Apollonio 2001 and Toasted Head 2005 (Italy / California)
16 Nov 2014- Details
- Category: Uncorked Tonight
(September 5, 2014) ... Those who follow my posts know I am a big Zinfandel fan ... Neither of these two wines are of the Zin variety but I will tell you one is close. The Casa Vinicola Apollonio 2001 Valle Cupa Salento Rosso is a blend of Primitivo and Negroamaro from Italy and showed some real spunk with its spiced prune/plum, and peppery finish along with slightly woody notes. It came across as rustic yet had a tastiness about it and a pleasant lingering finish - not at all what I expected when I opened the bottle, but definitely a pleasant surprise.
Another bottle that was opened and saw the bottom of the glass tonight was the Toasted Head 2005 Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. Most people associate the Toasted Head brand with Chardonnay, but here we see a Cabernet with plenty of character, especially for a 7 year old 'Big Brand' wine: anise, black cherry, mocha and smoke dominate this wine, with a smooth palate and enough balance to make it a very agreeable wine. I think I was more impressed with this wine than the Italian ... I have come to expect older Italian wines to have character, which is something I rarely get from the young version of Toasted Head, so aged I would have to say it was impressive.
(September 2, 2014) ... Here's a wine I had high hopes for but I think I was let down by my own memory. I am a fan of the wines of Juan Gil, and always think they'll age longer than they might normally, but I don't think I'm alone there, many collectors wait too long hoping to stretch that extra year or two out of a bottle ... We push limits rightly or wrongly, for better or worse. This one started off poorly, it came out of the bottle with a pruney, anise seed aroma and a taste to match ... Nose continues on that same path throughout but the palate delivers something extra that manages to save what might have been a disastrous bottle: sweet dried cherry mixed with prune and clove - and while that may not sound very appetizing it sure is an improvement to what it could have been and what it started out as. The wine is most definitely not at its peak, fact is it is definitely on the wrong side of decline, but it's still drinkable and can be rather tasty if you just give in to what it is offering up.
