Lots of new wines

I shouldn't do this but I've been storing up notes from the past week. Last night I met a few friends for a casual tasting. Six of us met at a local place for a simple meal and pot luck wines. The results were excellent as no one held back.

Here's some of the notes from last night and the past week:

2004 Mauritson Zinfandel-Dry Creek Valley (California)-My biggest complaint with Zinfandel is it's generally made in an over-the-top style that is great for a sip and then bores me. Not so in this case. Done in a very elegant style with great raspberry fruit, nice round mouthfeel, and a pleasing finish. My only complaint is the heat on the end as the alcohol content is 15.2% A good buy at $15 and a nice pairing with Burgers or ribs.

2003 Di Majo Norante Ramitello Rosso (Italy)-From Molise which is on the Adriatic coast. 80% Prugnolo 20% Aglianico. You have to love these wines grown from indigenous grapes. Dark in color with a nose of plums and anise. You can almost smell the heat (not alcohol) from the 2003 vintage which produced a full bodied wine that feels great in the mouth and goes well with food. At $11 this is a great buy.

1999 Icardi Suri di mu (Italy)-From Piedmont. If we could have squeezed the bottle for more we would have. Great fruit, balance, finish. Moderate alcohol. I could have drunk this all night. The 2004 vintage is on the market currently at $20. Buy and cellar for a couple of years. Works very well with Veal Milanese or a simple risotto.

Part 2 to come.