TN: VinItaly U.S. Tour (105 wines tasted)

WINE TALK
1

VINITALY U.S. TOUR (105 WINES TASTED) - Bently Reserve Bldg, San Francisco, California (10/21/2009)

This was an educational trade tasting, and an opportunity to sample more Proseccos and Italian Verdicchios and Grillos than I’ve ever tried before in one place. From the same organization that organizes the massive five-day VinItaly tastings in Italy that include over 4,000 wines, this travel “snapshot” of one or more regions of Italy came to Chicago and San Francisco in the U.S. this year, and about a dozen other major world cities. I tasted 105 wines, or about 3/4’s of what was poured.

I did gain an appreciation for the wide variety of Proseccos and Spumantes out there, including those from varietals and blends that I didn’t know existed (e.g., Spumantes made from Kerner, Viognier, and even Cabernet). We tasted some Verdicchios, especially from the Marche, that were quite good. Besides the Marche, there was a focus on Sicily, including a morning tasting seminar with some representative wines. I also tasted a few very good sweet wines. On the whole, though, eight hours of tastings, including four hours of seminars and a four-hour walk around “grandtasting” made for a pretty exhausting day. It also seemed trickier than usual to get the various representatives to identify the vintages of what they were pouring, or the varietals involved, as though those weren’t important questions. And there were lots of mediocre wines poured, including a number of disappointing Nero d’Avolas (a varietal I happen to very much like, when done well) and lackluster Amarones.

My very top wines of the tasting, with scores of 93 or more, were three: the delicious '06 Abraxas Passito di Pantelleria, the '07 Donnafugata Passito di Pantelleria Ben Rye, and the very impressive '07 Vicari Lacrima di Morro d’Alba del Pozzo Buono (which generated a lot of buzz during the grand tasting). My top Prosecco was the NV La Riva dei Frati Spumanate Extra Dry, my favorite Verdicchio was Bucci’s Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Riserva, and the best Grillo was Colomba Bianca’s '08 Baronia Lampiasi.



Abraxas

  • 2006 Abraxas Passito di Pantelleria - Italy, Sicily, Passito di Pantelleria
    Medium apricot orange color with clear meniscus; big, floral, Orange Muscat, fruit cocktail nose; silky textured, orange liqueur, apricot, honey palate with good acidity; long finish 93+ pts. (93 pts.)
  • 2007 Abraxas Kuddia del Moro Sicilia IGT - Italy, Sicily, Sicilia IGT
    Tart cherry, berry, herbal nose; herbal, oak, tart cherry, berry palate; medium finish (86 pts.)
  • 2007 Abraxas Kuddia di Zè Sicilia IGT - Italy, Sicily, Sicilia IGT
    Tart cherry, herbal, anise nose; tart berry, herbal, mineral palate; medium-plus finish 88+ pts. (88 pts.)

Arceno

Avide

Birgi

Bucci

Canicatti

  • 2007 Viticultori Associati Canicatti Scialo Sicilia IGT - Italy, Sicily, Sicilia IGT
    Very dark red violet color; berry, black fruit, tobacco nose; tart berry, tart plum, mineral, menthol palate, with lift; medium-plus finish 90+ pts. (50% Nero d’Avola, 50% Syrah; French oak for 12 mos., then aged 6 mos. in bottle) (90 pts.)

Carlina

Carpenè Malvolti

Colomba Bianca

Corbera Vini

  • 2008 Corbera Vini Catarrato Sicilia IGT - Italy, Sicily, Sicilia IGT
    Light medium butter yellow color; herbal, green apple, peach, pear, oak nose; light oily texture, soft, ripe grapefruit, white peach, mineral palate; medium finish 90+ pts. (90 pts.)
  • 2008 Corbera Vini Nero d’Avola - Italy, Sicily, Sicilia IGT
    Black fruit, plum nose; berry, black fruit, plum palate; medium finish 88+ pts. (88 pts.)
  • 2008 Corbera Vini Syrah - Italy, Sicily, Sicilia IGT
    Plum, charcoal nose; tasty, berry, charcoal palate; medium finish 88+ pts. (88 pts.)
  • 2008 Corbera Vini Cabernet Sauvignon - Italy, Sicily, Sicilia IGT
    Earthy, cassis, menthol nose; black fruit, tar, licorice palate (a lot like the Nero d’Avola on the palate); medium finish (87 pts.)
  • 2008 Corbera Vini Nero d’Avola Cera - Italy, Sicily, Sicilia IGT
    Nice herbal, oak, black fruit, smoke nose; smoke, ripe black fruit, chocolate palate; medium-plus finish (90 pts.)
  • 2008 Corbera Vini Syrah Casalbianco - Italy, Sicily, Sicilia IGT
    Black fruit, berry, sweet smoke nose; malty, oak, chocolate palate; medium-plus finish (83 pts.)

Don Tomasi

  • 2005 Cantina Don Tomasi Cabernet Nero d’Avola - Italy, Sicily, Sicilia IGT
    Dark purple red violet color; very herbal, menthol, tart plum nose; menthol, tart plum, very herbal palate with firm tannins; medium finish (70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Nero d’Avola) (88 pts.)
  • 2008 Cantina Don Tomasi Rosso - Italy, Sicily, Sicilia IGT
    Herbaceous, charcoal, black fruit nose; herbaceous, charcoal, black fruit palate; short-medium finish (84 pts.)
  • 2007 Cantina Don Tomasi Nero d’Avola - Italy, Sicily, Sicilia IGT
    Charcoal, herbal nose; tart plum, black fruit, herbal palate; short-medium finish (85 pts.)

Donnafugata

Fina

  • 2003 Cantine Fina Nero d’Avola Bausa - Italy, Sicily, Sicilia IGT
    Slightly bricking very dark red violet color; tobacco, cigar box, oak nose; maturing, tart black fruit, tobacco palate; medium finish (87 pts.)

Gurgò

  • 2008 Gurgò Frappato Syrah - Italy, Sicily, Sicilia IGT
    Very dark cherry red color; chocolate, oak, black fruit, tar nose; oak, chocolate, berry, ripe black fruit palate; medium finish 85+ pts. (85 pts.)

Impero

Le Terrazze

Lungarotti

Madonnina del Chiaro

Martellozzo

Masi

  • 2008 Masi Masianco Venezie IGT - Italy, Veneto, Venezie IGT
    Very herbal, oily, white flower, almond nose; oily textured, white flower, herbal, almond, mineral, green fruit palate; medium finish 90+ pts. (90 pts.)
  • 2006 Masi Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Costasera - Italy, Veneto, Valpolicella, Amarone della Valpolicella Classico
    Brett, earthy, black fruit, graphite, mineral nose; tart black fruit, graphite, mineral, menthol, berry palate; medium-plus finish (91 pts.)

Montecappone

Paolini

Piantate Lunghe

Pio Cesare

  • 2005 Pio Cesare Barbaresco - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
    Nice cherry, roses, dried cherries nose; tasty, dried cherry, tart cherry, mineral, charcoal palate with sweet tannins; medium finish 91+ pts. (91 pts.)

La Riva dei Frati

Rivera

Rocca di Montemassi

San Lorenzo di Crognaletti

Silvano Strologo

Terre Magre

  • N.V. Terre Magre Collio Ribolla Gialla Vino Spumante Brut - Italy, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Collio
    Pale canary yellow color creamy lime, oak and green apple nose; light, tart lime, mineral, tart green apple palate; medium finish 91+ pts. (would be very nice with sushi) (91 pts.)
  • N.V. Terre Magre Rosé Spumante Very Dry - Italy
    Light strawberry cream nose; unusual, light berry, mineral, herbal palate; medium-plus finish 90+ pts. (90 pts.)
  • 2008 Terre Magre Pinot Nero - Italy, Friuli-Venezia Giulia
    Black fruit, plum palate, not varietally distinguishable as Pinot; medium finish (90% Pinot Nero, 10% Merlot) (81 pts.)
  • 2008 Terre Magre Cabernet Franc - Italy, Friuli-Venezia Giulia
    Very herbaceous, green bean nose; herbaceous, green bean casserole palate; medium finish 85+ pts. (85 pts.)
  • 2008 Terre Magre Friuli Grave Refosco - Italy, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Friuli Grave
    Herbal, black fruit nose; herbal, black fruit palate; medium finish 86+ pts. (86 pts.)

Tonnino

Trionfo

  • 2004 Trionfo Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Riserva - Italy, Veneto, Valpolicella, Amarone della Valpolicella Classico
    Almost opaque black red violet color; earthy, black fruit, oak, herbal nose; herbal, charcoal, oak, roasted meat, tart black fruit palate, needs 5 to 7 years; medium-plus finish (75% Corvina Veronese, 20% Rondinella, 5% Molinara) (89 pts.)
  • 2007 Vinea Garganega Trionfo Veronese IGT - Italy, Veneto, Veronese IGT
    Lime, green fruit, peach nose; green apple, lime palate; medium finish 88+ pts. (88 pts.)

Umani Ronchi

Valdo

Vicari

Villa Vinea

Zonin


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