Foster e Rocco Rose

Date: 24 September, 2011

What: 2011 Foster e Rocco Rose (Sangiovese), Heathcote, Victoria

Purchased: website, $25

Food: bbq fish, blood orange and asparagus salad, roast potatoes

Comments: roses rank alongside sparkling reds as things I like but without taking seriously - fun quaffers and nothing more.  Time to get a bit more thoughtful.  Have had the previous two vintages of this one, oddly enough on the same night at MsG's in Sydney.  Quite different with the '10 being the more linear and acidic, the '09 being slightly sweeter.  This takes it a step further than the '10 -  but does it have enough flesh?  Was better with food rather than now, post food.  What is that on the nose?  Can't place it but perhaps is the start of the rasberry background that appears on the palette.  Have picked up a case for summer and will be interested to see my thoughts evolve as the wine gets a few more months into it and I try it with different food.  Definitely a food wine.

Domaine Taupenot - Merme Morey Saint Denis

Date: 23 September, 2011
What: 2006 Domaine Taupenot-Merme Morey Saint Denis, Cote de Nuits, Burgundy
Purchased: Dan's, $100
Food: pizza
Comments: so, a bit of a challenge - a type of wine I've not had a lot of and outside my usual ones.  Lighter colour - clearly pinot.  Had to wait for it to open up to give something interesting on the nose.  Bit of a damp, forest floor thing, perhaps a touch of pine forest and wood.  A bit of chocolate (milk) somewhere.  In the mouth has a sort of bouncy, green vibrancy that settles a bit in second glass after some time. Flavours?  Hmmmm.  There is a sort of dark fruits thing but it is in the background if that makes sense.  Background spices - cloves.  This is interesting in a wine wank way.  Good structure - you can almost feel and taste four walls.  Tannins are fine but certainly make themselves known - grippy after the fact but very much part of the structure on the way through.  You sort of start to understand where the bullshit about Burgundy comes from.  There's a lot to wank on about!  More enjoyable if you want to spend some time thinking about it rather than quaffing down a couple of glasses whilst your head is elsewhere.