Two red wines from Langhe, Marchesi Di Barolo and Giacosa Fratelli

Langhe area has three main red grapes. The famous Nebbiolo, the less famous Barbera and the little know grape Dolcetto. Marchesi Barolo is a producer in Langhe that produces several kind of wines such as Barolos and Barbarescos. They also make a wine called Langhe Rosso. It is of the vintage 2017 and has an ABV of 13%. It consists of 45% Dolcetto, 40% Barbera, 15% Nebbiolo. The colour is almost purple. The taste is of violet, leather and dark cherry with some black peppar. Quite strong and one can feel the influence of Dolcetto here.

The next wine from Langhe is the red wine Leunin from the Giacosa Fratelli. It is made of 100% Nebbiolo and the vintage is 2018. In the nose I get a lot of fruit. In the taste I get cherry, red currant and some spices with almost a pepper and possible some oak. A bit lighter than I imagined.

Three Madeira wines

Madeira wines is an under appreciated fortified wine from the island of Madeira. It is made in different styles from dry to sweet. A lof of the flavour of Madeira wine comes from the oxidizing process that all Madeira wines undergo. Because of this process it is one of the wines that can survive for several hundred of years, this is especially true for the high quality wines.

First wine is the J.H. Goncalves Sercial 5 year sold. It is made from the grape Secial which means that this will be a quite dry wine. In the taste I get walnuts, some dry sugar  with nuts and very dry. Definitely a aperitif wine. I think that the grape sercial needs at least ten years of age or it will be too young for most people.

Next up is two Madeira wines from the producer Henriques & Henriques. This is an old producer with roots from the 18-hundreds. The first wine is the Bual 10 years old or Boal as it is written on the label. This is a sweet Madeira wine because it is made of Bual grapes. A big hit on the nose of walnuts, roasted nuts and figs. In the taste raisin, roasted almonds and walnuts with a nice sweetness. A very good bual. Perfect for people who wants a sweet Madeira wine but not the sweetest variant.
The last wine is the 15 years old Veiga Malvazia. This is made from the grape Malmsey or Malvzia as it can be know also. This is the sweetest variant of Madeira wines that you can find. For this wine I get burnt caramel on the nose. In the taste figs, caramel roasted almonds and sweetness. Very well structured.

The grapes Verdeca and Gaglioppo

There are several grapes that is not so rare but is not that well known. One of these grapes is Verdeca. It is grown in Italy especially in the provinces of Apulia (Puglia) and Emilia-Romagna. These grapes mature late and can get a quite high acidity especially in southern Italy. The wine Talo is made from 100% Verdeca. The producer is Cantina San Marzano and they are from Apulia in southern Italy. The ABV is 12,5% and the vintage is 2018. In the taste I get apple, some gooseberry, minerals and some citrus. A very fruity wine and very interesting.

The next grape is Gaglioppo. A red wine grape that is mostly grown in Calabria. The wine Cirò consists of 100% Gaglioppo. The producer Romano & Adamo is from Calabria. The ABV is 13% and the vintage is 13%. In the taste I get cherry, black peppar with some tanins and a high acidity. Interesting grape worth trying more.

Amarone vs Taurausi

Amarone and Taurasui are two heavy hitters of red wine from Italy. Although Amarone is the most famous of them, while the Taurausi is not that well known.

Amarone is a red wine from Valpolicella in Italy that is made from partially dried grapes from grape varieties such as Corvina and Rondinella. It is very famous and popular in Sweden and is known to be very strong. The Amarone that i have tasted is from producer Cadis and has the vintage 2014. The ABV is 14,5%. It is a nice balanced Amarone. In the taste I get black currant, leather and some earthy notes with a nice aftertaste. Not as super strong as I thought it would be but it is a more balanced Amarone.

Taurasi is a red wine made from Aglianico grapes in the Campania region of Italy. It is not so famous. Taurasi wines must be aged for three years before being sold and of this time at least 12 months must be in oak. For the Taurasi from producer Feudi di San Gregori the it has been aged for 18 months in French barriques. I bought this bottle five years ago and the vintage is 2009. I remember that I thought it was a very strong wine suitable for ageing so it will be interesting to see how the wine has developed over the years. Still powerful but age has given it more complex flavours. Red fruits on the nose.  In the taste black currants, tobacco and some sour cherry. Feels like a mix beween a Brunello and a Sagrantino di Montefalco. Excellent. And it has been nice to follow this vintage over several years now.

Brunato il Cocco, 2005

Brunato il Cocco is a red wine from Tuscany in Italy. It was made by the producer Bindi Giacamo at Azienda Agraria Il Cocco. It is made of 100% Sangiovese grapes and the vintage that I have tried is 2005. So it is 15 years old and that is quite an age for a wine. It was stored for six months in Acacia woodbefore being bottled. The colour is a lovely reddish brown. This is the colour that Sangiovese gets when ageing for many years. I get a taste of red currant and black currants with some spicy notes in the back. Holds very well together after 15 years in the bottle. A nice example of a well aged Sangiovese.