Comments on: Wine humor: an Italian wine walks into Wine Spectator’s top 100 list…

By: Bart Van Hemelrijk

Bart Van Hemelrijk — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 20:59:02 +0000

For the Piemonte lovers, here’s a list of unforgettable wines I have tasted last year of producers worth seeking out:

Massolino Barolo Vigna Rionda 1970: with Franco Massolino at Casa di Saracca in Monforte d’Alba. Thanks Franco! No more words required…

Massolino Barolo Vigna Rionda 1985: lives up to all you expect from a top Barolo of a top producer in a top year!

Massolino Barolo Margheria 2001: one of my favourite crus in the region.

Cavallotto Barolo riserva Bricco Boschis vigna San Giuseppe 1999: a mouth full, but if you can still get some bottles, don’t hesitate! Sometimes, the Cavallotto’s bring it all with this cru!

Bruno Giacosa Barolo riserva Rocche dell Falletto 1999: this is why Bruno is legendary among the real connoisseurs.

Poderi Marcarini Barolo Brunate 1971: Oh Lord, what a heavenly night at Alessio’s winebar under the Castle of Serralunga! A few weeks later I went back for a second bottle! They are an Island in La Morra with macerations on the skin of up to 45 days! Yes, the wines of Marcarini need some time to develop, but when most others are fading, they will bring the thunder.

From the barrel in 2008: Giacomo Conterno Barolo Monfortino 2001 and 2002. Also Barolo Cascina Francia 2004 and 2005.

Most consistent producers for me: Massolino and Giacomo Conterno. They also happen to have my favourite barbera’s. The Gisep from Massolino and Cascina Francia from Conterno.

Best Dolcetto lately: the unique Boschi di Berri from Marcarini! Original, European rootstocks! No second dolcetto like this one. Big fan also of Bruno Chionetti’s dolcetto’s at Il Colombo.

And if you go to Tuscany, treat yourself to the wines of Fossacolle. Small is beautiful!

Yours,

Bart

By: Willem

Willem — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 08:59:20 +0000

btw http://www.drloosen.de/

By: Willem

Willem — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 08:58:27 +0000

Bottom line is that if you want something special you will have to go out for yourself. As for Italy, the famous regions produce the most boring overprized ‘wine’ you can imagine very few exceptions there. The status of those wine is based on (to) old stories.

By: Christian G.E. Schiller

Christian G.E. Schiller — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 15:19:45 +0000

Here are my comments from a German perspective;

There is a distinct disconnect between the Top 100 Wine Enthusiast lists and what the two leading German wine guides – Gault Millau and Eichelmann – say. This should not come as a surprise. Different markets are assessed. What counts for the German wine guides is what is produced and consumed in Germany. What counts for the Wine Enthusiast is what comes to the American market and is consumed in the US. And there is a huge difference between the two.
Take Ernst Loosen’s Dr. L. A hugely popular German wine in the US, which made it to the Top 100 Wine Spectator list this year, one of two German wines. The Loosen wine is very well regarded in the US, but unheard of in Germany. When you go to the web site of the Dr. Loosen Estate in Germany, you will not find it. A wine, produced only for the export market. A Top 100 wine in the US, an unknown wine in Germany. In general, Dr. Ernst Loosen is a rising star in the US, hugely popular, while in Germany the Estate has just been downgraded in the Gault Millau Guide.

By: Gourmets of Wine

Gourmets of Wine — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 11:03:38 +0000

Vino Wire » Wine humor: an Italian wine walks into Wine ……

[Source: Vino Wire] quoted: Before addressing the list, I’d like you to consider some numbers: of the 19 wines selected, one is Friulian (produced by a winery whose enologist is one of the magazine’s favorites), one is Tyrolean, two are Pie…

By: Sophie Sonnati

Sophie Sonnati — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:53:39 +0000

Agree. Suckling is missing the boat by not including more 2005 Barolos. These wines should dominate the list and don’t because he has cronies that supply him wine and he doesn’t want that gravy train to dry up.

By: tom Hyland (journalist)

tom Hyland (journalist) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:30:51 +0000

Franco is right to point out the vagaries of this list. Why only 2 wines from PIemonte and so many from Tuscany? And where are the wines from Campania, Abruzzo, Puglia, Sicily or other regions?

I’m guessing that Suckling doesn’t think these regions are sexy enough (or good enough) for his list. It’s just not very representative, is it?

By: d'accordo

d'accordo — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:59:23 +0000

How wonderful that someone has let America in on the cronyism and poor palate that underlies Suckling’s reviews of Italian wine. As an American who makes a Chianti Classico that gets raves from the top Italian reviewers and almost all American reviewers, I quit asking WS and JS to review our wines when I saw once too often the highest praise he can bestow on an Italian wine — “it tastes like a good Bordeaux.”

By: Bernabe

Bernabe — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:59:27 +0000

It simply doesn’t say these are the “best” wines from any country, let alone Italy. The ranking is based on several critieria, one of which is availability. What’s the point of awarding the top place to a wine produced in a 200-case quantity? Nobody can find it and nobody cares. This is a list of wines that can be found nearly world-wide. In this case, their scale is their relevance.

By: Strappo

Strappo — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:09:08 +0000

Like any publication they play to their audience’s tastes. They don’t lead markets, they follow them.