by Ray Johnson | Aug 29, 2009 | Italy, Muscat, Piemonte, Sparkling sweet
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....
by Ray Johnson | Aug 13, 2009 | Italy, Moscato d'Asti, Muscat, Piemonte, Sparkling sweet
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...
by Ray Johnson | Aug 5, 2009 | Brachetto d'Acqui, Italy, Piemonte, Sparkling sweet
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...
by Ray Johnson | Aug 5, 2009 | Italy, Muscat, Piemonte, Sparkling sweet
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...
by Ray Johnson | Aug 5, 2009 | Italy, Muscat, Piemonte, Sparkling sweet
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...
by Ray Johnson | Jul 22, 2009 | Barbaresco, Italy, Nebbiolo, Piemonte
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. Revisiting this wine in April ’10 is a treat as it is only getting better. 80% of the wine was aged in French...
