Wine4Freaks » Tasting Notes

Canonica A Cerreto Sandiavolo 2004

Jan P. — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 14:17:46 +0000

I just had this lovely Italian wine the other day. It’s a so called SuperTuscan so its made of other grapes that the local Sangiovese. The Canonica A Cerreto Sandiavolo 2004 is made of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Sangiovese. Canonica A Cerreto is located in the heart of the Chianti Classico area in the town of Castelnuovo near Sienna. They also make traditional Chianti Classico but this one is their top wine only produced in the best vintages.

The wine has a dark red color. In the nose it has black currant, roasted wood, pepper and some vanilla. It’s a full bodied wine with juicy fruit and an intense taste with good but a bit hard tannins which is softened in the end. Here is good concentration and the wine is a bit rustic but never gets dull. A good, rustic and authentic SuperTuscan.

It scores 91/100 pts. and the price is appr. $40.

You have the possibility to stay on the wine castle as three appartments are available to the public. You can read more here:

Canonica A Cerreto

The wines from Pierre Usseglio I

Jan P. — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 10:13:34 +0000

Domaine Pierre Usseglio is first and foremost a maker of Chateauneuf-du-Pape but has also a couple of vineyards just outside the appellation. From these they make a good value Côtes-du-Rhône and a Vin de Table, where Merlot makes up 80 % og the blend. I gave the 2006 Côtes-du-Rhône 2006 88-89 p. which makes it a good value. It’s a sort of a ”Mini-chateaneuf”. The first set in the Copenhagen tasting of Usseglios wines was the Tradition Chateauneuf-du-Pape Tradition. It’s the ordinary blend (cuvée) which is made of Grenache (80-100 %) and the rest Syrah, Mourvedre and Cinsault. The vinification is traditional with fermentation and aging in big foudres and cement tanks. We started tasting vintage 2000 and moved forward in time. The tasting notes are below:

2000 Chateauneuf-du-Pape Tradition
Berry and some bacon in the nose. Not so much body but good harmony, mature and perfect to drink. 89/100 p.

2001 Chateauneuf-du-Pape Tradition
Lovely intensity in the nose with sweet cherry, animality and licorice. Good structure and texture with a long lasting taste. Very traditional. 91/100 p.

2002 Chateauneuf-du-Pape Tradition
Year 2002 was the year that literally washed away in Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Usseglio did not make any top-cuvées this year, so all the best fruit is in this wine made of 100 % Grenache. It’s not so intense - more light in both aroma and body. The acidity is notable but not too sharp. Good for the vintage. 87/100 p.

2003 Chateauneuf-du-Pape Tradition
A little closed with cherry and some roasted wood. A full-bodied wine with lots of bold fruit and a soft, accessible and delicious taste. Lots of sun in this wine! 90/100 p.

2004 Chateauneuf-du-Pape Tradition
Not so intense in the nose. It has good fruit and intensity in the taste. Good harmony; fruit, tannin and structure melt together perfectly. Can be drunk now but will keep for 5 years. 90/100 p.

2005 Chateauneuf-du-Pape Tradition
Delicious in the nose with sweet cherry, licorice. Full-bodied with lovely fruit, good intensity and structure and a smooth, soft taste with solid tannins. Nice wine! 92/100 p.

2006 Chateauneuf-du-Pape Tradition
Intense in the nose with cherry, strawberry, a little licorice - nice. A rather intense wine with bold fruit and a powerful taste, still in its youth with good but firm tannins. Good structure and balance. Best from 2010. 91/100 p.

Tasting notes - Berlin Tasting

Jan P. — Tue, 27 May 2008 08:03:47 +0000

Here follows my tasting notes from The Berlin Tasting in Copenhagen.

No. 1 - 2005 Chateau Mouton-Rothschild (Bordeaux)
Dark colour with intense smell of pencil, cigar, currant and spicy wood. It’s full-bodied, rich and concentrated but also with an upfront softness. 96/100.

No. 2 - 2004 Sassicaia (Tuscany)
Not so intense in the nose - a little cherry. The taste is cherry-like, a little currant and a strict acidity. Not particular welcoming! 90/100.

No. 3 - 2004 Sena (Chile)
Intense with black currant, balck berry, toast, vanilla. Full-bodied with dominating fruit and good harmony. 94/100.

No. 4 - 2005 Don Maximiano (Chile)
A little closed. Black currant, roasted wood and vanilla in the nose. Intense and delicious taste, fruity and lovely softened tannins. 94/100.

No. 5 - 2004 Solaia (Tuscany)
Intense with pencil, tobacco, black currant. In the mouth it’s very intense with fruity aromas and a very concentrated taste that just keep on and on. Big tannins - pure powerhouse. Thought it was Bordeaux… 97/100.

No. 6. - 2005 Chateau Latour (Bordeaux)
A little closed with black currant, toasted. Medium til full-bodied with mature fruit and a dominating oaky taste, not yet in place. Big tannins and acidity. Needs time. 93/100.

No. 7 - 2005 Sena (Chile)
Intense smell of black currant, jammy. Full-bodied with delicous fruit and a very intense fruit-dominated taste with oak and sweet tannins. 94/100.

No. 8 - 2004 Don Maximiano (Chile)
Very intense in the nose with black currant, mocca, vanilla. Full-bodied wine with good intense fruit and a rather straight taste with big and present tannins and an impressing, long lasting taste - the longest in the tasting. Very intense with depth and extremely long. Could be Bordeaux. 97/100.

No. 9 - 2005 Chateau Lafite-Rothschild (Bordeaux)
Intense in the nose with pencil, leather, oak, a little mocca. Medium to full-bodied and rather straight with a super structure. A long lasting wine build to age. Hard at the moment but intense and very long. Be patient! 96/100.

No. 10 - 2005 Vinedo Chadwick (Chile)
A little black currant, green pepper and roasted aromas in the nose. Full-bodied with luscious fruit, intensity and a soft and charming taste. 94/100.