2006 Domaine Chignard Fleurie Les Moriers 12.5%
Delicate and attractive nose showing sweet cherry (fresh, not compote!) with a hint of sous-bois and funk. First taste, before food, is surprisingly tart, overwhelming the sweetness and the fruit aromatics. With food, the tartness recedes, but the wine remains quite tangy. I think excessive acidity is responsible, as if this was Italian, designed to tackle tomato sauce. Beneath the tartness, there is elegant fruit, but I find the imbalance off-putting. Would be very curious to get others’ impressions of this wine in this vintage, as I know it did well in 2005. On the second night, the tartness is diminished, but the fresh cherry has become somewhat candied.
2003 Dei Sancta Catharina Toscana 13.0%
And now for something completely different. An unusual super Tuscan blend of Prugnolo, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot, from a hot year. Powerful and extremely aromatic, with blackberry, sandalwood, cocoa and vanilla. Extremely tannic, very good acidity (despite the vintage), at this point more acid than sweet. With food and aeration, the tannins recede and the sweetness comes out. Highly extracted but not alcoholic, somewhat hard at this point, but might become quite tasty in two or three years. Still quite tannic on night two. The question here is will the fruit last long enough to be sufficiently around when the tannins become integrated.