Wine Regions & Grapes
Sampling of Wineries
Acorn Andrea Oberto Atlas Peak Benziger Beringer Blandy's Bodega Navarro Correas Burgans Cantina Terlano Chimney Rock Chronicle Domaine Carneros Domaine de la Mordoree Dow's Dr. Loosen Emilio Lustau Fonseca Foxen Gaston Riviere Glen Ellen Hess Collection Innocent Bystander Kendall-Jackson Korbel La Caudrina Luna Vineyards Madeira Wine Company Martin Codax Masi Merryvale Mulderbosch Navarro Vineyards Pahlmeyer Roederer Estate Ruggeri Sawyer Cellars Sbragia Six Sigma Winery St. James Steltzner Vineyards Trinchero Winery Trione V. Sattui Winery William Fevre Wilson Winery
Category Archives: Italy
Cascina Castle’t Moscato d’Asti 2008
Cascina Castle’t, Moscato d’Asti 2008 This wine is delightful in its expression of orange blossoms with an added complexity from the extra year in the bottle – creamy and delicious. Estate bottled by Maria Borio in Costigliole d’Asti 5.5% purchased … Continue reading
Isole e Olena Chianti Classico 2006
Isole e Olena, Chianti Classico 2006 Cherries and cranberries mark the nose with a touch of earth and smoke. In the mouth it is perfectly tart, light-bodied and ready to accompany roasted chicken. There’s long, lingering cherry flavor and acidity … Continue reading
Posted in Chianti, Chianti Classico, Italy, Sangiovese, Tuscany
Tagged Isole e Olena
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Red Wines of Piemonte
Vietti, Barbera d’Asti, Tre Vigne 2007 In the nose you’ll find tar, licorice, black fruit and chocolate. In the mouth there is Barbera’s acidic trademark, yet with density of flavor throughout – very nice and very long. The grapes are … Continue reading
Casa Alle Vacche Vernaccia di San Gimignano 2009
Casa Alle Vacche, Vernaccia di San Gimignano 2009 The nose offers minerality, hay and citrus fruits. In the mouth you’ll find the expected acidity, in a lean format with a bit of roundness on the edges. The grape behind this … Continue reading
Posted in Italy, Tuscany, Vernaccia, Vernaccia di San Gimignano
Tagged Casa Alle Vacche
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Tuscany’s Wine Classics
Castello della Paneretta, Chianti Clasico 2006 The nose shows baked cherries and brown spices. In the mouth the cherry fruit is quite vibrant as is the acidity which matches it – nice.The grapes behind this wine are 90% Sangiovese and … Continue reading
Posted in Chianti, Chianti Classico, Italy, Montalcino, Sangiovese, Tuscany
Tagged Argiano, Castello della Paneretta
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Vignalta Sirio Dry Moscato 2007
Vignalta, Moscato del Veneto IGT, Dry, Sirio 2007 It’s quite interesting tasting this wine 3 years on since the grapes were harvested. Often I drink up dry Muscats like this fairly soon. Tonight we have wine though, that is still … Continue reading
Masi Amarone Costasera 2006
Masi, Amarone della Valpolicella Classico, Costasera 2006 The fruit shows both a fresh and a lightly-stewed and evolved, complex character in the nose. In the mouth the texture is velvety, with almost a sweet appearance to the fruit. Like the … Continue reading
Posted in Amarone della Valpolicella, Corvina, Italy, Valpolicella Classico, Veneto
Tagged Masi
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Coltibuono Chianti Classico 2007
Badia a Coltibuono, Chianti Classico 2007 The nose sports cherries and caramel with some raisins – clean and inviting. In the mouth the acidity is vibrant, the tannins are there yet ripe and there is a creaminess as well – … Continue reading
Posted in Chianti, Chianti Classico, Italy, Sangiovese, Tuscany
Tagged Badia a Coltibuono
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Paradiso Vernaccia di San Gimignano 2008
Il Poderi del Paradiso, Vernaccia di San Gimignano 2008 Unfortunately this wine is aging prematurely, featuring a golden color and the smell of ethyl acetate. We’ll try another bottle soon to see if this was a failure of the seal … Continue reading
Posted in Italy, San Gimignano, Tuscany, Vernaccia, Vernaccia di San Gimignano
Tagged Paradiso
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Cantina Valle Isarco Pinot Grigio 2008
Cantina Valle Isarco, Alto Adige, Valle Isarco, Pinot Grigio 2008 The nose features straw, sweet flowers and candied fruit. In the mouth the citrus fruit is vibrant yet it is muted a bit by a hint of the alcohol. Bottled … Continue reading
Posted in Alto Adige, Italy, Pinot Gris and Grigio, Valle Isarco
Tagged Cantina Valley Isarco
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Wines of Italy
Tonight in the SRJC Wines of California and Europe class we’ll be exploring some of the key regions in Italy and the wines that made them famous. Check back later for the reviews. Cheers!
La Rasina Brunello 2004
La Rasina, Brunello di Montalcino 2004 This wine smells as if you’ve walked into a room filled with spices, coriander, cinnamon, cloves and more. In the mouth you’ll find lots of extract, a wine that is dense and acidic yet … Continue reading
Avignonesi Vino Nobile 2006
Avignonesi, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano 2006 In April, the nose spoke Old World with a bit of funkiness. In the mouth this Vino Nobile shined, concentrated, tannic and possessing electrifying acidity that accentuated the cherry fruit – very nice. I … Continue reading
Posted in Italy, Montepulciano, Sangiovese, Tuscany, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano
Tagged Avignonesi
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Elena Walch Pinot Grigio 2008
Elena Walch, Alto Adige, Pinot Grigio 2008 The nose features lemon and flowers with a bit of doughiness. The mouth is bright with citrus and its expected acidity, without the austerity of many Grigios from Italy. The whole palate is … Continue reading
Wines of the Alto Adige
This region holds a particular place in my heart. Linda and I visited some of the top producers of the region this summer and hiked the magnificent mountains. This Tyrolean region is beyond picturesque and vies with Stellenbosch as the … Continue reading
Posted in Alto Adige, Italy, Lagrein, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Noir
Tagged Alois Lageder, Cantina Bolzano, Cantina Terlano, Cantina Tramin, Manicor, Produttori Colterenzio
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Duca del Frassino Garganega Pinot Grigio 2009
Ducca del Frassino, Venezie IGT, Garganega Pinot Grigio 2009 This is amazingly New World in styling. In the nose the fruit is overt and fresh, reminiscent of banana and other fruits of a tropical persuasion. In the mouth the fresh … Continue reading
Posted in Garganega, Italy, Pinot Gris and Grigio, Venezia
Tagged Cantina di Soave, Duca del Frassino
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Sant’Antonio Soave Fontana 2008
Tenuta Sant’Antonio, Soave DOC, Fontana 2008 Minerality and lemon mark the nose. In the mouth you’ll find plenty of fresh lemon flavor, like biting into one freshly picked from the tree. You also get that zip of acidity that lingers … Continue reading
Frescobaldi Toscana Remole 2008
Frescobaldi, Toscana IGT, Remole 2008 This wine is fresh and fruit forward, ready to drink, a light-bodied quaffer which demonstrates that clean and juicy wine is not the exclusive realm of New World producers. Behind the bright cherry fruit is … Continue reading
Frescobaldi Nipozzano Riserva 2006
Marchesi de Frescobaldi, Chianti Rufina DOCG, Nipozzano, Riserva 2006 Unfortunately the first bottle was corked and will make a good example for my seminar on wine faults. The second bottle shows the huge difference a cork can make. In bottle … Continue reading
Posted in Chianti, Chianti Rufina, Italy, Sangiovese, Tuscany
Tagged Marchesi de Frescobaldi
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Ruggeri Giustino B. 2007
Ruggeri, Prosecco di Valdobbiadene, Giustino B., Extra Dry 2007 This wine combines the classic sense of bubble gum with tropical fruit and the amplitude of a little sweetness. The grapes are all Prosecco. The Bisol family been making wine in … Continue reading
Corte Normanna
Corte Normanna, Sannio DOC, Falanghina 2008 There’s plenty of minerality in the nose and in the mouth it is quite dry, with the acidity to the fore and a long and ongoing sense of the minerality. The wine is all … Continue reading
Posted in Aglianico, Campania, Falanghina, Italy, Sannio
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Layer Cake Primitivo 2007
Layer Cake, Puglia IGT, Primitivo, a.k.a. Zinfandel 2007 The nose features cooked fruit and vanilla while the mouth is light and soft. Bottled under Stelvin. 13.5% $12.99 at Bottle Barn
Posted in Italy, Primitivo, Puglia
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Biserno Insoglio del cinghiale 2006
Tenuta di Biserno, Toscana, Insoglio del cinghiale IGT 2006 There’s a sense of France in this wine from Tuscany, with black fruit, an herbaceous edge and tannic grip. The grapes are Syrah, Cabernet Franc and Merlot. This winery is shepherded … Continue reading
Posted in Cabernet Franc, Italy, Merlot, Tuscany
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Siro Pacenti Rosso 2006
Siro Pacenti, Rosso di Montalcino 2006 The fresh cherries come through in the nose with a New World freshness. In the mouth however, is the structure you expect, plenty of acidity and tannin – nice. The grapes are all Sangiovese … Continue reading
Posted in Italy, Montalcino, Sangiovese, Tuscany
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