2001 Vitiano

[stevebody]

Sorry for intruding but I must offer 2 cents: Of all the wines Ricardo Cottarela makes, this is the only one that A) shows wild inconsistencies from not only vintage to vintage but bottle to bottle, B) shows little signs of careful vinification, including occasional off-notes on the finish, of the sort produced by unclean filters and bad bottling, and C) just shows NO balance, grace, judgement, or finesse. Just look at the glorious little Sangiovese he's made fore Di Majo Norante; an elegant, polished little gem that, to quote R. Parker, "makes a mockery of the $30 Sangioveses pouring out of California these days". Vitiano, every vintage, has been a big, bombastic, clunky mess, closely akin to that other "Great Vintner Gone Awry" bottling, Randall Graham's "Big House Red". I know Parker raves about it but I suspect his Achilles heel for lusty wines is at play here. Taste this up against Coppola's "Rosso" table wine and tell me the Coppola's not a better job. Vitiano's a bargain for a reason: I think Cottarela is draining his castoff barrels and looking for a fast turnaround. One guy's Opinion, of course, and so worth just that.