Barbera is an interesting grape and the wines produced from it cover a wide range of styles and price points. This is at the lower end of the price range, but the wine easily has the quality of wines three or four times as expensive. Garnet in color, clear and bright. The nose has cherries, black cherries and slight dust. Medium bodied. Strong acidity. Light tannins. On the palate, black cherry fruit with great acidity. Nice finish. This wine demands food. All of the classic "Italian Night" foods such as pizza, spaghetti, other pastas, etc.
This is a nice white wine from northern Italy. It is made from 100% Cortese grapes and comes in around 12.5% abv. It has a glass closure. Pale yellow green in color, clear and bright. The nose has lots of minerality with some pear. Medium bodied. Crisp acidity. On the palate, the pears come out more but there is still that nice underlying minerality. Nice finish. This is a nice lighter white on its own, but will work well with lighter foods as well. This would be great with a vegetable Risotto. Drink over the next year or two. Great value.
This is a Cabernet Franc from Tuscany. Purple in color, opaque and bright. The nose is great with black cherries, black raspberries, dark chocolate, slight floral notes and a hint of cigar box. On the palate, this is ripe and a big wine. Despite being 14 years old, it still shows medium tannins and fresh fruits. Black cherries, some blueberries, chocolate and tobacco. Nice balance. Smooth finish. This can compete with Cab Francs from anywhere. It will easily do another decade. A nice match for a steak or roast.
This is Cabernet Franc from Italy. It is really quite good if a bit on the riper side. Purple in color. The nose has dark cherries, roasted herbs, and slight cigar box. On the palate, this has a juicy acidity. Plenty of dark cherry fruit. Some tannins. It is just getting to maturity at this point but not quite. Certainly plenty of life left. Food friendly. Showing some complexity, it unwinds in the glass. Has some upside for improvement.
It is always a real treat to drink this wine. The price has gone up quite a bit in recent years but for the quality, it is still fairly priced. One hundred percent Sangiovese from Tuscany. Purple in color, opaque and bright. The nose is powerful with black cherries, cherries, sandalwood, black olives and spice. Full bodied. Still very firm tannins. On the palate, this is showing some early maturity with flavors of black cherries, cherries, tea leaves and spice. Long finish. This still has another ten to fifteen years on it for well stored bottles. Delicious on its own, this would