Match 3: Dona Maria vs. Passo delle Mule

Due to stock reasons we decided to begin this World Cup round with the odd matches, we had the first one a couple of weeks ago, then we had number three: Dona Maria vs. Passo delle Mule. Do not, O Patient Reader, try to look for match number two in the google search box, you will not find it yet.

Dona Maria 2007 vs. Passo delle Mule 2008

 That said, we kicked-off last friday afternoon with a much anticipated tasting. Would the Italian wine take revenge on the Portuguese for the first match result? Or would the Portuguese reds keep on winning the challenges?

The Brutal Judge and myself had two glasses before us that showed interesting colors and were actually very similar: both were ruby-red, but the second wine was slightly deeper than the first. When we took a whiff, the first one smelled of ripe red berries, strawberry and a bit of sweet cherry. The second one had hints of prunes, leather, some kind of greenish wood like pine, a bit of violets and a lot of dead horse in the sun making everyone miserable with the stench. Not a promising start for wine number two. A whole hour in the decanter wasn't enough to tame it.

The defeated wine remained in the glass. 

When we tasted the first wine, the red berries and strawberries from its bouquet were there, as was a hint of ripe, delicious figs. Its structure was immaculate with well balanced tannins and it had a nice, long finish. Overall, an elegant wine. The second wine, however, kept on disappointing. You could barely sense the hints of prune, violets and leather due to its acidity. It wasn't well balanced, it wasn't elegant, it was as though you were drinking homemade vinegar from 1952, probably the year the horse died of sun exposure.

It wasn't really a hard decision. The first wine won unanimously. When the label was revealed, it read Passo delle Mule. To quote the Brutal Judge: "The mule outran the horse". Of course it wasn't that much of a race, since the horse died at the starting line... No one expected Dona Maria to lower the standards this much. It will be hard to find a wine that is worse, I'll tell you that! All in all, a fair victory for Passo delle Mule.

Match 1: FSF vs. Foradori

FSF 2004 vs. Foradori 2006

 It was a great kick-off, but the wines did not surpass our expectations. The first thing we, your faithful commentator and the Brutal Judge, noticed was how different both wines were. As it was a blind tasting, I shall not address them by name.

The first wine had a beautiful ruby red color. The second was darker and more mysterious. When it comes to the nose, the first one was an explosion of red berries and vanilla, with hints of something like rosemary or sage. Very fragrant indeed. The second wine was less prone to our noses, but smelled of black berries, a bit of sweet cherry and a slight presence of tobacco.

Both wines were fairly different in color.

When we tasted wine number one, all that fruit from the nose was left behind. However, there were delicious hints of plums, some dried fruit and green olives, with a long, delicate finish. Too bad it didn't have much of a body. The second wine presented hints of blackberries and violets, with a short, but nice finish. This one lacked body as well.

You can still see the stickers on the glasses.

A decision had to be made and it was a difficult process. The Brutal Judge thought the second wine showed potential, your faithful commentator preferred the first one. After giving it much thought and consideration, the Brutal Judge changed his mind and voted for the first one. Its identity was then revealed: the label read FSF 2004. All in all, not a spectacular wine, but a worthy winner. I guess I failed my first prediction when I said Foradori would win the match.