Amarone Braised Beef Short Ribs with Creamy Polenta and Mission Fig Glaze
I couldn’t bring myself to use an entire bottle of Amarone as the cooking wine for the short ribs, instead I substituted a bottle of 2011 Palazzo Delle Torre from Allegrini. Pallazzo Delle Torre is a blend of Corvina Veronese and Rondinella, traditional varieties that go into the making of Amarone, and part of the grapes that […]
Allegrini Amarone Della Valpolicella Classico 2010
The 2010 Allegrini Amarone della Valpolicella Classico is a stunning and seamless blend of Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella and Oseleta that have been air-dried for 3-4 months, or until the grapes lose around 50% of their volume. Voluptuous notes of incense, fresh road tar, figs, blackberry reduction and cedar waft from the glass. The palate echoes […]
Pieropan Soave Classico La Rocca 2013
The 2013 Pieropan La Rocca Soave sets the imagination adrift to high altitude vistas, with delicate, breezy aromas of wild mint, resinous mountain air, white flowers, and white peaches. Crafted from 100% Garganega, it’s golden-robed and silky on entry with bright, deliciously tart acidity delineating richer lemon curd and stone fruit notes. Pleasingly fleshy and […]
Allegrini Palazzo della Torre Veronese IGT 2010
Always a great value, the Allegrini Palazzo Della Torre is a wine to buy for sheer drinking pleasure. In the glass, it’s inky and dioxazine purple-hued, due in part to a small fraction of grapes dried ripasso-style blended in post-fermentation—an addition that lends both satiny texture and richness. On the nose, black cherries, blackberry cobbler, […]
ColleStefano Verdicchio di Matelica 2013
This is a producer I revisit year after year, ColleStefano’s Verdicchio di Matelica is not only organically produced, but it also offers excellent value for money. The 2013 boasts compelling notes of lime zest and pine resin that gracefully play against lighter notes of orange blossom. What follows is crisp, refreshing acidity that tapirs to […]
Carpenè Malvolti Conegliano Valdobbiadene Superiore Extra Dry Prosecco NV
I picked up a dainty and modestly priced half bottle of Prosecco for lunch. It’s lightly perfumed with ripe d’Anjou pear and white peach along with the faintest top note of dried honey and wildflowers. I appreciate that it’s extra dry—as it comes across as less sappy than is typical for Prosecco, with a bit […]
Rivolta Le Mongolfiere A San Bruno Aglianico del Taburno Rosato 2012
Of all of the rosé wines I’ve tried this year, Fattoria la Rivolta’s “Le Mongolfiere” rosato exhibits terroir like non other, a stately mantle, an ancient and earthy vestige that is a testament to old vines planted in calcareous, limestone-rich soils—what fruit it displays, tart cherries, and clementine are nuanced and entirely secondary. On the […]
Tenute Rubino Saturnino Negroamaro Rosato Salento IGT 2014
The exact color of watermelon Jolly Ranchers, the 2014 Tenute Rubino Saturnino Negroamaro Rosato is thankfully, quite dry. Overtones of tart cherries, roses and spice lead an enthusiastic charge to the palate. Lively acidity gives lift to notes of yes, more tart pie cherries and the slightest hint of candy-like watermelon Jolly Ranchers, in the […]
Gini Contrada Salvarenza Vecchie Vigne 2010
From Garganega, the most widely grown white wine grape in the Veneto region. If you prefer a fruity white, you won’t find it here. What you will find are soft, delicate aromatics of dried honey, lemon tart, and a touch of flinty minerality. It’s full-bodied and voluptuous in the mouth, with just enough acidity to […]
Francesco Rinaldi Barolo Le Brunate 2006
Still in its infancy, the 2006 Rinaldi Barolo Le Brunate is stunning and impeccable even at this stage, though it is advisable to decant should you be tempted to open it sooner rather than later. Soaring notes of juicy black plum and black cherry enclosed in freshly picked sweet tobacco and mint. Voluptuous on entry, […]