Recently in Reviews

Alder at Vinography tastes the Tre Bicchieri, so you don't have to! :(

I have yet to taste any of these. I tend to shy away from the big producers, but the La Colombina sounds interesting.

Since our drive through the Côte-d'Or last summer I have been more and more interested in Pinot Noir, or the Italian Pinot Nero. We had this bottle last night with escargot and it was definitely up to the task. A little more body that other Pinot Nero I have had recently, a little darker in color, and a very fruit forward first taste with some white pepper notes. A problem I have with Pinot Nero is that it can be so quaffable that I drink it too fast - and this is definitely a drinkable wine!

The producer, Ansitz Pfitscher, has been making wine for over 145 years - I think they know what they are doing with this grape. You can find more info on the Matan Pinot Nero 2006 here. I highly recommend this wine if you are a fan of Italian Pinot Noir.

I have some older Chianti Classico and IGT reviews up on another blog - these are for vintages that probably are not readily available anymore, but there is some good stuff in there - links, etc. that may still be useful:

• Fattoria di Rignana Chianti Classico 2004
• Castello La Leccia Chianti Classico 2004
• Casale dello Sparviero Riserva 2003
• Castello di Ama Chianti Classico 2003
• Le Cupole 2003 IGT
• La Banditaccia Aquilaia Montecucco Rosso D.O.C. 2004
• Poggio Rosso Riserva 2000
• Querciavalle Chianti Classico Riserva 1999
• Badia a Coltibuono Chianti Classico Riserva 2000

Really enjoyed this wine - La Planeta Segreta 2007 - especially since I got it in the Mercato Centrale here in Florence for less that 5 €! An eclectic mix of 50% Grecanico, 30% Chardonnay, 10% Viognier, and 10% Fiano - it has a nice round mouthfeel balanced with a slightly acidic finish. Beautiful yellow color in the glass. Matched up against the more inexpensive Italian whites I am used to it is head and shoulders above in class - drinks more like a 12 € plus wine. Planeta is a newer and up and coming winery and this is a really nice effort.

Alessandro Di Camporeale DonnaTá 2007, Nero d'avola, Sicilia

I bought this affordable (about 9 €) bottle at Le volpi e l'uva a couple of weeks ago and we opened it last night as an aperitif. I had tasted it at the enoteca and thought it would be something smooth enough to drink by itself (compared to the rest of my collection of mostly Sangiovese based wines).

This is a newer wine from vines planted in 2000 and is definitely a commercial product (60,000 bottles) and made to drink. The wine does not go into wood at all. My take:

The nose is slightly sweet and jammy. Tasting it there are a lot of dark red fruits, with hints of raisin and prunes. A very supple, tongue coating mouth feel, smooth on the mid-palate and the finish. It is a sort of heavy, almost syrupy wine - but was great to drink alone and could pair with many different foods.

If you are a fan of this grape I have a feeling this is a very good example, especially at this price. On the web (with many more details about the production, food pairings, etc.) at:

http://www.alessandrodicamporeale.com