Paycheck Tasting 5-21-08

Welcome to the first ever blog entry of our Paycheck Tasting series. This episode we are tasting the 2003 Saladini Pilastri Rosso Piceno Vigna Piediprato and the 2003 Quinta de Ventozelo Porto (port). The Saladini Pilastri is an Italian Red Sangiovese blend from the Marche region. The Quinta de Ventozelo is a true port from the Douro region grown and fortified with 100% grape brandy.

I selected the 2003 Saladini Pilastri because Italian wine has been neglected among our earlier choices and because it was well advertised at Total Wine as a low cost, highly rated wine.

The 2003 Quinta de Ventozelo was chosen by chance: I happened to be browsing the local (read Virginia) wine aisle of Total Wine and I came across the Port section. After listening to a lengthy Grape Radio podcast on Port, I felt it necessary to give it a try.

















The 2003 Quinta was a 375 mL that stood out because it was a decent price, but was not listed with a rating. Sometimes it pays off to avoid the rating temptation and follow your instincts. Any who, lets move on to some tasting notes.


2003 Saladini Pilastri:

John:
Initially I wasn't getting much on the palate or nose. I continued to get a dusty foot smell which lasted through the bottle. Toward the end I got a rotten apple core smell with an overall flat and earthy tone, certainly no fruit or sweetness. On the palate I got a strong "tongue folding" tannin with a hint of black licorice and greasy finish. Overall this was a good but not great wine with subtleties that I was not able to identify, certainly not a very forward or easy wine to distinguish.

Score: 87 points

Mike:
First impression was zero. This wine was a dud at the start. I got nothing on the nose and the effect on the palate was equally unimpressive. As the wine breathed and opened up a little bit it started to give off a nice chocolate and burnt cherry nose. I never quite figured out the taste, but the wine did have an extremely drying, tannic effect on the tongue. Toward the end of the bottle, the nose gained an uncanny resemblance to port and a give off the smell of a dungeon or the elephant house at the zoo. This wine did not allow itself to be easily identified, which I found interesting, but frustrating. I enjoyed this wine and I think it would show off even more with food.

Score: 88 points

2003 Quinta de Ventozelo:

John:
Having not much experience with port I was impressed with this one. On the nose I got a lot of dried fruit, particularly white raisin and prune. The fruits had a very candied and almost over ripe smell to them. I also got a coffee hazelnut with a hint of caramel and obviously strong alcohol aromas. For taste I was getting much the same as the nose with candied green apple and a syrupy coating mouthfeel. Overall I got a lot more on the nose than on the tongue but was impressed nonetheless. For my limited time with ports, this was a nicely aged low entry port for a good value.

Score: 89 points

Mike:

This port was a nice little wine for 15 bucks. The nose was strong dark chocolate, dried fruits, molasses, raisins and nuts. The nose did not change over the course of several hours. Chocolate is definitely the dominant smell and does not go away with time. At 20% alcohol, the wine is not overpowering with alcohol, but the nose does give off an alcohol smell from time to time. The mouth feel is viscous and very smooth. I tasted dark chocolate and almonds and little else. I think my inexperience with port is obvious in the lack of flavors I got with the taste. Overall I really enjoyed this wine and felt that it was quite a bargain for the price. There will definitely be more ports to taste in the future.

Score: 90 points

Overall:

If you are looking for an a good food wine and don't want to break the bank, pick up the 2003 Saladini Palastri. This wine is interesting enough to easily justify the price.

If you have no idea what port tastes like or have wondered whether port is for you, the 2003 Quinta de Ventozelo is a cheap port that can serve as a solid introduction to the variety. If you find out you hate port, you wont feel bad about pouring it out because it is only a 375 mL bottle.