Top Ten Italian Red Wines - 2016
This is made by a local wine club in Solon, Ohio from purchased grapes. The leaders of the group really do a nice job and this is another quality wine. Light pale gold in color, clear and bright. The nose has minerality along with a slight bitter almond note. Light bodied. Good acidity. On the palate, there is a touch of lemon along with the bitter almond and minerality. Solid finish. This is nice on its own and will work with lighter foods. It worked nicely with cheese pizza, too.
Not too dissimilar to the 2023 which was also favorably reviewed on this site. Medium golden in color, clear and bright. The nose has lots of grapefruit with an ever so slight grassy note and a slight note of vanilla. Full bodied. Light tannins. Nice balance. On the palate, the grapefruit come thru with some lemon notes as well. Refreshing but also has some depth. Long finish. THis drinks well on its own and will work well with many foods. A nice choice with Salmon but also Pasta Primavera. Drink over the next five to seven years.
One of the best Gewurztraminer's I have had. Medium golden in color, clear and bright. The nose has the classic Lychee Nuts along with a slight floral note, ginger and a bit of melon. Medium to full bodied. Ever so slightly semi-sweet but with enough acidity. On the palate, the melons come more to the forefront along with some spice (nutmeg?). Long finish. This wine has some depth and complexity. It is nice on its own but better with food. This worked quite well with Pad Thai. Drink over the next few years.
This was not as good as the 2021, but it is still outstanding. Deep ruby in color, mostly clear and bright. The nose is deep with black cherries, sandalwood, slight loose tea and a bit of spice. Medium to full bodied. Good acidity. Medium tannins. On the palate, this has some depth but the fruit is toned down from the 2021 version. Still, it offers up black cherries, cherries, slight forest floor and spice. Good finish. This is better with food i.e pasta, pizza, etc., but it would work well with Roasted Root vegetables, too. drink over the next ten to fifteen years.