Planeta Chardonnay 2015

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.It is a Sicilian Menfi DOC wine that consists of 100% Chardonnay grapes. The grapes comes from Cantina Ulmo in the south west of Sicily. The altitude of the vineyard is 250 meters above sea level. Time of harvest is in the beginning of September. The maturation is done in oak barriques. So how is the wine? In the nose I get a lot of white fruits. In the taste i get butter and apricot, a very full bodied Chardonnay which can handle ageing very well. A very special wine that may not be for everyone that expects a younger fresher wine, instead what you get here is a more mature wine which is very good.

Two older red wines from Italy, Capo di Terra and Syrah Maroccoli

Time to taste two older red wines from Italy. The first red wine is the Syrah Maroccoli from the producer Planeta in Sicily. The grapes for this wine comes from the estate Cantina Ulmo near Menfi in Sicily. It is made of 100% Syrah grapes and the vintage is 2010. The ABV is 14%. It has been two years ago since I tasted this vintage so it will be interesting to see how two years has changed the wine.The spicy tones in the wine remains but the extra two years has toned down the strength a bit leaving a more complex wine. Very good.

Next up is a wine from Valtellina in Lombardy. It is the wine Capo di Terra from the producer Conti Sertoli Salis. The ABV is 12,5% and the vintage is 2009. The grapes used are Nebbiolo. I get black currants, plum and some tannins. A bit lighter than I expected maybe due to the 12,5% ABV. A nice wine that is easy drinkable despite the age.

As a bonus review a younger red wine from Sicily. The de Aetna from Terra Costantino is made of 90% Nerello Mascalese grapes and 10% Nerello Cappuccio grapes. The vintage is 2016 and the ABV is 13,5%. In the taste I get strawberry, oak and red cherries all superbly balanced by a high acidity. A very good younger red wine.

Three reds from Italy

Italy produces much good red wine. Some of it are made with indeginous grapes while other are made from international grapes.

The wine Syrah Maroccoli from producer Planeta is made using 100% Syrah from the vineyard Maroccoli situated at 400 meters height near Menfi in south western Sicily. The winery is Cantina Ulmo. The wine is matured in oak barriques of which 30% is new. The ABV is 14% while the vintage is 2010. The taste is rich and spicy, some black pepper. I think that this wine would go very well together with Oriental spicy food.

The wine Un Poco is a red wine from Puglia. It is made of the primitivo grape, in USA it is known as Zinfandel. This wine comes from producer Cantine San Marzano, however this is not written on the label. The vintage is 2016 and the ABV is 13,5%. The nose is very good on this wine. The taste is spicy and cherries with some soft tannins.A good wine.

The last wine comes from the one of the most famous wine districts in Italy, namely Chianti. Terreno Chainto classico from 2013 has and ABV of 13,5%. The grapes used for this wine is Sangiovese and Merlot.  The fields are located at a height of 350 meters above sea level. The smell is of red fruits. The taste is of cherries with some violets, a bit softer than expected. Some mild tannins. A nice wine.

Planeta Eruzione 1614

In 1614 the volcano Etna on Sicily in Italy erupted and it lasted for ten years. The winemaker Planeta say that the lavaflows reached the edge of Planetas estates before they stopped. In remebrance of this Planeta has two wine named Eruzione 1614.

The first wine is the red wine Eruzione 1614 made by 100% Nerello Mascalese grapes. The vintage is 2014 and the ABV is 14%. After fermentation the wine is stored in oak barrels for 12 months. The colour is ruby red. The nose is very soft with some red fruits. The taste is of some spices and cherries with some well structured tannins from the oak and a long aftertaste. A very good wine.

The second wine is the white wine Eruzione 1614 made by 90% Carricante and 10% Riesling. The grapes are grown high up and up to 850 above sealevel. The wine is made without the use of any oak barrels. The colour is pale yellow, with almost some green. The nose has some flowers in it. The taste is excellent. It is fresh, apples and minerals. A lovely wine, highly recommended. The only negative thing about this wine is that it tastes so good that it disappears very quickly.

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.

Two white wines from Sicily and the one from Tuscany

Sicily ha many interesting white wines and this time I have tasted two wines made from grapes grown on the slopes of the volcano Etna.

First up is the wine ETNA from the producer Planeta. It is from 2014 and is made from 100% of Carricante grapes. The grapes comes from the winery Feudo di Mezzo on the north side of Etna which is situated ca 700 meters above sea level. It is a good wine. Very tasty and the wine has a clear taste.

I like tasting wine made from unusual grapes. One such wine is the Ciuri by producer Terrazze dell'Etna. It contains 90% Nerello Mascalese and 10% Carricante. The red grape Nerollo Mascalese is used normally for red wines but here it is used for a white wine. It is an interesting wine. Strong taste of citrus, mineral and fruits.

From Etna I go to Tuscany and the grape Vermentino which produces such good wines. Producer Rocca di Montemassi in Maremma in Tuscany produces a good Vermentiono wine called Calasole from 2014. It is a classic Vermentino. Young and fresh with hints of citrus. Perfect for a sunny day and would compliment a fish course very well.

Passito from Lipari

The last year I have not drank so much sweet wine but now I had the chance to try a passito wine from the island of Lipari north of Sicily. Passito wine is a sweet wine made from dried grapes.The wine is Colosi from 2007. It is made of Malvasia grapes and the colour is deep amber.. The taste is very strong and so wonderful. Almost like a passito di Pantelleria. Excellent wine.

The wine La Frosca from producer Gini in Soave is from 2013. The colour is yellow and the smell is good. It is made of the grape Garganega. The taste is good and has a good aftertaste. Very nice.

Returning to Sicily for the wine Planeta Carricante which is made of the grape carricante. This wine comes from  the wineyard Sciara Nuovo on the north side of the Volcano Etna. It is on 870 meters of height and produces according to Planeta ageworthy white wines. The wine is from 2011 and he smell is good. The taste is almost like an excellent riesling. It has a fresh mineral style with tastes of apples. An excellent wine.

Good new white wines from Italy

Systembolaget has several new wines from Italy in their store now and of the ones I have tasted they are a good addition. The first new wine in their standard range is the Terre Fenicie by producer Sardus Pater from DOC area Vermentiono Di Sardegna. As the name says it is made of Vermentino grapes and is from 2014. It is a good wine with a lot of acidity and a taste of citrus, peach and herbs. Good wine and serve it chilled. Time to visit Sardinia soon for me?

The next new Italian wine in Systembolagets ordinary range is the white wine Collevite Verdicchio from the DOC area Dei Castelli di Jesi. The producer is Cantine della Marca and it is from 2014. This area is situated in Marche on the west coast of Italy. It is yet another good wine. Good bouquet from the smell. The taste if of grapefruit and some very aromatic taste. It has a taste that lingers. Good wine.

To finish off this trio of Italian white wines is a wine that was just on a temporary sale and I bought one of the last bottles in the store. It is Planeta Cometa from producer Planeta in Sicily. It is made by Fiano grapes from the Cantina Dispensa in the south west corner of Sicily. It is a complex wine with a good taste and not to strong. Very delightful together with seafood. Good aromas in the taste. Excellent 2013 wine.

From still wine to sparkling wine. I like Prosecco from the north of Italy. Normally it is good or it is bad. Nothing in between. It should be easy drinking, youthful but with a good taste. The wine Bosco Di Gica is a dry and a good Prosecco.  Nice to drink and goes very well with food when it is warm outside.

Finally one reason I started drinking wine, namely Eiswein. The nectar of the Gods. This time I had the chance to sample the wine Edenkoben from producer Rhodter Klosterpfad from 2012. The grapes used are Weisser Burgunder. It has a very strong taste with sweet tones. It is a good Eiswein.

Sicily and Alto Adige

Two of my favourite wine regions in Italy are Sicily and Alto Adige. And this time all three wines are from these regions.

The first bottle is the wine Chardonnay from Planeta. It is from 2012 and the grapes came from Cantina Ulmo which is near Marsala in the southwestern corner of Sicily. On this wine they have tried to make an unmistakably Sicilian Chardonnay. I have to agree with this as it tastes a bit different from other Chardonnays that I have drunk. The taste is of apricots, citrus and some tropical notes. The colour is very straw yellow. It is good with food but also good to drink as it is.

The next wine I have tried before and it is from producer Donnafuga in Sicily. It is the wine Kabir which is a Moscato Di Pantelleria from the island of Pantelleria. It is vintage 2012 which the last time I tried it was very aromatic. With one more year in the bottle it has become more well rounded with the aromatic note still there but now with more smooth style. Very good and I think it will be even better with some more storage, luckily I have several bottles at home.

From Alto Adige comes the wine Winkl  Sauvignon from 2013. It is produced by the one of Alto Adiges leading wine growers’ cooperatives. The colour is straw yellow with and almost green tint. The taste is as usual with Sauvignon full of gooseberrys and some elderberry. Very aromatic and a good wine. Tasted it last year and it still is very good.

Planeta and Fonterutoli, two producers from Italy

Planeta started their production of wines in 1995 and they have been producing many good wines since then. They have many different wineyards in Siciliy. On a airplane trip I found a bottle of Planeta Syrah Maroccoli from 2009. It is produced in the wineyard Maroccoli in the south western corner of Sicily near lake Arancio. The grape is Syrah which I have never drank so much of before. The colour is very deep red. The taste is of black peppar and red cherries. A very strong wine with long aftertaste which can handle spicy food very well. And I can imagine that this wine can be stored for several years before drinking.

I have not drank so much wine from Tuscany as there is so much different wines produced in Tuscnay. I received information that the Fonterutoli No 10 was a very good wine so I decided to try a bottle. Fonterutoli is owned by the Mazzei family and is situated in the heart of Chianti Classico. The No 10 is made of Merlot grapes with a small amount of sangiovese grapes added and it is from 2012. The colour is deep red and the taste is of red cherries with herbs and soft tannins. Very nice.

Two very good red wines from Italy.

Two white from Italy

Rocco Ventosa is a white wine from the region of Abruzzo in Italy with the designation IGP Pinot Grigio. So the grape is Pinot Grigio and the producer is Cantina Tollo. I bought it because of the region and I usually love Pinot Grigio wines.  But this wine is nothing special. Not bad but nothing that says anything to me. Rather bland unfortunately.

Planeta is a big producer in Sicily and I have loved their previous wines that I have drunk. The white wine Casa Planeta that I have tried is their family wine and with a nice price can be on anyone's table. The grapes are Grecanico and Chardonnay. The colour is of yellow with hints of green. The smell is of flowers and the taste is very fresh. Notes of citrus, green fruit and a good acidity. Good to drink as it is and also with food such as chicken or vegetarian dishes. With this quality I wonder why this is not in the regular range at Systembolaget. Planeta is one firm that I have to try more of. I wonder how their top brands taste when their table wine is this good.

Sicily and Nero d'Avola

Sicily may not be that known for wine but one grape that is famous is the Nero d'Avola. It is the only grape with red pigmentation in the fruit meat which means that one can only make red wines using Nero d'Avola. Producer Planeta has a wine called Plumbago made by the grape Nero d'Avola from 2011.
It has a very good taste of red fruits, cacao and some plums. Not to strong and works very well with Mediterranean food. Not as deep red colour as red wines can have.