Vitiano Umbria

2009
Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese & Merlot Blend


This was an improvement over Big House red, which I am beginning to think I over-rated. I don't like that I have to cool it to keep it - which means I have to pour it an hour or so before I want a sip so that it comes to room temp. And then it tastes so different. It would probably come to room temp sooner if I didn't keep our house temp at only 60 (Brrrrrrr!) to save $$ on oil! However, that said, it never really "warms" up the way I like my reds.

Anyway, this isn't about Big House at all, it is about Vitiano. And Vitiano is a really good vanilla-oak-cherry dry wine with thyme essence.

I enjoyed this on its own, but it was very good with fettucine and broccoli rabe, chicken sausage, mushrooms, Gouda and some crushed red pepper with a little grape seed oil. I highly recommend this "Super Tuscan" category wine.


So, I am a Steve Poltz fan. He played for awhile on the road with Jewel and they have co-written songs together. But my absolute favorite song of his is from the soundtrack of the movie Notting Hill. The song from the actual soundtrack is electrified and has bagpipes, whereas other versions do not. This, for me, is the sexiest song ever written. Word is that he wrote it for Jewel, though they have not been romantically linked, but whoever it was he had in mind, is the luckiest girl in the world to have someone seeing her in this manner.

I love everything about you
I love the way you comb your hair
And I love the way you sachet in the room
Your perfume lingers in the air
I love everything about you, whoa-oh, about you

I love the way you lick your lips, dear
You got fireworks in your head
And I love the way you bring me water
When I'm thirsty in your bed
I love everything about you, whoa-oh, about you

You were surely kissed by angels
Look at the freckles on your face
You got the devil in your eyes
You disappear without a trace

I love sneaking up behind you
When you're looking in the mirror
The way your eyes lock into mine, dear
Without guilt, without fear
I love everything about you, whoa-oh, about you


8.25 out of 10
$12 / 750 ml. bottle
13.5% alc. by vol.

Barbaresco Valgrande

2003
CA' Del Baio
Treiso - Italy

As this was enjoyed over Easter, and I am just now getting around to its review, all I can say is plain and simple: it was really good. It had full flavor and a nice, soft finish. It tasted good on its own and good with pork roast and potatoes. I would definitely love to have it again.

My brother took me wine shopping and asked me to pick. I so LOVE when that happens!

I must say, part of a "past" life that I miss the most is the fantastic food and accompanying wine. Along with the likes of Billie Holiday playing while we ate dinner. Some of my most favorite things came from a relationship that is now in the past that sometimes makes me sad to reminisce about, mostly because my children do not remember a side of their family. That said, I have come a long way on my own, with a limited income, in deciding what I like. I enjoy cooking and deciding what wine will accompany the meal. However, my mother has filled a huge void that was left from the past with her fantastic gourmet meals. Coupled with my brother's shared love of wine, and no-strings-attached-paycheck, I get to sometimes revisit some of my favorite memories. All that is missing on those occasions, is the fantastic jazz-blues greats of years gone by. Unless of course we are entertaining at my house. :)

OH! This song! It is amazing. It is me, sadly.

I've lost my sense of right and wrong
Well-justified my soul to carry on
It feels so damn good to write off the rules
But when a new day breaks
I'm left a fool
I'm such a fool.
Pain takes my heart's place . . .

Erin McCarley, Pitter Pat




8.25 out of 10
14% alc. by vol.
$29 / 750 ml. bottle

Cesari Amarone

2005
Della Valpolicella
Classico
Veneto, Italy


The week of Thanksgiving was a totally fab wine week. My brother purchased this Amarone in honor of my birthday, along with a bottle of 2003 Pio Cesare Barolo. Here is a terrific case of higher price not being indicative of a great wine. We all agreed the Della Valpolicella was superior to the Barolo. It was $36. The Barolo was $67.

The Amarone was really smooth, with a long finish, herbs and black fruit, and a bit of minerality. A most excellent Italian wine (and now my favorite Italian wine thus far). This wine was delicious on its own, and with my prosciutto and fontina cheese pinwheels.

I highly recommend the Amarone if you are looking for a pricier wine that is worth every penny (sorry for the photo blur factor to the right but I wanted to show the label for anyone interested in purchasing).









The Barolo was good, just not in the same league as the Amarone in spite of its heftier price. It was more dry with less finish time, and less flavor variation.


After dinner at our mother's we came back to my house, opened a bottle of The Chocolate Block, lit a warm fire, and kicked back and watched Bottle Shock (LOVED this movie based on the rise of California wine in the 1970's).





I have to throw in to this blog tonight how incredibly awesome it was to be back in the company of my high school Soul Sister, JAM, and her wonderful, fun sisters with their priceless sense of humor. I haven't laughed so much in quite awhile. You ladies are so much fun to be with. Thank you for always making me feel like part of the family. I've missed you!! Tonight I am happy.


I feel stressed out,
I wanna let it go.
Lets go way out, spaced out
and lose all control.

Fill up my cup,
Mazel Tov!

Black Eyed Peas (This little ditty causes me to spaz out whenever it comes on - I just gotsta MOVE.)

8.75 out of 19
$36 / 750 ml. bottle

Monsanto Chianti Classico

2004
Riserva
Italy

A warm, earthy, smoked leather cherry and vanilla mushroom in the mouth. :)


Finally, I found another chianti I really like. Deep ruby in color, silky smooth and full bodied, it is recommended to decant this wine several hours? We did with one bottle and we didn't with the other. Both tasted the same. And there was little sediment if any. You don't need to decant. Either way, it's highly enjoyable and recommended to drink now through 2016.


And I don't understand
by the touch of your hand
I would be the one to fall

I miss the little things
I miss everything about you

It doesn't mean much
it doesn't mean anything at all
the life I left behind me
is a cold room

Sarah McLachlan, Sweet Surrender



WS 91, WE 90

8.5 out of 10
$20 / 750 ml. bottle
13.5% alc. by vol.

La Massa Toscana

2006
Red Tuscan
Italy

Full-bodied, dry, with dark cherry, oak and herb flavors and a nice finish.

My brother is home - YAY! Life is good. He brought (8) wonderful reds to try: (4) Italian, (2) French, (2) Californian. We tried (1) bottle of the La Massa Toscana last night, but we didn't have it with the right meal (we had a honey baked ham and sweet potatoes - a bottle of Mom's Red Diamond Cab however, accompanied the ham surprisingly well). I am holding off on giving the Toscana a proper review until this evening. It's home-made pizza night and I've got some wonderful crushed tomatoes and freeze-dried oregano that I'm going to "sauce up". I've got the first batch of dough in process. We're going to make FOUR apizzas and taste test the Toscana again, plus we are decanting a Monsanto Chianti Classico.

Right now we are off for a STEEP hike in the rain - got to work up our appetites - for food, wine and a warm fire! :)

Update:
The Toscana was good, but not a great accompaniment to plain cheese pizza. It went much better with our "adult" pizza of fresh mozzarella, sauteed mushrooms and red pepper, and grilled Italian red and green pepper chicken sausage. It was also good all on its own.

I actually enjoyed the Montsano Chianti Classico ( separate review) much more with the pizza, and also with aged Quebec cheddar and Kashi whole grain crackers.

Wine Spectator rating of 93

8.0 out of 10
$24 / 750 ml. bottle
14% alc. by vol.

Palazzo Della Torre Veronese

2004
Allegrini
Italy

Will definitely drink this very smooth wine again. Buy now to drink and/or cellar for a few years.

70% Corvina Veronese
25% Rondinella
5% Sangiovese

I thoroughly enjoyed this very smooth, full-bodied red. Deep velvety red in color, it was very fruit forward in scent and initial mouth full. Had a big blackberry scent and flavor up front for me. It 's finish was pleasant, not as long as I might have liked, but enjoyable. It was good all on its very own - no food influences. It wasn't as distinct in flavor once the addition of food was made (black bean and roasted garlic stew).







8.25 out of 10 (The Guy gives it a 9.0 without the addition of food. 8.5 with tonight's dinner)
13.5% alc. by vol
$20 / 750 ml bottle

Terre di tufi

2003
Super White Tuscan
San Gimignano, Italia

Will definitely drink again.

A wonderful blend of:
Vernaccia - 80%
Chardonnay - 7%
Malvasia - 7%
Vermentino - 6%

Sad to say, but I can't for the life of me remember what I served with this deletable little number Labor Day weekend. All I know is, The Bro and I really loved it. The Guy doesn't remember it. :0 Doh! He must have enjoyed it a little too much.

Called a "cult wine", this wonderful Tuscan white had a really nice texture and finish, and a wonderful taste combo of creamy, vanilla spice with a nice acid balance.







8.0 out of 10
13% alc. by vol.
$22 / 750 ml bottle

La Segreta Planeta

2005
Bianco
Sicily, Italia


Will drink again. Very enjoyable.

A blend of Grecanico, Chardonnay, Viognier, and Fiano, I loved this wine that I had at one of my favorite local area restaurants. It very nicely accompanied a ricotta olive appetizer spread on crostini bread, as well as my walnut, gorgonzola salad and my main entree of salmon, risotto cake and asparagus. Full and dry, the flavor was very distinct with a fruitful combo of pineapple meets peach. It had a wonderful, slight mineral finish for a white wine.

Although it is not a staple in local wine shops, I've requested it and hope to get my own bottle soon.

Softly in her sleep
Pictures of the life she's longing
For slowly appear
She's seen them all before
But somehow never quite this clear
She just smiles, she don't want the world

The open wound she hides
She just keeps it bundled up
And never lets it show
She can't take much more of this
But she can't let it go
And that's ok, she don't want the world

All the things she says
While he's just lying there
Without someone to hear her cry
She slips off into a dream
About a place to hide
And that's ok, she don't want the world

3 Doors Down, She Don't Want the World

8.25 out of 10
$14 / 750 ml bottle

Monte Antico Sangiovese Blend

2004
85% Sangiovese, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon,
5% Merlot
Tuscany, Italy


I will drink again.


I really enjoyed this wine for the price. It was awesome with a fresh garlic, black olive, ricotta, chicken and spinach pizza. I did not enjoy it as much on it's own - so I recommend it with food (pasta, cheese, or pizza). With flavors of oak and slight vanilla, this full-bodied wine tasted also of cherries. There was a slight finish, but it dissipated too quickly.


I have had a couple of decent Sangiovese wines now. I am looking forward to trying many more different Italian wines.

Am I still breathing;
Does my heart still beat?
I feel I'm suffocating
While everyone watches
Ah! There it is
My heart, pounding in my ears
My blood pulsates
My head pounds, with every beat
I've been reduced to deletion








8.0 out of 10
$10.99 / 750 bottle
12.5% alc. by vol.

Castello di Meleto Chianti

2006

"True Tuscan"

Tuscany, Italy


Would drink again if I could find it!

I had a glass of this wine last week at a wonderful little Greek-owned Italian restuarant. The food was awesome and I really enjoyed this wine. I am not usually fond of Chiantis (with the exception being Nipozzano Riserva Chianti I reviewed here on October 12, 2007 - first Chianti I've ever liked - see the archives on the left). But this is my second favorite Chianti behind the Nipozzano.

Although it was quite dry (which I don't normally like), the flavor was very good and it complimented garlic knots and baked ziti nicely. A deep dark garnet in color, it had black cherry aromas. The taste was warm, spicey cherry with slight vanilla and earth. It had a slightly long, warm finish.

Window rolled down

feeling the sun

Trying not to think

as the mind runs

Life running by

too much to do

Exhausted from the hunt

Finding relief with "The Who"

Cranking it all the way up to "Eminence Front"

8.0 out of 10

Approximately $16 / 750 ml. bottle

Primitivo - Layer Cake

2006

Italy

Will drink again.

We previously reviewed the Layer Cake Shiraz. The Primitivo (Zinfandel) was equally as good. Dark, inky purple in color, this wine is bottled in Italy. A lot of black cherry and a bit of licorice and spice, the finish was not as flavorful as the initial taste and mouthfeel, but it was still an enjoyable wine.

Song of the Day:

Nothing's too good for a veteran

yeah, this is what they say

So nothing is what they'll get in this new American way

The lies that were told to get us to go were criminal, let us be straight

Let's get to the point where our voices are heard behind the White House gate

With his mind he's saying...no more

With his heart he's saying...no more

With his life he's saying...no more war

With his eyes he's saying...no more

With his body he's saying...no more

With his voice he's saying...no more war, no more war

No more innocents dying

No more terrorizing

No more eulogizing

No more evangelizing

No more President's lying

No more war

Eddie Vedder, No More War

8.25 out of 10

$15 / 750 ml bottle

13.5% alc. by vol.

Nipozzano Riserva Chianti

2004
Chianti Rufina
Tuscany

Will drink again. See the rating below.

I am not fond of Chianti. It is too dry and there is not usually much of a finish for me. Tonight, I had a Chianti I thoroughly enjoyed. This was very good. I think if you're a Chianti lover, you are going to really appreciate this wine. Actually, if you're not a Chianti lover (as myself) you will appreciate this wine. It's a good wine to start with.

It was very fruit forward in scent and taste. It was a "deep, plum red" in color (per The Guy's description and I concur). After the fruit, I was hit with the dryness which is usually where I stop liking Chianti because that's all there is. But it was followed by a nice finish. It was definitely "Chianti" in taste, but at a "higher" level. It had a smoothness and a lingering finish that made it especially good. And, for the first time, I tasted plum. It tasted good on its own and with our dinner (home-made pizza with fire-roasted tomatoes, ricotta, fresh organic mozzarella, chicken sauteed in garlic, olive oil, organic mushrooms and fresh parmesean cheese, and sun-dried tomatoes).

"The Bro" is visiting from out of town and, along with massive sized pumpkins, he brought me beautiful chrysanthemums, gifts for my children, (3) bags of apples (I think he's hoping they will get used in a pie or two before the weekend's up), and . . . (6) bottles of wine. He sure knows how to cheer me up. I bought the Chianti for tonight's dinner, however.

"The Bro" had this to say about it: "I like Chianti - but it usually has a higher acidity and this one doesn't. There's a slight acid and then it just ends, followed by an exceptionally smooth finish."

"The Guy" felt this Chianti tasted like a "cheap, Italian table wine." (He just likes to play Devil's Advocate and we just humor him and throw him pizza crust.)

Tomorrow's review will be of Penfold's Bin 128 Coonawarra Shiraz (courtesy of The Bro).


SGT JASON LANTIERI

At the flagpole along my morning route,
I was introduced to you today.
I felt a lurch in my chest,
and once again, wished we'd found a better way.

In tribute, majestic flag flapped in the wind,
set at half-mast on it's pole.
The reports, all no longer new,
tell the sad story, the loss of yet another soul.

A future comes to a screeching halt,
no way for it to come back.
As another family is stricken,
by the loss of a son in Iraq.

8.25 out of 10
$21.99 / 750 ml.
13% alc. by vol.
http://www.frescobaldi.it/

As a side note: Wine Spectator gave this Chianti a 91 rating.

DOGAJOLO Sangiovese

Would not normally try again, but . . .

DOGAJOLO
Dry Red Table Wine of Tuscany
80% Sangiovese, 20% Cabarnet Sauvignon
2005

This was my first Sangiovese (pronounced "san-jo-VAY-zay"). It probably was not the best one to start with. It was way too dry for my tastes. It got me in the gizzards from the first mouthful. But its initial bouquet made my mouth water for beef burgundy (and I do not typically eat red meat). I normally wouldn't try this particular label again, but a Sangiovese is recommended on the "Wine Lover's" diet (we are semi-following) with the "Tuscan Beef Stew" recipe. I will buy Dogajolo again when I make the stew so I can see what a difference the "right" food pairing might make with this label - see if I can raise it from 5.5 out of 10 to anything at all higher. If it's still not good, I will buy a bottle of 2001 Antinoro Sangiovese Santa Cristina to give Sangiovese in general another try.

Carpineto S.N.C.
Greve in Chianti
Italy
$10.99 / bottle
www.carpineto.com