TN: 1998 Sportoletti Rosso Villa Fidelia Umbria IGT

WINE TALK
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  • 1998 Sportoletti Rosso Villa Fidelia Umbria IGT - Italy, Umbria, Umbria IGT (1/10/2018)
    Upon uncorking, a small 1 oz pour reveals equal parts of age/funk, ripe red and black fruits, and soil. I pour myself a little more and let it unwind in my glass as I prepare dinner. 15 minutes later, the wine is more about the fruit, and less so other attributes; most of the funk is gone. The color reveals a gently bricked ruby, faded to the rim and clear. The nose, once fully open at the one hour mark, is a joyous mixture of red currants, creamy cassis fruit, a splash of vanilla, some soil, dust and a continuously recurring note of baked raspberries. The palate, also at the one hour mark, is wonderfully mature - the gentle side of full-bodied - and well complemented by a wide beam of (still!) fresh acidity. The finish is med>medium+, the tannins, sweet, caressing. An excellent example of old meets new worlds, and a testament not only to the integrity of the vines/land, but also to the attention paid that created this cheerful blend. Not sure I’d have cared for it in its youth, but today, this mature wine makes it clear it’s going out in style. I loved the way this set into some serious, ripe, Cab and Merlot traits with the wine signaling New World(!) only to get clawed back moments later with notes of leaves, mushrooms, dust and soil. A rich, balanced blend from Umbria: Merlot 70%, Cabernet Sauvignon 20%, Cabernet Franc 10%. Drink now or in the next several years. recommended+

  • this wine remains an incredible value, at just ~ $20 in today’s market. unreal *

Posted from CellarTracker

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Tim - totally agree. I stopped in the winery on our last trip to Italy and bought a mixed case, mostly to drink in the evenings in our apartment on our travels with 4 kids in tow on a busy trip without higher-end dining. Value is unreal. Really hard to source here in the States, but lovely wine. Thanks for calling out a great producer!

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I like this producer too, albeit in limited experience

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This is an important point we often forget when tasting a wine young, as the few times I had this wine, it was young and not really my cuppa.

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Same here

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Hi Tim,
Thank you for the note. I recently enjoyed the 1999 which was a little bit shy on the nose but otherwise very typical and agree with your value assessment. Too bad this producer is rather hard to come by.

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great note Tim; love this wine and the value it delivers