Glendronach 12 year old original

Glendronach is a distillery famous for their whisky which has been stored in sherry casks. Their 12 year old has been stored in oak barrels that has been used to store PX sherry and Oloroso sherry. It is bottled at 43% ABV and is non chill filtered. The smell is of sherry, fruits and vanilla. The taste is of sherry, sweetness, fruits and green apples. The after taste lingers for a long time and the first impressions is of sherry and oak. With oak getting more dominant the more one taste. A good 12 year old whisky.

Glenfarclas 17 year old

A couple I months I tried the Glenfarclas 12 year old but I have heard that older Glenfarclas is better. So this time I have tried the 17 year old. As the 12 year old it is uncoloured and is bottled at 43% ABV. The smell is of sherry, oak and some fruits. Very good smell that one can just smell for many minutes. The taste is of sherry, oak, dark chocolate with some sweetness. much better balance than the 12 year old. The after taste is of sherry and oak. It seem that Glenfarclas gets better with age, and luckily for us the prices are not so steep for their older whiskies. For the future I will have to try the 21 or 25 year old to see if they get better.

Isle of Jura distillery

The Isle of Jura distillery is situated on the island of Jura in the inner Hebrides in Scotland. The closest neighbour is the more famous island Islay. The distillery produces 2,2 million liters each year and to visit the island is quite hard. Jura releases several different whiskies but one is a package containing three bottles of 0,2l, consisting of one 10 year old Origin, one 16 year old Diurachs own and the heavily peated Prophecy of no age statement.

Juras standard bottling is the 10 year old Origin. The nose is of alcohol, fruit and oak. The taste is of fruit and oak while the aftertaste leaves a bit salty oily chilli. My impression of this whisky is that the taste is sharp and leaves a bit sour after taste and an almost metallic taste in my mouth. Tastes like a blended whisky. Not to my liking. There are better whiskies for me.

The Jura Prophecy is the heavily peated whisky produced by Isle of Jura. The smell is of smoke and some hints of lemon. The taste if only of smoke and so is the after taste. Very one dimensional, for people who only wants smoke in their whiskies. But I want more complex whiskies.

The sixteen year old bottling is called Diurachs own. For thoese who are interested Diurach is the Gaelic word for people of Jura. ´The nose is lemon and sherry. The taste is of Dark Chocolate, oak and lemon. The aftertaste is some alcohol. Better than the 10 year old but still lacking what I would expect from a 16 year old.

Vermentino from Tuscany and a Grechetto from Umbria

Codice V is a wine from producer Mazzei and is made of 100% vermentino grapes. I have tasted the 2014 vintage earlier and now the 2015 vintage is in stores. The smell is very good and the taste is of citrus, tropical fruits and the wine is very aromatic with good acidity. I like this vintage. Good quality over the years.

A grape which I have only tasted once before is the Grechetto grape. I tasted it when I visited Umbria earlier this year (2016). Sitting on the street in beautiful Norcia everything that one drink will taste good. On a sadder note I hope that Norcia will be completely rebuilt after the devastating earthquake a few months ago. But back to wine. Grechetto wine is almost impossible to find in Sweden. However on a rock cruise I found a bottle of San Giovanni Della sala from 2014 from producer Castello Della Sala (Marchesi Antinori). It consists of 50% Grechetto, 25% Procanico and 25% Pinot blanc and Viogner. Grechetto is a grape an Italian grape variety grown mostly in the Umbria region while Procanico is a local Umbrian clone of the Trebbianio grape. So this wine is very much Umbrian. The grapes used in this wine were picked separately and also fermented separately. The first impression of the wine that it is fresh and vibrant. The taste is of apples, light citrus, melon, peach, grapefruit and some mineral. I like this wine a lot. I hope that the next time I go on a cruise that they still have this wine on the shelves.

Beautiful Norcia in the evening.

The hills and mountains of Umbria.

Lagrein wine from Alto Adige

Lagrein is a red wine grape from Alto Adige in Italy which is almost only grown there. This grape produces a very dark and full bodied wines. I have been fortunate to try two different wine from two different producers.

First is the Eisacktaler Kellerei Lagrein from 2011. It is made from 100% Lagrein grapes. The wine is very dark and there are some tannins. The after taste is long and the taste is of red berries, viols and liquorice. Alcohol level is 13%. An amazing wine which I hope I can get more bottles of in the future.

Kellerei Terlan is one of the biggest cooperatives in Alto Adige (South Tyrol). Their Gries Lagrein is produced in lagrein near Bolzano. The colour of this wine is very dark as usual for Lagrein wines. The smell if very nice, The taste is a bit lighter than I expected but with a complex taste of dark sherries, spicy and some sharpness. A very good wine.

Two wines made from the same grape but still different and both worth drinking.

Bruichladdich Islay barley

The distiller Bruichladdich on Islay an quite interesting distillery. They go for much locally made. With two new releases in Sweden Bruichladdich Islay Barley 2009 and Port Charlotte Islay Barley 2008 they showcase their locally made whisky. For example the Islay Barley 2009 is made by barley from four different farms on Islay, Claggan, Cruach, Island and Mulindry farms. From what I understand Bruichladdich is looking into malting this barley at the distillery also. That means everything will be done at Islay for these whiskies in the future including the barley grown.
I like that Bruichladdich distillery goes for so much locally made.

White wine from Alsace and Umbria

I like white wine from the Alsace region in France. They are usually very good. A producer that I have tried some wine from is Cave de Turckheim. Now it is time for their Riesling from 2013 which is organically made. The smell is quite nice but for me the taste is lacking a bit. A bit to light for me with citrus notes. Not a Riesling I would buy again.

White wine from Umbria is not that common here in Sweden. I found a bottle Conte della Vipera from 2014 from producer Marchesi Antinori. This vintage contains 60% Sauvignon Blanc and 40% Semillion. So it is international grape varieties in this bottle. The wineyards for this wine is at 250-350meters of height. The taste is of pears and grapefruit and is very nice. I like this wine.

Montefalco Sagrantino by Le Cimate

Montefalco is a lovely small town in Umbria, Italy, which I visited in April 2016. It is worth a visit for several reason. One is that the town has a great view over the plains in central Umbria.

Another is that the town has a lovely mediaeval feel with the small streets.

The reason that I went there is that Montefalco produces several different wines such as Sagrantino Montefalco and Rosso Montefalco.

All around Montefalco one can see wine producers and in the town there are several stores just selling wine from Montefalco. One producer is called Cantina Le Cimate and they produces several different wines and the one that I have found is a bottle of their Montefalco Sagrantino which is from the DOGC Montefalco Sagrantino. This wine is made of 100% Sagrantiono grapes and the wine must be aged for 30 months and at least 12 months is in oak barrels. For the Le Cimate Sagrantino wine it has been stored 24 months in barrels and 12 months in bottle before going for sale.
Sagrantino is a special grape is an Italian grape variety that almost is only grown in the Montefalco area. It is one of the grapes that has the highest tannic levels in the world. So when I was in Assissi in Umbria a waiter warned me that drinking Sagrantiono Montefalco was like eating a lemon.
The Le Cimate wine has an alcohol level of 15% alcohol and is of the vintage 2010. The colour is very dark, almost reddish blue. The smell is strong The taste is of black currants and some liquorice with some more dark berries. It has tannins but they are quite structured and together with strong food it is very good. But be warned, this is not an easy drinking wine. It need some food with the wine. After the food was finished I continued drinking the wine and one could feel the tannins in the mouth. An excellent and lovely wine but not for those who are looking for a light and easy drinking wine.

Montalcino to Siciliy

Besides the Brunello di Montalcino there is also the wine Rosso di Montalcino produced in Montalcino. The winery Tenuta il Poggione is run by Leopoldo and Livia Francesi and they produce several different wines and two different Rosso di Montalcino. The one that I have tried is their Il Poggione from 2014. It consists of 100% of the grape Sangiovese and has an alcohol level of 14%. The colour is ruby as is normal from Sangiovese wines. It has a taste of red berries and some chocolate with soft tannins and it is a well structured wine. Very good. View from Montalcino below.

From the wine producer Musita I have tried several bottles before. The wine Regieterre Cattárratto I have tried their vintage 2013 before and no I have tasted the 2014 vintage. The 2014 is very fresh with a citrus taste and aromatic fruits. Still very good.

Glenfarclas 12 and Laphroaig 10

I have been trying to find a lighter single malt whisky but still one that has a character. One that I have tried is the Glenfarclas 12 year old from the Glenfarclas distillery. It is a family owned distillery owned by the Grant family since 1865 making it one of the few independent distilleries in Scotland. The nose is of sherry and some fruit. The taste is of sherry, some oak, fruits and is a bit sweet. The aftertaste which is quite short consists of sherry. For me the balance is a bit off for this bottling, I think it would need a couple of more years in the barrel. But lucky for me I also have a 17 year old Glenfarclas to try at home.

Going from the lighter whisky to Islay home of the peated whiskies. Laphroiag is one of the first whiskies I ever drank and I have good memories of it. Their flag bearer is the 10 year old. The smell is some smoke with a medicinal character. The taste is of smoke, iodine, some tar. The finish is long with smoke and the medicinal iodine. Very good. But still I say that the Cask Strength 10 year old is the better ten year old.

Brunello di Montalcino and Lagrein from Alto Adige

Brunello di Montalcino is a red wine from Tuscany produced around the village of Montalcino. This wine has to be produced of 100% Sangiovese grapes. The town of Montalcino is very beautiful and so is the surrounding land.

I found a bottle of Brunello di Montalcino which I did not know that I had. The producer is Villa Poggio Salvi and the vintage is of 2008. The smell is very nice and the colour is reddish as Sangiovese wine should be. This wine has soft tannins and is very elegant and has a lot of depth. I can taste red berries and herbs. I like this wine very much.

Going up north to the border of Austria we find beautidul Alto Adige in Italy. There is a local grape called Lagrein which makes a very good wine. The producer Terlan has a wine called Lagrein 2014. The colour of this wine is dark red. It has more tannins and the taste is of black berries. Very good wine also.

Two very good wines from Italy. Both of the highly recommended.

From one volcano to another

There is many good wine in Italy produced near Volcanoes. Etna is a volcano in Sicily and a grape that is grown there is the grape Carricante. The wine from this grape reminds me of Riesling wines. The wine Le Sabbie Dell'Etna from producer Firriato contains the grapes Carricante and Catarratto. It seem that Caricante gives that wine structure and minerality while the Catarratto gives it freshness. A very good wine and I like very much.

The wine Falanghina Del Sanno is produced by Lorenzo Nifo Sarrapochiello. This area is situated approximately 30 km from the volcano Vesuvio. It is made 100% of the grape Falanghina and this grape is mostly grown in the Campania region in Italy. It is quite strong with a taste of of tropical fruits, nectarines and citrus. It has a quite long finish. I like it and it would go very well with seafood.

Wine from Sicily and Soave

Cappoccia a wine of the vintage 2014 from producer Feudo di Santa Tresa. It consist of the grapes Grillo and Zibibbo (Muscat di Alexandria). Normally when producers try to make dry wine from the Zibibbo grape it usually is a bit boring. A notable exception is the producer Donna Fugata which makes a very good dry zibibbo wine. But the grillo grape adds more complexity and the marriage of these grapes is good. A nice drinking wine.

The wine Monte Stelle from producer La Cappucina of vintage 2015 and is made of the grape Garganega. The taste is of pear and apples and some nectarines. Nice.

Two sparkling wines from northern Italy

Prosecco has became a big seller around the world and I understand why because of the lightness and freshness that Prosecco has. Also not to forget that even that it is quite light is that the production quality is quite high. I have tried a lot of Prosecco and they are all good so far.

The prosecco Victora, La Dolce Vita is more of the same. Light and fresh with citrus taste. Quite nice. Perfect as an apeterif.

Sparkling wine from Piemonte I have not tried so much but Acuesi is a DOC Cortese wine. Cortese is a white grape grown in these areas. It has the same alcohol level as a Prosecco and the same freshness and lightness. Quite good.

Magliocco, a rare grape from Italy

Magliocco is a red wine grape that grows almost only in Calabria in Italy. I had the chance to try the wine Magliocco from the producer Cantine Lento which is run by the Lento family. The wine Magliocco from 2010 is made by magliocco grapes which is grown on soils at 500 meters of height. The aging is done one year in French oak. The color is dark red and the taste is quite strong with a taste of cherries and some black berries. For me it would have tasted better with two-three years of storage. Quite interesting grape and one worth checking out.

The producer Falchini is situated in San Gimignano, Tuscany, which is famous for the many towers of the town. Their wine Falchini Chianti Colli Senesi is made of 100% Sangiovese grapes. It is a bit lighter than the Magliocco. The taste is of red currants, light cherries and is very nice. I have earlier tried their 2012 vintage and their 2013 vintage keep up the quality but I think tat the 2013 vintage is a bit lighter than the 2012.

From Montalcino to Montefalco

Montalcino is famous for their red wine. But in the area there is also production of White wine. Sant'Antimo is a monastery close to Montalcino which has given the name to the denomination Sant'Antimo DOGC. In this DOGC several white and red wines can be produced. One wine that can be produced is a Pinot Grigio wine. I was lucky to find a bottle from producer Col D'Orcia. I quite like this wine as it is fresh and elegant and is perfect for a warm summer day.
Also take a chance to visit the monastery of Sant'Antimo. The church there is very beautiful and one can still see Carolingian parts.

In nearby Montefalco, their red wine is also the most famous and probably the most famous producer in Umbria is Lungarotti. They produce three different wine from the Montefalco region and one of them is Rosso di Montefalco. I bought the 2009 vintage but the one featured on Lungarottis website now is 2013. The mix of grapes are Sagrantino, Sangiovese and Merlot. It is stored for 12 months in barriques and then 10 months in the bottle before being sold. It can be drank young or stored as the one I bought. The colour is a good ruby, it looks very nice. It has soft tannins, black currants and dark cherries and has some spices in it. A very good wine.
Montefalco is also a nice place to visit. Beautiful medieval town.

Two rosso di Montalcino

I have had the chance to try two Rosso Di Montalcino from 2013 by producers Col D'Orcia and Castelli Martinozzi. Rosso Di Montalcino is a wine made of 100% sangiovese grown in the same region as the Brunello Di Montalcino. However it only need one year of aging before being sold, compared to the brunellos the Rosso Di Montalcino is lighter and more fresh.

I tasted the Col D'Orcia when I were down on Montalcino and this time I had time I make tasting notes. The colour is like a lighter red ruby. The taste is very good, some tannins, black currants, black pepper and cacao. I like this wine.

The Rosso Di Montalcino from Castelli Martinozzi is a new experience. It also has a lighter red ruby colour. For this wine I feel some soft tannins, black currants but also some coffee notes. Also a very good wine.

In the future it will be fun to try these producers Brunellos also.

Difference between vintages

I don't have the chance to try so many different vintages from a wine producer. A couple of months ago I tried the wine Solosole from 2014 by the producer Poggio al Tesoro which is situated near Bolgheri.

Now I have tried the same wine from 2015 and it is fun to compare. While the 2014 vintage was a food wine this wine is a bit lighter. The aromas when opening the bottle is amazing. It smells of flowers and is very nice. The taste is almost the same but a bit lighter than the 2014 vintage. So it can be enjoyed even without food. The taste is strong and aromatic of peaches and citrus. I quite like this vintage.

Sparkling wine from Franciacorta

Montenisa is a sparkling wine from Franciacorta in Lombardy in Italy. Franciacorta produces very good sparking wines and is compared to Champagne. This wine is very good and the taste is more complex than compared to a Prosecco and the taste is of bread and apples. The grapes used for this wine is Chardonnay, Pinot bianco and a small quantity Pinot Nero. It has been stored on bottle for 30 months before being sold. Montenisa is like a good Champagne but the price is better.

Sparkling wine from Franciacorta

Montenisa is a sparkling wine from Franciacorta in Lombardy in Italy. Franciacorta produces very good sparking wines and is compared to Champagne. This wine is very good and the taste is more complex than compared to a Prosecco and the taste is of bread and apples. The grapes used for this wine is Chardonnay, Pinot bianco and a small quantity Pinot Nero. It has been stored on bottle for 30 months before being sold. Montenisa is like a good Champagne but the price is better.

Barolo and Barbaresco , a comparison between two Fontanafredda wines

Barolo and Barbaresco are two famous wine producing regions in the north of Italy in the province of Piemonte. Barolo is situated southwest of Alba while Barbaresco is northeast of Alba. The saying is that Barolo is the king while the Barbaresco is the Queen. The king is more powerful and the Queen is more elegant.

I had the chance to try two wines from Fontanafredda. One Barolo from 2011 and one Barbaresco from 2012 so I could compare them. Both are made from 100% of the grape Nebbiolo. The grapes for the Barolo wine was picked in beginning of October while the grapes for the Barbaresco were pickes at the end of September. Also the rules for a barolo stipulate at least three years of ageing while for barbaresco it is two years.

I had tasted the Barbaresco a couple of months earlier so the Barolo were news for me. Both wines have an excellent taste but the difference between them is that the Barolo is more powerful and lacks some of the elegance of the Barbaresco. I also felt that I should have stored the Barolo maybe two more years before drinking while the Barbaresco is ready for drinking now.

So right now I prefer the Queen. Maybe that will change in two years time when I make another comparison.

Wine from Sicily and Friuli

I have drank a lot of good wines from Sicily. A new acquaintance for me is the wine Nero D'Avola and Feudi del Pisciotto from 2012. It consist of 100% of Nero D'Avola. The taste is of black berries and spices. But for me it is lacking in depth, something that other Nero D'Avola wines has.

The second wine is from Friuli in the far north of Italy bordering Slovenia. It is by producer Casali Roncali and is from 2014. The grape is 100% Pinot Grigio and the taste is of fruits. Nice.

Wine from south to the north of Italy

From Sicily comes the white wine Adenzia of the vintage 2015 from producer Baglio Del Cristo Di Campobello. It contains the grapes Grillo and Insolia. The taste is citrus and tropical friut. Nice and good.

From Sardinia comes the wine Monteoro of the vintage 2013 from producer Sella E Mosca. It is made with the grape Vermentino which is one of my favourite grapes. Good taste with some nice acidity.

Finally from the north comes the wine I Frati lugana. This wine is from the area near Lago Garda and is made of the local variant grape of Verdicchio. The taste is of pear, tropical fruits, a good acidity and a bit aromatic. Very good. So good I went and bought another bottle of this wine.

Montefalco vs Chianti

This time I have tried one wine from Chianti and one wine from Montefalco. Chianti is situated in Tuscany while Montefalco is in Umbria which is just east of Tuscany.

The wine Brolio from 2013 by producer Barone Ricasoli is from the Chianti Classico region. It contains 80% Sangiovese grapes and The rest Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. The taste is of cherries and herbs but I found it lacking a bit. Not as powerful as I wanted it to be.

The wine Montefalco rosso is from 2011 by producer Antonelli in Montefalco. It contains 70% Sangiovese, 15% Sagrantino and 15% Montepulciano. It tastes of cherries and has tannins but these tannins are soft and good. A wine that can be stored for several more years and will age well due to the Sagrantino added to the wine.

For more about Montefalco see my blog post about Montefalco.

The wines of Montefalco in Umbria

Umbria is a province in Italy lying east of Tuscany. Umbria reminds me a lot of Tuscany with the food and the nature but still it is very different. For example Umbria is less famous so it is less tourists there and there are some high mountain ranges. Maybe Umbria is most known for the town of Assisi which is the birthplace of Saint Francis of Assisi.

Assisi is a very beautiful place. But maybe to much tourists at some times.
Another very beautiful place in Umbria is Castelluccio near Norcia in Umbria. It is a small village situated at 1350 meter height in the plains of Castelluccio. Pictures cannot describe how beautiful and tranquil this place is.

The food is a bit similar to Tuscan cooking with some big differences. One is the use of black truffles, which is delightful part of the Umbrian kitchen.

The most famous wines of Umbria comes from the small town of Montefalco. This town is quite interesting as it is very medieval and has small narrow winding streets with good view of the surrounding countryside due to the height of 473 meters.

The wine of Montefalco were not much known to me before I visited Umbria. First there is the wine called Rosso di Montefalco which must contain 60-70% Sangiovese with some 10-15% Sagrantino and the winemakers other choice of red grapes. And then the wine must be aged for 18 months. Since Sagrantino has a lot of tannins it makes for a wine with more tannins than the usual wine.
Then there is the Rosso di Montefalco riserva which must be aged for 30 months. This wine is quite rare since the wine producers tend to focus aging for their Sagrantino wine. The Montefalco Sagrantino must contain 100% of Sagrantino and must be aged for at east 30 months. Sagrantino is an indigenous grape to Umbria and is grown primarily around Montefalco. This grape has one of the highest tannic levels in the world and in the restaurant in Assisi the waiter warned us that we would be looking like that we had eating a lemon if we were not used to it.

Back to the wines that I tasted during this trip. Tabarrini Rosso di Montefalco from 2012 were very good.

The first ever Sagrantino di Montefalco that I tasted were a wine from 2011 by Cantina Fratelli Pradi. The waiter warned us and it is strong in tannins but went very well with the strong food. Can be stored for many more years.

At a ristorante in Noria I tasted a Rosso di Montefalco by producer Arnaldo Caprai from 2012. Very good.

For the last evening in Umbria I has the wine Rosso di Montefalco by producer Tenute Delcerro from 2012. Yet again a very good wine.

There is also one more wine from Montefalco that I didn't have the chance to taste and it is a passito wine made from the Sagrantino grape. That will be a thing to be done in the future.

When leaving Umbria I felt a bit sad as I felt really t home there. Leaving Norcia and the beautiful town square. I will be back one day.

Going back in time to the eighties

Fortified wine from Rivesaltes can be quite old.  Rivesaltes is an AOC for sweet fortifies wine in Languedoc, France. The wine I tried were from 1988 and the alcohol level were 17,5%. It is called Ambre Hors d'Age.To be called this the wine has to be stored at least for five years. The colour is amber as usual with old sweet wines and the taste is a bit like sherry. Dried fruit with a bit nutty taste. Very good too a dessert. The producer is Vignerons Catalans.

A good Vermentino wine from Tuscany is the wine Villa Vallemaggiore. It has a taste of citrus and apricot. It is made in Maremma. Very good.

Some fine wines from Italy and France

Wine from France I usually don't drink so much of except the Alsace region. Alsace produces may good white wines. Domaine Rieflé produces several different white wines and the one I had the chance to try is their Gewurztraminer Bonheur Convivial from 2013 is made from 100% of Gewurztraminer. The taste is of Elderberries and is very aromatic. Very good.

Italy has many different grapes and wine regions. One that produces good white wine is the Verdicchio Dei Castelli Di Jesi. Fattoria San Lorenzo has a wine called Di Gini which is made of 100% Verdicchio. It has a taste of apples and some citrus. A sharp taste so not for everyone but I quite like it.

Bacio Della Luna is a prosecco from Italy. It has a good apple and citrus taste and is quite light. Your typical good prosecco.

When in Tucany I drove by Castello Banfi which is situated in a beautiful area of southern Tuscany. For the first time I had the chance to try their wine, namely a Rosso Di Montalcino from 2013. The taste is rich and of black currant and plums and many soft tannins. This wine could probably be stored for several years before drinking. Very good.

A visit to Montalcino

Montalcino, the hill town and commune in southern Tuscany. It is a very beautiful place situated at 550 meters height.

Montalcino is famous not for the architecture or churches but for one thing. The wine that is produced there especially the famous Brunello di Montalcino.

Walking around in Montalcino one sees that it is a famous wine region. It is easier to buy wine than coffee.There are wine stores everywhere. Quite fun to see all the different producers which I cannot find in Sweden.

Going to a restaurant in Montalcino is fun since they have so much wine there so it becomes very hard to choose. Some winelists are like a bible. Very thick and despite all the quality wine not at all expensive. In Montalcino I only drank their less famous wine called Rosso di Montalcino. This wine is also very good, not as heavy as the Brunello but still very good. I had the chance to try wine from different producers like Fattoi and Col Di Orcia.

Montalcino is a fun place to visit. Good food and wine. A town with good views and it is fun to walk in. The landscape around is beautiful and there are many chances to visit wine producers if one like. Nearby is also beautiful churches like Abbazia di Sant’Antimo.

A visit to the castle of Montalcino is also highly recommended.

Nearby is also many beautiful towns. One can just drive around randomly and find such beautiful places to visit.

Already looking forward to go back.