Tag Archives: Italian Wines

Budget Wine Review: Cecilia Beretta Soraie Veneto IGT 2014

14 Friday Apr 2017

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soraieThis wine is made with the appassimento method, a specialty of this region of northeast Italy. Grapes are dried for several weeks before pressing thus developing concentrated flavor and giving more dimension to the wine as long as the raisin flavors are not too prominent. This one is quite successful although, with 40% Merlot and 20% Cabernet joining the more traditional Corvina and Croatina grapes, this is breaking all rules–especially the rule that says you can’t get good wine for $7.

Bright cherry notes just manage to peak through prominent damp leaves and faint herbal and smoke aromas. Raisin wrapped in coffee emerges on the palate but good acidity and a mineral core give lift to the full bodied, viscous frame, the medium length finish featuring fine grained, gentle but persistent tannins. Good complexity and thoroughly satisfying.

It gets its brood on but the acidity and minerality pull it back from the brink so the overall mood is poignant yet consoling.

Score: 88

Price: $7 at Trader Joe’s

Alc: 14%

The dank nose with its intimations of decay cries out for some moss-back, swamp blues from Tab Benoit.

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Wine Review: Piandaccoli Cosmus Chianti Riserva 2012

09 Tuesday Feb 2016

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cosmus chiantiItalians are famous for liking wines with high acidity. But many Italian wines also have tantalizing bitter flavors that give them dimension and personality. This one gets its distinctive  personality from that bitterness highlighted against unusual wood notes.

An intriguing nose of black cherry, baked earth with balsamic and rosemary hints, and cedar notes playing in the background.

On the palate, ingratiating berry notes provide an entre with good intensity promising hedonic bliss, but the midpalate shifts to a different register swelling with a generous dose of wood and bitter herbs that carry through the finish, giving the wine a rustic edge. The tannins are soft and fine, gently persistent, so the overall vibe is of rough-hewn elegance, down to earth but with lots of flavor. Medium body and medium acidity.

An interesting Chianti and a good value.

100% Sangiovese, aged for 12 months in large 55 hectolitre barrels and smaller casks, and for 12 months in the bottle.

Pair with some funky elegance, Dr. John “I Walk on Guilded Splinters”

Score: 89

Price: $18

Alc: 14%

Budget Wine: Fantini Farnese Trebbiano D’Abruzzo 2013

15 Friday Jan 2016

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fantini farnesi trebbianoAmong wine experts and connoisseurs, Italian white wines don’t have a great reputation. Their flavors and aromas tend to be muted and the acidity is high, so many dismiss them as thin and tart. This is especially true of the wines made from the Trebbiano grape, a widely planted grape appearing in most regions of Italy and used in Brandy production in France where it goes by the name of Ugni Blanc. But those muted flavors and high acidity have a purpose for the Italians—they go really well with lighter meals that get overwhelmed with fat chardonnays or tannic reds. Italian whites are really about showing off the food.

This Trebbiano from D’Abruzzo, a wine region in central Italy on the Adriatic sea, is not only great with food but it has more intensity than your average Italian white wine.

It shows white peach, green apple, pretty white flowers, and a little funky earth on the nose, just enough to add interest. In the mouth it is simple, light in weight and unsophisticated but with some punch. It’s bone dry with lemon playing the lead role, very chalky on the midpalate with some tart acidity on the finish. In Italian whites tart is a feature not a bug.

Good aromatics, a little tough on the palate but a really versatile food wine. I paired it with a delicate, fresh marinara sauce and it was perfect.

Energetic, intense and tart. Let’s Get Loud JLo

Score: 87

Price: $10

Alc: 12%

Wine Review: Sommavite Brunello di Montalcino 2009

29 Monday Jun 2015

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somavite brunelloWhen Brunello is good it is very, very good.  Made from the “Grosso” clone of the Sangiovese grape, it produces fuller, richer flavor than other variants of the grape. The grapes are sourced from an area near the town of Montalcino in Southern Tuscany where it gets warmer than Chianti to the North producing riper grapes with smooth tannins; and appellation rules require at least 5 years of aging in barrel and bottle before release. Great grapes, warm weather, and aging, along with a commitment to quality, usually mean good wine and high prices.

Thus, I never seek out Brunello when looking for inexpensive wine. They are almost always well over $50 and even at that price the quality can be uneven. Vintage variation matters in Italy where regulations prevent manipulation of the wine in bad years. And the aging process is inherently a crap shoot. You never quite know how a wine will develop over time. To make matters even more complicated, some producers are wedded to old-school winemaking in which wines are intended to age for 25 years and may not be ready to drink for 10-12. Thus even $80 bottles can be disappointing.

So how good could a $20 bottle be? As luck would have it, quite good. The nose is typical Brunello—dark cherry tinged with dried flowers and prominent herbal notes,  on a gentle layer of dusty earth. Subtle vanilla notes indicate this is a “new school” Brunello aged in small oak barrels that soften the wine quickly and make it drinkable in its youth. Bold yet supple and silky  on the palate with medium acidity and soft tannins, the finish is a little short but the wine has depth and focus.

This doesn’t have the complex, delicate, ethereal aromas of the very best Brunellos and the tannins are softer than most so I wouldn’t put it down for 20 years. 2009 was a scorching hot year in Tuscany and the wines from that year are probably a bit evolved. But at this price it is worth buying a few bottles to lay down for 5-7 years.

I couldn’t find out anything about this winery. This wine is available in the U.S only at Trader Joe’s as far as I can tell. This suggests TJ’s buys excess juice from a large, quality producer and puts their label on it. But I’m only speculating. In any case, an absolute steal. Highly recommended.

Score: 90

Price: $20

Alc: 14.5

Brunello is a slow blues wine to be savored and sipped while reflecting on the bitter and the sweet. This calls for Cowboy Junkies “Postcard Blues”

Aging Report: Fontana Candida “Luna Mater” Frascati Superiore 2009

01 Monday Jun 2015

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fontana candidaItalian white wines have a  mixed reputation. Some people love them; others think they lack aromatic intensity and are innocuous. I’ve had a few that stand out, but too often they lack distinction. I rather liked the Luna Mater when I first tasted it. Crisp and refreshing but not extraordinary. So I decided to give it some age to see if it would really blossom. It is of course a myth that white wines don’t age well. Some don’t but many will, and if you choose the right varietal it is usually worth the wait.

I waited six years from the vintage date before opening but I could have waited 2-3 more years. There is still plenty of life in this wine and the characteristics of age are very apparent without being overwhelming. The original pear and apple flavors have receded showing more apricot with lemon hints on the nose and palate, with almond highlights becoming more prominent. A pleasant, light layer of musty earth gives the nose interest, and the acidity has softened giving the wine more apparent viscosity. It is now soft and round on the palate and the finish is long and more languorous that you expect from a crisp white though it still features the bitter herb notes characteristic of many Italian wines. A few years of age have made this a much more interesting wine with dimension and depth. This is no longer just a food wine; it can be savored on its own although it surely enhanced the seafood pasta I served.

It has become fashionable to advise people to drink their wines young. This is not always good advice. One should be cautious about which wines to age, but this $15 dollar wine improved immensely since I first tasted it.  Frascati should be added to the list of age-worthy whites that includes Chardonnay, Riesling, and Chenin Blanc.

The Luna Maters is a blend of Malvasia Bianca di Candia, Malvasia del Lazio, Bombino, and Greco from hillside vineyards not far from Rome. Some of the lot is fermented in small oak barrels but aged in the bottle.

Opened: 5/31/2015

Score: 90

Price: $15

Alc: 14.5%

Speaking of aging well—has anyone aged as well as David Bowie, some 45 years after Ziggy?

Wine Review: Montalbera Laccento Ruchè di Castagnole Monferrato, Piedmont, Italy

10 Sunday Aug 2014

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rucheThere are thousands of grape varieties from which wine is made. But only a relative handful find their way to the international wine markets. Robert Parker and others have argued that there is a good reason why most varieties are obscure—they don’t make good wine. Cabernet, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, etc. are popular for a reason. That may be so, but unearthing neglected varieties is a worthwhile task because their may be gems among the discards.

And indeed I discovered one this weekend at a meeting of the San Diego Wine Society. The grape is an Italian varietal called Ruché that hails from a small DOCG wine region of about 100 acres near the town of Castognole Monferrato in Piemonte. 10% Barbera or Brachetto is allowed in the blend.

One sip and it will have you thinking of the poets and their flowers:

Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.
~William Wordsworth, “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud,” 1804

Luxuriant, perfumed floral notes leap from the glass but strawberry jam and candied fruit lie in the background and grace the palate, which also displays intriguing orange zest flavors, unusual in red wine. Just short of medium weight and dry, the texture is gentle though it doesn’t quite caress like the best Pinots. But the acidity is bracing and the finish is propelled by surprisingly vibrant tannins that have a sparkling quality, and residual bitter notes that mark it as Italian. There really is not another wine quite like this.

This combination of intensity and tenderness is why I drink wine. This with a pork rib roast basted with a light orange rosemary glaze would be a slice of heaven.

If you haven’t tried this grape, drop what you’re doing, jump on the Internet, go to Wine Searcher and buy  a case. The production is very small and when word gets out I cannot imagine this wine not exploding in popularity. Of course, it will not please everyone, but if you like intensely aromatic wines with soft, textures and strong acidity along the lines of a Pinot Noir you will really enjoy this.

The Italian wine critic Luca Maroni gave it 99 points. I’m not prepared to go there. But any wine that puts me in mind of Wordsworth is worth a 93.

Score: 93

Price: $24

Budget Wine: Epicuro Salice Salentino and Aglianico 2011

27 Friday Jun 2014

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saliceA Trader Joe’s exclusive, the Salice Salentino is one of my go-to, everyday wines and has been for years. A simple but pleasing nose of ripe cherries encased in subtle loam and a hint of smoke. The medium-bodied, supple palate shows dried cherries and a slight characteristic bitterness on the finish. The flavors lack depth but have good intensity and focus. The soft tannins come on early with a bit more grip than most six dollar wines.

Salice Salentino is a small commune in Apulia, in southeast Italy. The wine is produced from the Negroamaro grape with a small percentage of Malvasia Nera added to soften the rusticity.

The Aglianico 2011 was also quite drinkable but less satisfying. Plum and dusty earth accented by mild herbal notes give the nose some interest. On the the palate, it’s full and fruity with a medium plus body. The texture is soft upfront but the tannins come on quickly and are persistant. The finish is full of flavor but is quite sour which disappoints. Both wines have a rustic character

Score: Salice Salentino:  85      Aglianico: 83

Price: Both $6

Alc: Both 13%

 

Wine Review: Contadi Castaldi Franciacorta Brut NV

23 Monday Sep 2013

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contadi castaldi Italy is not known for its quality sparkling wines. Prosecco and the sparkling wines of Asti are pleasant enough, but both are produced using the inexpensive Charmat method, in which secondary fermentation takes place in large stainless steel tanks rather than in the bottle. With limited yeast contact, a fruity nose, and loose, plodding bubbles, it does not make great sparkling wine.

The only region in Italy known for making sparkling wine in the traditional method is Franciacorta in Eastern Lombardy. And this is a relatively recent development—the first sparkling wines were developed there in the 1960’s. Despite being newcomers, they are serious about quality. The appellation regulations are very demanding. Non-vintage (NV) Franciacorta must age at least 25 months after harvest, with at least 18 months in contact with the yeast in the bottle. (Champagne requires only 15 months). The result is a delicious sparkler at 1/2-1/3 the cost of a passable French Champagne and with more interest and finesse than the typical Cava from Spain.

Chardonnay is the base of this wine blended with small quantities of Pinot Nero and Pinot Bianco. The mousse is lovely and vibrant. The nose opens with lemon hiding almond notes in the background. The palate is rich, soft, and creamy with a long finish that gave subtle hints of smoke and the characteristic Italian bitterness. Much less austerity, a touch more fruit, less bread, and less minerality than a Champagne. The lovely mouthfeel makes this work.

At this price point, it is worth tracking this down.

Serve with a bowl of potato chips. There is nothing better than salt and champagne

Price: $24

Score: 90/100

Budget Wines: Bowtie Barbera D’Asti 2011

19 Monday Aug 2013

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bow tie Would it be great if all wines were 100-point blockbusters? I don’t think so, even if we could afford them. Powerful, complex wines demand attention. Their star power overwhelms everything else in sight. They make us work hard to understand them even when we just want to relax.

There is much to be said for a wine that does its job even though that job is modest—like making dinner go down easy. This Bowtie Barbera is such a wine–ordinary wine that makes the ordinary seem good enough. It won’t stop conversations, steal the show from an Osso Bucco, or make you think thoughts of divinities. It’s job is to support supper, take the edge of the evening—this it does well.

The good people of Piedmont have their Barolo’s and Barbaresco’s when they want to impress. They make Barbera for when leaving an impression is too much trouble.

Simple black cherry fruit, hints of earth after aeration, mouthwatering acidity, soft tannins—it is exactly what it is supposed to be and no more. A very standard Barbera d’Asti at a good price.

Score: 85/100

Price: $12

Alcohol: 13.5%

Marchetti Verdecchio Dei Castelli di Jesi Classico 2011

29 Monday Jul 2013

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marchetti verdecchio Some wines are easy to fall in love with; others require a little getting used to. This Verdecchio from Marches on the Eastern coast of Italy took its time showing its virtues but it finally came around.

Verdecchio makes an acidic wine. Combined with the bitter edge that Italian wines are known for, the onslaught of prickles, puckers, and piquancy was a lot to handle at first. But as your palate adapts, subtle flavor notes appear that give this wine some complexity and I came to enjoy the bitterness once the full picture of the wine came into view. And the bottle is kinda cool as well.

It’s restrained on the nose; you have to dig for the flavors. Undertones of pear, lemon, and almond support bright, dill-like herbal aromas with a medicinal quality that plays hide-and-seek. The palate is medium body and very lively with lemon, pear and almond dominating. There is of course no oak. A refreshing, long and bitter finish makes this a good choice on a really hot summer day.

Marches is a region of Italy that is under-represented in the U.S. and Verdecchio is the classic grape from this region. So this wine is a good opportunity to get acquainted with one of the lesser-known Italian wine regions.

Score: 86/100

Alc: 12.5%

Price:$13