Italy

Wine Exchange (Orange, CA)
Tasted Saturday, April 5, 2008 by tcfishler with 642 views

Flight 1 - Whites (3 Notes)

  • NV Drusian Glera 87 Points

    Italy, Veneto, Prosecco di Valdobbiadene

    Fruity-ripe, nothing serious about this, with flavors of pear and lime and a good balance between sweet and bitter tones.

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  • 2006 Villa Russiz Collio Sauvignon 86 Points

    Italy, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Collio

    Leesy aromas suggestive of a nut-laden cookie that’s been burnt. Hard to believe this was raised in all stainless, as it comes across as somewhat dried out. Attention-getting length, though.

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  • 2006 Zuani Vigne Bianco 88 Points

    Italy, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Collio

    Reductive style here, all squeaky clean fruit (orange, grapefruit, gooseberry). Bright-rich flavors finish with a note of apple core.

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Flight 2 - Piedmont (5 Notes)

  • 2006 Vietti Dolcetto d'Alba Tre Vigne 87 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Alba, Dolcetto d'Alba

    Opaque purple red. Primary, smoke-laced black cherries and violets. Dense, packed full of dark berry flavor. Grainy texture, but the grains seem to be of uneven size. No great length.

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  • 2006 Giacomo Grimaldi Barbera d'Alba Pistin 89 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Alba, Barbera d'Alba

    Very dark red with a slight purple tinge. Candy cane features most prominently among the spicy-sweet aromas. A lot of ripeness well supported by classic acidity and fine tannin. Just waiting on some real flavor development.

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  • 2006 Andrea Oberto Barbera d'Alba 85 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Alba, Barbera d'Alba

    Medium dark red. Softer on the nose, yet high toned and still dense, with some salty air and iodine. Very high toned flavors of sharp cherry fruit, with a clipped finish.

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  • 2004 Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco 88 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco

    Light salmon garnet. Fairly deep nose of briny green olives. The big-time acid presence is ripe but still shuts off any appreciation of the other layers here. A good bet for cellaring.

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  • 2004 M. Marengo Barolo 90 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

    Medium garnet. Stewed prunes, maple syrup oak, and anise, with a refreshingly high-toned celeriac element too. In the mouth this is big to start with and then from there crescendoes slightly. Finish of sweet vanilla shows more of the oaking, but hopefully there will be a more integrated future for this wine.

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Flight 3 - Sicily (2 Notes)

  • 2005 Passopisciaro Passopisciaro 91 Points

    Italy, Sicily, Sicilia

    Light red. Burgundian nose of sweet cherry and earth, with some leathery nuance. Spreading and silky, with a texture strongly influenced by glycerin, leading to a bright finish. Comes across as riper but less intriguing than the 2004.

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  • 2002 Poggio di Bortolone Sicilia 'Pigi' 89 Points

    Italy, Sicily, Sicilia

    Dark garnet. Expressive and warm; modern dense fruit in an attractive package. Sweet and warm flavors aren't intruded upon by oak until the finish, where things turn slightly dry.

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Flight 4 - Campania and Abruzzo (2 Notes)

Flight 5 - North (? - this is from the Veneto) (1 Note)

Flight 6 - Tuscany (5 Notes)

  • 2005 Fattoria Le Pupille (Elisabetta Geppetti) Morellino di Scansano 89 Points

    Italy, Tuscany, Maremma, Morellino di Scansano

    Medium dark garnet red. Distinctively delightful nose of marzipan, vanilla, fresh bay leaf, and weedy plums. Full and bouncy in the mouth, with some weakness showing on the finish. Excellent value in characterful, likeable Sangiovese.

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  • 2005 Fontodi Chianti Classico 87 Points

    Italy, Tuscany, Chianti, Chianti Classico DOCG

    Dark bright red. High toned tobacco smoke and subtle vanilla. Extracted but not aggressively so. Good length, but the initial brightness gives way to some excess sweetness that would pose some challenges to food pairing.

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  • 2004 Azienda I Greppi Bolgheri Superiore Greppicaia 91 Points

    Italy, Tuscany, Bolgheri, Bolgheri Superiore

    Dark plummy red. Eucalyptus, mint, fresh tobacco, and spice liqueur. Mouthfeel is polished to the point of being glossy, with flavors of espresso and a perfumed finish. Fun stuff.

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  • 2003 Tenuta Della Luia Luia Toscana IGT 90 Points

    Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT

    Almost opaque red. Interesting combination of minerality and rasined fruit, with anisette and a slight woody tone adding yet more nuance. Very sweet but not heavy; seems lifted by the spiciness. Long. Could be tiring to drink a bottle, but in this format it's real attractive.

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  • 2001 La Magia Brunello di Montalcino 92 Points

    Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino

    Saturated garnet. Lovely earthiness and sweet cherries on the positively lilting nose. Vigorous swirling brings out some baking spices as well. Powerful, deep, and noble, with good but not quite great length.

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Flight 7 - Veneto (1 Note)

Flight 8 - Dessert (1 Note)

  • 2006 Caprili Moscadello di Montalcino 88 Points

    Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Moscadello di Montalcino

    Lots of orange juice and bright flowers on the nose. Quite sweet in the mouth, with the profile leaning more towards apple than citrus. Great stuff until a hole opens up in the finish.

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