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 filled out with flavor and coupled with a touch of richness – nice. P&B in [...]

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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 most beautiful wine region in the world.
Alois Lageder, Alto Adige, Haberle, Pinot Bianco 2008 The [...]

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Andrea Oberto, Barbera d’Alba DOC 2008 The nose features tar as well as some bound up sulfur. In the mouth it is immensely tart, screaming with acidity and a little leaner than hoped for. This wine doesn’t show nearly as nice as previous vintages; let’s give it another try in spring. Estate bottled in La [...]

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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 fruit theme continues, with lowish acidity. The concentration is low but the wine is clean [...]

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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 with the minerality for a long time. This light-bodied wine is steely and would pair [...]

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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 a nice thread of acidity, making it a perfect partner for the pork tenderloin with [...]

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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 number two, the nose shines cherries, brown spices and vanilla. In the mouth it shows Sangiovese’s [...]

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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 the region since the 16th Century and this bottling is dedicated to Giustino Bisot who [...]

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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 stainless. Bottled in Guardia Sanfamondi 13% $20 suggested retail.

Corte Normanna, Sannio DOC, Aglianico DOC,  [...]

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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

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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 by Lodovico and Piero Antinori. Bottled in Bibbona out by that more famous town Bolgheri [...]

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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 Grosso, vinified in stainless and aged in French oak for a year, about one third [...]

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Elena Walch, Alto Adige, Gewurztraminer 2007 Let this current vintage air a bit as its a little stinky at first. With time the roses that you expect emerge. Though the wine is dry, the body is big and viscous, low in acidity and very textbook Gewurz. P&B in Termano 14% $21.69 at Bottle Barn Elena [...]

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Il Conte d’Alba, Moscato d’Asti DOCG nv This wine smells of ginger and flowers while in the mouth it is sweet and lightly fizzy. It’s almost perfect except for a bit of TCA which unfortunately is adding a bit of wet cardboard and astringency. Fortunately the second bottle was on target. Bottled in Santo Stefano [...]

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La Spinetta, Moscato d’Asti DOCG, Bricco Quaglia 2008 Heaven in a glass, with plenty of flowers, lovely sweetness, light effervesence and freshness all day. This is a personal favorite from the legend. I was blessed to meet Rivetti before the skyrocket to fame. This wine remains an affordable way to taste some of this estate’s [...]

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Rosa Regali, Brachetto d’Acqui DOCG 2008 This wine shows its red fruit, both visually and in the nose. Strawberries combine with green herbs and a sense of mint in the nose. In the mouth, it is evocative of raspberries and cranberries with a little bit of grip, a tart and slightly bitter note with plenty [...]

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Martini & Rossi, Asti DOCG nv The fruit is rather muted in this wine, smelling mildly of citrus overlayed with butter. In the mouth it is buttery, almost oily, with the fruit in the background. The grapes are all Moscato Bianco. Produced in Torino 7.5% $13.99 at Traverso’s Martini & Rossi

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I Vignaioli di Santo Stefano, Moscato d’Asti DOCG 2008 The orange blossoms are alight in the nose of this wine. On the palate it is beautifully sweet, tasting of tangerines with a dusting of powdered sugar – delicious. The grapes come from Ceretto’s I Vignaioli di Santo Stefano Belbo estate, in the village of the [...]

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Ruggeri, Valdobbiadene DOC, Superiore di Cartizze Dry nv There’s a classic sense of bubble gum and sweet flowers in the nose, as well as plentiful fruit. In the mouth the wine is perfectly fresh and fruity and complemented by the touch of sweetness – lovely. There’s also a depth of flavor, a richness that you [...]

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Tentuta San Guido, Toscana IGT, Guidalberto 2006 Cassis combines with earthiness in the nose. In the mouth it is quite concentrated, with extract to match its structure. I like the way this wine combines the fresh fruit of the New World and the structure that one associates with the great wines of Tuscany. Put this [...]

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Masi, Amarone della Valpolicella Classico DOC, Costasera 2005 Dried fruits spring to mind when you smell this wine, raisins, dried cranberries and a sprinkling of brown spices. In the mouth, the wine is quite elegant, lighting up every part of the palate with flavor, but not overpowering it. The flavor lingers for a long time [...]

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Allegrini, Valpolicella DOC 2007 This wine has been consistently refreshingly full of acidity. This vintage smells of cherries and the forest floor. The earthy note carries over in the mouth with tart acidity and a bit of grip. 60% Corvina, 35% Rondinella and 5% Molinara. Estate bottled in Fumane di Valpolicella 13% $16.99 at Traverso’s
Allegrini, [...]

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Tenuta dell’Ornellaia, Bolgheri Rosso DOC, Le Serre Nuove dell’Ornellaia 2006 The nose features ripe black fruits. The mouth sports great acidity to frame the fruit, making this Bordeaux-style blend a natural for a dinner table laden with cinghale – yummy just thinking about it. This is the second wine of the famous Super Tuscan estate [...]

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Fonterutoli, Chianti Classico DOCG 2006 The nose features a woodsy, earthy character. In the mouth there is textbook tangy acidity, tart cherries, a touch of tannin and a long finish – very nice. 90% Sangiovese, 5% Merlot, 2% Malvasia Nera and 2% Colorino, aged for one year in small oak barrels. Bottled by the Mazzei [...]

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Bruno Rocca, Barbaresco DOCG 2005 This is a very ripe Nebbiolo with a healthy dollop of oaky sweetness making this accessible now despite its infancy. 80% of the wine was aged in French barriques and the remainder in botti for 15-18 months. An additional 10-12 months of aging in bottle also took place. Estate bottled [...]

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Coppo, Barbera d’Asti DOC, Camp du Rouss 2005 Unfortunately this bottle is corked. Camp du Rouss is a name that pays homage to the red headed man who owned the vineyard from where the Barbera for this wine was first sourced. Today the grapes were sourced from vineyards in Canelli and neighboring municipalities, grown at [...]

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Cantina Terlano, Alto Adige DOC, Pinot Grigio 2007 There’s lots of citrus and floral notes when you lift the glass. The mouth is fully fruity with ample acidity – very nice. Bottled in Terlano 13% $17.69 at Bottle Barn and $19.99 at Traverso’s Terlano

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Elena Walch, Alto Adige DOC, Pinot Bianco 2007 The nose features citrus and stone fruits while in the mouth you experience a creamy character that complements the refreshing acidity – long and very nice. Tasted later in September the same wine is developing more complexity. P&B in Tramin 13% $16.99 at Traverso’s Elena Walch

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Margherita & Arrigo, Friuli Grave, Pinot Grigio 2008 Clean Pinot Grigio with the acidity that one looks for, bottled under Stelvin for added safety. Bottled in Rive d’Arcano by Vini Bidoli 13% 8.5 pounds at Horsted Keynes Stores in West Sussex Margherita & Arrigo

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Corte Rugolin, Amarone della Valpolicella DOC, Classico, Vigna “Monte Danieli” 2001
The nose is fetching in its liquer-like essence with a bit of volatility amping up the fruitiness. The mouth is quite luscious, rich and in dried fruits and extract. – very mouth-filling and long. The previous vintage displayed a complex nose inlcuding oak and brown [...]

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