Tag Archives: Italy

Inama Carmenere Piu 2021, Veneto Rosso IGT, Italy

20 Monday May 2024

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A Carmenere from Italy was next up at the 36th virtual wine tasting.  This one had a dab of Merlot added but still showed plenty of greeness, especially on days 2/3.  Our tasters found this wine to be medium garnet colored with medium viscosity (13.5% ABV).  On the nose we got toasted marshmallows (!), vanilla, white pepper, toasted nuts, black cherry, plum, black raspberry, tobacco, the telltale capsicum, cedar and tomato leaf.  The pallet was dry with medium (-) acidity, a medium body and medium tannins.  Leather, tobacco, green pepper, black cherry, prune and some toasty notes were tasted.  The finish was medium in length.  I scored it 14 points on our tasting scale.  Technically speaking I think this is a 90 pointer with good potential.  For $22, it gets 4 stars from me with a drink by 2028 window.  Salut….

J. Hofstatter Steinraffler Lagrein 2020, Alto Adige Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy

16 Thursday May 2024

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Deep garnet colored with low viscosity (13% ABV).  The nose has medium intensity aromas of açaí berry, blueberry, fennel stalk, violets, charred wood and perfumed bramble.  The palate is dry with medium (+) acidity, light to medium body and medium (-) tannins- a very easygoing mouthfeel.  Flavors of blueberry, açaí berry, bramble with some green but not vegetal notes alongside bright florals.  It’s a nice, light wine with good aromatics and flavors that finishes with a medium (+) length.  If you are a red fan but don’t like tannic monsters, this one’s for you.  89 points and 4 starts for this $20 bottle to drink till 2028.  Salut….

Torrevento ‘Barbuto’ Primitivo 2020, Puglia IGT, Italy

15 Monday Apr 2024

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Deep ruby colored with light staining and high viscosity (13.5% ABV).  The nose has medium (-) intensity aromas of black plum, baking spice, rose, licorice, coffee, vanilla and dried green herbs.  The palate is dry with medium acidity, a medium body and medium tannins.  Medium intensity flavors of black plum, black cherry, vanilla, baking spice, purple licorice and black pepper.  The finish is slightly tart with the tannins starting to show more prominence.  It lasts for a good 20 seconds.  My pairing for this $18 bottle is a meat lovers pie from our local wood oven pizzeria.  It gets 87 points from me making it a 3 star effort to drink till 2025.  Salut….

Botromagno Primitivo 2021, Puglia IGT, Italy

07 Sunday Apr 2024

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Medium to deep red-ruby colored with slight staining and a high viscosity (14% ABV).  The nose has medium intensity aromas of bramble, mulberry, vanilla, cracked black pepper, mint, black plum and a medicinal note.  The palate is dry with medium acidity, a full body and medium (-) tannins.  It’s quite bitter right off the bat but then I get muted black fruit, vanilla, mint, and black pepper.  There is a coffee note to go along with a touch of the medicinal hint I got on the nose- both from oak treatment.  The astringency is cloying and sticks with me to the bitter end, which is relatively short in nature.  This wine is a bit disjointed and the bitterness is out of balance with the fruit and structure.  86 points from me for this Zinfandel that I will be pairing alongside Bison steaks.  At $15 it gets 3 stars.  Drink till 2026.  Salut….

Castelli del Grevepesa Clemente VII Riserva 2019, Chianti Classico DOCG, Tuscany, Italy

20 Wednesday Mar 2024

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Medium ruby colored with high viscosity (14% ABV).  The nose has medium (-) intensity aromas of cherry, pomegranate, red licorice, rose, dusty earth and dried green herbs.  It’s kinda muted and one-dimensional.  The palate is dry with high acidity, a medium body with medium (+) tannins.  Flavors of red cherry, rhubarb, pomegranate and dusty earth dominate with some chalky tannins bringing grip to the tart, medium length finish.  To me this is an 89 point Sangiovese that runs $20 making it a 4 star effort.  Drink till 2028.  Salut….

Brezza Barbera d’Alba Superiore 2018, Piedmont, Italy

24 Saturday Feb 2024

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Medium ruby colored with medium viscosity (14% ABV).  The nose has medium intensity aromas of cranberry, raspberry, black cherry and pomegranate. The palate is dry with medium acidity, medium (-) tannins and a medium body.  Flavors of red fruit with cedar, red licorice and dusty earth to a medium length finish.  89 points for this $24 effort makes it a 4 star wine to drink till 2028 with pasta, Cornish hen or grilled/plank salmon. Salut….

Ruffino Riserva Ducale Chianti Classico Riserva 2020, Tuscany, Italy

13 Tuesday Feb 2024

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This Sangiovese was served blind at our tasting group and it stumped us all.  Medium ruby colored with slight staining and medium viscosity.  The nose has medium (+) intensity aromas of dusty black cherry, purple licorice, vanilla, baking spice, strawberry pie, caramel, açaí berry and roses.  The palate is dry with medium acidity, medium body and medium (+) tannins.  Flavors of black cherry, licorice, baking spices and vanilla are prominent, the dusty note faded.  The strawberry shows up later in the game with the acai berry.  It finishes medium in length and not as tart as expected from a Chianti.  It’s a young wine whose tannins need to settle down with time or vigorous decanting.  This bottle was a brute last night but has since mellowed out very nicely.  It should drink well till 2030 and gets 91 points from me.  At $20 it’s a definite 5 star wine to load up on.  Salut….

Tinazzi No 3 Vinum Italicum Opera Rosso 2021, Italy

16 Saturday Dec 2023

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Deep ruby colored with high viscosity (15% ABV).  The nose of this blend has medium intensity aromas of blackberry, mulberry, plum, coffee, baking spices, violets and cedar.  The palate is slightly off-dry with medium acidity and medium (+) tannins that are quite fine and powdery.  Full bodied with flavors of ripe blackberry, plum and juicy mulberry along with cedar, coffee and baking spices.  It’s quite a rich and ripe wine with lots of weight and heft (think the 15% alcohol).  The finish is medium (+) in length and smooth.  This $20 bottle overdelivers in my opinion and gets 91 points from me making it a 5 star effort.  Drink till 2027 with hearty meat dishes or thick stews.  Salut….

Pakravan Papi Prunicce di Riparbella Super Tuscan 2020, Toscana, Italy

26 Tuesday Sep 2023

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Medium ruby with some staining and high viscosity (13.5% ABV).  The nose of this Sangiovese/Cabernet Sauvignon blend has aromas of leather, cherry, rose, vanilla extract, iron, plum and red licorice.  The palate is dry with high acidity and medium (+) tannins that are a touch gritty.  The body is medium with flavors of rose, leather, red fruit, oak nuance and a graphite/iron streak.  The finish is medium in length and the tannins are more appealing on the back end, they caress rather than attack.  I like this $25 wine that will get better with a touch of cellaring.  Drink with pasta dishes from 2024-2030.  89 points makes it a 4 star effort.  Salut….

La Vostra Prosecco NV, Veneto, Italy

05 Tuesday Sep 2023

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Pale straw colored with very little mousse.  The nose has aromas of white flower, apricot, green almond and melon.  The palate is dry with medium acidity and a light body, the effervescence finally appearing and in a not-too-subtle way.  Florals are the main driver on the palate with some melon, pear and almond backing them up.  The finish is medium in length.  87 points from me for this $12 bottle makes it a 3 star wine that I actually bought to mix with Vincenzi Rosso- like a spritz.  It was on sale for a penny, the catch being that you need to mix it with something fizzy so I had to pop for the bubbly.  The bottle I got is cherry flavored and the resulting cocktail is decent on a hot summer’s eve.  Salut….