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

After trying the "Tradizionale" VdSG from this producer which is aged on its skins, it seemed appropriate to try this version.  It is also made from 100% organic Vernaccia grapes but this is made from free run juice which sees very little skin contact.  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose has some citrus with minerality and a hint of peach.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, minerals and citrus.  Clean.  Good finish.  This is nice on its own and very food friendly as well with lighter foods.  A nice choice with grilled fish.  Drink over the next couple of years.  

Fascinating wine.  Made from Vernaccia grapes.  This is an organic white wine in which the grapes were macerated on their skins.  Not quite an orange wine, it looked more like a salmon-pink rosé with deep golden hues.   Clear and bright.  The nose has some hay, some light oxidized tones, and some almonds.  Medium bodied.  Good balance.  On the palate, this is deep.  Flavors of slight citrus, minerality and a slight bitter (in a good way) note.  Good finish.  This wine needs food.  It would pair well with Cinnamon Risotto.  Drink over the next few years.  

This is a white wine from Sicily that is a blend of Grillo and Chardonnay.  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose is nice with white floral notes, peach and slight citrus.  With air and slight smoked note comes thru.  Medium bodied.  Moderate acidity.  Nice texture.  On the palate, there is a tart citrus note with good minerality.  Some complexity.  It is nice on its own, but better with food.  It worked very well with soft cheeses and veggie appetizers.  drink over the next three to five years.  

Like Chianti, Vino Nobile wines are mostly Sangiovese grapes and from Tuscany.  The best of them compare with many of the good Chianti's and the price is often less.  Frescobaldi (a famous Chianti producer) expanded into this area by buying this property in 2021.  This wine was made prior to that but recently released by Frescobaldi.  It is a blend of 90% Sangiovese, known locally as Prugnolo Gentile, and 10% other red grape varieties.  Deep ruby in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose has cherries, black cherries, sandalwood, spice and slight sour cherries.  Medium bodied.  Medium tan

Grillo is a grape that we are seeing more often.  It makes excellent white wines and for the most part, the price is reasonable.  Pale yellow gold in color with tinges of green, clear and bright.  The nose is nice with a bit of lemon/lime citrus and some tropical fruit (Mango?) notes and just a bit of minerality.  Light to medium bodied.  Refreshing acidity.  On the palate, the lemon/lime and mango comes thru with just a touch of spice and earth.  Good finish.  This is an easy to drink white that will stand up nice to food.  It would be nice with seafood but also with a plate of cold pasta

This is a Kermit Lynch wine.  Pale ruby in color, mostly clear and bright. The nose is interesting with cherries, some black cherries, black olives and spice.  Medium bodied.  Good acidity.  On the palate, cherry fruit.  This drinks easy and is a nice quaff.  Better with food this is a great "pizza" wine.  Drink over the next couple of years.  

This was a bit different than a bottle of this I recently opened.  Both were excellent, but this one had an issue or two.  Purple/ruby in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has cherries, dust, slight anise and slight char.  Medium to full bodied.  Great acidity.  Light to medium tannins.  On the palate, this has cherries, slight black cherries, celery and spice.  The green note gets bigger on the finish.  Overall, this is a very good wine, but the green streak is  a bit disappointing.  Still, this wine is made to drink with food and that should help out that issue.  Pappardelle al R

This is 100%Trebbiano-Romagnolo from the center of Italy (Emilia-Romagna).  Silvery/gold in color, clear and bright.  The nose is interesting.  it opens with a "fleshy" quality and then fresh cut hay, and some pineapple.  There is also a bit waft of herbs in the background.  Light to medium bodied.  Good acidity.  On the palate, lemons with slight pineapple and some minerality.  Good finish.  A lighter wine but there is some substance to it.  Nice on its own, this would be a nice wine with a room temperature pasta salad (or even cold).  Drink over the next few years.    

This is a traditionally styled BdM.  Wonderful vintage.  Garnet in color, clear and bright.  The nose has cherries, tea leaves, sandalwood, and spice.  Medium to full bodied.  Medium tannins.  Excellent acidity.  On the palate, this is  lively.  Flavors of cherries, spice, forest floor and slight earthiness.  Long finish.  This is nice on its own but really needs food to shine.  A plate of your favorite pasta would be great.  Drink over the next eight to twelve years.