Biting off the hand that feeds me! The internal debate of "should I write up all the wines that weren't so good at Vinitaly, especially as it was Liberty Wines that took me out there?". What to do.... what to do?
Well I figured out that yes, I should write up the not so good as well. I am very grateful for the hospitality shown by David Gleave and his team, and have praised many of the wines that they sell in the UK. But there were some wines that did perform below par, and they deserve an airing on this website as much as the good ones. The problem I had was that there was very little that performed badly...
2007 Alpha Zeta Chardonnay
Melon and peach aromas but with quite a firey nose. The palate is a bit oily which is fine, but there is a strange alcohol element that isn't for me. 5/10
2007 Ponte Pietra Corvina Merlot
Cherry. A bit of bubblegum, mint and thyme. Palate is simple, an nice house wine. Totally inoffensive. Finish is a touch iffy, but it is ok. 5.5/10
2007 Ponte Pietra Trebbiano Garganega
Simple, clean. A little oily with lemon flavour. An alright house wine but nothing more. 5.5/10
2007 Leonardo Ser Piero
A trebbiano chardonnay that really doesn’t work that well. A bit of Galia melon, a little lime but a touch thin. Tough spicy finish. 4.5/10
2007 Primo Malvasia
Clean and pleasant on the nose. Palate is too boozy, it is a bit fat and I really don’t like the finish. Not keen. 4/10
2007 Primo Sangiovese Merlot
Confected cheap fruit. Too Jammy though. Palate is bitter, lean sour fruit. It’s ok but too expensive. 5/10
2003 Giustiniana Just
Cheesy – Kraft cheese slices. Palate is chunky, again cheesy with a lot of harsh spice. A clean finish initially but then dirties up leaving you wanting something else to take the taste away. 5/10
2006 Conterno Bussiador
More wood than a Keilder Forest. It is spicy, oaky and no fruit whatsoever. Nuts. 4/10
Thats it. There are a few wines that, mainly due to the plummeting pound, are becoming a bit expensive for what they are (some Amarones for example) but generally the wines are worth the money you are paying. It sounds as though I'm sucking up to the company that entertained me for a week, but it the fact is that Liberty's Italian portfolio is very well constructed. Certainly, some wines are far better than others, but as long as the price that you are paying for the less good wine is fair, which inevitably it was, then the lesser wine deserves a good score and I gave it one. These were the wines that I didn't like or thought were not performing as well as they should, and considering I tried several hundred wines from Liberty, having eight get a minor slating from me is pretty good going!
Well I figured out that yes, I should write up the not so good as well. I am very grateful for the hospitality shown by David Gleave and his team, and have praised many of the wines that they sell in the UK. But there were some wines that did perform below par, and they deserve an airing on this website as much as the good ones. The problem I had was that there was very little that performed badly...
2007 Alpha Zeta Chardonnay
Melon and peach aromas but with quite a firey nose. The palate is a bit oily which is fine, but there is a strange alcohol element that isn't for me. 5/10
2007 Ponte Pietra Corvina Merlot
Cherry. A bit of bubblegum, mint and thyme. Palate is simple, an nice house wine. Totally inoffensive. Finish is a touch iffy, but it is ok. 5.5/10
2007 Ponte Pietra Trebbiano Garganega
Simple, clean. A little oily with lemon flavour. An alright house wine but nothing more. 5.5/10
2007 Leonardo Ser Piero
A trebbiano chardonnay that really doesn’t work that well. A bit of Galia melon, a little lime but a touch thin. Tough spicy finish. 4.5/10
2007 Primo Malvasia
Clean and pleasant on the nose. Palate is too boozy, it is a bit fat and I really don’t like the finish. Not keen. 4/10
2007 Primo Sangiovese Merlot
Confected cheap fruit. Too Jammy though. Palate is bitter, lean sour fruit. It’s ok but too expensive. 5/10
2003 Giustiniana Just
Cheesy – Kraft cheese slices. Palate is chunky, again cheesy with a lot of harsh spice. A clean finish initially but then dirties up leaving you wanting something else to take the taste away. 5/10
2006 Conterno Bussiador
More wood than a Keilder Forest. It is spicy, oaky and no fruit whatsoever. Nuts. 4/10
Thats it. There are a few wines that, mainly due to the plummeting pound, are becoming a bit expensive for what they are (some Amarones for example) but generally the wines are worth the money you are paying. It sounds as though I'm sucking up to the company that entertained me for a week, but it the fact is that Liberty's Italian portfolio is very well constructed. Certainly, some wines are far better than others, but as long as the price that you are paying for the less good wine is fair, which inevitably it was, then the lesser wine deserves a good score and I gave it one. These were the wines that I didn't like or thought were not performing as well as they should, and considering I tried several hundred wines from Liberty, having eight get a minor slating from me is pretty good going!
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