Italian - March
This month we present a white wine from Campania and a red wine from Tuscany.
 There is no doubt that some of the best and most distinctive whites in Italy are now made in Campania.
I flipped when I tasted the Vadiapetri Coda di Volpe. Coda di Volpe is an indigenous grape and this baby, made by Raffaele Troisi of Vadiaperti, has a straw yellow color with aromas of ripe fruit, (pineapple, white peaches), as well as delicate scents of brush and licorice. Beautiful nose, youthful, med+ intensity, melon, floral component, salty earth, mineral, lemongrass, and a soft citrus like creaminess. On the palate, dry, juicy fruit, mineral, flowers, real nice acidity, a medium body, and a nice finish. Coda di Volpe means fox tail .
 Aia Vecchia Lagone IGT Bolgheri, located near the coast in Tuscany, is ground zero for Super Tuscans; it's there where Ornellaia, the first Tuscan wine to be called such was made. Super Tuscans are wines that don't rely on the traditional Tuscan mix of Sangilvese and Canaiolo; instead they are based on the traditional Bordeaux grapes (Merlot, Cabernets Franc and Sauvignon).
Aia Vecchia is the name of an old building, deep in the Tuscan countryside between Bolgheri and Castagneto Carducci. This is an area where the microclimate and ideally suited soils make it possible to make great wine. The property consists of 69 hectares of open ground: 48 are vineyards, 30 of which are under the Bolgheri DOC, planted to Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon.
Lagone IGT has sweet, well-delineated aromatics that lead to bright red fruits, spices and new leather. The wine shows impeccable balance and a long, harmonious finish underpinned by bright, focused acidity. This is easily one of the finest bottles of wine from Maremma you can find for $20!! Lagone is 60% Merlot, 35 % Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc that spent 12 months in small oak barrels.
Read more...
February Italian Club
This month, we travel back to the Alto Adige (called the Sudtirol by the mostly Germanic folks who live there), to try the wines of Alois Lageder. We're presenting his crystalline pure Pinot Grigio and an amazing single vineyard Pinot Nero.
 Alois Lageder Pinot Grigio Dolomiti: Brilliant straw yellow with a green shimmer. Quite pronounced and expressive aroma with flowery and somewhat spicy notes. Rich flavored in the mouth, with a slight smokiness at the back and a good, fresh finish. Organic and biodynamic.
 Alois Lageder Pinot Nero Krafuss: Medium light ruby color with a garnet shimmer. Impressions of red berry fruit, cherries along with oak spice (white pepper, cinnamon). Quite pronounced flavor, medium bodied. Fresh finish with good length and a presence of spicy tannin. Elegant style. Organic and biodynamic. 92 points, Parker: "Krafuss is a beautiful Pinot Noir from Alto Adige. The wine possesses gorgeous inner perfume in its well-articulated varietal fruit, with exceptional length on the palate and silky, refined finish. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2015."
Read more...
|
January Italian Wine Club
This month we return to the Abruzzo region, and feature the wines of the Illuminati winery - Illuminati Costalupo Controguerra Bianco and Illuminati Riparosso Montepulciano
 Costalupo is a delightful kitchen sink white wine - Chardonnay, Passerina, Riesling, Malvasia, and Trebbiano; all varietals which accentuate the most delightful fragrances in this wine. It has a brilliant straw-like color and a dry, fresh taste. The aroma is fruity, floral and delicate. Controguerra is a relatively new DOC in Abruzzo.
 “Riparosso” is a D.O.C. wine made from 100% Montepulciano grape from the vineyards situated in the township of Controguerra at 300 meters above sea-level. The soil is comprised of a composite mixture tending towards a high argilla clay content. The name of this wine comes from the neighboring gullies known as “Ripe” and the soil, which verges on red (Rosso). 2 Bicchieri in Gambero Rosso three years in a row! The Wine Enthusiast Buying Guide has Given it "Top 100 Best Buys" noting, " Dark ruby with purple highlights. Moderately light bodied. Full acidity. Reminiscent of cranberry, raspberry, cherry. Tart young red fruit with some grainy tannins on the palate.Texture is almost silky in the mouth. Good structure with pleasant cherry tartness on the finish."
The color is an intense ruby red with a distinct, pleasant vinous fragrance. The flavor is dry and savory with soft tannins.
Read more...
Dec. '09 Italian
This month, we travel to Piedmont, home of the great Nebbiolo grape, and Barbaresco and Barolo wines.
Possibly the greatest of Italian grapes and certainly the longest-lived. Nebbiolo grows almost exclusively in the northwestern reaches of Italy, where it thrives in the DOCGs Barolo and Barbaresco. Nebbiolo ripens very late (usually mid October) and when fully ripe has abundant amounts of flavor, aroma, acidity and tannins.
The name Nebbiolo has two probable origins. Ripe nebbiolo grapes have a very prominent bloom that gives them a foggy or frosted look, so the name could come from from nebbia, Italian for fog. It is an alternative possibility that the name simply comes from nobile, Italian for noble.
 Barbaresco is a dry, elegant, full-bodied red wine, rich in tannin, with a very complex nose. At maturity, when it has fully developed for a few years, it reveals aromas of dry flowers, violets, white truffles, anise and more. In its youth it is closed in the mouth with nice, fruity aromas and a spicy, tannic finish. At maturity, the complexity of flavors opens up and the finish becomes smoother.
Traditionally drunk with game, meat, fowl, polenta, fonduta and white truffle dishes of the Piedmont, Barbaresco is a rich complement to many foods. The wine is long on the palate and, once opened, a bottle can be drunk over the course of three or four days.
This month's selection, Cantine Sociale del Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco DOCG (or more simply Produttori Barbaresco) is a great example of Barbaresco.
The Cantine Sociale is a cooperative of growers in Barbaresco, and control most of the great vineyard sites in the DOCG. Unlike many cooperatives, this winery is world class, and puts out amazing wines year after year.
Generally, Barbaresci are more approachable than Barolos, so this month's selection can either be drunk now, or aged up to ten years.
Read more...
|
First up is Alticelli Fiano Cantèle, a medium bodied white from Salento in Apuglia. This is east coast Fiano, grown in Salento as opposed to Campania where it is more commonly found. Medium weight with a nice fruit/acid balance, with stone fruit, floral and grassy notes on the nose and a nice round palate with good acidity and a long finish. Highly versatile and a born “food wine”, Alticelli isat its best with fish , with Mediterranean-spiced vegetable dishes of all kinds and young cheeses.
