Les Cretes, wine from Valle D'Aosta

Les Crêtes is a producer in Valle D'Aosta. I visited them in the Autumn of 2014 and they are located very beautifully. The label is based on the landscape around them. The fun with producers in Valle D'Aosta is that this valley has so many interesting local grapes. One is the grape Fumin. Funnily enough in the sixties it was suggested that Fumin should not be produced any more due to that Fumin could not produce a good wine. Nowadays, it is recognized as the most famous grape in Valle D'Aosta.
Les Crêtes has a wine made from Fumin. I have tried the vintage of 2011. The colour is dark red and almost ruby like. The taste if of black currants, coffee and liquorice. Very nice and good. And I think that this wine can be stored for a many more years. In comparison I would say that this reminds me of a red wine from Montalcino.

If you are near Les Cretes, please visit them.

 

The landscape of Valle D'Aosta is  amazing with the beautiful valley and the wine growing on the sides.

Muscadet from Loire

Once in a while I leave Italy to drink wine from other countries and regions. But I usually always stay in the old world. La Saulzaie is a wine from Loire in France. It is made by producer Pierre Chainier from the town of Amboise. It is from the AOP Muscadet de Sèvre et Maine. The grape is 100% of Melon de Bourgogne. This is a grape that is a crossing between pinot blanc and Gouais blanc and is a green grape from France. The vintage 2015 has a very fresh nose and the taste is pears, citrus, mineral and some almonds. It goes very well together with seafood. A lovely wine.

Back to Italy we go to Vicenza. Here producer Torre Dei Vescovi producer a pinot grigio wine. the vintage 2014 is funny. When drank from straight after opening the bottle the taste is very tropical and sharp. But after leaving the bottle open for a couple of days the character has changed a bit. Now a bit more citrus and pear and less sharp. Interesting wine.

Wine from Marco Donati and Lungarotti

In Italy there are so many grape varieties and in the northern region of Alto Adige there are many that are indigenous to the region. When I hear the grape name Teroldego I always think of Alto Adige. And the origin of this grape is clouded in mystery but some its relatives are Syrah and Pinot Nero.

Producer Marco Donati makes a wine Teroldego Rotaliano, I have sampled the vintage 2015. This wine is made of 100% Teroldego grapes from the Mezzacorona-Campo Rotalino wineyards. The ABV is 13%. The colour is ruby red. The aroma of the wine is rich and intense. The taste is dry, dark fruits and cherries. It is rich and intense. A very good wine.

Going down to Umbria there are certain grapes that are only common here. One of them is the grape Grechetto. This is one of the grapes in the wine Torre Di Giano Vigna il Pino from producer Lungarotti. It contains the grapes Grechetto and Trebbiano. It is of the vintage 2010 so it is a white wine that can be stored for a very long time. The ABV is 13%. The nose is very good. The taste is deep and fruity. Some acidity with a bit of grapefruit in the aftertaste. This is definitely a food wine. A rare white wine that can be aged for a long time. Lungarotti produces so many good wines.

Dolcetto D'Alba by Scanavino

Dolcetto is an Italian grape variety grown in the Piedmont region in northern Italy. Producer Scanavino produces a wine using the Dolcetto grape called Dolcetto D'Alba and I could taste their 2014 vintage. It is lighter than the heavy barolos and Brunellos of Italy. The taste is of red currants, berries and has a sharpness in the after taste. A very good wine that goes well with food.

It has been two years since I tasted Planetas white table wine Casa Planeta. The grape mix is still Chardonnay and Grecianico. For this vintage is get a taste of citrus, grapefruit and some apples. A very fresh wine that is still very good.

Planeta and Candido from southern Italy

Chardonnay is a grape that grown all over the world but producer Planeta in Sicily has been doing a Chardonnay that should be unmistakeably Sicilian. The vintage 2013 has a taste of apricots, citrus and some tropical fruit notes. Planeta continues to produce quality wine year after year.

Fiano is a grape grown in southern Italy, primarily in the Campania region. The wine Tenuta Marini is 100% made of Fiano by producer Candido of vintage 2014. The taste is very aromatic and taste is apple and apricots. A good wine.

Birthday and wine from Montefalco

For my birthday I always try to celebrate with good food and wine. This year I choose wine and food from Italy and especially Umbria. All the wine were from Umbria and from the town of Montefalco. The town Montefalco is famous for their Sagrantino ´grapes that are used in the Montefalco wine. Sagrantino is a grape that is indigenous to Umbria and has a very high tannic level. First up for the evening were the the Montefalco Rosso DOC wine Cocchino from producer Podere Castorani and the vintage 2006. The taste is of spices and richness with huge tannins that are well structured. A very good wine.
Next up were the Sagrantino Di Montefalco DOGC wine from producer Cantina Fratelli Pardi and the vintage 2011. This wine is made with 100% Sagrantino. Like the previous wine one can feel the tannins and in this wine they are even stronger but the tannins are very well structured and the taste goes very well together. One could always store this wine for several years. An excellent wine.
The last wine were the Sagrantino Di Montefalco DOGC passito wine from Cantina Fratelli Pardi from 2010. This passito wine is quite a rarity and is very hard to find outside of Umbria. This wine is spicy, sweet but still a bit tannic and is very interesting. A lovely passito wine that is a must if one can buy it.

And if you happen to be in Umbria. Take the chance to visit Montefalco as it is a lovely small medieval town.

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.