Category Archives: Italy

Nothing Like Evening of Great Wine!

12 Monday Aug 2013

Posted by in Italy, South America, Spain

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On more than one occasion I’ve written about my wine buddies on the blog and our frequent gatherings to try new wines, themed nights, blind tastings, and enjoy the good conversation and great wine.

A couple of the guys have job situations that have them out of the community for awhile so it’s always great when we can get the band back together. We were able to do that Friday night and had a dynamite lineup.

FriulanoLivio Felluga 2011 Friulano – I have to admit, this was my first Friulano and I loved it – so did the guys.

The Friulano region is as far north and east as one can travel in Italy. The wine is yellow-ish with fresh apple and citrus notes. I loved the rich mouth feel and balance. It has a hint of almond and even a bit of a grassy thing going on.

The Livio Felluga is the name to look for too. The Felluga family brough Friulano back after WWII, according to the winery website. Wine Enthusiast gave this vintage a great 90 points.

Livio Felluga 2011 Friulano, $26, Trade Sample, can find it higher and lower in the $20-range, Highly Recommended.

Turley 2008 Old Vine Zinfandel – The wine guys and I have had plenty of Zin but never Turley. That’s going to change!

2008-turley-zinfandel-old-vinesThe Turley old vine was our first red of the evening but might have been the best wine of the night. Simply put- it was stunning Zin.

Dark ruby red, spicy nose, incredible balance from tip of tongue to lingering finish, it was stylistic and silky with a rewarding finish. It had raspberry and pepper and all things that make Zin so alluring.

It’s an alcohol bomb but doesn’t taste like it at a whopping 15.6 percent.

Robert Parker gave this wine a stingy 89 points. Steven Tanzer a point lower at 88. It’s every bit that good and maybe better.

Turley 2008 Old Vine Zinfandel, $39.99, Very Highly Recommended.

toroSan Roman 2006 Toro – This is good as Spanish wine gets at a reasonable price point. I’ve had this wine on two or three previous occasions and it never disappoints.

This is a bold, muscular, in-your-face red wine that still has balance. Think smoke, tobacco, chocolate, and leather for this wine that is only seven years old. The critics all rave at 93-94 points.

Blackberry and dried fruit might best describe the palate. It’s big dry wine. We were enjoying this with shortribs which had spent the day in a crock pot. It was an awesome pairing.

San Roman 2006 Toro, prices all over from $30-$50, Very Highly Recommended.

Achaval Ferrer 2010 Quimera – This Argentinian blend from one of the country’s top producers just rocks. The wine is a unique blend of 31 percent Malbec, 20 percent Merlot, 27 percent Cab Sauvignon, 18 percent Cab Franc, and 4 percent Petit Verdot.

achaval-ferrer-quimera__92820.1359816257.1280.1280It’s something new from the winery and fits the description, often over-used, as a Bordeaux blend. These vineyards are 3,000 feet above sea level and represent some of the best regions in Mendoza.

It gets the classic treatment of new French oak, 40 percent, and is a reasonable 14 percent alcohol.

Plum, chocolate, and a hint of oak makes it a great wine with steak. We were sipping while tasting bites of a grilled ribeye and it worked great. It was not quite as big a wine as I had anticipated but certainly a good way to taste Argentina beyond all the mid-teen priced reds.

Achaval Ferrer 2010 Quimera, SRP $56, Trade Sample, Highly Recommended.

Italian Red, French Rose Good Buys

20 Thursday Jun 2013

Posted by in France, Italy

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Italy and France represent old world wine done right to many folks. It seems like you can often blindly pick up a pretty expensive bottle and still think you’re drinking well.

Here are a couple reviews of totally different wines at similar price points but both represent good QPR – or Quality Price Ration.

banfiBanfi Belnero 2010 Toscana – This is a wine with great body and full flavor for a price around $23. I did like it better the second night than the first. The time in the opened bottle – closed with a rubber stopper – seemed to do the body good.

Coffee, cedar, and a nice dry mouth feel made this work well with some pasta and a grilled pork chop on back to back nights. This is a delightful three-grape blend dominated by Italy’s Sangiovese with hints of Cabernet and Merlot.

The 2010 scored 88 points from Wine Spectator after garnering a 92 for the previous vintage. So it is a consistently good wine. The Banfi name is an iconic label known as the world’s oldest winery. The wines are very widely available.

Banfi Belnero 2010 Toscana, SRP $25, Trade Sample, Highly Recommended.

08189bDomaine Lafond 2012 Tavel Rose’ –  I’ve become a huge fan, as frequently noted, of Provence Rose’. But for years Tavel in the Rhone has been known for its fabulous Rose wines.

The Tavel wines are richer in color – think a cranberry hue – and more full bodied than their lighter and salmon-pink wines to the south.

This Rose’ is a traditional GSM wine but a Rose’ – Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvedre. It has the expected strawberry and a bit of berry candy flavor but delivers solidly for a different taste of French Rose’.

Critic scores were all over the place on this wine but I’d rate it as solid wine you should try. Prices vary widely.

Domaine Lafond 2012 Tavel, $19.99, Vine & Table, Carmel, Recommended.

Classic Zin, Good Rose, Killer Find!

20 Saturday Apr 2013

Posted by in California, France, Italy, Napa/Sonoma

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There are good wines, great wines and wines which just bring you joy. These reviews offer a good mixture of all.

SEbastianiSebastiani Vineyards 2009 Zinfandel – This was really great, classic Sonoma County Zinfandel from Sebastiani – a family with roots in California dating back to the late 1800s.

The wine had wonderful balance, power, really dark fruit, pepper, and the dusty quality that really sets some wines apart as they age gracefully.

It’s what most wine geeks would call really “ripe fruit” but isn’t that what entices some wine buyers” I think so.

This wine is a great bargain that tops many at a higher price point. CellarTracker users gave it 89 points and I find that rating spot on.

I got this bottle in a blind “mystery’ half case sale through Invino wines online site.  What a pleasant surprise considering I got it for $10!

Sebastiani Vineyards 2009 Zinfandel, $14-$16, Highly Recommended.

cinsaultLes Jamelles 2011 Cinsault Rose’ – With summer approaching, I’m looking for great dry Rosé. My search led me to pick up this bottle last weekend after attending a large tasting of nearly 50 different wines. (No, I didn’t taste them all!)

Cinsault is a red wine grape and mostly used in blends. It’s also a popular component of many Rosé wines. It’s widely planted in Southern France’s Languedoc region. The 100-percent Cinsault was unusual and the price was cheap so I grabbed a bottle.

It’s a very light wine on the palate, making it perfect for hot summer weather. Frankly, I was looking for a bit more flavor. It also had a tiny bit of a ‘candied” mouth feel. I would by no means call it sweet though. I liked the flavors and just wish it was more pronounced.

But at this price, it’s a great dry Rosé for those exploring these delightful summer wines.

Les Jamelles 2011 Cinsault Rose’, $11.99, Cork & Cracker, Indianapolis; Recommended

RignanaInvino Online Wine Surprise! – I buy a lot of wine from online flash sites. These are sites which buy directly from wineries at a reduced rate. But the good sites, and there a plenty of sites, are sourcing interesting wines you may never find off a shelf.

That’s what happened when I scanned an Invino Wine sale Saturday morning. Invino was offereing Fattoria di Rignana Chianti Classico. I had visited Fattoria di Rignana on New Year’s Eve 2009.

Rignana-Chianti-Classico-2007-LabelIt was a cold gray day but I remember the Rignana was simply the best Chianti Classico I had ever tasted. I ordered three bottles off the site. It normally retails for $30 but I got it for $17,99 a bottle.

If you’d like an invitation to Invino, just drop me a note or leave a comment at the bottom of the blog. You need to include an email address. I’ve written about many of these flash internet sites. These web sales points are offering some of the best deals you’ll find in wine.

A Classic Italian Label Delivers

26 Tuesday Mar 2013

Posted by in Italy

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Frescobaldi is a name that belongs along side the Antinori label as one of the great wines from Tuscany.

frescobaldiThe Tenuta Frescobaldi Di Castiglioni 2010 Toscana is a really nice bold wine perfect for steaks, roasts, and hearty pasta. The Tuscan blend is 50 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 30 percent Merlot, 12 percent Cabernet Franc, and 8 percent Sangiovese.

The Frescobaldi delivers the typically big and bold taste of a Tuscan. It’s an inky dark red wine with notes of currant, plum and dark fruit. I get chocolate and spices on the mid palate that I really like.

The wine was pretty tannic initially but but opened nicely with a little time in the decanter.

I was taken by the wine’s balance  once it had some time to air. I loved the acidic finish as the tannics softened a bit. This affordable Tuscan is a classic example of really good Italian wine.

This wine is the flagship bottle for Frescobaldi. The grapes were hand picked and went through malolactic fermentation before 12 months in barrels and 2 months in bottles before release. It also comes in at a very reasonable 13.5 percent alcohol.

The wine has pretty consistent scores of 89-91 from top publications through recent vintages.

Tenuta Frescobaldi Di Castiglioni 2010 Toscana, SRP $25, found on the internet down to $18, Trade Sample, Highly Recommended.

savinoTesting Out New Wine Device

I’ve been talking with the developers of a new device for saving that extra wine left over when you don’t finish a bottle for a few months. The “Savino” arrived last week.

I have done a phone interview with the company founder and will share that in a future newspaper column.

Tonight’s big Tuscan wine seemed like the perfect first test for this wine saver. We’ll see!

Consider this a tease. I want to run several bottles through the Savino before coming to any judgment. There are lots of stoppers out there but I’ve not seen anything like this. And let’s face it, most of those plugs, corks, and other devices do a minimally crappy job of preserving the wine.

I did include a photo here to intrigue the curious. The product is not yet on the market but will be next week.

Stay tuned for further details!

Only a Week Late for #OTBN

03 Sunday Mar 2013

Posted by in Italy

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Open That Bottle Night, the last Saturday of every February, is a great concept. Here is a post from more than a week ago explaining the details.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to celebrate and felt left out. But I also think that’s the beauty of OTBN – find a not-very-special occasion and open a great bottle of wine. Most people serious about wine have more great bottles than we probably will drink any time soon.

fontanafredda_seralunga_06And what is purpose of buying great wine if all you ever consume is the under $20 bottles?

With that spirit, and no special occasion nor story, I opened up Al Gore’s lockbox and scanned the possibilities. I was making a slow cook Tuscan pasta dish and decided it had to be Italian. I have some Brunello, Sagrantino, and a couple of Barolos stashed away. I love them all. I grabbed the first big bottle (they leading these things?) from the cooler and splashed it into the decanter for a couple of hours.

The wine, Fontanafredda Serralunga d’Alba Barolo 2006, wasn’t the best Nebbiolo I’ve ever had but sure wasn’t bad. The critics loved it – Wine Spectator gave it 91 points and James Suckling gave it 90.

For any newbies, Nebbiolo is dry red wine. I loved it but it had just been awhile since I had Barolo and that initial dry smack on the palate is a jolt.

The wine was all mineral, leather, and I’d say flavor like tart berries. It had nice acid and a rather nice finish. This wine would probably rock in another 2-3 years.

Barolo is definitely a wine style new wine drinkers should try out. They aren’t cheap but you can often get good buys and decent wines from the internet flash sites to try something like this out. This wine retails in the mid $40 range but I got it for under $30 via the internet.

So no story, no special occasion but a darn fine bottle of wine with Saturday night pasta.

The Ying and Yang of the Wine World

06 Wednesday Feb 2013

Posted by in Italy, Oregon

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There isn’t much of a bigger contrast than a soft and very nice Oregon Pinot Noir and a well-rounded, but acidic Italian Sangiovese-based wine.

These are widely available wines, easy to find, at the $23 to mid $30 price range.

La Maialina 2007 Chianti Classico – This is classic Chianti that is really drinkable Italian wine. I find a lot of Chianti, usually at a lower price point, unbalanced and too acidic. This wine may not have huge fruit but has nice balance.

The laMaialina needs some decanting but opens up very quickly and nicely. It had the typical cherry flavors with some earthy or woodsy hints. The acid was in balance. The wine was certainly smoother than most Chianti wines. I liked it a lot.

Top critics like the wine as well. James Sucking gave it 90 points and said the wine, “Makes you want to eat.” Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate went even further bestowing 92 points.

I have to thank one of my favorite wine retailers, Bethann Kendall at Vine & Table in Carmel, In. I’ve written many times in five years that wine newbies need to find a good wine shop, a retailer they trust, and then take their advice. Bethann hit this one out of the park.

La Maialina 2007 Chianti Classico, $22.99, Highly Recommended

Soter Vineyards North Valley 2010 Pinot Noir – Soter Vineyards is certainly a big name in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Some how through three visits and plenty of consumption, I’ve managed to never taste their wines until recently.

Soter makes some great Pinot. Let’s start there.

I think there is a real sweet spot for great wine in Oregon at the $30-$40 price point. This is a bit of a price structure you quickly pick up on if you visit the Willamette Valley. Everyone seems to have an entry level wine around $20-$30, then a mid price point at $30-$45, and top end of $45-$70.

I think you can buy some really great wines at the mid price point. These are Pinot Noir wines tasting far above their price point.

This wine was an example of better than the $30 retail price. The wine was beautifully aromatic with hints or red berries and spice. I liked the wonderful balance from tip of the palate fruit to a silky and lasting finish. Geeky words, indeed, but the best description I can give it.

Wine Advocate and Steven Tanzer each awarded this wine 90 points. I’d agree, if not maybe a single point higher.

Soter Vineyards North Valley 2010 Pinot Noir, SRP $30, (Trade Sample) Very Highly Recommended

Send comment or questions to: hewitthoward@gmail.com

Great Wines – Big Price/Flavor

02 Saturday Feb 2013

Posted by in France, Italy, Napa/Sonoma

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Here are some quicky reviews on some really great red wines – not good, but really great. The price point is a tad higher than the value wines I write about in the newspaper column but, I’d argue, the wines are better than the price point listed!

Philippe Cambie La Calendal 2007 Cotes du Rhone – There is good and then there is crazy good. If you like Rhone wines, no .. make that … if you like red wine, you are going to love this incredible and unique French blend.

I bought this wine because I had heard Philippe Cambie referrer to in such glowing terms in the wine media over and over and over. Well, my colleagues are right on this one. This is a unique Rhone wine because of the blend. It’s 80 percent Mourvedre and 20 percent Grenache.

This was smooth and rich like many Rhone wines but it had much more of a mid-palate and secondary notes than most Rhone bottles. It has dark and earthy qualities beyond the usual $15 entry. For me, credit the Mouvredre – probably my favorite grape many haven’t even heard about! Robert Parker gave this wine 92 points – quite high for a Parker rating of Rhone.

The Cambie wine is easily one of the best Cotes du Rhones I’ve ever tasted.

Philippe Cambie La Calendal 2007 Cotes du Rhone, $23-$27, Very Highly Recommended. 

Girard 2009 Artistry – This big red California blend is awesome wine. It’s a rich blend of 56 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 15 percent Cab Franc, 11 percent Petite Verdot, 10 percent Merlot, and 8 percent Malbec. It’s obviously a Bordeaux style blend that delivers serious bang for the buck. I bought this on an online wine site for $23-$24 but it normally sells at $45.

Frankly, I usually don’t find these wines that good at $45 but this one is an exception. It’s got bright flavors like a cherry or spice. It has a long-lasting finish and beautiful mouth feel. It’s big alcohol at 15 percent without the burn on the finish.

The wine publications, Wine Spectator and Enthusiast, consistently like this wine with ratings of 89-92 through the 1008 vintage.

If you aren’t drinking California blends you are missing out on a lot of great red wines.

Girard 2009 Artistry, $44.99, Highly Recommended

Morlanda Crianza 2007 Priorat – This is great dry Spanish wine. At $40 it may scare some people off, but frankly it drinks above even that price point.

This dry beauty has currents, coffee, and dirt on the palate. This is dry and wonderful red wine. It’s not a sipper but works well with food. I loved this wine with some mildly-spiced, roasted pork.

How do you coax a vineyard into making great wine? You drop fruit and take a low yield. The winery gets just over one ton an acre from the vineyards for this wine. And if you want another good sign, there are only 3,000 cases of the wine produced.

Spectator, Enthusiast and Advocate all give the 2007 a rating of 90 points.

Morlanda Crianza 2007 Priorat, SRP $40, Trade Sample, Highly Recommended.

Send comment or questions to: hewitthoward@gmail.com

Mmmm – Some Wonderful Big Red Wine

06 Sunday Jan 2013

Posted by in Italy, Napa/Sonoma, Washington State

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It’s winter and cold outside and there’s nothing better than hearty food and some big red wine! I’ve had a couple this weeks that just knocked my socks off. The three range from a dynamite and impressive Washington Blend, an Italian classic, and a bold California Cabernet!

Columbia Crest Horse Heaven Hills Les Cheavaux – Indeed, it would not be a crazy mistake to mis-identfy this Merlot-driven blend as a Bordeaux wine. While not as nuanced as inexpensive Saint Emilion, it has the fruit characteristics to make you look twice at the bottle. It also has a price that doesn’t look anything like what you’d pay for a right-bank Bordeaux!

Lets start with the blend which is 80 percent Merlot, 13 percent Cabernet, and 7 percent Syrah. If you like big bold fruit, you’re going to love this wine. Big fruit, big tannins from 18 months in oak, and enormous value. Dark fruit, dark chocolate, some spice, plenty of earth, and a big finish makes this a great wine for hearty meals.

I’m excited about this wine because of the price point. You just can’t find wine this big and this balanced for $10-$20 – and that exactly the price range you’ll find Horse Heaven Hills in at your favorite wine shop. The national average is $15, duh, and I found it for a bit less!

Oh, did I mention I’m not the only crazy for this wine? Wine Spectator scored this wine at 90 points – and as one of 2012’s outstanding values!

Horse Heaven Hills Les Cheavux, $15, Very Highly Recommended.

La Palazzetta 2009 Rosso di Montalcino – Long one of the best values out of Tuscany, the Rosso di Montalcino wines seldom disappoint.

While this one was a bit flat on the fruit the freshness of the wine was still a defining characteristic. Good Sangiovese has acidity, certainly, but the better-drinking Sangiovese-based wines bring a clean fresh fruit to the palate.

This wine is even a bit floral and incredibly pleasant. I’ve had better, but not many.

La Palazzetta 2009 Rosso di Montalcino, $19.99, Cork+Cracker, Indy, Recommended.

Fontanella 2008 Mt. Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon – Oh my! This is darn fine wine. This bottle was a gift I had been saving for a nice occasion and a medium-rare roast with herbs and a friend made for good enough excuse.

After a nice two-hour decant, the Fontanella was silky smooth yet big Cabernet. I absolutely loved the rich mouth feel. Certainly has dark fruit and some hints of wood. It’s a big mouthful of very drinkable California Cabernet.

Truly outstanding wine! 91 points from Wine Spectator!

Fontanella 2008 Mt. Veeder Cabernet, $50, Very Highly Recommended.

Send comment or questions to: hewitthoward@gmail.com

Not Many Gertrudes – But That Could Change

22 Saturday Dec 2012

Posted by in Italy

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There is Gertrude Stein (author), Gertrude Atherton (author), and Gertrude B. Elion (Nobel-winning pharmacist). But let’s face it, Gertrude is about the only name that makes Howard feel contemporary!

I was recently introduced to another Gertrude who may not become famous but is quite a shapely charmer. la Maia Lina Gertrude Toscana is also known as Sangiovese, Merlot, and Cabernet.

This uber-value Tuscan blend really, really suprised me. I loved it. La Maialina means little pig – and there is a cute little pink pig on the bottle – she is a charmer.

This wine has wonderful cherry, some hints of pepper and, frankly folks, is crazy good wine for an average price of $12. It is rich, nice acid and all at 13.5 percent alcohol.

This little piggy can come to my market any time. You get big flavor, a nice finish, and even a good second-day wine for $12? Crazy!!!!!

This wine isn’t going to overpower any meal but would be great with just about any red sauce dish or even beef.

I’ve written on previous occasions that inexpensive but drinkable Italian wines are hard to discover. If you find this pink pig, grab a few bottles.Oink! Oink!

la Maialine Gertrude, $12, Very Highly Recommended.I bought this bottle at Indy’s Cork + Cracker.

Send comment or questions to: hewitthoward@gmail.com

Three Really Great Bottles of Wine

16 Sunday Dec 2012

Posted by in California, Italy, Napa/Sonoma

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It’s time to catch up on a couple of recent bottles of wine I’ve found to be outstanding. Two Italians and one California Cab rate highly in my book.

Ca de Rocchi Montere Ripasso – This 2009 Valpolicella Superiore is fabulous Italian wine. The wine is a blend of three varieties grown in Italy’s north-east. Corvina, and Rondinella are the trio primarily involved in the blend.

The wine is lighter than many Italian choices but the wine drinker is rewarded with big beautiful fruit and a rich smooth finish.

I went back and bought more of this beauty after trying just one bottle. This big heavy bottle of wine comes in around $20. I’m not sure the significance, but this might be the heaviest bottle I’ve ever picked up with 750ml of grape juice inside. Pinot Noir often features big heavy-bottomed bottles, but this one was even heavier than most. Talk among yourselves!

This Ripasso might be my all-time favorite for under $20.

Ca de Rocchi Montere Ripasso, $18.99, Very Highly Recommended

Attems Pinot Grigio – I’ve never been a big fan of Pinot Grigio. It never matches up to Oregon’s Pinot Gris which I like a lot. I find most Pinot Grigio (particularly the Italian version) to often be thin or uninteresting.

I’ve now tasted the exception to that stereotyped characterization. This trade sample Attems had an unusual richness that really set it apart from so many other Grigios in the market. It had apple and pear hints on the palate.

The big difference here for  me was the use of some oak. Plenty of Pinot Grigio, Gris, Blanc, etc are often stainless steel only. And generally, I don’t care for much oak in my white wine, but it really made this wine standout.

The tech sheet for this wine indicated 15 percent of the production spends time in barrels while the rest is done in stainless steel.

Attems 2011 Pinot Grigio, SRP $18, Trade Sample, Highly Recommended.

Franciscan 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon – There are well-known names and a second tier of names when it comes to Napa Cabernet. And, come to think of it, there are probably three or four or six more categories.

Franciscan is name known to most wine lovers because it is widely distributed. I find their wines to be consistent and good wines at the price point.

The 2010 Cab has all of the characteristics of great Cabernet. I decanted this wine and even saved a little for the next night. It’s really good Cab but it needs some time on the wine rack. For me, the wine was just too big with some astringency. But, the more wine you drink the easier it gets to identify what the wine is going to be instead of what it is the day you open it. Did that make sense?

This is going to be a really great Cabernet in another 5-10 years. I liked the herbs, black currant, tobacco, and dark chocolate hints. It had really big tannins, but again – give it some time.

This is a blend with 85 percent Cab, 11 percent Merlot, 3 percent Syrah, and 1 percent Malbec. The wine gets 20 months in oak barrells while 25 percent of that sees new oak. So the tannin structure is huge now but there for great aging potential.

It is a mild 13.5 percent alcohol wine. Franciscan distributes a lot of this wine so you should be able to find it at a good nearby wine shop. For the price point, it’s a great wine to go buy two bottles and experiment a little. Open your first bottle and make sure it gets a good decant. Put the other bottle away and don’t open it for at least five years.

Franciscan consistently scores 90-plus points for its Cabernet. When aged or decanted properly, this is tremendous value for $28.

Franciscan 2010 Cabernet, SRP $28, Trade Sample, Recommended

Send comment or questions to: hewitthoward@gmail.com