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 Bel Giorno! Yesterday I began my review of the Kobrand Tour d’Italia 2015 eight-city tour of Italy. We explored some wonderful vineyards and tasted interesting wines. I now have three more stops to make.  I made my way to Veneto, where Tony Apostolakos, the U.S. Director of Masi Agricola was waiting to guide me through a tasting of Amarone. It is interesting to note that Sandro Boscaini, the owner of Masi, is referred to as “ Mr. Amarone” due to the unique crafting of his wines. He uses the appassimento method to concentrate aromas and flavors in wine. The Appaxximento symbol can be found on his labels guaranteeing the authenticity and quality of Masi Wine. I’ll highlight a few of the wines I tasted. The 2011 Costasera Amarone was full-bodied with cherry, plum and spices. The 2008 Vaio Armaron Amarone, aged in cherry wood casks for four months, was amazing. The aroma and flavor of cherries, spices and fruit lingered on the palate. Before I departed I was treated to a taste of 1999 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico. It had a beautiful bouquet of fruit and earth, with dark fruit and spice on the palate. http://www.masi.it  The next stop was Piedmont to visit Michele Chiarlo, a family owned and run winery. Their grape varieties are Moscato, Barbera, Nebbiolo and Cortese. It is interesting to note that the wines are never blended. I tried a 2011 Reyna, Barbaresco, 100% Nebbiolo. It was flowing with dark fruit, spice and licorice. The 2007 Cannubi Barolo, also 100% Nebbiolo was full-bodied with notes of licorice, spice and firm tannins. Although I didn’t have a chance to taste the light sparkling wine Nivole, Moscato d’Asti, 100% Moscato, I was told the wine is so delicate that, Michele Chiarlo named it Nivole after the Piedmontese word for clouds. http://www.michelechiarlo.it/ My final destination was back in Tuscany with Ambrogio E Giovanni Folonari. The Folonari family began their wine making in the 1700’s and are considered among Tuscany’s top winemakers. Their portfolio is vast and with the array of bottles set before me, I knew that I didn’t have time to sample them all. So I asked Claudio Andreani to guide me through a few of the wines. We started with the 2010 Tenuta La Fuga Brunello di Montalcino. It was full-bodied and robust with dark berry and tobacco. The 2012 Tenute del Cabreo Il Borgo was smooth and earthy. Tannins were a bit chewy. Next was Tenuta di Nozzole Chianti Classico Riserva, 100% Sangiovese. Aged for 16 months in Slavonian oak vats, the wine was earthy with firm tannins. My last taste was a 1997 Tenuta Campo al Mare, Rosso, Bolgheri. This wonderful Bordeaux-style blend was rich in flavor. Dark fruit, licorice and a long smooth finish completed my day of tasting. http://tenutefolonari.com
Have a great Friday! Cheers! Penina  Tuesday was a beautiful day and what better way to spend it than touring Italy. Our kick off point was the trendy Bowery Hotel in NYC. This small boutique hotel located in the East Village was the perfect setting for the Kobrand Tour d’ Italia 2015 wine event.  The first stop on this eight-city tour was Risano and Spessa di Capriva in the Friuli Grave and Collio Goriziano D.O.C. zones. I met with Roberto Pighin, the owner of Fernando Pighin & Figli. He has been part of the family winery since he was a child. He is passionate about his wine and took great pride in discussing the production of the Pinot Grigio and Sauvignon Blanc. The Pinot Grigio Friuli Grave was sweet with fruit and quite lively, as compared to the Pinot Grigio Collio that was more intense with citrus and less fruit. The Sauvignon Blanc Friuli Grave was grassy, mild and very pleasant. http://www.pighin.com  My next stop was the estate of Tenuta San Guido located in the D.O.C. Bolgheri in Tuscany. Colleen McKettrick, the Brand Ambassador, greeted me. It is no secret that Sassicaia is a favorite of mine. And, it is also the first Super Tuscan to be released in 1968. So it was with great pleasure that I tasted some excellent wines. The 2012 Sassicaia was rich with dark fruit, spices and was quite robust. Colleen poured me a special taste of the 2004 Guidalberto and 2006 Sassicaia that were pure velvet! The 2013 Guidalberto Toscana IGT is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. It was well-balanced with dark fruit and a velvet texture. The 2013 Le Difese Toscana IGT is a mini Super Tuscan made with Cabernet Sauvignon and Sangiovese, sharing a pedigree with Sassicaia. The fruit is picked from younger vines and is easy to drink. http://www.tenutasanguido.com Agricola Punica, founded in 2002, is located in Sardinia, a large island in the Mediterranean Sea. Sebastiano Rosa (Principle) and his son led me on a guided tour of their wines. We started with the Samas, made with Vermentino and Chardonnay grapes. It was quite refreshing and light with lots of citrus. I also tried Montessu, 2013 and Barrua, 2012, both made with the Carignano grape which is one of three main grapes planted in Sardinia. The Montessu was layered with fruit & spices and called “Super Sardinian” The Barrua was more robust and full-bodied. I’ll have to come back to this island! http://www.agripunica.it/ I found myself back in Tuscany again tasting wines from Tenuta Sette Ponti owned by Giovanna Moretti and her brother Antonio Moretti who also own Feudo Maccari in Sicily. Their Tuscan wines are eclectic and there were many to sample. The newest wine is Vigna del Impero made with 100% Sangiovese. Planted in 1935, Imperno is one of Tuscany’s oldest vineyards. The wine was rich with fruit, spice and medium tannins. I made a quick stop in Sicily to taste Grillo, Sicilia IGP 2014. Aged in steel tanks, this full-bodied wine was floral scented, with citrus and stone fruit on the palate. Did you know that the Grillo grape is most famous for its role in making Marsala wines? http://www.tenutasetteponti.it Tenute Silvio Nardi, located in Tuscany is owned and operated by Emilia Nardi. They are one of the founding families of the Brunello Consortium. The wines are made with 100% Sangiovese. I tasted the 2005 and 2010 Brunello. The 2005 Brunello was high in tannins and more “chewy”. I preferred the 2010 Brunello having softer tannins that allowed the fruit, licorice and spices to dominate. I then tried the 2006 and 2010 Manachiara Brunello. Although the 2006 was bright and robust, the 2010 was smoother and more complex. http://www.tenutenardi.com So, this is where the first leg of my trip ends. Tomorrow I will continue on to Veneto, Piedmont and then back to Tuscany. Until then…  Saluti!
Penina  Wednesday turned out to be a long day of “catch up” at work and dealing with a myriad of personalities.  So, it was a welcome treat to go out for a peaceful dinner and glass of wine with a friend. That’s right…no bottle ordered!  I had a glass of Banfi Centine Toscana 2009. The grapes were Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. The color was ruby with a lovely nose of dark cherries, spices and floral. The flavors were intense with lots of berries, plum and a touch of spice. This was an easy drinking wine with soft tannins and a nice finish. http://castellobanfi.com/ I have a busy day ahead, but I’ll be dining and wining tonight…hoping to open something big!
Have a great Thursday! Cheers! Penina  Let me start with a big shout out to American Pharoah, the new Triple Crown Winner! It was an amazing race! We were all on the edge of our seats throughout the short race.  It turned my small get together into a full-blown celebration! We opened bottles of wine and grilled lots of food. I will give my thoughts on the wine we drank during the week.  As promised, I want to share my thoughts on the 2009 Brunello Di Montalcino from the La Mannella Estate. The wine is made from 100% Sangiovese grapes and aged in oak barrels for 40 months. The color was inky purple with aromas of cherry, licorice and spices. Lots of dark fruit on the palate with hints of clove, vanilla and oak gave way to a lengthy finish. Soft tannins and full-bodied…perfect! http://www.lamannella.it Enjoy your Sunday!
Cheers! Penina  I’m sneaking in a moment of a rather crazy day to give a shout out…again, to a wine I had last evening. Although it was a stressful and long day, I managed to rustle together a lovely meal. As I flew around the kitchen, I gave my dinner guest carte blanche to my “wine cellar”. He came back with a wine that I reviewed on 1/29/15, Day 194.  It was a 2008 D'Isanto & D'Isanto I Balzini White Label Colli della Toscana Centrale IGT. The wine is 50% Cabernet Sauvignon and 50% Sangiovese. The last time I reviewed it, we had decanted the wine and let it sit for an hour. This time, we poured right from the bottle, let it sit in the glass for about 20 minutes and then enjoyed the experience. My review of the wine is the same as before. “The color was deep garnet with an incredible bouquet of dark fruits, earth and spices. It was rich in flavor with dark plum, blackberries, pepper and herbs. The finish was long and smooth.” Check out their website: http://www.ibalzini.it And now it’s back to work.
Happy Thursday! Cheers! Penina  I put in a long day yesterday. So it was a welcome treat to go out with a few friends for a fun dinner and bottle of wine.  We had Italian food and 2010 Casa Emma Chianti Classico. The wine is made with 90% Sangiovese grapes, 5% Canaiolo grapes and 5% Malvasia grapes. It was dark ruby with fruity aromas of cherry, strawberry and herbs. Cherry dominated the palate along with subtle flavors of dark currant and soft minerals. Fruit and silky tannins carried over to the long finish. It was very smooth and enjoyed by everyone. http://www.casaemma.com I have another busy day ahead of me, including a quick stop for a wine tasting that includes wines from California, France and Germany.
Happy Saturday! Cheers! Penina  After a routine workday, a friend stopped by last evening for an “after work/early evening” drink. As fate would have it…or not, I tripped over one of the many piles of things that I’m giving away and ended up icing my knee along with my drink. Good thing he was there to scoop me up!  As I mentioned yesterday, my “wine tasting” evening on Tuesday ended with a vintage wine. It was a 1986 Porta Della Pietra from Greve in Chianti. Producer: John Matta. Written on the label is “Vino da Tavola Toscano”, which means “table wine” in Italian and represents the most basic level of Italian wine. However, this category held some prestige back in the 1970s and 1980s. Top-quality wines were produced under this title, but it doesn’t hold true today.  So, with great anticipation, the bottle was opened and the wine decanted. The wine was made from 75% Sangiovese and 25% Cabernet. It was a dark garnet color and quite impressive for it’s age! Aromas of fruit and spice gave way to red berries, fennel and earth on the palate. After an hour of opening, the wine held up very well. There was a velvety mouth feel and lots of fruit that contributed to a long finish. And the best part is that I have another bottle in my “wine cellar”!  I tried in vain to search for the vineyard. It is probably gone or exists under another name today. However, I did find the producer, John Matta, who now owns Castle Vicchiomaggio in Greve and is making wine! Hmmmm…. Have a super Thursday!
Cheers! Penina  I woke up to snow flurries this morning, but I’m confident the sun will eventually come out to say hello.  After spending most of the day yesterday making piles of “things” to throw out, give away or keep, I was ready for a diversion.  So, when a friend called and suggested that we meet for dinner, I flew out the door. It was a lovely meal. My dinner companion and I shared a bottle of Brunello di Montalcino that was very good. As much as I would love to tell you about this particular bottle, I failed to take a photo or write down tasting notes. I believe that is a first for me!  However, I can certainly tell you about the wine in general. Here are some interesting facts about Brunello di Montalcino: The wine is produced with 100% Sangiovese grapes in vineyards that surround the town of Montalcino located in the Tuscany wine region. Brunello di Montalcino was awarded the first DOCG designation in 1980 and is considered one of Italy’s most famous and distinguished wines. Montalcino is a small wine region with around 3,000 acres planted as compared to the nearly 41,000 acres of planted land in Chianti. Montalcino has roughly 250 wineries producing Brunello di Montalcino. The “common” characteristics of the wine are as follows: Bright garnet color Aromas and flavors of dark berries, chocolate, leather, aromatic wood, vanilla and a subtle floral bouquet. It tends to be dry with a long aromatic finish. Now on to a very busy day!
Cheers! Penina  I’m writing this post on the fly. I have many appointments and lots of car travel today.  In between all my work yesterday, I managed to make a big pot of tomato lentil soup. A friend stopped by for an impromptu visit in the evening. So, I gave him a bowl of soup and a glass of wine.  We opened a bottle of 2010 Castello di Gabbiano Chianti Classico. This Tuscan wine made of 100% Sangiovese grape was ruby in color with earthy aromas. It was full-bodied with dark berries and tart fruit. It is a nice “go to” wine when not going big. http://www.castellogabbiano.it Have a great Wednesday!
Cheers! Penina  Well, I certainly didn’t have to worry about all the bread I baked going to waste. I packed up a little care package for one friend yesterday afternoon and a package for another friend in the early evening. I’m bringing the rest to my office as a “sweet” treat for everyone!  I want to share my thoughts on a very good wine I tasted not too long ago. It was a 2008 D'Isanto & D'Isanto I Balzini White Label Colli della Toscana Centrale IGT. The wine is 50% Cabernet Sauvignon and 50% Sangiovese. The color was deep garnet with an incredible bouquet of dark fruits, earth and spices. It drank better after decanting for about an hour due to strong tannins. It was rich in flavor with dark plum, blackberries, pepper and herbs. The finish was long and smooth. I reviewed their 2009 Red Label on 9/22/14. The White Label is superb and I’m happy that I have another bottle in my wine rack! http://www.ibalzini.it Have a great Thursday!
Cheers! Penina |
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