Demarie, Langhe Dolcetto and Nebbiolo

 Demarie is a producer in the Roero area in Piemonte, Italy. They have been there for three generations running vineyards. They use only grapes from their own vineyards. For this tasting I have tasted two different grape varieties that is usually grown in the Langhe area of Piemonete, namely Dolcetto and Nebbiolo.

The first wine up is the Langhe Dolcetto 2020. This wine has been fermented in steel tanks and contains 100% Dolcetto. A very fruity wine with a taste of blackberry, red currants, and some plum and violet. Nice and easy drinking with some acidity. An everyday wine as I would call it.

The next wine is the Langhe Nebbiolo 2019 made of 100% Nebbiolo. This is quite a strong wine.  A lot of black currant, plum, sour cherry, leather and some coffe. A very good Nebbiolo.

 

Manzone Dolcetto D'Alba and Cantina di Gasorga Barbera D'Asti

Nebbiolo is the famous grape from Piemonte but two other good grapes are Dolcetto and Barbera. Manzone is a producer in Monforte D'Alba. The Manzone Giovanni winery was founded in 1925. The production is limited to about 50000 bottles per year. The bottle I have tried is their Dolcetto D'Alba Le Ciliegie with the vintage 2016 and an ABV of 13,5%. It consists of 100% Dolcetto grapes which are harvested in the beginning of September. The ageing is all done in steeltanks for 11 months after which it is bottled. So this is a Dolcetto which is to be enjoyed young. In the nose I get a lot of red fruit. In the taste I get blackberry, plum, sour cherry and tannins in the back. Quite a punchy straight in your face Dolcetto which I love.

The next wine is a Barbera D'ati from producer Cantina di Gasorga. It is made of 100% Barbera grapes and the vintage is 2017. This is a very much berry driven wine. In the taste I get  a lot of cherry and red currants. Nothing wrong and it is drinkable but a bit one dimensional for me. For those who love a lot of red fruits this will be a winner.

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.

Camparo Langhe rosso 2015

Last week I tasted a white wine from the producer Camparo in Langhe, Piemonte, Italy. This week I have tasted one of their red wines. Their Langhe Rosso from 2015 with an ABV of 13,5%. The grapes used are 50% Dolcetto, 25% Barbera and 25% Nebbiolo. I get a lot of red fruits in the nose. In the taste I get red and black currants, some cherry with some slight bitterness and tannins with some oak. Very nice Langhe blend.
I like the butterflies that they use for the bottles.

Thre red wines from Italy, Lungarotti , Mandrarossa and Vajra

The first red wine is from Producer Lungarotti in Umbria. It is called Rubesco and is of the vintage 2016. This is a wine that I have tried several other vintages before. In the taste I get dark cherries and black currants. The 2016 vintage is slightly better than the 2015 for me. A good buy.

Next up the the producer Mandrarossa from Sicily in Italy. The wine s called Frappato Costadune and it is made of 100% Frappato grapes. Frappato is an Italian red wine grape that is mostly grown in Sicily. The vintage is 2017 and the ABV is 13%. In the taste I get raspberry, strawberries and viols. A good nice easydrinking wine.

The last wine is from producer G.D. Vajra in Piemonte, Italy. It is the red wine Langhe Rosso and is a mix of the grapes from the Lange region such as Nebbiolo, Barbera and Dolcetto and small amounts of Albarossa, Freisa, Pinot noir. The vintage is 2017 and the ABV 13,5%. I get dark cherry and black currants with some earthy notes and tannins in the back. A very good Langhe Rosso from producer G.D. Vajra.

Dolcetto wines from Alba

Dolcetto is a black wine grape grown in Northern Italy, especially it is grown in Piemonte around Alba and is considered more of a table wine compared to the Barbera and Nebbiolo. The first bottle is  a Dolcetta d'Alba from producer Grimaldi Luigino. The vintage is 2017 and the ABV is 13,5%. In the taste I get Black currant, blackberry and some sourness. A decent Dolcetto but I have had better ones. I think that this Dolcetto would benefit from one or two years of aging.

The next Dolcetto is a Dolcetto d'Alba from Cascina Ballarin and it is called Pilade. The vintage is 2016 and the ABV is 13%. In the taste I get cherry, some viols and some juniper. This one I find to be very good.

Montefalco rosso from Colsanto and Dolcetto d'Ovada from Tachino

One of my favourite wineregions in Italy is Montefalco in Umbria, especially their Montefalco Rosso and the Sagrantino di Montefalco. These wine can be quite strong but balanced by a lot of flavour. This time I am tasting a Montefalco Rosso from a producer that I have never tasted anything from before, the producer is Colsanto. The ABV is 14% and the vintage is 2014. The grapes used are Sagrantino and Sangiovese. This wine has a lot of red and dark berries on the nose. There is deep structured tannins which linger for a long time and combines well with the dark cherries and black currants in the taste. This is a very good wine which I think that will age well for a couple of more years gaining more complexity. But beware, It is a very strong wine.

Next wine is made from one of the lesser known red grape varieties from Piemonte, namely Dolcetto. The wine is Dolcetto D'Ovada from producer Tachino. The vintage is 2015 and the ABV is 14%. In the taste I get black berries, viol, plum and some black currant. A very nice Dolcetto that shows that Dolcetto is under appreciated grape.

A round up of recent wines

First up is something I barely drink and it is a Sherry which is a fortified wine from Spain. It is the Real Tesoro del Principe Amontillado from producer Marques Real tesoro. It is an Amontillado sherry which has been ages for at least 15 years in oak casks. The ABV is 18.5%. The smell is strong of oxidized sherry. The taste is bonedry and it is a good sherry.

The Wine A Elisabeth if a Dolcetto wine from Alba in Piemonte. I have tried the 2015 vintage before and now the 2016 vintage is out. It is from producer Cascina delle Rose and the ABV is 13%. It has red fruits on the nose. Dark cherries, viols and liquorice with soft tannins and spices in the back. This vintage for me is better than the 2015. An excellent foodwine.

Now over to three white wines. First is a Vermentino wine from Tuscany. The producer is Aja Vecchia, the ABV is 13,5% and the vintage is 2016. I get a fresh nose with green fruits. The taste is citrus, green apples and some grapefruits. A great wine with seafood.

Next up is a white wine from Umbria. It is the wine Villa Monte Vibiano which is a white wine which contains the grapes Viogner, Grechetto and Trebbiano. The taste is a bit dissapointing with some pears and a lot of grapefruits. Works much better if drank with food.

The last wine is a French white wine from Loire. it is the Clisson 2013 wth an ABV of 12%. The grape used is Muscadet. It is a fresh wine despite the age. The taste is of citrus, peaches and minerals.

Three is the number of red and white

Time for a catch up of the tasted wine. First up is three red wines from Italy followed by three white wine of two is from Italy and one is from France.

One region that I don't try so much wine from is from Molise. I have tried one biferno Rosso Riserva earlier but this one is from producer Cantina Manzini. The grapes are Aglianico and Montepulciano. The vintage is 2011 and ABV is 14%. In the taste I get red fruits and a berry like feeling. Black currants and soft tannins in the aftertaste. A nice one yet again from Molise.

The next one is a Sangiovese from Tuscany. It is the producer Poggio Nero and earlier on I have tried their Montalicino wines. The vintage is 2014 and the is ABV 13%. In the taste I get red cherries and some black peppar. A nice wine with some smooth tannins.

The third red wine is a Dolcetta D'Alba from Piemonte. I am glad that I found this wine as Dolcettos are hard to find in Sweden as most people go with the Barbera or Barolos. The producer is Bruno Giacosa from Neiva in Piemonte. The vintage is 2015 and the ABV is 14%. I get a lot red fruits on the noose. Black currants and smooth dry tannins in the first taste. In the after taste I get red cherries. Some viols comes out a bit later. A very good wine.

Now over to the white wines. First up is the Zecci Colleione Classico from producer Piersanti. It is a Verdicchio Dei Castelli Di Jesi. No it is time for the vintage 2016. The ABV is 14%. Apples and pears in the taste with some citrus in the end. Quite a strong white wine and very good with food.

The producer Lunae I have tried some wines earlier from and this time it is their Vermentino wine called Etichetta Nera. It is called so since the thing that differs from the other bottle I tried is the label colour. The other I tried is called Etichetta grigia and that label is is gray. The black label is the more prestige label as it is older than the grey label. The vintage is 2016 and ABV is 13%. The Etichetta Nera is very fresh and hits of citrus and grapefruits. Lovely wine.

Last wine is a white wine from France and the region Loire. It is a Vouvray wine from producer Lacheteau and the grape is Chenin Blanc. The vintage is 2015 and the ABV is 11,5%. A veru good nose and tropical fruits in the taste. Mango, melon and some apples with a lingering citrus. A good white wine.

Red wine from Camerano and Orlando Contuccio Ponno

I visited Camerano which is a producer in Barolo last year. They produce many different red wines. One of them are of the variety Dolcetto D'Alba. Dolcetto is a grape that is common in Piemonte and is made as a table wine but I find this grape to be under appreciated. I bought a bottle of this wine in Barolo as it was quite cheap compared to the Barolos. The vintage is 2015 and the ABV is 13%. I gets herbs on the nose. The taste is sour cherries with some herbs and with some tannins in the back. A good wine that showcase the quality of Dolcetto and worth all the money I spent on it.

Next up is yet a wine from producer Orlandi Contucci Ponno from Abruzzo. I have tasted several other wine from this producer before. This wine is called La Regia Specula and is a Montepulciano D'Abruzzo Colline Teramane. The vintage is 2013 and the ABV is 14%. This wine has been aged for 10 months in a barrel and the six months in the bottle before being sold. It consists of 100% Montepulciano grapes. The taste is of dark sour cherries with some herbs with some big hits of tannins. A good wine.

Tuscany vs Piemonte

Let's do a battle between Tuscany vs Piemonte, with an older Tuscan wine against a younger Piemontese wine.

First up is the older Tuscan wine Stielle from Rocca di Castagnoli. It is of vintage 2009 and ABV is 13,5%. It contains 100% Sangiovese grapes. It has been aged 18 months in oak and then 12 months in a bottle before being released. The taste is of red cherries and some black currants with soft tannins. A good wine that showcases the Sangiovese grape.

Next up is the younger wine from Piemonte and it is a Dolcetto D'Alba called A Elizabeth from producer Cascina delle Rose. It is made of 100% of the grape Dolcetto and is from 2015. The ABV is 13%.  The taste is dark cherries with some liquorice with some spices and tannins in the aftertaste. This is a good Dolcetto.

So who won. Here the Stielle wins due to a bit more complexity in taste while in price the Dolcetto wins.

Three red wines from northern Italy

Back to normal after some very busy weeks.

First red wine is from Alba in Piemonte. It is the Dolcetto D'Alba from producer Orlando Abrigo. The vintage is 13% and the vintage is 2014. The taste is of red berried with black currants with some soft tannins. Nice and good.

Next wine is from Asti, which is in Piemonte just north of Alba. It is a Barbera D'Asti from producer Castello del Poggio. The vintage is 2014 and the ABV is 13%. The taste is of red cherries and some viols. Nice.

The last wine is a Greccio Rosso from Bepin de Eto in Veneto. It is a Bordeaux blend from 2012 consisting of the grapes Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and some Marzemino. the ABV is 15%. The taste is rich and complex. Tobacco and dark fruits. A long aftertaste. Let is open up for an hour before drinking.

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.