We don’t drink that much Chianti, but this one seemed well-priced for a well-thought of producer of Chianti Rufina. Another pleasing wine from our ‘affordable drinking’ selection.

Chianti Rufina Riserva ‘Vigento Bucerchiale’ 2006, Fattoria Selvapiana
An intense nose of bitter cherry fruit. The alcohol level is perhaps a tad high, but its sweetness adds to the fruit and makes this smell quite attractive. There is a depth of character to this nose, plenty of fruit and a good, reasonably complex earthiness. This smells very much like an Italian wine; it reminds me of Fuligni’s Brunello, with is quite a compliment for a wine which is so much cheaper. The fruit on the palate is also very Italian, but its tannins are not as aggressive and its acidity not as spiky as they might be. Indeed, it seems a rather accessible and totally drinkable palate. There is fruit, earthiness and a refined tannic structure. Its complex earthiness and fruit persist on the finish. I like this quite a lot, it is clearly Chianti with a very pronounced Sangiovese character, but is nowhere near as rough or hard work as it might be. A quite pleasing example of an Italian wine that is really up for drinking with more than enough ease and pleasure.

We had some friends around earlier tonight and decided to open wines of general drinking standard. Some where very noticeably better than others.

Riesling Grand Cru Sommerberg L31E 2002, Albert Boxler
Whilst this has some pure fruit and refined minerality on the nose there is also a slightly dirty, cardboardy character as well; it is not corked but this not in entirely good condition. I do like its precise, very well-defined minerality though. The palate also has hints of that dirtiness which do distract from the other, quite lovely, characters of this wine. There is a lot of limey fruit and the minerality is really complex but the main character of this palate is its screaming, and quite painful, acidity. It is in perfect balance, though, and I love acidity even if it hates my stomach. Sadly this wine is not up to the very high standard I've come to expect from Boxler, but it is not really his fault; there is something a bit wonky about this bottle.

La Grola 2006, Allegrini
Lots of bitter cherry fruit on the nose. This is rather nice and I feel if I was presented it blind that fruit character would allow me to instantly guess it was Italian. I like it that it is not frighteningly alcoholic, it is a balanced, accessible nose even if it is not terribly complex. The palate has ripe but a touch bitter fruit which matches its slightly tough tannic structure quite well. There is good acidity as well. It has reasonable length with the bitter cherry fruit and acidity persisting. However, despite these good points it is still not terribly complex. Whilst this is certainly clean and fruity, it is a wine for people who like a bit of rough.

Cornas ‘Domaine de Rochepertuis’ 2004, Jean Lionnet
The plummy fruit on this nose is very attractive but quite understated, there is also the vaguest hint of greenness but it is not very prominent so this isn’t a problem. Indeed, these aromas together with its earthy tang make this quite complex; I like this nose quite a lot. More plummy fruit on the palate with some tannins which are a bit tough and very Cornas-y. The acidity is also very present and fits the Cornas model well. That hint of greenness also shows but it is not a problem in the slightest, it adds to the considerable complexity of this palate. I really like its long finish which shows its complexity of flavours very well. This is good stuff and was quite the bargain.

Riesling Grand Cru Altenberg de Bergheim Vendanges Tardives 1998, Domaine Marcel Deiss
This wine is from the period after Jean-Michel Deiss had lost his marbles and started making truly awful wines, so I’m worried before even tasting this. Oh deary me, this nose is unfeasibly dull. All it has is a bit of candied citrus fruit and a hint of oxidative baked apple character. That is it; this great vineyard from a great vintage making a wine that smells so utterly one dimensional shows there is a serious problem with the winemaking strategy. Hell’s bells, the palate is also quite dreary. There is a bit of sugar, the suggestion of acidity and slight hints of that candied fruit and nothing else. It should have powerful minerality and far more complex, late harvest fruit action. I’d like a lot more acidity too. This is another totally shameful performance by Deiss, it is light years away from the quality it should show and which he is quite capable of delivering if he put his mind (which is clearly deranged these days) to it. Rather than a complex, engaging, sex-tastic wine those of us who didn’t refuse to drink any more (which I did) had to slog through this vinous wallpaper of mind-buggering tedium. I’m perfectly willing to admit that M. Deiss is not my favourite person. He stopped making brilliant wines in order to produce baroque, over-blown wines of horribleness all justified by the most cretinous, asinine philosophy I’ve been forced to tolerate to since I read a religious philosophy book. The fellow is an arse and should have his vineyards confiscated. Sub-interest. Really very sub-interest.

My other mag of red is Barolo, something I went through a bit of a phase of buying a few years ago. I tried enough to realise that I prefer 'new style' Barolo, rather than the dried-out, oxidised, old style wines.

Barolo 'Nei Cannubi' 1997, Luigi Einaudi en magnum
A highly perfumed, expressive nose that is floral and bursting with ripe cherry fruit. The alcohol level is a bit intense, but then so are all the rest of the aromas. The palate is freaking tannic, man, but there is a lot of fruit. It has a distinct minerality to the palate, real vineyard character. This is a large scale wine, but definitely well definied: a body-buildier with sculpted muscles. I am sure this will blossom with even more charm when the decanting works its magic. This wine would easily be improving for another ten years.

This is the second year we've imported some of this via an Italian wine merchant. It is a great summery drink.

Moscato d'Asti 2005, Vignaioli di San Stefano
The nose is really floral and fruity. Yummy yummy, this smells delicious. There is a nice refreshing fizz, good acidity and lots of tasty fruit. The sweetness is perfectly balanced. There is some real depth of character with this 2005 vintage. This is really good Moscato, fizzy, fruity and fun.

I don't drink that much Chianti, indeed I can only really think of three producers whose wines I buy out of choice. This one is my favourite. What a name it has got, though.

Berardenga Rancia Chianti Classico Riserva 1999, Felsina
A soft nose of maturing red fruit. Still smells quite lively, though, and its quite concentrated. It is remarkably smooth and silky for a Chianti, with plenty of fruit and good enough length. It is hardly thrilling, but it is a nice enough drink.

I don't drink that much Italian wine, the good ones are really expensive, but I do like a few of the styles very much. This blistering fireball of intensity is actually quite nice.

Brunello di Montalcino 1997, Eredi Fuligni
One of my favourite producers of Brunello, this is the first time I've tried a 1997. A famously ripe vintage, and it shows. The nose is quite hot, and jam-packed with ripe red fruit. It is a bit woody, too, but in view of the extreme fruit and booze on the nose this seems oddly in balance. The palate seems sedate in comparison, until the finish which has a hot burn. The tannins seem remarkably ripe and soft, mature even; it is not as drying as these wines can often be. The wood stands out a bit, but again given the ripe fruit and ripe tannins this seems balanced. This is drinking as well now as I think it ever will. On balance (balance is very important) I prefer the 1998 which I've had a few times, it is far more elegant and refined. However, this does have balance and it is comedically structured so quite nice, I think.