Tonight, we enjoyed a wine tasting at Chateau Cellars with the theme: A Tour of Italy – Unknown Wines. This was an opportunity to try wines where the grape is less common. Italy has the most diverse grape varieties of any of the large wine-producing countries.
My tasting notes and ratings are as follows:
Tenuta di Fessina Erse Etna Bianco 2020 (Sicily)
Tasting Notes: Citrus, mineral, green apple, butter, hay, saline, and tropical fruit
Characteristics: Explosive aromas! Bright, acidic, crisp, and dry
My Rating: 4.0 / 90 points
Punta Crena Ca Da Rena Pigato Bianco 2022 (Liguria)
Tasting Notes: Apple, pear, citrus, honeydew melon, mineral, sea salt, fresh-cut grass, and oak
Characteristics: Easy drinking, crisp, smooth, complex and yet balanced
My Rating: 4.3 / 93 points
Avide 1607 Frappato 2021 (Sicily)
Tasting Notes: Red fruit, pomegranate, cranberry, violets, and earthy
Characteristics: Light, bright, and a refreshing red when chilled
My Rating: 4.1 / 91 points
Argiolas Cardanera Carignano del Sulcis 2018 (Sardinia)
Tasting Notes: Blackberry, plum, pepper, licorice, red fruit, earth and mushroom
Characteristics: Deep, dark, clumsy in my opinion. Not my preference for flavor profiles
My Rating: 3.8 / 88 points
Bocale Montefalco Sagrantino DOCG 2018 (Umbria)
Tasting Notes: Pepper, licorice, dark fruit, leather, red fruit, floral, oak and vanilla
Characteristics: Full-bodied, dry, layered, an intense nose with a smooth finish
My Rating: 4.1 / 91 points
