Three more Italians

Yes, I seem to be drinking quite a lot of Italian wine lately, and these three all offered some great quality. Up first was the 2007 Sandrone Dolcetto d'Alba, the latest vintage of a wine that has been fantastic the prior two years. I am pleased to report that the 2007 manages to stand up quite favorably to the 2006, and is a very pleasant fruity wine. It is again a great food wine, able to match up well with a variety of foods.

Up next was the 2004 Secco Bertani Valpolicella Ripasso. This was also a repeat wine, and was consistent with my prior tasting back in December. It is a very nice Ripasso that offers plenty of drinking pleasure at a great price (a good bit less than Zenato or Allegrini's similar quality offerings).

Finally, I had another bottle of the 2004 Angelini Val di Suga Rosso di Montalcino. I've had this wine multiple times, and I think this may have been its best performance yet. The wine seems to just now be entering it peak window, and over two nights was really showing all it had. There was a lot of cherry and other red fruit, and the wine just seemed in perfect balance. I think this wine still has a couple of years of life, but it certainly seems that the great 2004 vintage is now beginning to show its full potential in the Rosso di Montalcinos.

Weekend wines with Loudoun

The past two weekends I have hosted friends from out of town, which has given me the opportunity to break out several wines from the cellar. Last weekend, Loudoun was visiting from Charlotte, and we had two nights to choose some various wines.

Friday night we had steaks, so for our first wine I opted for the 2000 Tardieu-Laurent Cornas. The wine had an hour or so to open up, and was a very interesting selection, It continued to evolve as we drank it, and I'm not sure it ever showed everything it had. Tardieu-Laurent is known to have modern-styled wines, and Cornas is a very traditional appellation, so in the end I'm not sure it's the best interpretation. I didn't think the wine was bad at all, just not all I had hoped for.

Up next, I let Loudoun make a selection, and he went with the 1999 Gaja Sito Moresco Langhe. This wine is a blend of Nebbiolo, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon, quite different from most of Gaja's wines (and also a lot less expensive). The wine was nice, and definitely international-styled, with no real defining characteristics. It was well-made and didn't really have any flows, but overall nothing that really stood out either.

Saturday night, we had ribs, so as per my usual matching, we went with a Zinfandel. The choice was the 2005 Turley Moore Earthquake Zinfandel, a selection that we only received one bottle of, so Loudoun had not had it. This wine received among the highest marks of the vintage from Parker, but Loudoun was quite underwhelmed by it. I thought it was decent, more similar to a Grenache in profile. To me it could've passed for a Southern Rhone from a hot vintage, but it was certainly a different taste than most Turleys we have had over the past couple of years.

Finally, we went with a 2000 Igino Accordini Amarone Riserva Gino Corolin. This was a very nice Amarone, and with more time to open up would've really been singing I think. As it was, it still offered a full body with plenty of rich fruit. I think we both agreed it was our favorite wine of the weekend, and a good way to finish up.

Greek wines at Kyma

Last week I had the opportunity to attend a tasting featuring many of the best wines being made in Greece today. I was expecting a few good wines and some average drinkable ones as well, but was instead surprised by the overall high quality of what I tasted. What follows is a quick recap of a fantastic evening.

I kept brief notes, and not in order of tasting, so these will be alphabetical by winery, as they are in the guide we were given. Alpha Estate was one of the properties I was not familiar with, but I came away very impressed. I tried three different reds, the 2006 Xinomavro, the 2006 Alpha Estate, and the 2006 Axia. The Alpha Estate was a blend of 60% Syrah, 20% Xinomavro, and 20% Merlot, and was quite good. The Axia was 60% Xinomavro and 40% Merlot, good, but not quite as nice as the Estate.

From Boutari, we had the 2006 Naoussa, which is decent, but nothing special. It's a nice inexpensive quaffer. Cair is an estate from Rhodes that actually makes a red, and the 2006 Orama isn't bad. Like the Boutari, it's a nice easy drinker.

Gaia was a winery I've heard of but not tried anything. The Gaia S 2007 is a blend of 70% Agioritiko and 30% Syrah made in a lighter style. It's not bad, but the star is the 2006 Gaia Estate, a 100% Agioritiko. It was one of the stars of the night, silky smooth and full-bodied.

Domaine Gerovassiliou makes some great reds and whites. the 2008 Malagousia remains my favorite Greek white wine, very aromatic with floral notes. Their 2008 Viogner was also quite good, restrained and elegant. The lone red we had was the 2005 Avaton, a blend of three indigenous grapes - Limnio, Mavroudi, and Maavrotagano. It is very good, and a great example of what some of these unknown varietals can produce with a great winemaker.

Katogi is another winery I'm familiar with, and their 2005 Xinomavro was among the best of the night as well, full of spice. Also made of Xinomavro, but with a touch of Merlot, is the Kir-Yanni 2006 Estate. This is another very good wine from one of the better producers in Greece.

One of my favorite producers in Greece is Domaine Mercouri, and they had two good red wines on offer. The 2005 Domaine Mercouri is nice and soft, an everyday wine, while the 2004 Cava is more elegant and fuller. Both wines are mainly Refosco, with some Mavrodaphne.

Quite possibly the star of the night (and a real treat as I did not expect them to be represented) was Papaioannou. We had one of their wines on my last trip to Greece that I thought was the best Greek wine I had tasted, so I was excited to see them. The wines on offer did not disappoint - both the 2003 Old Vines Nemea and 2001 Mikroclima Nemea were excellent. Both are 100% Agioritiko, and they are truly world-class. I can't recommend this winery enough, as I think anyone who tastes these would realize Greece can produce true top-quality wines.

Ktima Pavlidis was another new estate for me, but unfortunately a bit disappointing. Their 2006 Thema White was ok, and while the 2008 Thema Rose (made from Tempranillo) was interesting it didn't wow me. The 2006 Thema Red was unfortunately what many Greek wines have been in the past - a bit thin (especially for a wine that is 60% Syrah) and lacking any real character.

Domaine Tsantali is well-known, and their 2005 Rapsani Riserva was a bit rustic and tannic, though it did open up slowly. It may turn out to be ok, but for now wasn't among the tops of the night.

Finally, I will close with Domaine Skouras, another favorite of mine. We had three different reds, beginning with the 2007 St. George (Agioritiko). This is a lighter Agioritiko, but a great food wine, and one that I have had in prior vintages. The 2006 Megas Oenos, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Agioritiko, is a big step up, but I did not find this vintage quite as compelling as prior years I've tasted. Many feel that this has been Greece's top wine recently, but this vintage did not quite measure up on this night. It was still good, but not quite to the level of some others I had. Finally, Skouras had a new wine on offer, the 2006 Synoro, which is a blend of Cab Franc, Merlot, and Agioritiko. This wine is still a little young and tannic with the Cab Franc really dominating, but I feel that it has the potential to be very, very good.

Overall, this was an amazing night. After tasting all off these wines, I really feel that Greece is moving ever closer to a real breakout with its wine industry. There is a great variety of indigenous grapes, as well as some wonderful wine being produced with international varietals. I can only hope that this trend continues and people give these wines a chance, because the improvements just in the last 5-6 years are really something. I also look forward to getting over to Greece at the end of the summer and seeing what new wines I might discover there, as there are bound to be more producers continuing to rise to the challenge. For anyone here in the US, I'd urge you to seek out some of these top wines, especially if you are visiting a Greek restaurant (such as Kyma here in Atlanta, one of the best restaurants of any kind we have in this city).

Vinitaly 2009, Part 4

Saturday morning we were back for our final day of Vinitaly 2009. Dad and I would have to make it on our own without any translation help from Megan, and we had a lot of wineries we still wanted to visit. With more crowds also expected, it was imperative that we maximize our time to get to as many producers as we could.

We began our morning back in the Veneto region, as we needed to get by to see our friend Tiziano Accordini. He was initially busy and asked if we could come back in about 30 minutes, so off we went to find a way to kill a bit of time. One winery we had both been hearing about but had not actually tasted their wines was Marion, so that's where we decided to stop. It turns out that Marion is a small, family-run operation headed by Stefano Campedelli and his wife. We began our tasting with their 2007 Valpolicella, followed by the 2005 Valpolicella Superiore (some grapes for this are partially dried for 40 days, with the others late-harvested). From there, we were offered a trio of IGT wines, the 2005 Teroldego, the 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon, and the 2004 Calto. These wines all have some interesting traits, as the first two are monovarietals where the grapes are partially aged, while the Calto is a "blend" of Amarone and Valpolicella. We then finished with a very good 2005 Amarone and the 2002 Passito Bianco. Overall, this is a winery to look out for - they are doing some different things, and seem to be hitting on most of them. If you find any of these wine sin the US, I'd definitely recommend them.

After this great start, we returned to meet with Tiziano. The Accordini lineup was stellar once again, with the 2008 Valpolicella starting us off, followed by the 2006 Valpolicella Ripasso and the 2006 IGT Passo that includes 20%Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Merlot in the blend. After that, we moved on to the 2005 Amarone, followed by the excellent 2001 Amarone Il Fornetto, and finally the 2005 Recioto. Again, these wines are all great examples of the Veneto, and are very reasonably priced where available.

Our last visit of the morning was with another Veneto favorite, Tommaso Bussola. We had tasted with Tommaso's wife Daniella last year and she was there to welcome us again this year, along with Tommaso himself. Once again, we were treated to a great lineup from this top-notch producer. We began with a trio of Valpolicellas, the 2006 normale, the 2004 Ripasso Ca' del Laito, and the 2004 Superiore TB. Unfortunatley, something has happened with the TB, as the wine seemed a bit tainted or possibly oxidized. The Bussolas are unsure what has happened, as no other wines of theirs are showing this. Next up was the latest vintage from the always interesting IGT, the 2004 L'Errante before moving on to the Amarones. We began with the 2003 Amarone Classico, followed by the 2004 Vigneto Alto, which was very good but a little sweet, before finishing with the 2004 TB Riserva, which I thought was the best of the group. Finally, there were three sweet wines, the 2006 Passito Bianco Peagna, the 2006 Recioto, and the 2004 Recioto TB, which is very sweet but great. Overall, another great lineup from Bussola that in my opinion affirms this winery's standing among the top echelon of the region.

At this point, it was a natural spot for lunch before beginning our afternoon. A break following some very sweet Reciotos would help the palates as we moved on to other regions, and we needed time to set a plan of attack for what would be an epic afternoon.

2005 Storybook Mountain Napa Estate Mayacamas Ridge Zinfandel

Last week I opened up my final remaining bottle of a group of wines I had gotten while Loudoun and I were on the mailing list for Storybook. Loudoun had several issues with the quality of his bottles, but this bottle was just fine. The 2005 Storybook Napa Estate was a bit restrained on the open, but still nice. Once I had my barbecued pork chops for dinner though, the wine really started to sing. The spice of the sauce seemed to really hit off something in the wine, and it really came into focus.

The following night, I had a similar experience, though the wine was going right from the start. Overall, it was quite a nice bottle and a fine example of Zinfandel from this producer. I'd definitely consider getting back on their list someday (or just purchasing on occasion when I find some well-priced bottles in stores), though for now our Turley allotment is keeping enough Zinfandel in my cellar.

Vinitaly trip - the Dal Forno visit

Last year, I never ended up writing about one of the high points of our trip, but it's just as well, because it was even better this year. Romano dal Forno is one of the iconic producers in Italy, and among lovers of Amarone he is a legend. My parents have been fortunate to have visited dal Forno on several occassions over the past several years, and this was just one more chapter.

Friday afternoon, Dad, Megan, and I arrived at the winery, which is also the family's home in Ilasi, about 40 minutes outside Verona. As with last year, Romano's son Michele was there to welcome us and lead us on our visit. After a quick look at the latest progress on their facilities including the fermenting tanks, we proceeded down to the cellar.

Michele showed us various vintages still in barrel as we made our way down to the lowest level where the wines we would taste were still aging. First up was the 2006 Valpolicella, which is already deep, rich, and voluptuous. Dal Forno now puts his Valpolicella through a short drying process before aging in small American oak barrels, so the wine is really baby Amarone. We discussed with Michele whether or not the treatment of new American oak is really the best, and he told us that it is something they have been discussing and considering altering. The barrel samples do show plenty of oak of course, but I do not have enough experience with their wines in bottle to say whether or not dialing back the oak a bit may be beneficial. Perhaps for a Valpolicella that many people will not want to wait too long for, it may be an option.

Next up was the 2006 Amarone. This wine is just a stunner - it is so full and rich, but also so very young and tannic as it is still in barrel. Without a doubt though, all of the raw material is there, and I imagine this will be a truly amazing wine once it is in bottle. Hopefully I will get a chance to taste it again many years from now.

Our tasting complete, we went back upstairs into the house to chat, and were joined by Michele's mother and his infant nephew (his younger brother is the first of the three dal Forno sons to have child, so their mother is of course quite exited to have her first grandchild around). Soon after, Romano himself finally came in to join us, taking a break from his busy day. Though we were expecting to leave soon, we ended up spending a good hour talking with the family, discussing not just wine, but the economy, a little politics, and just our lives in general. It was really a wonderful afternoon spent with a wonderful family.

Dad always likes to bring a small gift to them as well, and this year Michele was as always grateful to see the small pruning shears and pin-sized LED flashlight. In exchange, Romano felt compelled to offer us something as well, a true treat. Michele stepped out and returned with 2 bottles of the family's own olive oil, as well as a grappa produced by their neighbor from the dal Forno grapes. It was a scene similar to something we have experienced with our own family in Greece over the years, and just an incredible gesture on their part.

For me, this afternoon was just a wonderful experience. The dal Forno family has been so friendly over the past several years, and visiting with them is like seeing family. The fact that Romano is a legendary figure in the wine world is just amazing, as he is very down to earth. To him, the biggest reason he strives to make his wines be the best is not for any accolades, but because every bottle has his name on it, and he could not imagine something with his name being anything but the best he can make it. This drive, and the passion that Romano and his sons show in their product is what really takes these wines to another level. I just cannot say enough great things about our visit to the dal Forno home, and look forward to visiting with them again whenever we can.

2007 Domaine de la Colline St Jean Vacqueyras Vieilles Vignes

It's quite a mouthful to say the entire name, but this wine was one of the many stars of the 2007 vintage in the Southern Rhone according to Robert Parker, who calls this the vintage of a lifetime in one of my favorite regions. I wasn't familiar with the producer, but with a 91-93 point rating and a price tag under $20, this wine was a definite buy. After waiting a few weeks, I finally decided to crack it open, and wasn't disappointed.

The 2007 Colline St-Jean Vacqueyras Vieilles Vignes is a blend of 70% Grenache and 30% Syrah, which seems to be a perfect ratio as the wine is really very smooth - the Syrah adds a great roundness and some weight to the earthiness of the Grenache. On the second night the wine seemed to offer up even more dark fruit, suggesting that a year or so in bottle may deliver even more. This is not to say that the wine doesn't drink well now - compared to a few of the 2007 Cotes du Rhones I have had, this wine does not show too much heat or acidity at this stage. If you can find this wine, I definitely recommend it as a great value from this vintage.

Vinitaly 2009, Part 3

Friday morning it was back to the Veronafiere for another round. We only had a few hours before our afternoon appointment at the Dal Forno winery outside Verona, so it was a shorter shift. I managed to convince Dad that this was our best time to head to the Piemonte pavilion, so that's what we did.

Our first stop was Domenico Clerico, one of the top producers from the region, and a producer we had visited last year. Domenico himself was not there, and we had a bit of a language struggle (our luck that Megan was running a few minutes late and the winery rep spoke very little English) but no matter, we still had a great tasting. We began with the 2008 Dolcetto d'Alba Visadi, followed by the 2007 Barbera d'Alba Tre Vigne and the 2007 Arte Langhe, a blend of 90% Barbera and 10% Nebbiolo. From there we proceeded into the Barolos with the 2005 Barolo Pajana and 2005 Barolo Ciabot Mentin Ginestra, before finishing with the 2003 Barolo Percristina. All of these wines have plenty of potential, but are quite young and tannic still.

Megan then joined us as we sat down at Paolo Scavino, where Enrica Scavino, daughter of proprietor Enrico would help lead us through an fantastic lineup. We actually began with a white, the 2008 Langhe Bianco that was a blend of 70% Sauvignon Blanc and 30% Chardonnay, and it was quite nice. From there we worked through the entry-level reds, with the 2007 Rosso di Tavola, the 2008 Dolcetto d'Alba, and the 2008 Barbera d'Alba, followed by the 2006 Barbera In Carati and the 2007 Langhe Nebbiolo before the Barolos began. We began this group with the 2005 Barolo normale, which was very nice again this year for a normale bottling. Continuing up the line we had the 2005 Carobric, the 2005 Bricco Ambrogio, and the 2005 Bric del Fiasc, which was quite tasty and powerful. We concluded this phenomenal lineup with the 2003 Rocche dell'Annunziata Riserva Barolo.

Leaving the Piemonte for a moment, we then ventured into the area of importer Marc de Grazia to seek out one of our favorite Brunello producers, Livio Sassetti of Pertimali. Last year Livio's son was there, but this year we were treated to Livio himself in what became one of the highlights of the trip. Livio is 75 (something we would learn during our visit), but loves his work and still has a great passion for it. He speaks practically no English, so we were quite thankful to have Megan with us. Despite the language barrier, it was easy to see the great pride he takes in his work, but Megan's ability to tell him how much we appreciate that work really helped.

As for the wines, we tasted the 2007 Rosso di Montalcino followed by the 2004 Brunello, which was fresh and not too tannic, probably better than any we tasted on Thursday. As we drank the Brunello, Livio suddenly reached down into a backpack next to him and pulled out a ziploc bag. He the produced a hard salume that Dad quickly identified as chingale (wild boar), and Livio explained that he made this from a boar he hunted and killed himself last fall. The salume was fantastic, spicy and flavorful, and really a great addition to our tasting. Livio then finished off our memorable tasting by reciting a poem for us that he wrote himself about his passion for his wine.

All in all, this was one of the most amazing and memorable parts of the entire trip, and something I don't think Dad and I will ever forget. We both love the wines from Pertimali, but anytime we drink them from now on, I think we will always remember our visit with Livio Sassetti.

Finally moving on, we managed to make one more stop in Piemonte, where we sampled the latest releases from the Produttori di Barbaresco. We started with the 2005 Barbaresco normale, followed by a pair of Riservas, the 2005 Asili and the 2005 Ovello. We then finished with the 2008 Saracco Moscato.

As we wound up our short day, we headed back to the Toscana pavilion to eat lunch at the great cafeteria there. Just outside was the booth of Poggio di Sotto where we had stopped on Thursday but only had the Rosso di Montalcino. We wanted to be able to say hello to Piero Palmucci, and as he was there we stopped to try ther 2004 Brunello and chat quickly with him. The wine was great, rivaling the Pertimali as one of the best Brunellos we would taste. From there, it was time for lunch and then off to catch a cab to take us to Dal Forno.

1999 Numanthia Termes Toro

I went to the cellar one night last week as I was in the mood for a good Spanish wine and came out with this older vintage of a wine I've found to be pretty exceptional for its price range. The 1999 Numanthia Termes Toro did not disappoint. I've had the 2004 when it was quite young, and loved it though the wine at that time still showed some oak. This aged vintage had fully integrated the oak, and still had plenty of dark fruit flavors. It was really in a great spot, not overpowering but still with plenty to offer.

This is the entry-level wine from Numanthia (their namesake Numanthia is the next step up, with the luxury cuvee Termanthia among the elite level of Spanish wines) but it is no slouch. The wine has gotten consistently good reviews in most recent vintages, and is usually still priced under $25. I've got a few bottles of other vintages still waiting, and definitely recommend that anyone looking for a really top-level wine without breaking the bank should try these wines.

Two more Italians

I've noticed that since returning from Italy, I have once again been somewhat biased toward Italian wines, drinking quite a few of them. I've recently had two more, one from Tuscany and one from the Veneto.

The Veneto wine was the latest vintage of one of my favorites, the 2005 Allegrini Palazzo della Torre. Year in and year out, this is a great wine and still can be found at a pretty good price. The wine is an IGT due to the addition of a bit of Sangiovese to the typical Veneto grapes of Corvina and Rondinella, which I think lightens the wine just a touch and makes it an ideal food pairing. The 2005 vintage is another good one, and is already drinking well. I find that these wines typically can age for a few years, and sometimes a 6-12 months really put them into their prime window, but you won't be disappointed drinking this now either.

The next wine was the 2004 Caparzo Rosso di Montalcino. Caparzo is a relatively well-known producer in Montalcino, though I'm not sure I've had any of their wine before. 2004 was a great vintage though and I found this for a good price so decided to give it a try. On the first night, the wine didn't really have much to offer. It wasn't closed, just seemed very simple and light. The next night it was a little better, but overall it just seemed a little too light for me. I've had enough good Rosso di Montalcino (especially from good vintages) that I've come to expect a pretty high level of quality from them, and overall I think this wine fell a little short. It wasn't necessarily a bad wine, just very simple and thus not a great value for the price. At $10, I'd have been more satisfied, but crossing $20, I expect more.

2005 Domaine La Garrigue Vacqueyras

A winery I have mentioned on several previous occasions is Domaine La Garrigue, but always for their great Cotes du Rhone. For the first time in quite a while, I was able to find a bottle of their Vacqueyras and give it a try.

The 2005 Domaine La Garrigue Vacqueyras is a very nice wine. It has the telltale Southern Rhone flavors and a hint of the rustic character of Vacqueyras. To me this wine is a bit of a step up from their excellent Cotes du Rhone, and still a great value. I definitely recommend it to anyone that wants to explore some of the other great appellations of the Southern Rhone.

Vinitaly 2009, Part 2

Thursday afternoon was all about Tuscany, and mainly the 2004 vintage of Brunello di Montalcino. After a hearty lunch, we began at Siro Pacenti. Dad went to visit the winery when he and Mom were in Italy last summer after we met Giancarlo Pacenti last year at Vinitaly, so he was eager to make this stop. Dad even had a gift for Giancarlo, who was very happy to see us and take time to sit with us as we tasted his newest releases. As with many of these producers, we tasted the 2007 Rosso di Montalcino, followed by the 2004 Brunello. Both wines were nice, but young, though it was quite enjoyable to be able to discuss them with the winemaker while tasting. Like so many others we have met over the past two years, Giancarlo Pacenti has quickly become a friend who we look forward to visiting with when in Italy.

When we left Pacenti, we had a few minutes before an appointment with another friend, so we stopped at Valdicava. Here we tasted two big, young wines, the 2005 Brunello and the 2004 Brunello Riserva.

Next up was a scheduled appointment with Mario Bollag of Terralsole. Like Giancarlo, we met Mario last year, and Mom and Dad then went visit him at the winery over the summer. Mario was only at Vinitaly for a day this year, so we had made an appointment to be sure we could see him. He is incredibly friendly, and also very passionate about his wines, which makes a visit with him quite a treat. Our tasting started with the 2006 Rosso di Montalcino, followed by the 2003 Brunello and the 2004 Brunello. Mario had us taste both of these to see how different the two vintages really are. While the 2004 vintage is much more acclaimed, the 2003 is definitely more accessible now, as the '04 was still somewhat tannic. Next up, Mario presented his three IGT wines. There was the 2005 Coldoro, which is a Merlot, the 2005 Solista that is Syrah, and the 2005 Pasticcio, a blend of 55% Cabernet Franc, 30% Merlot, and 15% Sangiovese. All of the IGT's were very nice, and it was a wonderful visit with Mario once again.

Having finished our main visits of the day, and with time already running short, we really pushed through at a rapid pace the rest of the day. First up was Salvioni, where we had the 2007 Rosso di Montalcino and the 2004 Brunello, which was more approachable than the others we had tasted thus far. Next we ventured away from Brunello for a bit, stopping first at Volpaia. Here we began with the 2006 Chianti Classico, followed by the 2005 Chianti Classico Riserva and the 2004 Chianti Classico Riserva Coltassala, a single vineyard selection. We then had two IGT wines, the 2005 Balifico that is 2/3 Sangiovese and 1/3 Cabernet Sauvignon, followed by the 2005 Prelius Maremma. From there, we made our way to Tua Rita, where we tried the 2007 Giusto di Notri, which was a barrel sample but already very promising, followed by the 2007 Perlato del Bosco, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc.

After experiencing some other areas of Tuscany, it was back to Montalcino. We stopped at Poggio di Sotto for their 2006 Rosso di Montalcino, but promised to come back the following day to taste the Brunello when proprieter Piero Palmucci would be present. Next was Casanova di Neri where we tried a full lineup of wines beginning with the 2007 Rosso di Montalcino. After that, it was the 2004 Brunello normale, the 2004 Brunello Tenuta Nuova, and the 2004 Brunello Cerretoalto, which was quite tannic and will need several years of aging to show its full potential. We finished with the 2006 Pietradonice, a Sant'Antimo made with Cabernet Sauvignon.

In the booth right next door was Castello di Rampolla, so we stopped there to try a pair of IGTs from this great producer, the 2005 Sammarco and the 2005 d'Alceo. We then finally wrapped up our Tuscan afternoon at Il Poggione, where we once again began with a 2007 Rosso di Montalcino. That was followed up with the 2004 Brunello and the 2003 Brunello Riserva.

As we made our way back toward the exit, we ended up making one last stop for the day at Villa Sandi, a large producer in the Veneto. Megan had recently been to an event at the winery, so we made our way into one of the more elaborate setups we had seen for a final tasting. We began with their NV Prosecco, which was nice and made in a bit of a lighter style, then followed with two wines from their Sicilian holdings, a 2007 Nero d'Avola and the 2006 Filio, an IGT Cab/Merlot blend.

After all this, our first day at Vinitaly finally concluded. We would spend an hour or so in the taxi line, which allowed some time to sober up before heading for the Bottega del Vino, and then Friday we would be back for more.

Vinitaly 2009, Part 1

And now, we finally get to the real meat of the Italy trip, our 3 days at Vinitaly 2009. Thursday and Saturday were two full days, and we really put up quite a pace. There is just so much there, and though you try to make sure to get to as much as you can, you know that it is absolutely impossible to get to everything you would like to taste. Having experienced things once, I even tried my best to have some sort of plan of attack for us, but we would still not even come close to getting through all I had hoped. Thursday morning's start was somewhat slow as we got into the swing of things, but we spent a great deal of time visiting some of the wineries at the top of our list. We were also trying to make sure that we were able to see several of the people we had met previously, and that we could spend some time with them discussing their latest releases.

As we did last year, we began our first day in the Veneto pavilion after finally getting inside. We met up with Megan, and made out first stop at Giuseppe Campagnola. Of course, we had met Giuseppe the previous evening, and he was there to greet us upon our arrival. We sat down and began our tasting through his wonderful lineup of new releases. We started with the 2006 Caterina Zardini Valpolicella, then move don to the 2007 Corte Agnella, an IGT that is 100% Corvina. Next up was the 2005 Campagnola Amarone, which was still a bit tannic, followed by the 2004 Caterina Zardini Amarone, which we had drank the prior evening. It was just as good as the prior night, fully deserving of the 3 Glasses from Gambero Rosso. We then finished with the 2006 Recioto and the NV Fortificato, also tasted the prior night. Having Giuseppe there to walk us through everything of course made it an even better experience, and it was the perfect way to start out at Vinitaly.

Next we made a quick stop at Brig'aldara, where we tried the 2007 Valpolicella (still a bit young) and the 2004 Amarone Case Vecie. As mentioned in other posts, we had plenty of Brig'aldara wine on the trip, and they remain a favorite of mine from the Veneto.

Our next stop was one of the biggest names of the region, Zenato. Amazingly, last year we did not make it here, so this was a new experience for us. I'm pleased to say it did not disappoint, as we went through a great lineup of wines. We actually began with the NV Lugana, a sparkling white similar to Champagne. From there, we went into the reds with the 2007 Valpolicella (a little better than the Brig'aldara), the 2006 Cormi IGT (a blend of Corvina and Merlot), and the 2006 Ripassa, a favorite of mine in most every vintage. The next wine was a new one for us - the 2006 Cresasso IGT, a 100% Corvina Veronese selection that was quite nice. Finally, we were able to taste two Amarones, the 2005 Amarone normale and the 2003 Riserva Sergio Zenato, which was really amazing and one of the best Amarones we would have.

After Zenato, we proceeded to Lorenzo Begali, where son Giordano was once again there to host us (along with his sister Tiliana). We started here with the 2008 Valpolicella, then the 2007 Ripasso and the 2005 Tigiolo IGT. After that came a trio of Amarones, starting with the 2005 Amarone normale. We then tried two vintages of the Ca' Bianca Amarone, the 2004 and 2003. The '03 is already drinking well, but the younger 2004 has all the potential of a real blockbuster. We finished with the 2005 Recioto that was sweeter but still not overpowering.

All in all, it was a great start to the day. At this point, we went ahead and took our lunch break before embarking on an afternoon in the Toscana pavilion, which will come in the next entry.