Italy

• Abruzzo
• Alto Adige
• Apulia
• Basilicata
• Calabria
• Campagna
• Emilia-Romagna
• Friuli-Venezia Giulia
• Liguria
• Lombardia
  • Franciacorta
• Marche
• Molise
• Piedmont (Piemonte)
• Sicily
  • Mt. Etna
• Trentino-Alto Adige
• Tuscany
  • Brunello di Montalcino
  • Chianti
• Umbria
• Valle d'Aosta
• Veneto
  • Prosecco
  • Soave
• Sardinia

This was silvery green in color with some gold hues, clear and bright.  A nice mousse with lots of medium sized bubbles.  The nose is vibrant with green apples, peach and a slight minerality.  Medium bodied.  Refreshing acidity.  On the palate, limes and green apples.  Good clean finish. This drinks well on its own and is very food friendly.  It would work nicely for a summer lunch of say, chicken or tuna salad.  It is nicely priced under $20 and often closer to $15.  Drink now.  

Ruby in color with some browning, mostly clear and bright.  Great nose with cherries, sandalwood, and tea leaves.  Medium to full bodied.  Great balance and acidity.  Nice "slick" texture.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, flavors of black cherries with an interesting cola note and some earthiness.  Long finish.  This needs another five years in a good cellar to really take that next step, but patience will be rewarded.  The score should jump one to three points.  Great on its own but better with food.  Osso Bucco would be a great food pairing.  

Garnet in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose is initially tight but with air opens to show cherries, black cherries, and slight cough drop.  very clean.  Plush texture, full bodied with firm tannins.  Greatt mough puckering acidity.  On the palate cherries and tart cherries with a hint of mint on the finish.  Long, clean finish.  This is young but drinking well.  The acidity/grape makes it better with food.  After all, it is Italian.  This would be great with Spaghetti and meatballs.  Drink over the next ten years.

This is a great value in Chianti and in fact red wine in general.  Garnet in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose is nice with black cherries, cherries, spices, hay, slight mocha and mint.  Medium bodied.  Medium tannins.  Good acidity.  On the palate, flavors of cherries, earth and forest floor.  An interesting menthol note on the long finish.  This is made for food.  A great choice to pasta with a tomato based sauce.  Or a mid-week pizza.  Drink over the next five to eight years.  

This is 100% Falanghina from Campagna, Italy.  Pale silvery gold in color, clear and bright.  The nose is nice with limes and meyer lemons and a bit of salinity.  Medium bodied.  A nice backbone of acidity.  On the palate, this drinks easy.  Flavors of lemons, slight limes and a slight almond note on the finish.  This is nice on its own but better with food.  A great choice for pasta with a butter or garlic sauce.  Drink over the next couple of years.

This bottle (bought on release) was allowed to breathe for 6 hours, then decanted for four more before being double decanted back into the original bottle.  It needed every bit of that as it was still a bit on the young side.  Deep ruby in color, mostly clear and bright.  Great nose with cherries, slight menthol, slight dark chocolate, fresh asphalt and dried flowers.  Firm tannins.  Medium to full bodied.  Great acidity and balance.  On the palate, juicy cherries with some tar and dried earth.  Deep and complex.  Long finish.  This needs food to really shine and it went quite well with mus

This bottle had been purchased at the winery.  Deep ruby  in color, clear and bright.  The nose is nice with cherries, sandalwood, tea leaves and spice.  Medium to full bodied.  Medium tannins.  Great acidity.  On the palate, this seems at peak.  Complex and delicious.  Flavors of cherries, some black cherries, spice and char.  Long finish.  This is nice on its own but much better with food. Perfect with a plate of pasta.  Drink over the next five to seven years.