Veneto

• Prosecco
• Soave

A great value in Amarone.  It actually tastes like an Amarone for $26.  Deep ruby/purple in color.  The nose is dusty with cherries and slight dried leaves.  On the palate, a nice combination of sweet black cherries and sour cherries.  Also some underlying crushed leaves.  Good acidity.  Light tannins.  This might not make old bones, but for this price, it would be fun to lay a bottle down and try.  In any event, this should be good for 5 to 7 more years.  

Ruby in color.  At first there seemed to be some TCA on the nose, but that blew off after about an hour.  TCA, however, does not blow off, it gets worse, that must have just been some bottle stink of some kind.  Eventually, it showed nice cherries with some nutmeg.  On the palate, this has plums and slightly sour cherries.  It is a bit candied as well.  Clean after about an hour.  Good acidity.  Not sure if this was a proper bottle but it was nice.  Retails for around $50. 

Purple in color but the sheen is flat.  On the nose there is some VA here.  Black cherries, some damp tea leaves, a hint of cigar box and slight funk.  Old but nice.  On the palate, this is much more alive.  Complex and deep.  Black cherries, cherries, slight prunes with slight tannins.  Also some underlying decaying forest floor.  Good acidity.  Nice finish.  Worked better with some cheeses.  Probably varies from bottle to bottle but I would think this has five years easily and maybe more before slowly sliding downhill.  

This showed quite well and was quite well received.  Purple in color, with some ruby swirls.  The nose is dusty with cherries, black cherries and baking spices.  On the palate, this has fresh cherries and black cherries.  It is slightly sweet/ripe.  It did take a few minutes to open and then kept opening.  There is an underlying forest floor note.  Good finish.  Very food friendly but drinks well on its own.  Has a decade left in it.  

30% Corvina, 30% Corvinone, 30% Rondinella, 10% Molinara, Rossignola, Oseleta, Negrara, Dindarella, Sangiovese.  Purple in color with some ruby swirls.  The nose has a lot of volatile acidity.  Whether this is good or bad, can be a unique thing between tasters.  It does also lift the aromatics; cherries, black cherries and botanicals.   On the palate this has strong acidity.  It begs for food which is typical.  Lots of cherries as well.  Classic, old school Valpolicella.  Probably should be consumed in the next five years.  At $20, a decent value.  

It was nice to try this blind, having tried it a couple of weeks ago.  There was some bottle variation for whatever reason.  This one had a deeper gold hue to it.  The nose was more mineral driven and less fruit with a crushed sea shell quality to it.  On the palate, this is dry with good acidity.  A bit of orange pith which wa quite nice.  In general it seemed a bit more advanced, but then with some air as it sat in the glass, it seemed to get a second life.  Some honey came out on the palate.  It got a bit more energy but that great minerality was still there.  This bottle had apparently

Pieropan makes some amazing Soave wine from the Garganega grape.  This one is dry and works quite well at the table.  Light golden in color.  The nose has slight under ripe peach, some honey and a bit of spice.  On the palate, this is dry.  Crisp acidity.  Peaches and honey carry thru but more about the minerality.  Nice texture.  Drank over two days without any change.  Has a decade left easy.  

Some wine regions get a but of short shrift.  How great can a Soave be?  Isn't it just a simple white wine?  Well, truth be told, they can be outstanding.  And this one is.  Golden in color.  The nose is great with melons and peaches but also a crisp minerality that while not at the forefront, gives great structure to the aromas.  On the palate, this is almost seamless.  How can that be?  That descriptor usually comes into play for wines well above the $100 mark.  Lots of minerality.  Not sweet but almost sweet; probably just under the threshold.  Some peach and melon.  Nice finish.  Drinki

Light silvery gold in color.  The nose is nice with mostly pears but also some lemons and nice mineral undertones.  A fair amount of medium sized bubbles.  On the palate, this is slightly sweet.  It drinks easy.  The lemon carries thru along with slight minerality.  Very food friendly.  Easy drinking, not complex but enough to stand up with food.  Good end of the day/start the evening wine.  

Deep golden in color, starting to show some oxidation.  The nose also shows it but still there is some honey quality.  On the palate, this  is slightly sweet.  Past prime but still with some life to give.  Honey and slight peach fruits.  A bit of acidity.  A nice finish to a meal.