The 1998 Frigalli Brunello di Montalcino is good, but this bottle had a bit of a volatile acidity problem last night. Dried fruits and power... ok for a 1998. The 2004 Lewis Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon is a big burly wine (as R said "I don't know how you can DRINK this stuff"... well, I can't... I have a lot of California Cabs in my cellar - which might suprise many of you - but they are there for a reason. My guys like them when we go on our wine trips...) Give it another 3 or 4 years and let it soften. The 1995 Chateau Leoville Las Cases was not a great example of this bottle. It was a bit rustic, and though the 1995s still need a lot more time, this didn't show any sense of Las Cases silkiness.
Went to a Spanish tasting yesterday morning and all I can say is WTF? I am all for modern winemaking techniques and all, but when you start aging the floral, clean, and crisp Albarino in barriques for 8 months and batonnage all the time, you end up with an oaky piece of shit. An expensive oaky piece of shit. Of the 35 wines I tasted, maybe three showed where they were from (one Albarino, one Verdejo from Rueda, and a vintage Cava). Everything else had Chardonnay or Sauvignon blended into it. It's a shame that the grapes of the region can not be respected for what they are. This tasting made me angry, especially after the Consejo Regulador for Rioja announced that Chardonnay and Sauvignon are now permitted varietals for white Rioja. That's one of the stupiest decisions I've ever heard of... but wait a few years and Cabernet Sauvginon and Syrah will be given the OK for red Rioja too. Rioja should taste like Rioja... not an extracted mass of crap. That's what the Vino de la Tierra system was created for... it's like a Super-Tuscan for Rioja. I'm ok with that. Just keep the integrity of the DOCa in tact, please?
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