A Taste of Italy -

Notes and impressions from a tasting of some Italian wines - Saturday, May 5, 2001, at the Wine Exchange in Orange, CA. Eighteen wines were poured for a tasting fee of $18.

Overall impressions: good flight, and a nice cross-section of wines from Italy. I don't get a lot of exposure to Italian wines, so this was a excellent re-introduction. Probably the most surprising thing I found about these wines, was that the acid-balance seemed much more in tune with [my] New World tastes. What a delight to find that the blow-torch acids that I half expected, were essentially gone. It also probably didn't hurt that I was delving more into the display of cheeses and breads while tasting. Anyway, I was impressed. Now, about those prices....

One of the things that deters people (well, me) from "getting into" Italian wines, are the prices for what appear to be the better wines. Unfortunately, I think this serves to discourage experimentation with the many varietals and appellations involved. So, what about bargains in this flight? Well, the Ca'Viola Barbera was very nice, along with the Calbello Merlot/Cab blend and the Nittardi CCR. The Coltibuono Chianti and Il Colombo Dolcetto seem like no-brainers at $14.

Individual Tasting Notes, in Order Tasted:

1999 J. Hoffstatter Pinot Grigio. $15.99. Nearly clear in color. Sweet grass and slightly citric nose. Moderate mouthfeel, sweet citrusy fruit, crisp medium-long finish. Somehow this seemed to fall a little short of expectations. Maybe more time would add some complexity to the citrus qualities.
Aroma score: B Taste score: B Overall score: B

1999 Pieropan Soave Classico Superiore Calvarino. $13.99. Slightly yellow in color. Nose of newly cut grass, hay and Asiago cheese. Off-sweet slightly plush mouthfeel, grass/hay and citrus flavors, seems to have nice acidity initially, but gets just a bit flabby toward the finish.
Aroma score: B Taste score: B Overall score: B

1999 Coltibuono Chianti Classico Roberto Stucchi. $13.99. Light-medium garnet color. Nose of black cherry, anise, and a cheddary aroma. Medium-full body, nice balance, tasty ripe fruit, and nice long finish.
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B+ Overall score: B+

1997 Nittardi Chianti Classico Riserva. $23.99. Medium-dark garnet color. Huge ripe black cherry nose, with anise and toasty oak background notes. Big mouthfeel, noticeable oak and acids, but fruit just keeps on pumping. Nice CCR.
Aroma score: A- Taste score: B+ Overall score: B+

1997 Poliziano Vino Nobile de Montepulciano Asinone. $35.99. Medium-dark garnet-cola color. Complex nose of toast, dried cherries, anise, and nice meaty quality. Big and tasty mouthfeel, fabulous balance, and gobs of fruit. There are still plenty of tannins and well-integrated oak to resolve, but what a great drink right now.
Aroma score: A- Taste score: A- Overall score: A-

1995 Fanti Brunello di Montalcino. $44.99. Dark garnet-ruby color. Nose of very ripe and spicy black cherry fruit, vanilla, and cheese toast. Huge mouthfeel, with tarry ripe flavors, nicely grained oak and tannins, off-sweet fruit, with a very long slightly grainy and cheese-flavored finish. Absolutely dee-licious.
Aroma score: A- Taste score: A- Overall score: A-

1998 Calbello Ardingo. $32.99. Dark garnet ruby color. Initially big vitamin/herbaceous nose. Vigorous swirling reveals more fruit, chocolate, and mocha aromas. Big ripe mouthfeel, with flavors of stemmy fruit, Kalamata olive, and a hint of sweet pine, on a big chewy finish. 75% Merlot; 25% Cab Sauv.
Aroma score: A- Taste score: A- Overall score: A-

1997 Fattoria Montellori Salamartano. $39.99. Dark garnet ruby color. Big floral and buttery cassis nose. Chewy mouthfeel, very nice balance through mid palate, with acids playing a bigger role at latter palate. Really nice nose, but the fruit seems to drop off a bit on the finish. 50% Merlot; 50% Cab Sauv.
Aroma score: A- Taste score: B+ Overall score: A-

1999 Vietti Dolcetto d'Alba Tre Vingne. $11.99.Medium-dark purple ruby color. Big stemmy, floral, and tarry nose, with some cranberry/blueberry aromas, and a oaky/toasty back ground note. Very subtle fruity flavors, coming on strong at first, then settling into a steely and stemmy quality, with a toasty and somewhat Spartan finish.
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B Overall score: B+

1999 Aldo Conterno Dolcetto d'Alba. $11.99. Medium dark garnet ruby color. Restrained stemmy floral nose of cranberry/blueberry fruit and toast. Medium-full mouthfeel of off-sweet cranberry/cassis fruit and toast, with very nice balance, along tasty finish.
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B+ Overall score: B+

1999 Il Colombo Dolcetto delle Langhe Monregalesi. $13.99.Dark ruby garnet color. Nose of ripe cassis and black cherry, with toasted oak, ink, tar, cheese and anise. With narrowly focussed fruit and somewhat tight mouthfeel, the oak and tannins seem to take front stage from the moderate fruit.
Aroma score: A- Taste score: B Overall score: B+

Favorites, in Order of Preference:
1996 Claudio Alario Barolo Riva. $44.99.
1996 Allegrini La Poja. $45.99.
1998 Ca'Viola Langhe Rosso Bric du Luv. $29.99.
1998 Calbello Ardingo. $32.99.
1997 Poliziano Vino Nobile de Montepulciano Asinone. $35.99.
1995 Fanti Brunello di Montalcino. $44.99.
1997 Fattoria Montellori Salamartano. $39.99.
1996 Allegrini Amarone. $39.99.
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1997 Nittardi Chianti Classico Riserva. $23.99.
1997 Pelissero Barbaresco Vanotu. $54.99.
1999 Il Colombo Dolcetto delle Langhe Monregalesi. $13.99.
1999 Coltibuono Chianti Classico Roberto Stucchi. $13.99.
1999 Aldo Conterno Dolcetto d'Alba. $11.99.
1998 Zenato Valpolicela Ripassa. $13.99.
1999 Vietti Dolcetto d'Alba Tre Vingne. $11.99.
1999 Agostino Pavia Barbera d'Asti Moliss.$9.99.
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2000 Dante Rivetti Moscato d'Asti Riveto. $9.99.
1999 J. Hoffstatter Pinot Grigio. $15.99.
1999 Pieropan Soave Classico Superiore Calvarino. $13.99.


1999 Agostino Pavia Barbera d'Asti Moliss. $9.99.Medium-dark ruby garnet color. Nose of ripe fruit, black olive, oak, toast, ink, and balsamic aromas. Very tasty mouthfeel, and the fruit seems to integrate seamlessly with the acids and tannins at the finish. Great price!
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B+ Overall score: B+

1998 Ca'Viola Langhe Rosso Bric du Luv. $29.99. Dark garnet ruby color. Big inky and fruity nose, with a meaty marinade aroma. Nice ripe fruit on the palate, with a tasty and chewy, if slightly hot, mouthfeel, and a very long fruit-filled toasty finish. Very nice! 100% Barbera.
Aroma score: A- Taste score: A- Overall score: A-

1997 Pelissero Barbaresco Vanotu. $54.99. Dark garnet-cola color. Nose of ripe tarry fruit and anise, with a singed and somewhat "old vine" quality to the nose. Smooth and subtle mouthfeel, slightly spicy ripe fruit, smooth long finish. After the very intriguing nose, the subtlety of flavors seem sort of a let down. Maybe since this is still a youngster, more time is needed. Or, maybe Barbaresco's aren't my bag. 100% Nebbiolo.
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B+ Overall score: B+

1996 Claudio Alario Barolo Riva. $44.99. Medium garnet-cola color. Lovely ripe and slightly burnished fruit, with a cheesy/toasty background aroma. Medium-full mouthfeel, very nice balance, with ripe fruit and lots of dark olive and cheese flavors through a long tasty and still slightly tannic finish. 100% Nebbiolo.
Aroma score: A- Taste score: A- Overall score: A-

1998 Zenato Valpolicela Ripassa. $13.99. Medium-dark ruby garnet color. Nose of sweet toast and ripe meaty aromas. Ripe mouthfeel, very nice balance, tasty fruit and herb flavors, with along, slightly coarse finish. Very nice wine for the price. 70% Corvina.
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B+ Overall score: B+

1996 Allegrini La Poja. $45.99. Dark ruby garnet color. Toasty, and slightly earthy nose, with herbed cheese-bread and spicy marinade aromas. Smooth, yet still young mouthfeel, nice ripe fruit, very nice balance, and a very long somewhat astringent finish.100% Corvina.
Aroma score: A- Taste score: A- Overall score: A-

1996 Allegrini Amarone. $39.99. Dark ruby color. Effusive nose of ripe and inky fruit and a bit of Port. Sweet mouthfeel, very nice balance, and showing a trace of heat on its extremely long finish.75% Corvina.
Aroma score: A- Taste score: B+ Overall score: A-

2000 Dante Rivetti Moscato d'Asti Riveto. $9.99.Slight brown-gold color. Raisiny and spicy nose, that even smells spritzy and a bit swampy. Nice moderate bubbles on the palate, clean mouthfeel, with a slight aspirin quality to the tasty finish. But hey, for $10....
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B Overall score: B


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