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 is a Sauvignon Blanc from the northeast corner of Italy.  It is a very distinctive wine.  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose has a lot of white grapefruit with some grassiness.  Medium bodied.  Good acidity.  On the palate, this is very much like one of those small cans of grapefruit juice served on airplanes.  Tart.  Long finish.  It is enjoyable on its own but will be better with food.  It worked well with a goat cheese salad.  Drink now.  

Bought on release and cellared.  This was decanted for about 45 minutes prior to serving.  Purple in color (darker than expected), mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has cherries, dust and tar.  Full bodied with firm tannins.  On the palate, this is still drinking young.  Vibrant fruit.  It s deep but a bit monolithic at age 19.  Black cherries with a "chalkiness".  Also some anise on the finish.  It is delicious and went great with pasta.  Drink over the next twelve years.  

This is made from the Aglianico grape in Basilicata (the arch of the boot), Italy.  15% abv.  Purple in color with garnet swirls, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has black cherries, anise, smoke and spice.  Full bodied.  Firm tannins.  Moderate acidity.  On the palate, black cherries, cherry liqueur, slight bitter cherry note and spice.  Long finish.  At age 6, this still seems young as it improved greatly when tasting it on day 2.  This drinks well on its own and will work well with food.  A nice wine with a hearty Lasagna.  Drink over the next ten years.  

This is made from the Gaglioppo grape in Calabria, Italy (the toe of the boot).  The grapes are allowed to hang on the vine to get fully ripe.  Once harvested, this wine sees twelve months in oak.  14.5% abv.  Ruby in color, clear and bright.  The nose has cherries, some salinity and a fresh herbal note (mild oregano?).  Medium bodied.  Firm tannins.  Good acidity.  On the palate, this has cherries, bitter cherries and spice.  A hint of dark chocolate on the long finish.  This is nice on its own but better with food.

This is a red from Apulia (Puglia) which is the heel of the boot of Italy.  The grape is Uva di Troia called Nero di Troia locally.  13.5% abv.  Ruby in color, mostly clear and bright.  A really interesting nose with raisins and baking spices but also raspberries and a bit of wild herbs.  Medium bodied.  Medium tannins.  A good backbone of acidity.  On the palate, rhubarb, cranberries and toasted herbs.  This is a wine made for food.  It will work well with roasted meats (and even veggies).  Drink over the next few years.  

This is a Vermentino from the island of Sardinia in Italy.  14.5% Abv.  Pale silvery green/gold in color, clear and bright.  The nose is enticing with Honeydew melons, slight peach and nice minerality.  With air a bit of salinity comes out.  A really interesting texture, slightly oily but almost creamy.  Good acidity to cut through.  On the palate, lemons, slight quince, minerals a hint of bitter almonds.  Long finish.  There is some seriousness here which is nice.  This drinks great on its own and will work well with veggies and seafoods.  Drink over the next few years.  

This is a nice, relatively inexpensive Barolo.  Ruby in color, clear and bright.  The nose has cherries, cherry juice, slight floral and hot asphalt.  Medium bodied.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, this is straight forward with cherries.  Moderate acidity.  Nice finish.  This drinks better with food.  Pasta with a mushroom cream sauce would work well.  Drink over the next five to seven years.  

Taurasi DOCG is made from Aglianico grapes and is one of the most underrated grapes anywhere.  The more "serious" ones can age fr thirty years, and the more accessible ones are usually great values.  This is the later.  Purple in color with a ruby rim.  The nose has black cherries, char, and slight spice.  Full bodied.  Firm tannins.  On the palate, black cherries, cherries and black licorice.  Good acidity.  Good finish. This is delicious and drinks easily on its own although it will work great with a nice pizza.  Drink over the next five to eight years.  

This is made from 100% Frappato grapes.  The winemaker at Planeta, Patricia Toth, has been at Planeta since 2005.  This wine is a beauty.  Ruby in color with some purple hues, clear and bright.  The nose has cherries, salinity and wild Thyme.  With air, just a hint of smoke.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  Light acidity.  On the palate, cherries, minerals, slight balsamic with a slight candied finish.  There is some depth.  This drinks nicely on its own, but would be even better with food.  It would be awesome with a Vegetarian Lasagna.  Drink over the next three to five years.  

Great showing for this wine.  it is made from the Nero d'Avola grape.  Garnet in color, darker at the core, mostly clear and bright.  The nose has black cherries, cherries, sandalwood, nutmeg, and slight dark chocolate notes.  It is tight at first but opens after an hour or so.  Medium bodied.  Medium tannins.  Nice acidity.  On the palate, this is delivering right away.  Black cherries, sour cherries, and ash.  Complex and deep.  Delicious.  Long finish.  At age 9, this is in a great spot and should be at or close to peak.  It is great on its own, but should work well with meat or fowl.  A