Maculan 2010 Brentino, Veneto
A Veneto wine reviewA Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot blend from Northeastern Italy with a great deal of style. On the nose, classic notes of tobacco and graphite interplay with fresh plum. …
Italy
Mastroberardino 2011 Lacryma Christi del Vesuvio Rosso
Italian Wine ReviewPiedrosso is one of my secret weapons. It’s an unknown wine from an obscure wine region in a largely ignored province in Italy. It’s also a delightful wine that …
Barone Ricasoli 2010 “Brolio” Chianti Classico
The Castello di Brolio (the castle of Brolio) has been in the Ricasoli family since the 12th Century. Two of the family’s top wines (they produce 11) are labeled as Brolio. The top …
Michele Satta 2005 Cavaliere (Super Tuscan)
A voluptuous Sangiovese with a slight salinity that veers to black olive but pulls back into a beautiful layered expression of chocolate. A glass-staining beauty with plump blackberry and kirsch notes …
Passitivo 2010 Primitivo, Puglia
Judging wines isn’t a linear job. It’s not really about grading all wines as a spectrum of quality. We don’t judge a Red Zinfandel from Russian River next to a bottle …
Feudi di San Gregorio 2007 Companaro
Since its origins in the ’80s, Feudi di San Gregorio has been one of the leaders in quality in southern Italy. Over the past few years, they have been ramping up the quantity, and …
Castello di Fonterutoli “Ser Lapo” 2008 Chianti Classico Reserva
The Mazzei family has a very long history in Chianti and has considerably expanded their winemaking operations over the past few years, including forays into Sicily and the Tuscan coast. However, …
Enzo Mecella 2006 “Pagliano” Verdicchio di Matelica
Verdicchio is the sole white varietal of note in a region whose lush, well-crafted red wines are slowly garnering adherents.Of the two DOC zones producing Verdicchio, Castelli di Jesi hard by …
Antiche Vigneti di Cantalupo 2005 “Primagenia” Piemonte
The Colline Novarese DOC is located in the smaller cluster of designated zones in northern Piemonte, including Gattinara and Ghemme, two familiar names for devotees of Nebbiolo. The regulations for both …
Belguardo 2009 Serrata, Tuscany
Up until twenty years ago, the Tuscan coast was more well know for Etruscan ghosts than wine. What’re a few decades compared to a few millennia? In what is known as …
Fattoria di Magliano 2009 “Heba” Morellino di Scansano
The Tuscan coast is a hotbed for winemaking, especially for Cabernet Sauvignon. In Scansano, however, the focus is the Sangiovese grape, locally known as Morellino.Warmer than inland regions like Chianti, Scansano …
Zenato 2008 Ripassa Classico, Veneto
Zenato is a large-scale operation near Lake Garda in northern Italy. Despite their size, the company has consistently put out excellent –if occasionally anodyne—wines in Valpolicella.Vintage after vintage, the Zenato Amarone …
Napoleon in Philly
Wines of Napoleon Featured in PhiladelphiaIf you were the ruler of the known universe, what would you drink? The Wine School of Philadelphia will answer that question. A two-hour tour de …
La Ca’ Nova 2007 “Bric Mentina” Barbaresco
A brilliantly crafted Barbaresco. Bric Mentina is an estate bottling from this excellent producer and pushes me to be a bit more poetic than I can usually muster.This Barbaresco has a …
Tenuta di Biserno 2006 Coronato, Bolgheri
Olive and clove peek out of this lush glass staining Cabernet blend. A true super Tuscan, this has zero pretensions to terroir but a brilliant aptitude for deliciousness. A luxury bottling …
Falesco 2009 Tellus, Lazio
Luxurious, like a velvet cushion of dark sweet fruit. The only fault is its perfection –round, sexy, slick perfection– which takes away some of the pleasure of drinking a bottle of …