Libation to Parker

I MARSHALLED TWO tastings within the loft of Wine Wharf, Borough Market, an ordered establishment with approximately 100 bins available by the glass. My favourite of half a dozen curiosities presented, including a (for me) revolting, de-nuanced Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, was Robert Parker pro·té·gé Ben Glaetzer's '05 Dolcetto/Lagrain (a relative of Syrah) from Heartland, Langhorn Creek, Australia.

Strikingly nigrescent and mauve tinged at the extremeties with dramatically lifted aromas of raspberry, cherry, mint and blueberry with a mild cocoa component and an initially raging alcoholic kick. Rather different to my relatives lighter, less momentous, more cheerful Dolcetto d'Ovada (winery below). From an hours drive from Adelaide to Piedmonte...

A late night thought about the omnipresent Gordon's pin-up, Ramsay - he is M. P. White's Frankenstein...