Piedmont (Piemonte)

A very nice, moderately priced (on release) Barolo.  With 13 years from vintage, this one is in a great place.  Garnet in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose has hot tar, cherries, spice and char.  Medium bodied.  Firm tannins.  On the palate, nice cherry fruit with some complexity.  Good acidity.  Nice finish.  This will work better with food.  Pasta with a mushroom cream sauce was perfect.  Drink over the next five to eight years.  

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 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.  

This was purchased at the winery and brought back by a friend.  Ruby in color, clear and bright.  The nose is classic with cherries, tar and slight baking spice.  Medium to full bodied.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, this is surprisingly open.  Cherries with underlying asphalt.  Good acidity.  Long finish.  This is obviously young but drinking well already.  It should drink well for the next twenty years.  Nice on its own, this would be better with food.  Pasta in a cream and mushroom sauce would be great.  

This is non vintage but the Lot No. is L221095.  It is a delightful, low alcohol (5%) low alcohol wine from Italy.  This year's version seems a bit rounder and more fruity than prior versions.  Green/gold in color.  The nose has some peach with minerality and slight citrus.  Frothy.  Lightly sweet.  The palate again has some peach with a nice crispness to balance the sweet.  Easy to drink and tasty.  This will work well with fried appetizers or on its own.  Drink over the next couple of years.  

Decanted for sediment, this is still a bit young but no harm opening now.  Deep garnet with slight bricking, clear and bright.  Classic nose of cherries, slight dried cherries, some floral/rose notes and slight tar.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  Good acidity.  On the palate, this is showing nice complexity.  Lots of cherries, some dried cherries, with some underlying forest floor, mushrooms and tar.  Long finish.  This drinks better with food.  Mushroom pizza is a great choice.  Drink over the next fifteen to twenty years.

Moscato d'Asti deserves more respect.  It can be an excellent dessert wine that offers up enjoyment and yes, some level of contemplation.  Slightly sparkling and sweet, and not expensive can be very good things if done well.  This one offers up all of those.  Pale yellow in color with just a bit of frizzante.  The nose has peaches, orange blossoms, and just a hint of fresh thyme.  Creamy texture.  On the palate, this is sweet but nowhere near cloying.  Good acidity.  Nice finish.  And low alcohol to boot (6%).  It is made to consumed within the first year or two.  It is great on its own and

This is a very interesting and enjoyable white from northwest Italy.  Straw gold in color, clear and bright.  The nose is nice with pears, citrus, some peach, minerality, and slight almonds.  Light bodied. Lean and moderately piercing acidity.  On the palate, this is very tasty.  Notes of pears with minerality and slight herbal note.  Tasty.  Long finish. This really begs for food.  Lighter foods, seafoods or chicken salad would be a nice match.  Drink over the next five to seven years.  

There was a lot of talk at the other end of the table about this wine being problematic.  I tried not to pay much attention, but it seemed to center around an abundance of oak and being made in a more modern style.  While that may have been true, at age 24, this wine is drinking well.  Deep ruby in color, clear an bright.  The nose has cherries, slight tar, some spice/oak and a bit of forest floor.  Medium to full bodied.  Light to medium tannins.  On the palate, there is nice cherry fruit with some depth.  Nice finish.  This seems to be at peak but should drink well for the next five to ei

From Magnum.  This was really enjoyable.  In a young, but nice place right now.  Deep ruby in color, clear and bright.  The nose is as expected, that is, cherries, slight dark cherries, dried floral notes, spice and slight tar.  With air, a slight menthol note.  Medium to full bodied.  Firm tannins.  Juicy acidity.  On the palate, this has dense cherries with some spice.  Deep but primary.  Delicious.  Slight sweet and sour cherry note on the finish.  This (again from Magnum) of course needs more time.  It should drink well for the next twenty years.  Pasta with shave truffles should be per