Tag Archives: Italy

Tinazzi Poggio ai Santi Le Guardie 2019, Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, Italy

26 Wednesday Jan 2022

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Pasta for dinner means an Italian wine but I’m afraid this one might be a touch young.  Made from Montepulciano grapes it is medium opacity with garnet hues.  The nose is medium (-) in intensity and gives me aromas of red licorice, cherry, smoke, nutmeg, red plum and cherry cola.  The palate is not what I was expecting- much more approachable.  Dry, with medium (-) tannins, juicy acidity and medium weight body.  The flavors are medium intensity with notes of cherry, cola, strawberry, nutmeg, and a hint of red plum.  I don’t get the smoke component any more.  The tartness of the cherry is evident on the finish, which is relatively short.  I like this wine as a basic, no frills red that will serve the pairing well.  It gets 88 points from me and for the entry-level price of $11 it is worthy of 4 stars.  Keep a few on hand for a weekday spaghetti night.  Drink now.  Salut….

Casalforno Brunello di Montalcino DOCG 2015, Tuscany, Italy

22 Wednesday Dec 2021

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It’s getting close to Christmas so Moxie ordered Mama Carlino’s Lasagna for our first family dinner with my folks.  I needed something with some acidity, grippy tannins and  a sour cherry note to go with the pasta.  This one is a scant 6 years young and is a light shade of ruby in the glass with watery legs even though it sports a 14% ABV.  The nose is typical for Sangiovese- red cherry, leather, cranberry, tobacco, oak, tar, red licorice and something red I cannot quite put a finger on.  The palate is truly what I wanted- tart red cherry, great acidity, medium (+) tannins that caress and loads of intermingled red fruit.  The oak nuances are present and the wine is starting to develop tertiary notes.  Light to medium bodied it is complex and has a refreshing mouthfeel that finishes long.  I like this wine, it offers good fruit flavors, structure to age gracefully and is reasonably priced for a Brunello at $40.  Getting 90 points from me it is a 4 star effort to drink till 2030 with pasta dishes.  Salut….

Feudi di San Gregorio Serpico Rosso Irpinia 2018, Campania, Italy

13 Monday Dec 2021

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This Aglianico is opaque and murky, a deep shade of garnet with slim legs in the glass.    The nose is showing bottle age- prunes, stewed black fruit, caramel, game, blackberry, coffee bean and black truffle.  The palate is fresher than I thought it would be.  Clean flavors of blackberry, coffee, game (also some bacon fat), caramel and a touch of the prunes/stewed fruits.  The wine is dry and the tannins are pretty integrated now but they have a presence- remember…. this varietal is extremely tannic in youth.  It’s not a very acidic wine but there is balance with the fruit, structure and body (mid to full).  The finish is medium but dominated by the tannins which have by now started to grip. A nice, mature Italian red that has softened with age, picked up tertiary nuance and will drink well till 2025.  I am pairing it with sausage and collard infused Arrabbiata on a bed of garbanzo pasta.  Should be interesting.  92 points for this $40 bottle makes it a 5 star effort.  Salut….

Cantine di Ora ‘Kellerei Auer’ Pinot Grigio Sudtirol – Alto Adige 2019, Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy

09 Thursday Dec 2021

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Pale gold in the glass this Pinot Grigio has aromas of pineapple, lemon curd, peach and a floral note.  On the palate this dry wine has medium intensity acidity and brims with tropical fruit flavors interlaced with citrus notes giving it a juicy finish.  The wine is medium bodied and has a medium finish which has an almond tinge to it.  I’m drinking it at room temperature but will chill it some for the Shrimp Jambalaya that is getting pieced together.  It would also pair well with fresh oysters or grilled fish.  I like it and for $15 this 89 pointer gets 4 stars.  Drink now.  Salut….

Casalforno Chianti Classico Riserva DOCG 2017, Tuscany, Italy

30 Tuesday Nov 2021

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I would say this wine is of medium opacity and has purple to ruby color.  I can smell it a few feet away but as I nose in I get red cherry, leather, dried herbs, smoke and pomegranate.  The palate is sour, as expected from this varietal.  Juicy acidity and medium tannins give way to flavors of cherry, leather, dusty herbs and oak influences from smoke.  This wine is still primal, the red fruit is very prominent whilst the tertiary and secondary flavors and aromas are muted.  The sourness is evident till the back end yet the tannins recede somewhat from the opening push.  The wine is medium bodied and has a short finish.  I think it needs to flesh out a little, it will improve with age.  I would eventually pair this wine with Schnitzel, stuffed green peppers or any pasta with red sauce.  89 points from me for this $13 wine make it a 4 star effort.  Drink from 2023-2028.  Salut….

Talenti Pian di Conte Riserva 2013, Brunello di Montalcino DOCG, Italy

22 Monday Nov 2021

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Our final wine at the 22nd Virtual Wine Tasting event was the capstone of our Italian themed night.  We had tried three new-to-the-group varietals so I wanted to circle back to familiar roots with a Sangiovese from Brunello.  The tasters got the usual cherry and tar that we expected plus black and white pepper, iron, brine and (unfortunately) stewed prune and stewed apricot which told me the wine was already fading fast.  On the palate this fear was confirmed by the light-bodied nature of the wine that had low to medium tannins, medium acidity and a short finish.  The flavors we got were cherry, briny salt and iron.  I was hoping for some leather, tobacco, dried herbs- alas it was not to be.  A massive disappointment for me personally as I always hope for 1 home run wine per tasting.  At $70 this 90 pointer only gets 2 stars from me.  Drink now if you have any.  Salut….

Salvatore Molettieri Vigna Cinque Querce 2012, Taurasi DOCG, Italy

22 Monday Nov 2021

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Third up in the line at our 22nd virtual wine tasting even twas this Aglianico.  Opaque with thick legs that showed off the 15% ABV.  On the nose the panel got blueberry, violets, tar, charcoal, black raspberry, tarry smoke, forest floor, black licorice and pencil lead.  One person noted it to be Port-like.  On the palate it was a tannic beast.  Almost searing even with 9 years of bottle age.  It’s difficult to discern flavors when all you can sense is the astringency covering even square inch of you gums and teeth but we did manage to coax anise, blackberry, cherry, smoky tar  (or tarry smoke!) out of the glass.  As mentioned- super tannic, it had medium acidity, medium body and a medium finish which made it a 92 point wine in my book.  After some decanting time it softened up quite considerably and came into its own.  At $40 it is an interesting way to discover the varietal from Campania, which is due east of Naples.  4 stars with a drink by 2030 window.  Salut….

Cordero di Montezemolo ‘Funtani’ Barbera d’Alba Superiore 2017, Piedmont, Italy

22 Monday Nov 2021

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I wanted to introduce our virtual tasting group to this varietal- Barbera.  Unfortunately it was quite tart and that threw people off.  It is an opaque wine which conjured up ideas of a brooding, tannic wine when quite the opposite was discovered.  The group noted aromas of tar, cherry, cherry coke, luxardo cherries, coffee, tobacco and cola.  The flavors we encountered were sour cherry, Dr. Pepper, tobacco, red currant and raspberry.  Medium bodied, it had a short finish and was tart the whole time.  90 points for this $40 wine made it a 3 star effort.  I subsequently drank it two nights later and it was far better, perhaps worthy of a bump in score.  Drink till 2028 with something like breaded veal cutlets or an Alfredo dish, staying away from high acid foods with red pasta sauce.  Salut….

Mario Schiopetto Friulano Collio 2019, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy

22 Monday Nov 2021

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Kicking off the 22nd Virtual Wine Tasting was this Friulano.  Gold in color it had a beautiful look in the glass.  We tasted it at room temp and chilled.  Here are the notes I cobbled from all the input.

Room Temp- Nice nose of green pear, lime, florals, green apple, grapefruit and peach.  On the palate the group got peach, florals, green apple but no varietal bitter almond.  I was disappointed about that.  Light to medium bodied, this relatively low acid wine had a short finish, getting 90 points from me.

The chilled version had florals including honeysuckle, some vanilla, almond and a salinity like sea air.  No one got grapefruit on this nose.  The palate did however get grapefruit from someone in the group.  Green apple, almonds, tart fruit and a saline minerality showed.  I thought the chilled version was better and gave it 91 points.  For $24 this is a good intro to the varietal.  4 stars from me!  Salut….

Tenuta di Arceno Arcanum Toscana IGT 2015, Tuscany, Italy

30 Saturday Oct 2021

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The finale for the 21st Virtual Wine Tasting was this Super Tuscan blend of Cab Sav, Cab Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot.  With 6 years of age it is starting to show a touch of garnet in the glass that is 75% opaque.  The group were torn on this wine, some liked the tertiary notes, others did not.  The combined flavors and aromas of the group include red twizzlers, blackcurrant, blackberry, vanilla, cigar, manure, barnyard, old wood, musty old oak beams, charcoal and some dried herbs.   Leather featured on the back end and I found this wine to be more complex on the nose versus the palate.  Super smooth tannins get grippy on the finish and we felt the wine had low to medium  acidity, medium body with a long finish.  It was very layered and balanced, even if the tannins started to kick off on the very tail end.  This wine will develop more tertiary notes and has the backbone to cellar for another 10 years easily.  It calls for a rustic pasta dish with truffles.  It was the big baller of the evening at $70, which makes it a 4 star wine for me at 92 points.  Salut….