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 100% Nero D'Avola from Sicily.  $45 on the restaurant list, it seems to retail for around $30.  Fairly priced.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  There is a lot of barnyard on the nose.  Fair warning, I loved it but this may be off putting to some.  Seems to be brettanomyces which also leads to a bit of a yeasty note.  Our bottle was served at restaurant room temp so that probably encouraged a blooming of yeast.  Cooler stored bottles may be less pronounced.  Also a bit of cherries, tobacco and licorice.  On the palate, cherries, black cherries and slight forest floor.  There is a

Another interesting wine from Italy and Sicily.  This is a blend of Nerello Mascalese, and Nerello Cappuccio.  Grown on slopes on Mt.

This was $25 on a restaurant list but retails for between $15 and $20 making it a great value.  The grape is Lacrima.  My first time trying the grape and the wine.  Pop and pour.  The color is purple/ruby, mostly clear and bright.  On the nose, this is very interesting.  Plums, celery, and bitters (think Campari or Aperol).  Someone said oranges but I think it is more a bitters quality made from citrus, at least for me.  On the palate, this is hugely tannic.  Our bottle did not last long, so I am not sure if air would help or even how it ages.  There is plenty of fruit so maybe everything i

Deep ruby in color.  The nose has cherries, sandalwood and slight tea leaves.  Medium bodied.  Good not strong acidity.  On the palate, this is pretty close to peak but not quite.  Light tannins.  Good cherry flavor.  Plenty of depth.  Some layering of earth and fruit.  Nice finish.  Needs a bit more cellar time but quite nice.  

Love this wine but it is a monster that needs time or air.  i let a glass of this sit for over an hour for that purpose and that wasn't enough.  Still, its outstanding.  Purple in color.  The nose has cherries, dark cherries, sandalwood and tea.  On the palate, this has lots of fruit but not boisterous just intense.  Firm tannins.  Depth.  Great acidity.  Worked well with my pasta.  Long finish.  Needs probably another five to seven years and then should be good for another 15.  Or decant for eight hours now and enjoy over a meal.  Still some upside expected.  

There are a lot of Vin Santos out there.  Very few are very good and even less are outstanding.  This is one of the better ones.  Iced tea color.  The nose is very nice with slight chocolate covered raisins but also a bit of blood orange and caramel.  Clean and not oxidized.  On the palate, this is viscous.  Caramel, blood orange and raisins.  Complex.  It is sweet not cloying but a little goes a long way.  Long finish.  Worked well with a not too sweet dessert.  

This bottle was opened and decanted for a few hours.  Still young but really blossoming.  Ruby in color, clear and bright.  The nose is gorgeous with cherries, roses, slight tar and slight dried cherries.  On the palate, this has great cherry fruit.  Light tannins.  Layers of fruit, earth and dry forest floor.  Complex.  Long finish.  Good acidity.  Better with food.  This continued to improve for the 2 hours or so it was opened.  Still some upside but a great Barolo.  

Purple in color.  The nose is dusty with cherries.  On the palate, this has some medium tannins.  cherries and slight forest floor.  Good acidity.  This is food friendly and reminds me of a Sangiovese (Chianti) with more tannic structure.  $23 is fair.  

Purple in color.  The nose has dark cherries, spice, and cedar.  On the palate, this has nice acidity.  Big, black cherry fruit.  Fruit forward.  Some tannins.  Drinks easy.  Seems more modern in style.  Still has some development left in it though.  It should gain in complexity.  

Chianti.  The name for some evokes thoughts of cheap wine.  Not so fast.  This is one of the best Chianti's one the market.  Not so cheap but well priced at around $45 per bottle.  This is a world class wine.    Ruby/purple in color.  The nose is great.  Cherries when young but with time it develops tea leaves and forest floor notes.  Also some sandal wood.  On the palate, this has a great backbone of acidity.  It really needs a decade or so to hit its peaks but even young is delicious.  With time, it has layers of cherries, dried cherries, hay and earthy notes.  Great with food but can be