2009 Vecchia Cantina Rosso di Montepulciano, Italy

Elegance in a glass…Dark purple with a ruby rim and an ebony core

Magnificent aromas…Blueberry, mulberry, black cherry, vanilla and coconut

Joyous flavors…This is only the second Montepulciano I’ve tried since starting this blog; the first was a complete disaster this one is at the opposite end of the spectrum. I purchased this as another red wine to pair with Thanksgiving dinner, but at the last minute decided not to open this up. A few days ago I finally decided to pop the cork on this, and I was greeted with an absolutely wonderful drinking experience. The attack is silky and smooth with raspberry and semi-sweet cherry fruit flavors that are backed by leather, vanilla and burnt sugar. The mid-palate is nicely acidic with an even astringency and tannins that are smooth and balanced; overall the mid-palate is just a little too short for my tastes and edges into a medium finish. The finish is the most balanced part of this wine as the fruit flavors (cherry, raspberry and red currant) meld seamlessly with tobacco, vanilla, leather, and bittersweet chocolate. The finish is gorgeously smooth and leaves an aftertaste of burnt caramel and semi-sweet cherry.

Overall this wine is a definite winner. I believe I paid 10 dollars for this bottle; at that price this is a great QPR. This wine shows more “oomph” than most Italian reds and can be paired with a wider variety of foods. It held up well to burgers and fries, beef stew and spaghetti. Though it lost a little complexity with the hearty stew. I highly recommend this is you enjoy balanced and smooth red wines or just need something a little more complex than your usual table wine for about the same price. Pick this up by the case if you can, you won’t be disappointed.

Vecchia Cantina

2008 Michele Chiarlo Barbera D’Asti Superiore Le Orme, Italy

Humble hues…Rich, dark red with a garnet-violet rim

Simplistic scents…Berries and cream (specifically raspberry and blueberry), cherry candy

Cheap thrills…I’ve begun to test the waters of unfamiliar wines, this time centering on red wines from Italy. Every three months or so, I get a little bored with the “same ol’ same ol’” and go in search of a new wine. Last time it was Pinot Noir, before that Beaujolais. This time it’s not a particular wine, but a region: Italy. Up until recently my journey into Italian territory had been limited to very inexpensive red blends and grocery store Chianti. Then I went out on a limb on a 20 dollar bottle of Nebbiolo and here I am reviewing a relatively inexpensive Barbera from the same region in Italy, Piedmont. I could write an entire review comparing the two Italian reds but that would be a disservice to both of them; instead I will give this wine the due it so justly deserves. First off this wine is what I would describe as unassuming, rustic even bordering on quaint, but it is a pleasure to drink. There isn’t a whole lot going on; the attack tastes of near-ripe plums and strawberry with just a hint of sour cherry. The mid-palate is very smooth as this is not a tannic wine and that fact shows up in the fact that the focus of the mid-palate is all about subtle alcohol acidity and just a nibble of astringency around the outside edges of my tongue. The segue from mid-palate to finish is seamless and leaves me almost believing this to have a somewhat short finish, which it doesn’t. The finish is medium in length and comes back to flavors of sour cherry, young plum and strawberry, and adds tart raspberry and just a hint of nectarine on top. This is a medium bodied wine that knows just what it’s about and doesn’t try to bring any confusing ideas of grandeur but is pitch perfect just as it is. There is a nice aftertaste of nectarine, plum skins and sharp cheddar (I know that seems weird but after every sip I thought I was chewing just a small bite of sharp Irish cheddar).

Overall, this wine is exactly what it advertises itself to be, a simple but enjoyable Italian red with a small price point. Nine dollars is a bargain for this wine, and that combined with how pleasurable an experience this wine is to drink gets it a solid good QPR from me. I can’t list this as a great QPR only because it really isn’t a great wine, but it doesn’t try to be a great wine all it wants to be is a solid wine that can be enjoyed with food or without. I advise drinking this with pizza or hamburgers though it stood up to a pork roast as well. I highly recommend this wine for just about any occasion especially if you enjoy sweet-sour wines or just about any wine from Italy, this should be right up your alley.

Michele Chiarlo Vini Classici del Piemonte

2009 La Carraia Umbria Sangiovese, Italy

Quite the delight…Dark purplish-black core surrounded by ruby red fading to violet at the rim

Two-toned nose…Cherry and vanilla

Why do I feel so wishy-washy…This wine held my attention for the entire first glass. I enjoyed the look, aroma and taste right down to the last drop. Then I waited for a few hours while cooking dinner and sampled my second glass. My attention seemed to wander during this glass. ‘Maybe it’s the food’ I thought to myself. But the next evening I experienced the exact same thing. Finally it dawned on me; this wine is pretty darn good all by itself but takes a backseat when it’s paired with just about any food. Let ‘s talk specifics about the wine itself. It has a very narrow scope of flavors as far as the attack is concerned. Mainly I can taste cherry, some raspberry, and peppers (both black pepper heat and bell pepper zest). The mid-palate is moderately acidic with some pucker factor from both alcohol and tannins and minimal astringency. The finish is medium in length featuring more pepper, savory spices (sage and basil), tobacco and very muted berry/cherry notes. I get a definite “weight” to the wine but it’s really only a medium bodied effort. The aftertaste itself is long and runs mainly to sour cherry and plum pits. It’s a nice effort and shines by itself though it becomes demure when paired with food.

Overall, I write that entire review about how good the wine tastes by itself to say that I actually enjoyed it more when I drank it with a meal. Normally I would want my glass of wine to shine with every sip I took, but this wine did something completely different. While the flavors of the wine itself were somewhat undermined the food itself took on a whole new level of “good”. I liked drinking this by itself because I could taste the wine, but I liked it even better when I paired this with spaghetti because it made the garlic marinara taste so much better. I know it’s an anomaly and I never expect to have this happen again, but this bottle gets a good QPR all the way around but for totally different reasons. I think I paid 10 bucks for this and that’s not bad. I’d recommend this for your table on any night you want an Italian red to go with your Italian dinner. It’s not an amazing wine, but it hits the spot especially with a nice plate of spaghetti.

La Carraia

2009 Mauro Sebaste Nebbiolo d’Alba Parigi, Italy

Beauteous to Behold…Elegant ruby red lightening slightly at the rim to garnet

Heavens Scent…Tobacco, cherry, herbs, grass and lettuce (smells the way endive tastes)

Palatable Perfection…As a short disclaimer I must be quite honest and admit that Nebbiolo, and Italian wines in general, don’t normally make my list for reviews. I am not that familiar with Italian reds aside from a few inexpensive Chiantis and Trentatre Rosso; nor have I enjoyed most of the Italian wines that I have tried. They tend to run sharp and acidic, tasting of sweet-sour cherries and raspberries and they tend to fall more in the light or medium bodied category. So I have shied away from reds from Italy until my most recent trip to Total Wine & More. This particular afternoon (a Friday) they were sampling three different Italian reds of varying prices and qualities. I enjoyed the first but it left my mouth puckering a little too much, the second was palatable enough but not something I would drink often but the third wine (a Barbaresco) was immaculate but outside my price range. At the advice of the wine expert that was taking me on my journey through Italian reds I purchased this particular Nebbiolo and I am exceedingly happy that I listened to him. First off this wine looks a little light in the glass but the color is very even throughout the glass and makes me immediately assume this wine has depth and quality. The aromas coming from the wine are very tight and focused (as an aside you really need to decant this wine for a minimum of 3 to 5 hours if not overnight otherwise it tends to be very tight, acidic and tannic) bringing to mind the tar and musky-ness of tobacco layered with cherry/raspberry hints and a very strong line of sharp grass or lettuce that runs throughout the background of the bouquet. The attack on this wine can be summed up in this short description: a focused red wine that shows its quality and complexity through the perfect silky-smooth layers of flavors and textures that complement each other while never detracting from the intensity of this wine. In all honesty I don’t think I have ever tasted a wine that immediately and thoroughly proves its quality, depth and complexity like this wine does. The attack is supremely focused fruit and spices; cherries and prunes covering chocolate and pepper layered on top of tar and leather, all of them making me wish the flavors would never end. But soon enough they melt into an extremely pleasant mid-palate of smooth, round tannins; pitch perfect astringency and just enough acidity to cut through some of the more fruity characteristics of this wine. The mid-palate fizzles and fades right as the medium-long finish takes hold of my palate, and what a finish it is. The sweet-sour cherry/raspberry flavors come on first mixed with black tea leaves and leather and finally some raisin/plum flavors with hints of vanilla and flowers. The aftertaste is quite pleasant almost refreshing with the plum and flowers sticking around for the duration. This a medium bodied wine that is best served right at room temperature and with a nice big hearty meal or some simple but nicely spiced red sauce pasta dish.

Overall, I went back and forth coming up with a rating for this wine. So here’s my reasoning. This wine nears the top of my budget for a single bottle of wine at 20 dollars a bottle (right now 25 is my self-imposed limit and that wine better knock my socks off). But it easily matches and then slightly surpasses any of the best bottles I’ve sampled since I started this blog (even the Clos Pegase Cabernet Sauvignon which is nearly 10 dollars more expensive than this). So my mind is made up. I give this a great QPR rating and if I did a point rating system based on a 1 out of 5 system this would easily get a 4.5 rating. Simply put this wine is truly a wonderful drinking experience. It has the sharp and acidic moments that Italian wine buffs love but it also has the layered flavors and complex depth that Napa Cab lovers swoon for. In all honesty this is my new Number 1 Wine as far as quality and price are concerned. I highly recommend this bottle. If you love red wine at all then you should try this now.

Mauro Sebaste

Revisiting an Old Friend in a New Vintage

2008 Trentatre Rosso (33.3% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33.3% Merlot, 33.4% Montepulciano), Italy

Color – Purple with a reddish rim

Nose – Dark brown sugar, plum, fresh pipe tobacco, gingerbread

Taste – While wandering the aisles of a Trader Joe’s that was not very close to my house I found the 2008 vintage of this wine and had to try it. Previously I’ve reviewed the 2007 and 2009 but the two closest Trader Joe’s to my house didn’t have the 2008. I’d read reviews of this vintage all of them calling this the vintage to get if you like this particular blend. On the one hand I was dubious that this would be that much better than the 2007. But on the other hand I just knew it had to be better than the 2009. I popped, poured, swirled, sniffed and sipped…and found out that if this isn’t my favorite vintage of this particular wine, it is the most balanced vintage. Let this get some air (20-30 minutes worked for me) and then take a nice swirl, sniff, sip and let the magic begin. The attack is much like the nose; dark fruit (mainly plum and cherry), brown sugar/molasses and baking spices. None of those flavors truly stand out; they merely blend together nicely and then fade into a beautifully mild-mannered mid-palate. The mid-palate really only features two things, but they work together in perfect harmony; firm tannins and tingly, biting alcohol. The alcohol lasts a little longer, staying as the mid-palate segues into the medium length finish. The tingle from the alcohol evades a long finish and mixes nicely with more fruit (plums again), berries (blackberry and maybe boysenberry) and then a mélange of tobacco, bittersweet chocolate, black pepper, dust and smoke. This is a full bodied wine, with a balanced attack, playful mid-palate and deep, dark finish. The aftertaste is one of burnt brown sugar, smoke and leather, which sounds quite harsh but in reality is extremely pleasing.

Overall, I still prefer the 2007 Trentatre Rosso over this slightly younger version. I admit this is the most balanced in flavor and texture, but it’s also a little more subdued (especially during the attack/mid-palate). The finish here is sumptuous and I would drink this wine if only to get to the finish, but the 2007 is the pick for me. This is still a good-to-great QPR (I challenge someone to recommend a 6 dollar bottle that is as complex or fulfilling as either the ‘07/’08 Trentatre Rosso. I don’t think it can be done); and would recommend this bottle over just about any other Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenere, Malbec, Merlot, Shiraz or red blend out there at a comparable price point. Get this one if you can find it, preferably by the case.

2008 Zingari Toscana, Italy

Color – Ruby red with a near black core

Nose – Blueberry, strawberry, cherry

Taste – This is a recent addition at my local Costco that sells for 9 dollars, and while I’m not overly familiar with Toscana (This is a blend of Merlot, Sangiovese, Syrah and Alicante; I was unable to find the specific quantities of each) I figured I would try it just to see if it passed my test. First off this wine benefits from decanting, and if you have the patience it really needs to sit overnight before you drink it. I sipped my first glass of this right after opening the bottle just to see what the wine tasted like and while it’s not bad it’s very tight with sharp flavors and tannins that tend to bite just a little. When I poured my second glass of this the following day the wine had softened, the berry flavors were not as sour and the tannins had mellowed giving this wine a pleasing all around flavor. The flavors on the attack are all berries and cherries; strawberry, raspberry and blueberry with a little ripe red cherry mixed in. The mid-palate has a mild alcohol tingle to it, tannins that still bite but not nearly as much as before and subtle astringency. As the mid-palate moves into the finish semi-sour cranberry flavors begin to pop up blended with sour cherry and raspberry flavors. The finish itself is medium in length with middling complexity that only really shows up in the aftertaste where flavors of leather mingle with the berries present throughout this wine. This is a light-to-medium bodied wine with limited depth in its flavor but that’s not necessarily a bad thing as the wine fares well with pizza, pasta and even salads.

Overall, I would say this is a decent-to-good QPR. The flavors are limited and they aren’t what I really seek out in a wine, but the wine itself isn’t bad rather it’s not my “cup of tea”. It drinks well with pizza and pasta as one would imagine, and doesn’t taste terrible by itself. It’s not going to win huge votes of admiration in my house, but I wouldn’t pass it up if I saw it at a pizzeria and wanted a glass of red to go with my slice of pepperoni pie. I would recommend this if you like cherry/berry reds with sour notes in the mid-palate and finish or as an alternative to your house Chianti. As for me, I’ll pass on this for now, but give it a passing grade.

Petra Wine

Head to Head: One Wine, Two Vintages

I've reviewed more than one wine before, but I've never reviewed the same wine just different vintages. I've only had the opportunity to conduct this experiment once before and I didn't take any tasting notes on the second vintage I sampled. So I went ahead and made sure to take notes on both vintages this time. Without further ado, on to the reviews.





2007 Trentatre Rosso (33.3% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33.3% Merlot, 33.4% Montepulciano), Italy

Color – Dark red (nearly purple) with a black core

Nose – Plum, molasses, smoke

Taste – Be in for a shock on the first sip of this decadent red. This wine makes the grade in every single category. Color, yep it’s got beautiful dark red characteristics that look amazing in the glass. Aroma, that’s here too in spades with bountiful scents of plum, molasses, smoke that fade to lighter notes of oak, leather, chocolate, and spice. Flavor, this wine has flavor for days; intense plum, dark fruit, bittersweet chocolate, leather, coffee and oak mingle together with perfect acidity and tannins, all topped off with a long, dry finish. This wine can take you on a journey all its own; it’s nearly a masterpiece compared to anything else out there under 15 dollars. Don’t delude yourself, this wine is a heavy hitter. While it might not be a fruit bomb, it comes pretty darn close. It’s complex and full bodied red wine with a nice silky mouthfeel. This one tastes perfect when served right at room temperature. Make sure to let it breathe in the glass for about 10 minutes, but I wouldn’t say you need to decant it any more than that. I took four days to finish my bottle off and the wine tasted just as amazing on glass number one as it did on glass number five.
Overall, this is probably the best QPR I have come across in a 6 dollar bottle of wine. It has the depth, complexity, flavor, and texture of a 15-20 dollar wine. It has layer upon layer of flavor and texture and brings intense pleasure with every sip. It is so well balanced that it holds up nicely with food, but tastes absolutely superb on its own. I sincerely can’t say enough about this wine. You have to go buy it now if you enjoy big red wines. This is a “buy by the case” wine!


2009 Trentatre Rosso (33.3% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33.3% Merlot, 33.4% Montepulciano), Italy

Color – Ruby red

Nose – Dusty blackberry, chocolate, damp soil

Taste – I will preface this merely by saying I would have loved this wine had I drank it before trying the 2007 vintage. That being said, this wine is not bad. In fact it’s pretty good, just not on the same level as the 2007. It has a decent enough nose even though it is lighter in the glass than its previous variation. The flavor in the initial sip are light and acidic, with more raspberry, cherry and smoke than blackberry or chocolate. The mid-palate consists largely of tannins, red berry flavors and some alcohol. The finish is medium in length; contains raspberry, sour cherry and wet leaves; and is quite dry. This wine is young and while not very complex, is still a pretty good effort. The texture is smooth in the mid-palate and finish but the wine starts a little confused and somewhat harsh. I can’t honestly say this is great wine nor can I say it’s a bad wine; it falls firmly in the good wine category. The wine has minor complexity, mostly smooth mouthfeel, and decent flavors mainly of red fruit with some chocolate and earth mixed in.
Overall, if you were to randomly purchase 10 wines with a price tag of 5.99 each, this wine would beat 8 of those wines and fall just short of the 9th. It’s not a bad wine at all, it’s just not a great wine. It is a good wine and not much more. What is best about this wine is that its only 6 dollars at Trader Joe’s and that makes it a really good QPR. I would say that if you can’t find the 2007 vintage then pick up a bottle or two of this. It’s not a wine to buy by the case unless you are going to cellar it for a few years, but it’s a wine you can keep around and still enjoy.

To recap, if you are able to pick up these vintages, set the 2007 aside and open the 2009 first. Enjoy its flavors, how it only cost you 6 dollars but still tastes good enough to get pretty good marks. It's not off-putting or pretentious, there aren't any surprises, its a little complex and tastes quite nice. Then a few nights later pop open the 2007 and be prepared for an amazing experience with a glass of wine. It's a wine that you can pick up for the price of the change you can find in your couch, but it tastes absolutely fantastic. Big flavors that rival a 15 or 20 dollar wine. You can enjoy both of these wines in their own time and place. The 2007 is a truly superb QPR, the 2009 is a good QPR. But for 6 bucks, I would advice buying the 2007 by the case and the 2009 by the half case.

2009 Bolla Valpolicella, Italy

Color - Light red with a near pink rim

Nose - Slight cherry, clean herbaceous hints

Taste - Having never had this particular style of wine, I didn't know what to expect, but right off the bat two things hit me. One, this wine is much lighter than I am used to drinking. Two, this wine has an interesting sour cherry flavor that permeates every sip. The wine is light colored and light in body, it doesn't hang around on your palate after you've swallowed though the sour cherry flavor stays with me for several long seconds before it fades. There are hints of grass, herbs or light mint as the wine fades on the tongue and nearly a pucker factor. Though the wine is sour it is still fruity and not particularly dry. The vegetal flavors are quite pleasant in the wine almost enough to balance the sourness. The wine is very smooth as far as mouthfeel goes, the tannins are nearly lost (in my opinion due to the fact that your mouth is dealing with so much sour cherry). It's young and kind of muddled, but not necessarily bad, just different. I usually stick with Chianti or Sangiovese if I purchase and Italian red wine, I tried this out because it was cheap and the back label made it sound like something my mouth would enjoy. There is a slight bite from the alcohol, but not a lot of heat from it, nothing.

Overall, this is a difficult wine for my palate to peg. My gut instinct is to find a different brand of this wine before I discount Valpolicella altogether, but to be quite honest I don't really like the wine all that much. I'm not fond of light red wines. This wine reminds me more of a sour apple Sauvignon Blanc more than it reminds me of a Chianti or other light red. Even the aroma has more in common with the few dry/sour whites I've come to enjoy. It's not an unpleasant wine just not what I would pick. I would hazard a guess and say a person looking to transition from white-to-red might enjoy this wine as an ice breaker into red wines. For the price I'd pick up a Chianti or Tempranillo or even a decent red table wine before I'd buy this again.

Bolla Wines