Filthy Good Vino

Chianti is made in a number of townships in Tuscany. In the old days wines were made from field blends, a mix of grapes of different local varieties, planted on the one plot. The dominant variety being Sangiovese with a splash Canaiolo, Colorino and others thrown into the mix.  In the last few decades French varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Shiraz have been introduced and incorporated into many Tuscan wines. The Cabernet Blends like Ornellaia from Antinori have received critical acclaim. A bottle of 1990 Ornellaia was wine of the night amongst some serious Barolos from the likes of Gaja, Aldo Conterno, Masseto & Mascarello.

I still have a soft spot for the Sangiovese focused wines. Over the last couple of years I’ve been so focused on drinking wines from Piedmont, Sicily and around Naples and beyond, that I’ve forgotten just how much fun Chianti can be.  Sangiovese typically has big bunches, with large berries and thin skins, that can result in wines of light colour. Don’t let that deceive you. They can have incredible intensity and are well worth getting your laughing gear around. Here’s a few I’ve tried recently that have been fun!

Castello Monsanto

A few rustic Chianti’s on the deck at Boccaccio Cellars today! The same, but, different to the Isole e Olena wines.

All three are blends of 90% Sangiovese and 10% Canaiolo and Colorino.

2013 Chianti Classico – looking raw, needs time to settle. Some chewing texture demanding food. $35.

2012 Chianti Classico Riserva – a hard edge, structure supported by a splash in some new oak. Solid core of fruit and some funk. Again one to watch. $60.

2010 Chianti Classico Riserva Vigneto “Il Poggio” –  a density not present in the others. Fruit depth handling the oak beautifully. Refined texture, plenty of yumminess! Can’t wait for the 2012 … Birth year wine for my first! $100.

Isole e Olena

2012 Isole e Olena Chianti Classico – 80% Sangiovese, 15% Canaiolo and 5% Shiraz. Old school style, respecting the fruit. Savoury yumminess, layering up sour cherries with a refined texture & an edge of acid that would cut the fat of a Bisteccca Fiorentina perfectly. The best standard Isole e Olena I’ve tasted in ages. Threw a few of these bad boys in the cellar. $35. BEST VALUE OF THESE WINES!!

2010 Isole e Olena “Cepparello” – 100% Sangiovese Brooding almost inky core of fruit holding its own in competition with an edge of new oak. Great to see it under Screwcap. Needs time. $99.

The Chardonnay Line Up

The Chardonnay line-up at Boccaccio Cellars Vic Wine Show tasting today! I love where Aussie Chardonnay is going. Playing right at the limitless of yumminess!

2014 Seville Estate Chardonnay – Yarra Valley: my personal preference. wicked value at around $30 a tube! Fresh style with juicy linear acid & the core of fruit to support it. Whole bunch pressed and wild fermented in large 300L, 500L and foudre ~2000L oak (not sure of exact size, just a guess). Big oak reduces the effective amount of oak per litre of wine.

2014 Coldstream Hills Estate & Reserve Chardonnay – Yarra Valley: Estate looking better than the reserve on the day. Both lovely core of fruit. Angularity of oak in the reserve. $30 & $50 respectively.

2014 Piano Piano Sophie’s Block Chardonnay – Beechworth: a funk monster, lots of lees, wild ferment & craziness with some delicious fruit to support it. Out there & loving it!

The Shiraz Line Up!

These 3 wines represent much of what I love about wine. All Shiraz, from three regions across Victoria. They are all unique. We get to celebrate the difference & enjoy yummy wine with very individual personalities.

2013 Mitchell Harris Shiraz – Pyrenees: with it’s fresh vibrant fruit, perfume and supple texture at $35.

2013 Tahbilk Shiraz – Goulburn Valley: with it’s rustic structure, savouriness, showing the almost Barolo like tannins of the region at $? pre-release sample hence the non-commercial label.

2013 Buckshot Vineyard Shiraz – Heathcote: with an inky density of fruit, big ballsy, but, still with a refined texture at $35.

3 different wines 3 very good wines, giving us as consumers 3 yummy experiences. Your personal preference deciding which is your drink of choice! The lucky country! All winners at this years Victorian Wine Show.

A Pinot in the Mix

2014 Seville Estate Pinot Noir – Yarra Valley: Solid booze at $30 a bottle. Cooler fresher style with lift from a portion of whole bunches in the ferment. These also added a spice and a chewing mouthfeel. It hard to see wines like this at their best so young. They just need some time to settle. The core of fruit is their, masked by stalks. This should be a delicious wine in a few years when the mouthfeel settles and the flavours start to layer in. So be patient!

2013 was filled with a bucket of Filthy Good Vino! Here’s a quick snap of a few!

What were your 2013 Filthy Good Vino highlights?

The Filthiest of Filthy Good Vino ~ Yummiest wine of the year goes to: 1971 Mouton-Rothschild

There was a heap of Filthy Good Burgundy & Barolo, but, Bordeaux pipped ’em, this was such an incredible wine, hard to go past.

Refined, elegant, incredible supple texture, layers of Yumminess, enchanting, true harmony. A Filthy Old Vino Thanks Dad. For the art lovers the label is a Kadinsky.

Runner up: 1994 Yarra Yering Pinot Noir

Blast from the past! Probably a bit sentimental. Bring it! Fabulous beast, Peter Wilson, you absolutely killed it with 1994 Yarra Yering Pinot 19yrs young. Loving the animal. Patience required to comprehend just how much evolution & refinement occurs with Yarra Yering wine over time. As a winemaker it does my head in! You try something, look at the wine over to five years, think you’ve got it sorted make changes in the vineyard & winery, then on it’s 19th B’day it freaks you out tells you it’s become a sophisticated adult & the zits have gone. It’s no longer a gangle creature working out how to use it’s arms & legs. It’s moving gracefully, caressing & enchanting all who sit for a moment in it’s company. 20 years to complete an experiment is a long time!

Best gear to knock back any old time ~ Filthy Now Vino: Gran Sasso Montepuliciano D’Abruzzo & Pippoli Aglianico for around Naples

For $10 to $15 your not going to get much more fun than these two babies! Great to have a different set of flavours dancing on your tongue. Wicked food wines. Go the Gran Sasso for the Pizza and Pippoli with a steak!

Filthiest Good White: It’s a Viognier Smackdown! 2003 Cuilleron Les Chaillet, Condireu vs 2001 YarraYering, Yarra Valley

Love the unctuous texture funk & spice in the Cuilleron. So pure with incredible personality. Acid driven style from Yarra Yering.

Fizzy Moment: Bollinger NV.

There was plenty of good bubbles, heap of vintage yuminess and grower Champagne, Larmandier Bernier stood out again! For fun and day to day yumminess Bollinger NV is punching above it’s weight.

Filthy Sticky Good Vino: 2003 Chateau Y’quem

Incredible balance, so many layers of yumminess and a flavour that just lingered FOREVER!

Ouch! FUCork Moment: 1973 Baileys Bundarra Bin 62 Hermitage & 1997 Wendouree Cabernet Malbec

What can you do! Bring on the Stelvin!