 After generations of being largely forgotten by the world of fine wine, the Sicilian native Nerello Mascalese grape has enjoyed a renaissance over the last few decades. It draws many comparisons to Nebbiolo from the Piedmont, and at its best can make wines that can parallel the greatness of Barolo and Barbaresco. It also shares Nebbiolo's relatively problematic difficulties in ripening and production, so it usually only gets planted in the better vineyard sites, which makes it difficult to find many inexpensive versions to expose the bulk of wine drinkers. This is just about the most 'entry level' version we have come across in a while that still shows off all the distinct and wonderful characters Nerello Mascalese is supposed to have. A bright and fairly transparent ruby color in the glass, the nose is rugged and wild dark berry with savory herbaceous notes and earth or tree bark sort of dustiness. The palate is bright and almost racy, bringing tartness to the fruit and a lightness to the body, with a fine tannic feel that is very much out of the Nebbiolo playbook. That combination, even in the less expensive versions like this one, is what helps Nerello Mascalese age and evolve so well, developing secondary earthy flavors and all kinds of umami notes. Those come with time, and if you are so inclined this would definitely be able to make it there in a few years in your cellar, but right now it's all about bright and youthful goodness. Can handle red meats, but also fine enough to pair with grilled vegetables and even some of those really tricky Italian conundrum dishes that combine both seafood and red sauces.
The Insider's Pick wine will be available to taste Thursday and Friday and gets a 10% discount during the tasting. Come on by and taste some delicious wine!
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 Continuing to celebrate our return to tasting, and what better way to celebrate than with a bit of bubbly! Nothing intensive though, just a little bit of 'fun fizz' that tastes a lot more serious than it costs. Prosecco has most of the notoriety for sparkling wine in Italy, but a large number of the regions in the North have very strong reputations for making them in good quality. Franciacorta in the Lombardy region has almost as long a reputation for sparkling wine as the Champagne region, though it was decimated by phylloxera at the turn of the century and didn't regain it's worthy stature until after World War II. Their influence has spread around the region, not just for quality of sparkling wines made but for the use of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir -the workhorse grapes in Champagne- to make the wines. The vineyards for Cantine Bonelli sit just to the South of Franciacorta near the Po River and feature 100% Pinot Noir in this surprisingly dry and immensely enjoyable sparkler. Crisp dusty strawberry and peach skin aromas with a light but fairy persistent bead to it. The wine is made in the Prosecco method of carbonation, so it isn't as aggressive as Method Champenoise, but stays going surprisingly well. The palate is juicy, soft and elegant like a nice still Rose with just a tickle on the finish from the bubbles that gives the finish a bit of added tartness, and as the carbonation leaves it still finishes dry and clean. A tasty cocktail and easy to enjoy with light snacks.
The Insider's Pick wine will be available to taste Thursday and Friday and gets a 10% discount during the tasting. Come on by and taste some delicious wine! INSIDER'S PICK: 2021 CANTINA TERLANO PINOT NOIR 'TRADITION' ALTO ADIGE (Vinous 91points) $29.9910/13/2022  WE'RE BACK! So glad to be pouring for you again, decided to start back in with one of our favorite 'perception-bender' wines, bringing unexpected quality from unexpected places. The Alto Adige is rightfully renowned for the white wines they produce, but the reds tend to fly under the radar. Producers here aren't making high end bottlings that grab the international headlines, or flooding the market with millions of bottles a year, so they don't register in our consciousness as much. But if you're a fan of lighter bodied reds in general this is a region to explore, especially if you enjoy red Burgundy but not their steadily increasing prices. Cantina Terlano is one of the most acclaimed producers in Alto Adige, and this Pinot Noir is a stone cold dead ringer for a Bourgogne level bottling from a quality Cotes de Beaune based winemaker. Strong words, we know, but now you get to come in and taste on it and see how right we are!
Pale cherry in the glass, the nose is full of cherry skin and dried red flowers at first, with redder fruits getting more intense as it opens up as well as showing some potpourri notes. The palate is racy and a little lean at first but fells weightier and riper with each sip, delivering lots of vibrant strawberry and cranberry tones with increasingly redder cherry notes and herbal undertones. New to the bottle and barely starting to strut its stuff, this is a great wine to accompany a roasted bird and Fall vegetables, especially with a decently long decant.  Even though we will not be doing the public tasting portion of the Insider's Pick until further notice, we will still be offering the wine for purchase with the usual 10% discount on Thursday and Friday. The wines will still be ones we highly recommend, and the tasting notes will still be our own. We will be returning to doing just the one wine on Thursdays and Fridays until further notice. We hope you are able to come by and get some wines to enjoy.
Puglia, the 'Heel' part of Italy, is one of the more rural and remote parts of the country. And despite jutting out into the Mediterranean as it does, it's also one of the driest and warmest. The region has long been known for making wines very different from the rest of the country because of their arid climate, very hearty and rustic, and took a lot longer to embrace many of the more modern winemaking technologies. As that has increased, we have seen more and more great producers exporting their wines that show well and are consistent but still show plenty of their rustic charms. Primitivo (what became known as Zinfandel in America) is very popular here, especially in the Gioia del Colle region just to the Southeast of the city of Bari, and Fatalone was the first in the region to bottle the wine as its own varietal in 1987. This family winery has been a leader with Primitivo in the area since the late 1800s, and even with the necessary modern additions it hasn't taken away their rustic regional character. This is a big wine at 15%abv and definitely has a big fruit character to it, but it also shows lots of the characters of non-interventionist sides of the process (native yeasts, spontaneous fermentation without the use of sulphites), which brings out the sour cherry tones and umami or balsamic notes for many people. Juicy, spicy fruit on the palate with a bit of dark 'sauvage' beneath, definitely showing a bit more of a wild or burly side than usually found in Italians. Excellent to pair with hearty meats that may have some intensive spicing, and melds quite well with most styles of barbeque. |
The Best of the Best.We offering free tastings on these wines in the store every Thursday and Friday, and a 10% discount off the retail price through the duration of the day. Come on by and give them a try! Archives
July 2024
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