Pop! … and happiness reigns
Casa Vinicola Aldo Rainoldi Zapel
The outdoor thermometer reads 9° C and I lift the Italian from the ice bucket which reflects that rays of the spring sun: “Sunny” by Bobby Hebb answers the spin of my corkscrew as it extracts the cork. It’s 12:12 p.m. … pop! And happiness reigns. The straw colour of the Aldo Rainoldi promises liveliness.
The Zapel, a chardonnay from Valtellina (Italian Alps) surprises and even destabilizes with the freshness of its aromas of cucumber, green melon and white pear. The exoticism continues in the mouth with citrus and the flesh of white fruits. With a good amount of crispness, it shows nice texture both rich and taut.
For pairing, work with the aromas: a first course of cucumber and mango salad with mint or more simply, opt for shrimp flamed with pastis.
Cosimo Taurino Notarpanaro
Meeting by chance a family member not seen for ages…that’s the impression I had when pouring the Notarpanaro 2011 into the balloon glass and yes, you read it right, 2011. The 100 per cent Negreamaro, a grape native to Pouilles, has already – through its red-brick colour – declared itself as an older wine.
There’s also a hint of toastiness and spice working together. Classical in style, a tad rustic, without too much maturity, but more than anything else, a wine perfect for drinking now. One after another the tastes of raspberry, cocoa, black olives and balsamic meld with the barely dry tannins.
Complex and charming, it’s excellent with a typical ragù or a brochette of Italian sausages, sweet peppers and basil.
Michael David Sixth sense Lodi
Don’t jump the gun on spring! But you can probably try a few aspects of it, like removing the cover from your barbecue. The Phillips brothers, Michael and David, undertook the brilliant initiative in the early ‘80s of planting some syrah vines in California.
This grape varietal, Rhodesian in origin, acclimates easily to the temperate, sometimes extreme climate of Sacramento and San Joaquin. The California wine estate Lodi makes a denser and fuller-bodied syrah compared to those of the more northern Côtes-du-Rhône regions.
The wine is an almost opaque cherry red, a sign of concentration. Aromas of plum and black currant dominate, but there are also notes of vanilla, coconut, smoked wood and the typical peppery note of a syrah. It’s just right for someone who likes a generous wine.
Tip: don’t forget your caramelized boar ribs on the grill!
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Franck Lizotte74 Posts
Vulgarisateur vitivinicole/Wine world simplifier
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