Corte Fiorita Valpolicella DOC Ripasso 2006

This wine I bought from an internetshop called Wijnwagentje for €9,50 alcoholpercentage is 13,5%. Grape varieties corvina, rondinella and molinara, exact ratios not mentioned anywhere. After fermentation, the juice of this blend was put together with the waste, grape skins and seeds, of already fermented Amarone wine. A second fermentation for this Ripasso is the result, hence the name Ripasso, which literally means "pass again". It results in a richer aroma and flavour. The aroma of the oak maturation is the first what comes right at ya, so let it breath for a while. After having done this, a sweet aroma is apparent. It's low on tannines. The taste then: red fruit, berries but especially cherries. Next in line, from the second glass however, are chocolate, leather and tobacco flavours. Which means this is a multi layered wine, usually referred to as being "complex". When someone uses that word, he means that the wine is very good. All good wines tend to be complex. With each glass, with each sip even, you will discover new impressions. Acids are there of course, but a perfect balance is what characterizes this wine. This bottle I shared with my brother-in-law who also enjoyed it very much. Unfortunately this wine is all sold out.

Ruffino Riserva Ducale 2006 Chianti Classico DOCG

#Twittertasting. Tuesday September 13th 20:30 hrs Amsterdam Time. Live twitter report on the theme Chianti Classico. I did not have one stored in my cellar so I especially bought one at the MAKRO for €16,41 alcoholpercentage is 13%. The main grape variety is the sangiovese, with a minimum of 80%, supplemented with cabernet sauvignon and merlot, exact ratios not mentioned on the label nor on their website.

#In the glass and already for two hours in the carafe: Ruffino Riserva Ducale 2006 Chianti Classico DOCG. #Walking towards the fluorescent light. Colour: dark ruby-red with an edge leaning towards brown. #Good, transferring it to the carafe did the trick. Hardly any oak noticeable, just a hint of vanilla. #Very fresh in the nose: minty, Fishermans Friend even! Also some liquorice. Looks like I walked into a candy store! #Wow, the freshness enters my mouth. Good, cool temperature. Red fruit, especially cherry. Low on tannines. #Surely no taste buds bomb. It lingers on the lower part of the mouth. Short final. The acidity could have been higher. #That first fresh impression I had, seems to be nothing more than a thin, watery taste. It doesn't heat me up! #After spitting it out the whole time, I will now swallow it; perhaps that will make a difference. #This certainly is no complex wine, which I had expected for that price. It goes to show you: prices don't mean shit! #Nope, even swallowing doesn't add anything. At most maybe a headache, but I won't know that until tomorrow morning. #I can't make anymore of this Chianti Classico. I will go on drinking this bottle, but the tweets will stop here. #Twexit.

#CabernetDay: Domaine Gayda Figure Libre 2008

#CabernetDay. That's today. The second annual Cabernet Day, celebrated all over the world, 24 hrs long. It's also a Social Media event, so you can join through whichever type of Social Media you use, like Facebook or Twitter, by opening up a bottle of wine consisting of the grape variety cabernet and share your thoughts about that wine. This can be cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc or a blend of the two. Because I cannot wait until tonight, I will join the rest of Australia at this moment; it's 10 AM in the Netherlands. On my table there is a wine which I bought in France at Domaine Gayda. It set me back €14. It's the Figure Libre 2008, a blend of 89% cabernet franc and 11% cabernet sauvignon. Alcoholpercentage is 14,5%. Here's what I had to tweet about it.

#Lots of smoky oak in the nose. #The oakyness is deminishing by the minute, gladly! #Mmmm, this is very good! The first sip slithers into my mouth with a beautiful silkyness. #Hard to distinguish any fruit yet. Mostly smell and taste of pencil shavings. #Cherry, blackberry and some plum is now noticable. Some spicyness too. #The oak is converting slightly into vanilla flavour at this moment. #I'm now leaving it to rest for an hour. See how it will develop. #Back again. Let's find out if and/or how the wine has developed in the last hour. #Well, it hasn't. Still dominant pencil shavings, both in smell and taste. Cabernet franc characteristic. #Tannins are low, it's a bit burning, a bitterness towards the end. #It's nice and fresh, could be a bit more fruity, but good acidity and balance. #Twexit.