1997 Antichi Vigneti di Cantalupo Ghemme

Type Red
Producer Antichi Vigneti di Cantalupo
Variety Nebbiolo
Country Italy
Region Piedmont
SubRegion Northern Piedmont
Appellation Ghemme



The Little Wooden Guy loves a bargain on aged wine.

Night One

The color says "tired and old," a dull red-orange brick with clear edges bordered by orange. The nose is a little closed, but if you really dig you can find roses, chestnuts and a little cherry. The real surprise is on the palate- there's still some life in this bottle. It still has some bright acid and smooth tannins, with the flavors of cherries, violets and leather. Licorice and a touch of tar are on the mid-palate. Mouth feel is chewy and teeth-coating.

Night Two

There are lots of nuts and flowers on the nose on Night Two, but little, if any, fruit. It also has just a bit of truffle and leather.

The palate is also primarily flowers and nuts. It has lavender and roses, tarragon and chestnuts. A little cherry survived through Night Two, getting stronger on the mid-palate, along with some leather. Tannins are very smooth. The finish is still long.

Conclusion

If you look at the picture you will see that this was marked down repeatedly, as years passed and inventory winnowed. Sometimes that means the wine is so mediocre nobody wants it. With a disreputable merchant, it can even mean it comes from stock that often got returned. But once in a while it can be a great opportunity to buy aged wine for a song. It is those rare finds that keep m going back to the bargain table.





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1997 Massa Vecchia La Fonte di Pietrarsa Maremma Toscana IGT

Vintage 1997
Type Red
Producer Massa Vecchia
Variety Cabernet Sauvignon
Designation La Fonte di Pietrarsa
Country Italy
Region Tuscany
SubRegion Maremma
Appellation Maremma Toscana IGT
Price $46.99



The Little Wooden Guy likes older Cabernets.

Night One

The color shows the age of the wine. It is brick red with the first hints of orange at the edges. The nose is classic older Cabernet, leading with florals, nuts and tarragon, rather than big fruit. Some plums were behind all of that, but did not dominate at all. The palate, too, is far more floral than fruity.

Violets take the lead on the palate, followed by tarragon and a touch of mushroom. Leather and grilled meat join the prior flavors, rather than replacing them, on the mid-palate. The finish is long, tannins are smooth and no longer predominate. This seems to be near the end of its life, perhaps just a bit over its peak. I will be interested to see how it fares on Night Two.

Night Two

The wine drank almost exactly the same as on Night One, except it was even better knit-together. It was wonderful and is clearly peaking right now. It am thrilled I have three more bottles, and will drink them over the next few months.





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Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Chateau Pichon-Longueville 1997

Cru Classe Pauillac
Second Growth
13% alcohol
$69.98

Clear brickish red, just turning orange around the edges.

Plums and violets, a very floral nose. Spicebox and tobacco, and a bit of herbaceousness.

Plum skins, blackberries and violets, then some bacon fat, then more florals, all on a rapidly shifting, multi-layer palate. The finish is long, the tannins are smooth. This is a very nice bottle of wine, only an hour after uncorking. Tomorrow should be very interesting.

SECOND NIGHT

Blackcurrant, a touch of clove, lavender, and tobacco aromas on the second night.

Blackcurrant and cigar box, followed by plum skins, lavender and mint on the midpalate. The tannins are very smooth, and the wine still a bit dry. The finish is long and floral. There is more life left in this bottle, even though 1997 was not considered a great year, only a good "drink now" year.