2010 Sant'Appiano Monteloro Toscana IGT, Italy, Tuscany, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2010
Score: 
92
Grade: 
A-

This Super Tuscan is a blend of 90% Sangiovese and 10% Colorino.  Deep garnet in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose is nice with black cherries, spice and tea leaves.  Full bodied.  Light tannins.  On the palate, black cherry fruit with smoke and forest floor notes.  Good finish.  This seems to be at maturity although it may still develop a bit.  Drink over the next five to eight years.  A nice match with grilled pizzas.  

2010 Renieri Brunello di Montalcino, Italy, Tuscany, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2010
Score: 
95
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$315.00USD

Having tasted this back in 2010, it was nice to revisit this.  Deep garnet in color, mostly opaque and bright.  Lovely nose of cherries, sandalwood, black cherries and tea leaves.  Medium tannins.  Good acidity.  On the palate, black cherries, some cherries with underlying forest floor.  Nice finish.  Still on the youthful side but starting to show some maturity.  Complex and deep.  Tightly layered.  This should drink well for another seven to fifteen years.  Very nice with a pasta with tomato vodka sauce.  

NV La Costa di Ome Franciacorta, Italy, Lombardy, Wine Review

Score: 
88
Grade: 
B+

This sparkling wine is 100% Chardonnay from northern Italy.  Light golden in color with lots of tiny bubbles.  Clear and bright.  The nose is nice with notes of baked bread, slight lemon curd and spice.  Medium bodied.  Excellent acidity.  On the palate, this is mineral driven with a touch of lemons.  Long finish.  This is nice on its own and will work great with fish.  Roasted trout would be a nice combination.  Drink over the next five to ten years.  

Donnafugata 2017 Mille E Una Notte

Vintage: 
2017
Score: 
91
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$82.00USD

An almost shy wine, this flagship red from Donnafugata does not announce itself with overt fruit. The wine needs some time to coax out the subtle flavors and the tight tannins at the outset tell you to wait a while before it opens up. When it does plum, muted strawberry, pomegranate, baked cherry and rose water dominate the opening. Comprised of Nero d’Avola, Petit Verdot, and Syrah, the tannins and acidity support the judicious use of oak. Aged 14 months in small French oak barrels it then spent 20 months in bottle rest. The result is a lovely wine that will work with a variety of foods.

2020 Dalton Levantina, Israel, Galilee, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2020
Score: 
91
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$27.00USD

This is a blend of 40% Petite Sirah, 30% Grenache, 10% Shiraz, 10% Petite Verdot, and 10% Carignan.  Kosher for Passover.  Inky purple/blue in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with boysenberries, black cherries, blueberries, spice and slight smoke.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, this has some depth.  Plenty of fruit; black cherries, black raspberries and some blueberries.  Good finish.  This drinks well on its own and will pair well with meat dishes.  A nice wine for a Seder meal.  Drink over the next five to ten years.  

2021 Bartenura Pinot Grigio Kosher for Passover Provincia di Pavia IGT, Italy, Lombardy, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2021
Score: 
84
Grade: 
B
Current Price: 
$13.00USD

This is a pleasant white that was consumed over Passover, 2023.  Pale straw in color with green hues, clear and bright.  The nose is nice with pear notes.  Light bodied.  On the palate, pears with an almond note on the finish.  Easy.  Short finish.  This is more the type to sip on the patio on a nice day.  Drink over the next year.  

NV Domaine Netofa Fine Ruby, Israel, Galilee, Wine Review

Score: 
86
Grade: 
B
Current Price: 
$45.00USD

This is made in the style of a Ruby Port.  Made from Touriga Nacional and Tempranillo grapes.  Ruby in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose is nice with cherries, cherry candy, and slight raisins.  Full bodied.  On the palate, this is slightly sweet.  Cherries and Craisins.  Balance.  Moderate finish.  It was a nice way to end our Passover Seder.  It needs plenty of air at this stage but then drank well.  Nice on its own, this worked nicely with chocolate Macaroons.  

2020 Borgo Reale Montepulciano d'Abruzzo (Kosher for Passover), Italy, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2020
Score: 
88
Grade: 
B+
Current Price: 
$14.00USD

This is a Kosher for Passover version of this wine.  Ruby in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose has dust, cherries, slight plums and spice.  Medium bodied.  Good acidity.  On the palate, nice cherry fruit.  Easy drinking.  Moderate finish.  This wine needs food and worked well with Eggplant Parmesan.  Drink over the next three to five years.  

2016 Flam Classico Judean Hills, Israel, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2016
Score: 
89
Grade: 
B+
Current Price: 
$36.00USD

This bottle was left from our Seder in 2021 so we added it to this year's.  It is a Bordeaux blend of 47% Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, 17% Cabernet Franc, 16% Merlot, 13% Petit Verdot and 7% Syrah.  While still drinking well, it is showing a bit of age and has dropped some of its fresh fruit notes (the prior note is on this site).  Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose has cassis, black cherries, tobacco, and dust.  On the palate, this has nice cherry fruit with some cassis over dry roasted earth.  Easy drinking.  Food friendly.  It is not a big wine, but worked great with our meal dur

2020 Netofa Latour White, Israel, Galilee, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2020
Score: 
91
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$29.00USD

This is Chenin Blanc and was served at our Passover seder meal.  Kosher and non-mevushal.  It sees ten months in barrel.  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose is nice with lots of minerality but also slight citrus and some peach.  Medium bodied.  Slightly viscous.  On the palate, this is a rounder wine that works better with a bit of food.  In our case, it worked well with Matzoh Ball soup.  Some citrus, slight spice and underlying minerality.  Nice finish.  Drinking nicely now, this should go another three to five years.  

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