Veneto - $20 to $40

Last night my tasting group met at my home to try wines from the Veneto. The rules were that the wines had to be $20 to $40 and available locally for purchase. The wines were served blind and enjoyed over 3.5 hours. Breads and a selection of cheese from IGourmet (thanks Brad) were served. All of the wines were good to outstanding. There is definitely a wide range of wines, many of which provide good value in this region without ponying up for Amarone.

• NV Cantine Riondo Prosecco Spago Nero 89 Points

  Italy, Veneto / Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Prosecco

  The bottle carried a hokey tag that it was featured on Good Morning America and WA90. The problem with NV is that the customer doesn't really know if this is the same lot as the WA90. Nevertheless, this was a very good Prosecco. It is $15 Ohio, but closer to $10 in parts of the free world. Light green gold in color. The nose takes a minute to open then it has seltzer and limes. Lots of random medium sized bubbles. Explosive fruit on the palate. Grapefruits with nice minerality. A whiff of sweetness. Long finish. Good acidity. This is a nice starter.

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• 2005 Vignalta Agno Tinto 88 Points

  Italy, Veneto, Colli Euganei

  Purple in color, opaque. The nose has lots of bottle stink. A strong barnyard scent, which sadly seems to be bothering me more and more these days. Also some heavy wood. The palate is much better with sweet plums. Nice texture. A bit drying on the finish. Interesting wine.

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• 2006 Cesari Ripasso della Valpolicella Superiore Mara 86 Points

  Italy, Veneto, Valpolicella, Ripasso della Valpolicella Superiore

  Inky purple in color, mostly opaque and bright. The nose is dusty with dark cherries. Tart charries on the palate, which is fine but it just drops off in the midpalate. The texture is juicy, but then the finish fades quickly. I thought this would be better. A fine enough wine at the table depending on price I guess.

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• 2000 Allegrini Palazzo della Torre Veronese IGT 91 Points

  Italy, Veneto, Veronese IGT

  I had laid this down years ago as an experiment. I threw this in as an extra ringer. As my friend Jeff K always say, ringers usually finish 1st or last as they stand out. Well, this was my first, but the groups last. Another trend I notice in my groups, is that I like "older" wines far more than my friends. While this was not "old", it was by comparison. It has cherries, and is slightly earthy. Also a very cool bit of pine which later turned to more of a funky pine. On the palate, this is slightly raisined and the most complex wine on the table. Still has some sweet fruit as well and even a bit of tannins. Probably should think about drinking these, but I am glad I thought to age a bottle of this back on release.

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• 2003 Tommaso Bussola Valpolicella Classico Superiore Tb 90 Points

  Italy, Veneto, Valpolicella, Valpolicella Classico Superiore

  The groups WOTN. Purple in color, ruby at the rim. The nose has cedar and cherries. More dark cherries and cherry licquer with some leather on the palate. It turns more to a liquer on the finish and is somewhat disjointed. Overpriced at the $40 Ohio, but this can be found for half that elsewhere. At that price, it is a good deal. It has a nice complexity and I think some air would bring it together more.

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• 2006 Allegrini Palazzo della Torre Veronese IGT 89 Points

  Italy, Veneto, Veronese IGT

  Purple/ruby at the rim. This is tight on the nose. Initially, it has this sort of m&M's quality to it. Candied, waxy and cheap chocolate. With air it develops more cherries. On the palate, it has sweet cassis and black raspberry notes. If I didn't know better, I would think this had Cab in it. Nice finish. Perhaps this needs time, but I thought this to be a lesser wine than the other vintages. Still a good wine, depending on price, I would be a buyer. New style label in 06.

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• 2005 Allegrini Palazzo della Torre Veronese IGT 90 Points

  Italy, Veneto, Veronese IGT

  The groups #2 WOTN. Inky purple in color. The nos has cherries, spice and complexity. Nice texture. On the palate, this is silky, complex with black cherries. Long finish with some tannins. This got better all night and seems to have some stuffing. $20 Ohio, this is worth laying down for 5 years IMO, just for fun.

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• 2007 Zenato Ripassa 87 Points

  Italy, Veneto, Valpolicella, Ripasso della Valpolicella Superiore

  Inky purple in color, mostly opaque and bright. The nose is dusty with cherries. Sour black cherries on the palate. Some anise on the finish. A bit weak on the palate, but the finish is long. Just seems lacking to me. Not bad, just not great.

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This tasting group was formed about three years ago and most of the group were novices who wanted to know about wines. Those of us who had a bit more experience led at first, but this group has long ago obtained its own energy. As we head into next year, we talked about raising our per bottle expenditures and seeking out finer wines. While I am in favor of this on occassion, I really do enjoy being able to look for value on our local shelves. I hope we continue those themes as well.