Piedmont (Piemonte)

From Magnum.  Nice showing at age 25.  Brick red in color but no browning, clear and bright.  The nose is great with cherries, dust, dried flowers and a hint of anise.  Medium bodied.  Medium tannins.  Nice acidity.  On the palate, this has depth and some complexity.  Flavors of cherries with some anise and light char.  There is some oak showing but it seems mostly integrated.  Good finish.  This needs food to shine (duh).  It would be great with a plate of pasta with a mushroom cream sauce.  In regular 750ml format, it probably should be consumed in the next five years or so.  

One of my favorite white wines, this is made from the Arneis grape in the Roero district of Piemonte, Italy.  Light gold in color with green hues, clear and bright.  The nose is nice with lemons, a touch of pineapple and nice minerality.  Medium bodied.  Good acidity.  On the palate, this has nice minerality with peach, apples and citrus.  A hint of almonds on the finish.  This is nice on its own but even better with food.  It worked with with a plate of pasta, butter and mushrooms.  Drink over the next three to five years.  

Also referred to as the Black Label.  It is made from 100% Cortese grape.  Light golden in colo, clear and bright.  The nose is expressive with lemons, and a floral note and a bit of minerality.  Medium bodied.  Nice texture.  Great backbone of acidity.  On the palate, the lemons and  minerals come thru along with a slight almond note especially on the finish.  While this can be drunk on its own, it works better with acidity.  It worked well with a plate of pasta and mushrooms in an Aioli sauce.  Drink over the next couple of years.  

This bottle (bought on release) was allowed to breathe for 6 hours, then decanted for four more before being double decanted back into the original bottle.  It needed every bit of that as it was still a bit on the young side.  Deep ruby in color, mostly clear and bright.  Great nose with cherries, slight menthol, slight dark chocolate, fresh asphalt and dried flowers.  Firm tannins.  Medium to full bodied.  Great acidity and balance.  On the palate, juicy cherries with some tar and dried earth.  Deep and complex.  Long finish.  This needs food to really shine and it went quite well with mus

This is 100% Nebbiolo from the Piedmont in Italy.  This is a soft accessible version of Nebbiolo.  Ruby in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has cherries along with some mustiness, ash and mint.  Soft texture but firm tannins.  It comes alive on the palate with cherries and a hard cherry candy note along with a slight earthiness.  Good acidity.  Nice finish.  Very open and drinking well.  This was a hot vintage but the fruit is not raisined or under ripe.  It drinks well on its own but will be better with food.  A great choice for a weekday pasta or pizza night.  Drink over the nex

This was tasted blind among a group of Cabernet based wines.  Upon opening this was off a bit, perhaps showing some oxidation.  However, with about 30 minutes of air, it really came back strong.  Purple in color, opaque but flat.  The nose has black cherries, cedar, earthiness and dust.  Soft texture.  Firm tannins.  On the palate, this has depth and complexity.  A bigger in style Barolo.  Black cherries and spice.  Good acidity.  Long finish.  This will benefit from getting some air at this point if just to blow off bottle stink and revive a bit.  It worked great with a Portobello Quesadil

Deep ruby in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose has cherries, slight asphalt, slight rose and iron.  Medium bodied.  Firm tannins.  Great acidity.  On the palate, this is tight but opens in the glass.  Cherries with some asphalt and minerals.  Deep.  This is just entering its drinking window and should be there for another eight to twelve years.  Nice on its own but better with food.  A plate of truffle pasta would be perfect.  

An interesting wine made from 100% Nascetta grapes.  The grapes are macerated for six days on their skins before being fermented (off the skins).  The result is a deep golden color.  Clear and bright.  The nose is light but shows nice minerality along with a touch of lemon peel.  Medium tannins.  Good acidity.  On the palate, the lemon peel and minerality come thru.  This won't get better so drink up.  It will be better with food.  A nice wine to go with a Quiche.