Villabella Morlongo Bardolino classico 2017

Bardolino DOC is a wine region In Italy in the province of Verona on the south eastern shores of Lake Garda. Like in Valpolicella the three main grapes of Bardolino are Corvina, Rondinella and Corvinone, but Bardolino wines normally uses less Corvina and more Corvinone. The producer Villabella was founded in 1971 and makes wine from all over Veneto but the major part is Bardolino wine. The Morlongo Bardolina classico 2017 has an ABV of 13%. For the production of this wine no oak was used instead the wine is stored in stainless steel tanks.

The taste is of cherry and some spice. Quite a nice easy drinking wine which showcases the grapes used in the production.

Two Montepulciano D'Abruzzo wines

Montepulciano is a red grape that is mostly grown in the southern parts of Italy and especially in the region of Abruzzo in Italy. Due to that the grape ripens late it is not grown in the north of Italy. The first wine is the Montepulciano D'Abruzzo from producer Terraviva from the hills of Teramane (Colline Teramane). The vintage is 2015 and the ABV is 13,5%.This is a very fruity wine with taste of cherry, some strawberry with some acidity and just a hint of tannins. A nice quite easy drinking wine.

The next wine is called Valle Reale and it is a Montepulciano D'Abruzzo from producer Botteotto in Abruzzo. This wine has been stored 12 months in French wine casks so it should be a bit heavier than the previous wine. The vintage is 2016 and the ABV is 13,5%. This is a medium bodies wine with dark cherry, plum and some oak. A nice wine also but a bit heavier than the previous wine..

Alessio Komjanc, wine producer in Friuli Venezia-Giulia

One year ago I visited Friuli Venezia Giulia and visited the producer Alessio Komjanc near the Slovenian border in the area of San Floriano del Collio. It is a family owned business. The winery Alesssio Komjanc was founded in the seventies by Alessio Komjanc. When visiting this winery the one showing us around were Roberto Komjanc, one of the four sons of Alessio Komjanc. This winery has 24 hectars of vineyards. And they focus on many of the grapes used in Friuli Venezia Giulia. For white wines Komjanc uses regional grapes as Ribolla Gialla – still and sparkling; Friulano, Malvasia Istriana, Picolit and the international grapes Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon and Traminer Aromatico. Komjanc also produces some red wines on grapes such as Schioppettino, Pinot Nero, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Also there is a production of olive oil.

 

For this tasting I have focused on the red wines, made from Cabernet Franc and Pinot Nero. The first bottle is the Cabernet Franc red wine.  It is made of 100% Cabernet Franc grapes and is of the vintage 2016. In the taste I get black currant, strawberry and some cherry. This wine is very slightly sparkling which gives it a bit more refreshing taste when it is warm outside. A good wine which for me is perfect in summer time.

 

Next wine is the Dedica Pinot Nero, which is made from Pinot Nero grapes and has the vintage 2016. This wine has been aged for 18 months is French barrels. The ABV is 14,5%. In the taste i get sour cherries, tobacco, oak and some black currant. Nice structure with the tannins in the back. Works best with food as it complements food very well.

 

 

Monte Vibiano, wine producer in Umbria

Monte Vibiano is a wine producer in the green heart of Italy, Umbria, and I have tasted some of their wines before and this time I have tasted three of their wines. First up is the Villa Monte Vibiano Bianco of the vintage 2017. This is a white wine with the ABV of 12%. The grapes used are 40% Trebbiano spoletino, 35% grechetto di Todi, 15% sauvignon blanc och 10% viognier. The storage is done in steel tanks to preserve the freshness of the wine. In the taste I get pear, citrus and grapefruit. When I had this wine two year ago I found it a bit unbalanced but two more years in the bottle has brought out a more harmonious wine which I find now to be quite good. Lovely to have with some spicy food.

Villa Monte Vibiano Rosso is from 2017. The grapes used for this wine is the following. 55% Sangiovese, 25% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon och 5% Cabernet Franc. It has been stored in steel tanks for six month before being bottled. In the taste I get cherries, some coffee and some soft tannins at the end. More easy drinking than the 2016 vintage. Very good.

The last wine is the red wine Monvi from 2014. The grapes used here are 52% Sangiovese, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot och 8% Cabernet Franc. The Sangiovese were stored for 15 months in steel tanks while the Cabernet Sauvignon and the Merlot grapes were stored for 15 months in oak barrels. So this should have more oak character compared to the Rosso. Here I get cinnamon, red fruit and dark fruits in the mix with tannins in the back. I like it and it is quite structured and it gets better with food. Takes some time to open up so open the bottle one or two hours before dinner.

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.

Bocale Montefalco Rosso and Villa Poggio Salvi Caspagnolo

Bocale is a producer in Montefalco, Umbria. The Valentini family created the Bocale winery in 2002. This winery produces several different wines such a Sagrantino di Montefalco and Montefalco Rosso. For their Montefalco Rosso the following grapes are used, 70% Sangiovese, 15% Sagrantino, 10% Merlot and 5% Colorino. The ABV is 15% and the vintage is 2017. The wine is aged in Bottis and Barriques for 12 months before being bottled. In the taste I get black pepper, dark sour cherry, some blackberry and tannins. Very well integrated and the taste is very good. Yet again a wine from Montefalco delivers. And as always I would recommend to visit Umbria, one of the hidden gems of Italy.

The next wine is the wine Caspagnolo from producer Villa Poggio Salvi. This wine is from the Chianti Colli Sienesi. I have tasted one wine from Villa Poggio Salvi earlier and that was their Brunello di Montalcino. So it will be interesting to see how a non Brunello tastes. This is a Chianti wine and the grape composition is 90% Sangiovese and 10% Merlot. The vintage is 2016 and the ABV is 13,5%. This is a nice light red wine. I get cherry, some strawberry and some tannins in the end. Very good and it looks like Villa Poggio Salvi delivers all across the board.

Ragaletti, Castel Del Monte Riserva 2008

From the heel of Italy (Puglia) comes wines from the Castel Del Monte area and most of them have pictures of the famous castle. The Ragaletti Reserva consists of 100% of the grape Nero di Troia. It was aged for 14 months in barrels before being aged 8 more years in other containers. I get red currants, spices and some tannins in the end. Quite nice and interesting wine.