Continuing all of the Italian wines I've had lately, I begin again in the Veneto. Up first are a pair of vintages of the same wine, the Allegrini Palazzo della Torre. This has been a favorite wine of mine for nearly a decade, as I believe my first vintage was the 1998. I still have some back vintages of the wine, as it actually ages quite well. As good as it has been, I think Allegrini has really upped the quality over the past few years. The 2004 was been my favorite young version of this when it first came out, and this latest bottle was just as good as usual. then I loved the 2005 as well, but, the 2006 vintage is really something - so fresh and full-bodied, yet refined. The wine can still be found for $20, and at that price continues to be a great bargain and a wine I will drink over and over.
Moving to Tuscany, I had the 2007 Argiano Rosso di Montalcino. Amazingly I found this wine locally for $16, another great bargain for a very good Rosso di Montalcino. This wine is pretty close to the 2007 Il Poggione, and at the price is a wine anyone who likes Sangiovese should seek out. It isn't a huge wine, but restrained and almost elegant. I have quickly gone and bought more.
Finally, I had the 2006 Villa Medoro Montepulciano d'Abruzzo. I haven't had too many wines from this region, and some of those I have had were "bargain" wines that really didn't offer much. This wine had a little more character, though I still wasn't blown away by it the first night. The second night it was better, and certainly an enjoyable wine that did more to show off the diversity of Italy. However, at the price similar to the other wines in this post, I'm just not so anxious to buy more.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Tour of Italy, Round 1
My consumption of Italian wines continues to increase, thanks in great part to the wide variety of grapes and styles present. Thus, I have two full entries just covering Italy from head to toe.
Up first was the 2004 Brandini Langhe Rosso. I was not familiar with this producer but picked up a bottle at one of the local shops on a recommendation. For the price (around $20) this was a fine bottle of wine, offering nice cherry notes. I drank it over multiple days and it held up well. It's a nice bargain from Piemonte.
Next was the 2007 Zenato Valpolicella, the entry level wine from one of my favorite producers. The 2007 Valpolicella isn't amazing, but it's a solid bottle. I think I prefer the Brig'aldara in '07, but there's no complaints about the Zenato either.
Moving south to Tuscany, I had the 2006 Volpaia Chianti Classico, another perennial favorite. Volpaia makes high-quality affordable wines from Chianti, and this one from the excellent 2006 vintage is no different. It's a great food wine too. Volpaia is one of several wineries I plan to visit on my trip to Tuscany in June.
My final wine was from further south in Campania, the 2004 Vinosia Taurasi. I picked this up originally just because it was an affordably priced Taurasi - only later did I learn it had been receiving some rave reviews. I can certainly say it warranted those, because this is an excellent representation of Aglianico, and even better when factoring the price (around $24 here). It is still a bit young for a Taurasi, with some tannin, but not overwhelming. However, the bottles I have since bought will wait for just a bit to see how they develop. I highly recommend searching this wine out if anyone is interested in learning more about the wines from Southern Italy.
Up first was the 2004 Brandini Langhe Rosso. I was not familiar with this producer but picked up a bottle at one of the local shops on a recommendation. For the price (around $20) this was a fine bottle of wine, offering nice cherry notes. I drank it over multiple days and it held up well. It's a nice bargain from Piemonte.
Next was the 2007 Zenato Valpolicella, the entry level wine from one of my favorite producers. The 2007 Valpolicella isn't amazing, but it's a solid bottle. I think I prefer the Brig'aldara in '07, but there's no complaints about the Zenato either.
Moving south to Tuscany, I had the 2006 Volpaia Chianti Classico, another perennial favorite. Volpaia makes high-quality affordable wines from Chianti, and this one from the excellent 2006 vintage is no different. It's a great food wine too. Volpaia is one of several wineries I plan to visit on my trip to Tuscany in June.
My final wine was from further south in Campania, the 2004 Vinosia Taurasi. I picked this up originally just because it was an affordably priced Taurasi - only later did I learn it had been receiving some rave reviews. I can certainly say it warranted those, because this is an excellent representation of Aglianico, and even better when factoring the price (around $24 here). It is still a bit young for a Taurasi, with some tannin, but not overwhelming. However, the bottles I have since bought will wait for just a bit to see how they develop. I highly recommend searching this wine out if anyone is interested in learning more about the wines from Southern Italy.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
A pair from Spain
I seem to be drinking less Spanish wine lately, at times having to remind myself to open one for more variety. One that I've had a couple of times is the 2007 Atteca Old Vines. It's been a favorite value selection of mine for a while, and while it is one of those more New World-styled Spanish wines, I still enjoy it. It is a 100% Grenache from Calatayud, and pretty full throttle, not unlike 2007 Rhones.
The other wine I had was the 2004 Finca Allende Rioja. I already had a bottle of this in the cellar, but a local store got more in, and after tasting an open bottle there, I decided to pick up more and try it. I've had the 2001 vintage of the wine as well, and thoroughly enjoyed it. This bottle was good, but not outstanding. I think it actually will do better with a little more time, so I intend to hold off a while before opening another bottle.
The other wine I had was the 2004 Finca Allende Rioja. I already had a bottle of this in the cellar, but a local store got more in, and after tasting an open bottle there, I decided to pick up more and try it. I've had the 2001 vintage of the wine as well, and thoroughly enjoyed it. This bottle was good, but not outstanding. I think it actually will do better with a little more time, so I intend to hold off a while before opening another bottle.
Friday, April 9, 2010
2007 Piemonte
2007 is shaping up to be another solid vintage in Piemonte, and three wines I've recently had from three great producers have shown the potential of this vintage when the big guns are released over the next two years.
Up first was the 2007 Luciano Sandrone Dolcetto d'Alba. This wine has been a favorite of mine, both in this vintage and earlier ones. This latest bottle was consistent with my prior notes, a delicious example of this varietal.
Next was a new release from one of my favorite producers, the 2007 Vietti Barbera d'Asti Tre Vigne. This Barbera doesn't have quite the elegance of the Sandrone Dolcetto, but is still a fantastic wine. It delivers plenty of fruit and a bit of complexity that may be unexpected in a wine of this price. Vietti seems to really be moving into the upper echelon of Piemonte producers, and as one of my favorites for a while, I am really enjoying their wines.
Finally, I had a wine that's not officially a 2007 vintage, the Albino Rocca Rosso di Rocca Vino di Tavola. As a Vino di Tavola, it can't include a vintage, but this is lot L 20.07. The designation is applied because the wine includes 10% Cabernet Franc in the blend with Nebbiolo and Barbera. However, it is a delicious wine, and also very reasonably priced. It is again a little different than the previous wines, with a little extra body from the Cab Franc, but it doesn't lose the typicity of the region, readily identifiable as a predominately Nebbiolo wine.
Overall, these are three great reasonably priced wines from three great producers in a region I continue to enjoy more and more. The wines are all great with food, and drink well in their youth, a great benefit while waiting for the top wines from the region to age into their prime.
Up first was the 2007 Luciano Sandrone Dolcetto d'Alba. This wine has been a favorite of mine, both in this vintage and earlier ones. This latest bottle was consistent with my prior notes, a delicious example of this varietal.
Next was a new release from one of my favorite producers, the 2007 Vietti Barbera d'Asti Tre Vigne. This Barbera doesn't have quite the elegance of the Sandrone Dolcetto, but is still a fantastic wine. It delivers plenty of fruit and a bit of complexity that may be unexpected in a wine of this price. Vietti seems to really be moving into the upper echelon of Piemonte producers, and as one of my favorites for a while, I am really enjoying their wines.
Finally, I had a wine that's not officially a 2007 vintage, the Albino Rocca Rosso di Rocca Vino di Tavola. As a Vino di Tavola, it can't include a vintage, but this is lot L 20.07. The designation is applied because the wine includes 10% Cabernet Franc in the blend with Nebbiolo and Barbera. However, it is a delicious wine, and also very reasonably priced. It is again a little different than the previous wines, with a little extra body from the Cab Franc, but it doesn't lose the typicity of the region, readily identifiable as a predominately Nebbiolo wine.
Overall, these are three great reasonably priced wines from three great producers in a region I continue to enjoy more and more. The wines are all great with food, and drink well in their youth, a great benefit while waiting for the top wines from the region to age into their prime.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Older Northern Rhones and younger Southern Rhones
Once again, I've neglected the blog for a while, so there is a lot to catch up on. I'll begin with a selection of Rhone Valley wines I've had over the last several weeks.
First up are two wines from the north. The 2000 Guigal Cote Rotie Brune et Blonde was solid, but not spectacular. This is Guigal's entry-level Cote Rotie, made from purchased fruit. It can be really good (a 1998 I had last year was quite nice, but the 2000 vintage isn't quite as good. I did enjoy this wine, but as the price continues to rise on it, it's not the great value in Cote Rotie it once was.
The next Syrah-based wine was the 2001 Patrick Lesec Cornas Le Vignon. I had Lesec's other 2001 Cornas last summer, and as expected this one performed a little better. The Le Vignon was probably not going to get any better, as this seemed a good time to be drinking it. Still not a blockbuster, it was an enjoyable wine, and probably more on the modern style of Cornas.
Moving south, I've had more from the 2007 vintage. First was the 2007 Domaine Duseigneur Antares Lirac. This was not a producer I was familiar with, but the wine had a good review and a good price. I thought the wine had a pretty nice balance for an 07, but it didn't blow me away. There wasn't quite the fruit and complexity of some of my favorite Liracs (Mordoree, Jaume), but it wasn't bad either. I may try another bottle at some point, especially if the price remains low.
Finally, I had a bottle of the 2007 Perrin et Fils Vinsobres Les Cornuds. I'd had the 2006 vintage of this wine and came away slightly underwhelmed, but the 07 is a different story. This wine was really singing, a great 2007 Rhone. As I've been noting, it seems the 07's are just now starting to hit their stride, and this was no exception. The acidity has calmed a bit, and the wine seems in fine balance. It is one of many great values now available in 2007 Southern Rhones.
First up are two wines from the north. The 2000 Guigal Cote Rotie Brune et Blonde was solid, but not spectacular. This is Guigal's entry-level Cote Rotie, made from purchased fruit. It can be really good (a 1998 I had last year was quite nice, but the 2000 vintage isn't quite as good. I did enjoy this wine, but as the price continues to rise on it, it's not the great value in Cote Rotie it once was.
The next Syrah-based wine was the 2001 Patrick Lesec Cornas Le Vignon. I had Lesec's other 2001 Cornas last summer, and as expected this one performed a little better. The Le Vignon was probably not going to get any better, as this seemed a good time to be drinking it. Still not a blockbuster, it was an enjoyable wine, and probably more on the modern style of Cornas.
Moving south, I've had more from the 2007 vintage. First was the 2007 Domaine Duseigneur Antares Lirac. This was not a producer I was familiar with, but the wine had a good review and a good price. I thought the wine had a pretty nice balance for an 07, but it didn't blow me away. There wasn't quite the fruit and complexity of some of my favorite Liracs (Mordoree, Jaume), but it wasn't bad either. I may try another bottle at some point, especially if the price remains low.
Finally, I had a bottle of the 2007 Perrin et Fils Vinsobres Les Cornuds. I'd had the 2006 vintage of this wine and came away slightly underwhelmed, but the 07 is a different story. This wine was really singing, a great 2007 Rhone. As I've been noting, it seems the 07's are just now starting to hit their stride, and this was no exception. The acidity has calmed a bit, and the wine seems in fine balance. It is one of many great values now available in 2007 Southern Rhones.
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