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August/September
2008
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Wine Review Archive - Italy, Piedmont
- Red
($60). Elegant and smooth, with polished
plum and red berry fruit, accented with
cinnamon and chalky mineral notes –
all on a full-bodied, tannic frame. Tasty
now, but just a preview of where this
wine is going. Best after a few more years
bottle age, then enjoy for a decade or
more. (Splurge Wine, 08/02)
($16). Teriffic concentration and depth,
with aromatic black currant and blackberry
flavors laced with smoke, bittersweet
chocolate, earth and sweet tobacco.
Long, full finish. Ready to drink now
and over the next couple of years. (Weekend
Wine 12/07)
($16). Delicious and easy to drink, with
juicy black plum and cherry fruit, racy
acidity and an appealing mineral kick.
Ready to drink now. (Wine Tasting 04/05)
($42). We
were lucky enough to stumble across this
wine at a restaurant recently. It was
wine list priced at $75, and we were feeling
splurgy, so we ordered it. And wow, it
was incredible. Beautifully balanced,
showing ripe blackberry and plum fruit,
with layers of earth, nutmeg and smoke
– this is an elegant wine from the
enchanting bouquet to the velvety finish.
And it hasn’t even completely hit
its stride yet. It should continue to
improve in the bottle for another few
years. (Splurge Wine, 08/02)
($16). Easily the best of the bunch. With
exotic notes of smoke, berry and chocolate
that begin in the bouquet and continue
on the palate. Full bodied and delicious,
with big but well-integrated tannins.
Lush finish that lingers on and on. Ready
to drink now and over the next couple
of years. (Wine by the Glass, 08/02)
($70). A "wow"
wine and worth every lira. Or Euro. Whatever.
With an intoxicating fresh bouquet laced
with floral and earthy accents. Ripe blackberry
and plum fruit is ripe and complex, picking
up an array of accents including wet earth,
sage, bacon, mineral and spicy oak. Generous,
lingering finish. Needs more time in the
bottle - drink after 2008 and then for
another 10-15 years. (Wine Tasting 04/05)
($185). Beautifully
focused bright red cherry and berry
fruit is laced with baking spices, toasty
oak, and milk chocolate. Silky tannins.
Lovely, lingering finish. Delicious
now and over the next ten years. (Italian
Connection 10/04)
($340). Just
a beautiful wine - balanced, complex and
lush. Ripe, deep berry flavors are deftly
integrated with warm spices, espresso,
toasty oak, and anise. Full bodied and
delicious. Awfully tempting now, but best
from 2006 to 2016 and beyond. (Italian
Connection 10/04)
($175). We were lucky
enough to get a small taste of this incredible
(and pricey) wine recently. If $175 isn’t
out of your price range, we highly recommend
it! Ripe and voluptuous, showing off waves
of red cherry and berry fruit, with beautiful
earth, spice, and mineral accents. Deliciously
long finish. Wonderful now and should
continue to improve in the bottle for
another decade. (Splurge Wine, 08/02)
($175). Full bodied,
with impressive tannic structure. Offers
meaty blackberry and dried cherry fruit
layered with smoke, tobacco, leather and
dried herbs. A powerful, very dry wine.
Best from 2006 to 2016 and beyond. (Italian
Connection 10/04)
($28). Tasty, with medium-bodied
fruit that includes juicy red cherry and
blackberry. Good earthiness and spice
on the finish. Ready to drink now and
over the next couple of years. (Wine by
the Glass, 08/02)
($19).
Light- to medium-bodied, with smooth red
berry fruit laced with touches of bittersweet
chocolate and roasted herbs. Ready to
drink now. (Wine Tasting 04/05)
($45). We
recently opened another bottle of this
wine and were bowled over (again!) at
the complex bouquet of rose and cherry
fruit, the elegant composition of ripe
fruit, toasted nut, and mineral notes.
This wine is wonderful now, but will really
be at its peak in another two or three
years. After that, it should drink beautifully
for four or five more. (Winery Spotlight,
06/02)
($17). Fresh red berry, cherry and floral
aromas and flavors stay bright and smooth
through the long, mineral-laced finish.
Ready to drink now and over the next couple
of years. (Wine Tasting 04/08) Locate
this wine online or in your area.
($12). Blackberry and dried cherry fruit
are accented with cola and subtle spicy
notes. Easy to drink, medium bodied,
and nicely balanced. Ready to drink
now. (Wine by the Glass, 08/02)
($46). An incredible
value, if you can find it anywhere near
this price. Loads of concentrated fruit
that includes black cherry and blackberry,
along with smoky and mineral notes that
emerge on the generous finish. Awfully
good now, and will be even better over
the next ten years. (Splurge Wine, 08/02)
($19).
Round and smooth, with ripe black cherry
and berry fruit laced with licorice and
a touch of toasted almond. Classic Dolcetto.
Ready to drink now. (Wine Tasting 04/08)
Locate
this wine online or in your area.
($17). Light
and crisp, with blackberry aromas and
flavors that pick up a touch of mineral
on the finish. Ready to drink now. (Wine
Tasting 04/08)
Locate
this wine online or in your area.
(mid $20s).
Give me wine. No one should ever struggle
over what to give me for my birthday,
Christmas, or any other gift-giving occasion.
Just give me wine. Wine also makes the
perfect gift for regifting. This weekend
I popped the cork on a bottle of wine
I recently received for my birthday. Paired
with a tomato-based chicken and green
olive stew served over white rice, I very
much enjoyed this Barolo, a bright red
wine that was smooth and berrylicious.
Well done my gift-giving friends. (Weekend
Wine, 04/00)
($12). What a nice surprise! Tangy, delicate
red berry and cherry fruit, with some
depth and sweet earth, and a bright finish.
A nice partner for a traditional Italian
pizza -- nothing fancy, just some ham
and cheese. Ready to drink now. Locate
this wine online or in your area.
(Picks & Nibbles 05/08)
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