Italian Heavy Hitters (aka RRR's wine tasting): The Wine!

My dear sister (aka RRR) steps in to blog about a recent wine tasting she hosted. Salute!

The Italian Heavy Hitters

We are not talking about our Jersey family and friends here! RRR is stepping in to cover the latest Boston, Mitch inspired wine tasting. Should we start with the food or the wine? Guess that's like the chicken and the egg debate. Can't figure out if the food makes me crave the wine or the wine makes me crave the food…

The Vino

Mitch took charge of the wine selection. She focused on the primary wine regions-the classics for the night's line up. Speaking of line-up, guess I should identify the guest list. We had the usual suspects present … If only Ms. Foodie was present!

Mitch – Master of Wine Ceremonies
Ski – Not a usual suspect, but when she’s present, she's present. Her quote, "I want to taste some earth!"
Lynnie – Yes, a usual suspect and so much more, but sans "Dan-O" – a Ms. Foodie favorite and our token male…our other partner-in-wine [Stay tuned for a North Fork Wine tasting trip – RRR, Mitch, Lynn and Dan-O!!!]
SheGal – Another usual suspect, sans the stinky cheese (that was present beyond ofactory comprehension at the last tasting)
Lori – Our token beer drinker, observer, photographer and designated driver
Mr. RRR – "Bernie" was awake and alert for the tasting!
And of course, yours’ truly… RRR

Mitch set the line up as follows…with RRR's tasting notes which mirrored most of the overall comments from the tasting crowd.

First at bat – a 2005 Chianti Classico, villa Caffaggio. Overall impression was that for the money ($20), we weren't that impressed, particularly given the selection of Chiantis well below this price point. Light tannins, sour cherry notes. RRR tasted again on day two (out of obligation and respect for the grape of course!) and found it bit more strawberry-ish on the nose but still lacking any complexity.

Next, a 2004 Masciarelli, Marina Cvetic (Montepulciano d'Abuzzo). Lots of dried cherry fruit, medium to full-bodied. The crowd really enjoyed this one, well beyond the first 'taste' – as nada for a day two tasting.

A 2003 Capanna Brunello di Montalcino. Smoky and tannic. Did not score high with the crowd. Obviously enough for day two tasting. Still not impressive to RRR. Tannins tamed a bit, but lacked any complexity. But hey, it's red, it's Italian, the RRR’s polished this one off.

2002 Travaglini Gattinara. Light to medium bodied with dried cherry and an almond finish. Tasted even better day two!

These last three were the favorites of the night…

A 2003 Villa Antinori Super Tuscan. A unique curry aroma and taste, combined with tobacco and blackberry. Very complex, very interesting. The crowd was a bit mixed on this one. RRR day two tasting – only hints of the curry on the nose with the smokiness and fruit shining through. Yes, a winner for RRR! Think this one was my favorite of the bunch.

A 2001 Ronchi Barbaresco. A smooth cherry taste. This was a star! Soft tannins, floral with a nice hint of earth.

A 2003 Batasiolo Barolo. Big cherry notes, some menthol. A big Italian beauty (speaking about the wine of course)!

2001 Allegrini Amarone. Probably the star of the night! Dark red fruit, some chocolate notes. Unfortunately, we only had a half bottle when we could have easily taken care of a full one!

We had a couple of throw in's (aka pinch hitters) – namely a Lou's Red from Rosedale Vineyards in CT – a blend of CT and CA grapes that RRR picked up from the CT wine trail tasting with Ms. Foodie. Cracked open in honor of Lynnie, native CT and lover of all CA wines. With the first tasting, mixed reviews given the 'funky' port taste. On day two, the funkiness rounded out to a dried fruit smoother finish. Not bad for CT…?

Mr. RRR broke out his Silver Decoy Blueberry wine (NJ) to compliment dessert. Don't be fooled here. We are not talking pancake syrup here. Burst of blueberry but just enough sugar to not be cloying.