit, yes, but in particular I would say underripeness of the stems. Sometimes the fruit is ripe but the stems are green, so if you do not destem there will be very hard tannins, but even after destemming the seeds will also impart that greenness.

Mike Tommasi, Six Fours, France email link

Thanks to all. It gives me something on which to hang the terms "harsh" or "hard and angular". I will look for that greeness next time.

True, it is tough to ripen vinifera here in MI. It can be done if the weather cooperates and one is willing to risk picking near the end of October. The lake can keep the freezes away if a site is close enough to it. Still, I wonder if wines made here will ever be more than a curiosity at best.

Art Schubert Traverse City, Michigan

Very good. I have been de-stemming mine and trying to be especially gentle with the seeds. We shall see.

Just a small follow-on. From the producer's web site: "Not a 'wimpy' Pinot, this richly balanced wine has structure, backbone and muscle."

Don't creatures with lots of backbone and muscle tend to bite you?

I suppose once you have made a bunch of it you have to find a way to convince people to buy it, regardless of its quality. Sad.

Art Schubert Traverse City, Michigan

the same thing that causes 'closed and obtuse'.