October 30, 2009

Garnacha de Fuego

At a wine store on 79th St., near Amsterdam, an enthusiastic store owner insists that I buy this orange-labeled Spanish wine, only $9. He says it's his favorite. Ok, ok, fine.

Not so bad, actually. A little peppery at first, a little earthy. A friend and I drank it over the course of a few hours, and by the end it was tasting pretty good. Our thinking at the time was that the wine was getting better. 83.

Thursday, Oct. 29 — Italian reds

We sat, together for the first time, huddling in a dark, humid office, drinking together because we could not bear to drink alone.

2005 Masi Campofiorin
This, the first wine of the evening and indeed the first bottle we opened as a club, was a decent way to kick things off. Kind of full-bodied and round. Velvety. Dino thought it was tart, although your humble blogger isn't so sure that he was right. In any case, well worth the $15 or whatever we paid for it. 87.

2006 Ruffino, Riserva Ducale Chianti Classico
Our favorite wine of the night. A big, brassy, bold red thing. Full-bodied, we all agreed. Someone suggested "oak," which was met with general skepticism until we all agreed that yes, indeed, it was sort of oaky. Julia offered up "cherry," and we gladly wrote it down. Dino observed that "oak" and "cherry" are types of wood. That observation was highly praised. 92.

2008 Montepulciano D'Abruzzo "Collegiata"
A stinker. Watery, thin, late to finish; a medium-bodied, flat thing. Donated to the arts staff, those poor people. 75.