Italian Red wines
Of all the wine
regions, Italy is under-represented in my cellar. In my opinion, too many Italian red wines tend to
be harsh and acidic. But things seem to be getting better in recent years.
When we vacationed in 2003 in Tuscany, we had really great local wines: Vino
Nobile de Montepulciano, and Brunello di Montalcino. When we returned home, we found some of these wines
were $40 and up, or impossible to get locally.
| Description |
$ / * |
Tasting notes |
| 2005 Tommasi - Poggio Al Tufo - Rompicollo |
11
** |
05-2009 Fair wine - medium body, good fruit. This is a
balanced wine, with some nice depth of flavor. I liked it much better when I tasted it six months earlier. |
| 2006 Sandrone Dolcetto d'Alba |
20
**** |
04-2009 Very nice - medium body, good fruit. The nose on this wine is great -
it is very seductive. This is a
very well balanced wine, with some nice depth of flavor. It is an excellent value! |
| 2007 FontanaFredda Briccotondo Barbera |
12
** |
04-2009 Nice - medium body, good fruit.
This is a young wine, and fairly priced. This is the second vintage I've
had, very similar to the 2006. |
2006 Archeo
Nero d'Avola - Sicilia |
6
** |
09-2008 Nice - medium body, good fruit. It starts off fairly lightweight,
and a bit too fruity. After it airs out a bit, it acquires some deeper flavor. This is a Trader Joe's
wine - not terribly complex, but tasty, and easy to drink. I'm buying more at this price! |
2006 Tommolo
Montepulciano d'Abruzzo |
7
* |
09-2008 Nice - light body, good fruit. This tastes much like other
Montepulciano d'Abruzzo wines I have had. This is a Trader Joe's
wine, and is quite inexpensive. Compared to the 2006 Archeo, this wine isn't exciting enough for me. |
2005 Frescobaldi Nipozzano Riserva
Chianti Rufino |
30
*** |
06-2008 Very nice - medium body, good fruit. This is a
mature wine, and nicely balanced. I'm guessing on the price - it cost $50 at a restaurant. |
| 2006 FontanaFredda Briccotondo Barbera |
13
** |
05-2008 Nice - medium body, good fruit. This is a
young wine, and fairly priced. It is the first Barbera that I liked enough to buy more.
Another rustic Italian red. |
2006 Di Majo Norante
Sangiovese |
16
** |
05-2008 Nice - medium body, good fruit. This is a
young wine, and fairly priced. It is less smooth, and a bit more rustic than the other Italian reds we tried this month. |
2005 Biagini
Chianti Colli Senesi |
13
** |
05-2008 Nice - medium body, good fruit. This is a
mature wine, and a good value. This is a typical (good) Chianti. |
2006 I Perazzi
Morellino di Scansano |
16
** |
05-2008 Medium body, good fruit. This was the
least favorite of three wines we tasted over two nights - and the most expensive! |
| 2004 Recchia Valolicella Ripasso - Le Muraie |
28
** |
03-2008 Medium body and fruit.
This is the first Ripasso I've tasted, and I did like it much. Not recommended |
| 2001 Crociani Riserva Vino Nobile de Montepulciano |
28
** |
03-2008 Somewhat tired - medium body, little fruit.
Definitely not a good example of Vino Nobile! Not recommended |
2006 Paolo Scavino
Vino da Tavola |
20
*** |
01-2008 Very nice - medium body, good fruit. This is a
mature wine, and nicely balanced. It was a tad lighter than the Banfi 2005. I will buy more of both wines. |
| 2005 Banfi Rosso di Montalcino |
20
** |
01-2008 Very nice - medium body, good fruit. This is a
mature wine, and nicely balanced. It had a bit more depth than the
Paolo Scavino 2006. I will buy more of both wines. |
| 1999 Ricasoli Rocca Guicciarda Chianti Classico Riserva |
16
** |
07-2005
Good wine - medium body, medium
fruit. This is a
mature wine, but this bottle seemed heavier and more
tannic than in 2003. |