Tasting notes, wines of Piemonte: August 11, 2018

De Forville Chardonnay 2016

Regular price: $19.99

Sale Price: $15.99

Light, fresh and crisp, this is a delightfully unoaked Chardonnay that’s guaranteed to invigorate your tired palate and allow you to wonder anew about the beauty and versatility of Chardonnay.

 

Brovia Roero Arneis 2017

Regular Price $32.99

Sale price $25.99

Arneis was all but extinct in Piedmont by the 1970s; the grape that was historically planted among Nebbiolo vines to attract birds was being ignored. Now, 40 years later, Arneis is back. This example by the 4th generation, old school producer Brovia, is the sole white wine in their arsenal. Fermented and aged in stainless steel, its fresh and bright but with impressive weight and laudable stone fruit and floral flavors.

 

G.D. Vajra Langhe Rosso 2016

Regular Price 17.99

Sale price $13.99

This is a outstanding, fresh, and easily enjoyable wine from a sensational  producer. Predominately made from Nebbiolo, Barbera and Dolcetto, along with smaller quantities of Freisa, Albarossa, and Pinot noir. The wine is bright and harmonious with fresh berry intermingled with violet, spice and earthy notes.

 

Icardi Barbera d’Asti ‘Tabaren’ 2015

Regular Price 17.99

Sale price $13.99

Barbera is the everyday wine of Piedmont and this fresh, juicy and crisp example illustrates its popularity. The name (Tabaren) refers to a music hall, where one goes to enjoyment and diversion. The wine exemplifies this; bright tart cherry and floral notes lead into integrated tannic structure and leaves a crisp and enlivening finish. Want another glass?

 

De Forville Dolcetto d’Alba 2016

Regular price: $19.99

Sale Price: $15.99

This wine is absolutely delicious with aromas and tastes that evoke fresh black cherries and plum, enhanced by toasted almond, lead pencil, and earth notes. Solid structure with firm tannins allows this wine to match up well with nearly any grilled food and yet is lithe enough to enjoy as a cocktail.

 

Antoniolo ‘Juvenia’ Nebbiolo, Costa della Sesia 2013

Regular price: $29.99

Sale Price: $23.99

Nebbiolo is the grape that makes the famed wines of Barolo and Barbaresco, but is also found in Alto Piemonte, the Alpine foothills an hour north. This wine hails from the tiny appellation of Coste della Sesia, just outside located just outside of Gattinara, which is where most of the holdings of Antoniolo are located. This is an early drinking style of Nebbiolo, but is still firm and structured and intense, as it should be. Classically exhibiting tart cherry, dried roses and smoke, the wine is polished and smooth and readily enjoyable. Some critics suggest this is a wine that will improves for a decade. Why wait?