Two Arneis from Langhe

Arneis is a white wine grape Piemonte in Italy and this time I have tried two differet white wines made from this grape from langhe in Piemonte. The first wine is Il Nespolo Langhe Arneis from the producer Prinsi. The ABV is 13% and the vintage is 2018. Azienda Agricola Prinsi is a family owned company in its third generation run by the family Lequios near Barbaresco. In the taste I get peach, lime, gooseberry and some minerals. A young and fresh wine.

Next Arneis wine is the the Langhe bianco by Camparo. It only contains 95% Arneis grapes while the rest of the grapes are Favorita. The vintage here is 2017. In the taste I get pear, butter and some citrus with a hint of grapefruit. Very good and nice.

Some similarities and some differences but still the characteristics of the  Arneis grape shine through. Arneis is definitely a grape that is overlooked.

Marchesi Antinori Tenuta Montenisa Cuvée Royale

Marchesi Antinori is a big producer of wine in Italy and they own several estates all over Italy. One such estate is the Tenuta Montenisa in the region of Franciacorta in Lombardy, this esste is situated in the hamlet of Calino near Lake Iseo. Franciacorta is famous for their high quality sparkling wine production. For the Cuvée Royal the grapes used are Chardonnay, Pinot nero and Pinot Bianxo grapes. The wine was fermented in stainless steel tank and the second fermantion is done in the bottle before degorgement.
On the nose I get some brioche. In the taste I get pear, minerals and some brioche. A well-balanced very good Franciacorta. 

Barolo Vigna Rue 2011 by Germano Angelo

When visiting Barolo in 2017 I bought several Barolo wines from the producer Germano Angelo. And I drank this vintage last time 18 months ago and let us see how it had developed since last time.

It is called Barolo Germano Vigna Rue and the vintage is 2011. The ABV is 15,5% and that is quite high. It is made of 100% Nebbiolo grapes. The grapes are grown of 300 metere above sea level. The year 2011 was very hot which elevated the sugar in the grapes and therefore the high ABV of 15,5%.
In the taste I get black currants, tobacco and some earthy notes. The tannins are well rounded and very integrated and brings another dimension to this wine. A lovely Barolo which can be stored for many more years before.

Ziggurat, Montefalco Rosso from Lunelli

The wine Ziggurat from Tenute Lunelli, which is an Italian wine producer in Italy and they have estates in Tuscany, Trentino and Umbria. Their Umbria estate is called Tenuta Castelbuono and is near Montefalco. Their wine Ziggurat is a Montefalco Rosso and contains 70% Sangiovese, 15% Sagrantino and the rest 15% is Cabernet and Merlot. The ABV is 15% and the vintage is 2015. I tasted this wine 18 moths ago and I wrote that I thought that the would become better with a few more years of ageing so let us see how 18 extra months of ageing has treated the wine.
In the taste I still get the black currants, dark cherries and the strong tannins but also some tones of tobacco now and I feel that the various elements of the wine has been better integrated. I wonder how it will be in yet another 18 months? A very good wine with storage capability and interesting to follow this over the years.

Vindia, a rosso Toscano from Corte Di Valle

Corte Di Valle is a wine producer in Tuscany but they also is an agroturisimo and produce such products as Saffron and olive oil. They are situated right in the middle of the Greve in Chianti area in Tuscany. The wine I have tasted is their Vindia wine of the vintage 2011 so this wine has been stored for quite a long time before being released. It is a Rosso Toscano IGT since it contians 50% Sangiovese and 50% Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. It is aged for 12-14months in French barrels before being aged in the bottle.
This wine has a lovely smell with with some spice and red berries. In the taste I get black currants, dark cherry with some spice and tannins in the back. Quite a long aftertaste. Quite a complex wine that has aged well. An excellent wine.

Sedura from Donnafgata and two other red wines from Italy

Finally I have found a different wine from Donnafugata which is not usually available and it is the wine La Bella Sedara.  The ABV is 13,5% and the vintage is 2017. This wine is made from several different grapes with the main grape being Nero D'Avola blended together with Cabernet Sauvigno, Merlot and Syrah.In the taste I get black currant, cherry and some spices and black peppar. A very nice easy drinking wine.

The wine Aglianico is from the producer Fattoria Pagano in Campania. It is made from 100% Aglianico grapes. The vintage is 2017 and the ABv is 14%. The vineyard lies at 270-300 meters above sea level in Casale Carniola in Campania. The taste is of black currant and plum with some tannins which some are a bit unripe. It is a decent wine which gets much better when paired with spicy food.

The last red wine is from the producer Bepin De Eto in Veneto. I have tasted the wine Cabernet earlier and still my thought is that it is a decent wine but I prefer the other red wines from Bepin De Eto which in my mind are better.