Archive for the ‘Italy’ Category
Thursday, February 25th, 2010
We went down the road for pizza the other night because it was my birthday, and when I saw this I thought it would go well with the meal. Unfortunately I wasn’t sure of the normal RRP, and ended up paying a 200% markup. Grrrrrrrrrrr. A blend of 70% Corvina, 25% Rondinella and 5% Molinara. Red fruits on the nose, with wood spices, stewed plums and a bit of a liqueured character. The palate was lovely and savoury, red cherries, dry spices like cloves, old leather, with a touch of tin on the finish. Medium bodied, if that. A pleasant bistro wine. Sealed under cork. 12% abv (which seems very low). Drink 2010-2012. 87 points. Should be under $20.
Posted in Corvina, Italy, Notes, Price, Varietal/Style, Veneto, up to $20 | 2 Comments »
Friday, December 4th, 2009
Calderara is one of Terre Nere’s three single vineyard wines, and has vines averaging between 40 and 50 years of age. A blend of 98% Nerello Mascalese and 2% Nerello Capuccio. Imported by Arquilla Wines. Initially a bit stinky, with dark cherries and gunsmoke, and unpleasant flavours: savoury minerals with sour cherries and ash. Very dry and unloving.
Seven hours later and the wine was hitting its straps. Still showing dark cherry but only a touch of gunsmoke, and had evolved to also show a delicate rose-like floral, with herbs, dried meats and forest litter. The palate had rounded out, full flavoured, with savoury cherry fruits, dried herbs, minerals, iron filings and dry spices. A touch of raspberry acidity and pippy bitterness on the finish. The tannins are slightly chewy, and the length good. I have seen reviews that have compared this wine to both a Pinot Noir from Burgundy and a Nebbiolo from Piedmont, but on this showing I would be leaning towards the latter. An interesting wine.
Rated : 92 Points
Tasted : Dec09
Alcohol : 14%
Price : $60
Closure : Cork
Drink : 2011-2018
Source : The Wine Emporium
Posted in $50 to $100, Italy, Notes, Price, Sicily | 2 Comments »
Thursday, December 3rd, 2009
A heftier bottle than the lo Zoccolaio Dolcetto d’Alba 2007, and this was a harbinger of vineous goodness. Deeply scented and almost mysterious, black fruits, dusty black cherries, minerals, smoke and a touch of plums. On the palate, minerally plums and savoury earth, combined with slightly grainy tannins that swept across the palate. Some richness and complexity develop with time, but the tannic backbone remains. Pretty good length and quite enjoyable; certainly a step up from the Dolcetto.
Rated : 88 Points
Tasted : Nov09
Alcohol : 14%
Price : $25.65
Closure : Cork
Drink : 2010-2014
Source : Dan Murphys
Posted in $20 to $50, Barbera, Italy, Notes, Piedmont, Price, Varietal/Style | No Comments »
Friday, November 6th, 2009
I asked Anthony to toss a random bottle in my last dozen from Boccaccio Cellars and this is what he chose. Good work too, because it was delicious and interesting. A big nose, with lots of stuff happening at the same time – dark cherries, plums, vanilla, dried herbs, tobacco leaf and a touch of balsamic. At this point I should disclose that I nicked the last descriptor from Gary Walsh’s note, and that’s because he’s spot on. The palate is big and quite tannic, with lurking fruits, good intensity and bags of potential. A wine to contemplate if you open it now, but really needs a few years tucked away somewhere cool.
Rated : 92 Points
Tasted : Nov09
Alcohol : 14%
Price : $60
Closure : Cork
Drink : 2012-2020
Source : Boccaccio Cellars
Website : Castello Monsanto
Posted in $50 to $100, Italy, Notes, Price, Sangiovese, Tuscany, Varietal/Style | 1 Comment »
Thursday, November 5th, 2009
I bought another bottle of the Wynns Black Label Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 because of the mixed reviews and I thought I should try it again. Anyhoo, I like getting the six bottle discount so this guy hitched a ride home. A medium red. A peculiar nose, with plums and spice, old wood, dusty cherries, and an oddness that I just couldn’t quite pin down. On the palate, bland fruits with dry spices and a savouriness. Okay length, but a bit too dry for my liking; your mileage might vary.
Rated : 83 Points
Tasted : Nov09
Alcohol : 13.5%
Price : $16.15
Closure : Cork
Drink : 2009-2011
Source : Dan Murphys
Posted in Dolcetto, Italy, Notes, Piedmont, Price, Varietal/Style, up to $20 | No Comments »
Wednesday, October 21st, 2009
This is Joe Grilli’s first Garganega from the Veneto region in Northern Italy. Now apparently Garganega is the traditional grape of Soave region. There you go. The first thing that caught my eye was the declaration of 12% abv. Hmmmmmm, perfect for hot summer afternoons. Quite a floral nose, with dried herbs, hard green fruits, lemons, a touch of peachy fruits, backed up by some passionfruit and pineapple notes, though these tropical characters disappeared with time. The palate was different to the nose, showing lemons and dried herbs, refined and pure with a thick vein of minerals that climaxed in a crisp dry finish. The length got better with time. Lightly bodied and kind of like a young Semillon. Interesting wine. Normally $25 per bottle from the cellar door, but there is a 25% off special at the moment for a mixed dozen consisting of six bottles of this wine with six bottles of the “La Biondina” Colombard. Tuck in!
Rated : 90 Points
Tasted : Oct09
Alcohol : 12%
Price : $25
Closure : Screwcap
Drink : 2009-2012
Source : Cellar Door
Website : Primo Estate
Posted in $20 to $50, Garganega, Italy, Notes, Price, Varietal/Style, Veneto | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, August 19th, 2009
An excellent cork. Not sure how long I was supposed to keep this wine, but it is holding in there okay. Three years since I last had a bottle, and the nose is now showing more secondary characters, with earth and leather, though there is still some cherry fruits, with dry spices like cloves and a touch of tar. The palate is beautifully resolved, a lovely evenness of flavour, with big cherry fruits, a touch of plum, malt and spice paste. Medium bodied, and excellently tannined. There is some richness of fruit left, but I would really be drinking this now.
Rated : 90 Points
Tasted : Aug09
Alcohol : 14%
Price : $47
Closure : Cork
Drink : 2009-2010
Source : Cellar
Posted in $20 to $50, Barbera, Italy, Notes, Piedmont, Price, Varietal/Style | 2 Comments »
Tuesday, July 14th, 2009
A perfume that I find quite appealing. Fragrant black cherries, smoke and minerals, dried meats and raspberries. The palate is savoury, with minerals and sour cherries, bright and clean, leathery tannins and savoury fruit weight that carries the wine nicely. More weight and length with time in the glass. No big tannins, but they are there. Drink over the medium term.
Rated : 90 Points
Tasted : Jul09
Alcohol : 14%
Price : $48
Closure : Glass
Drink : 2009-2014
Source : Cellar
Website : Brezza
Posted in $20 to $50, Barbera, Italy, Notes, Piedmont, Price, Varietal/Style | No Comments »
Thursday, July 9th, 2009
Tony at the Wine Emporium is a great fan of Nebbiolo, so it is always his advice I seek when purchasing a bottle for a Saturday or Sunday night dinner. He said this wine was all about the tannins, and less so about the fruit. I cannot argue with him, and for me, the operative word here is “gentle”. A medium translucent red. Lightly crushed red cherries, with a whiff of tobacco leaf, rose petals and tar. The palate is light, but with an engaging firmness of flavour, clean cherry fruits, a hint of plums, a touch of tar and dried herbs, soft acidity and a touch of leather on the finish. There is a lovely evenness across the palate, terrific balance and a delightful collection of tannins. Absolutely scoffable, admittedly quite expensive but as a one-off purchase I am quite pleased.
Rated : 92 Points
Tasted : Jul09
Alcohol : 13%
Price : $110
Closure : Cork
Drink : 2009-2014+
Source : The Wine Emporium
Website : Cannot find one
Posted in Italy, Nebbiolo, Notes, Piedmont, Price, Varietal/Style, over $100 | 3 Comments »
Thursday, July 2nd, 2009
A blend of Sangiovese and Colorino. The name means “the black one”, and refers not only to the deep dark colour of the wine, but also to how the old-timers in Tuscany like their red wine. A dark red in colour. The nose is elusive, and after 4 or 5 hours I was beginning to lose my patience, but I did note coffee beans, sarsaparilla root, sweaty leather saddles, red peppercorns, hard woody spices and old gruyere cheese. The palate needs some time to reveal itself, but when it did it showed liquered red cherries, black cherries and leathery earth with some savoury dryness. Not exactly Sangiovese as I was expecting it, but it is quite pleasant and certainly profited from some accompanying food. Oh, and the stinky edge was a touch distracting. Drink over the medium term.
Rated : 89 Points
Tasted : Jun09
Alcohol : 13.5%
Price : $48
Closure : Cork
Drink : 2009-2012
Source : Wine Emporium
Website : La Spinetta
Posted in $20 to $50, Italy, Notes, Price, Sangiovese, Tuscany, Varietal/Style | 2 Comments »