#1 — 2007 Trentatre Rosso
#2 — 2007 Rabbit Ridge Allure de Robles
#3 — 2008 Sauvignon Republic Stellenbosch Sauvignon Blanc
#4 — 2008 VINTJS Syrah
#5 — 2007 Now & Zen Wasabi White
#6 — 2007 Perrin Cotes du Rhone Reserve
#7 — 2008 Concha y Toro Casillero del Diablo Carmenere
#8 — 2006 Chiusa Grande Tommolo Montepulciano d Abruzzo
#9 — 2008 La Granja Tempranillo
#10 — 2007 Dr. Beckermann Piesporter Michelsberg Riesling Spatlese
Wine Blogging Wednesday #54: Piedmont from the Bargain Bin
I first came across Wine Blogging Wednesday via Dr. Debs who is an avid participant. A brief history this a monthly online tasting event conceived by Lenn Thompson of Lenndevours. The premise is straight forward. A rotating host selects a theme for the month and a date. This month that is David McDuff of McDuff’s Food and Wine Trail. For his theme he picked the wines of Italy’s Piedmont region. A wide variety of people participate posting individually on their blogs. After they post those participating comment on the host’s blog and then the host produces a recap of all those that participated leading to a massive roundup of tasting notes for in this case Piedmont.
So, now that I am in what to drink? Thought about popping the Gaja Barbaresco or the Famiglia Anselma Barolo, decided those were a better fit for the upcoming Open That Bottle Night on February 28th. Passing on that, I decided to go through a sampling of my latest bargain bin buys from K&L. Let’s get to it:
First up the 2004 Giacomo Borgogno Barbera d’Alba ($17 marked down to $7) – This one is all cherries on the nose with just a bit of earth. Super sour and tight on entry to the palate, a bit astringent. Tart on the finish. I’m not a fan. Skip It.
Next the 2004 Campetti Malvasia L’Accesa ($11 marked down to $4) – this one is extremely interesting right out of the bottle. Extremely unusual color. The first sip leaves me puzzled, no idea what I just tasted. Certainly crisp but what else? Fruit? Lemon? Minerals? Nuts? Kerosene? Cut Grass? I never did figure it out but for $4 would buy another to see if I could crake the code. 12th Bottle.
And last the 2003 Mauro Molino Dolcetto d’Alba ($17 marked down to $6) – I was a big fan of this one, full of cherries but delivers a nice spice on the palate. Has a nice tongue feel and good depth. Good stuff! Buy It.
There you have it. What did I learn? Perhaps I am a Dolcetto man. That was fun, wonder what is on tap for next month!
Welcome to WBW! The Malvasia looks very interesting–perhaps it was a bit over the hill which accounts for the nuttiness. Often there’s some nuttiness in a Malvasia, but it’s pretty faint. This sounds like maybe it oxidized a bit. And I would agree that Dolcetto is the Piedmont bargain “sweet spot”–more complex than Barbera, less expensive than high-end Nebbiolos!
@Dr Debs Thanks for the welcome! It was a lot of fun. Really enjoying your tour of Italy (and Washington) for that matter. I am headed to Greece in April so can offer a little wine tour of my own soon!
Thanks for participating, Jason. Deb’s most likely right about the Malvasia, as the nut/kerosene combo is a classic sign that a white’s gone south (which, in another context, is also where this one — from Tuscany — started). At least you liked the Dolcetto!
@David McDuff Thanks for the feedback on the Malvasia, perhaps that is what I get for trying to sneak a wine from Tuscany into the equation…
I’m with you on the bargain bin – and one keeper out of three for a total of $17 ain’t bad. If I can find that deeply discounted dolcetto, I’ll buy a bottle…or three.