The first stop of today’s wine tour was at Bottaia Winery. It was a fabulous experience not only because the winery is beautiful and the wine is absolutely delicious but also because of the service and knowledge from Alayna.
We started off with a light 2022 Pinot Grigio, which I rated a 3.9 out of 5. It had floral, citrus, and honey notes. This wine would be great on a warm summer day.
Next, we tasted a subtle, aromatic, and luscious 2022 Vermentino with notes of peach, lime, minerals, and stone. I really enjoyed this white and rated it a 4.1.
My favorite of the day was a delicious and mouth-watering 2022 Blush. This was surprising because I was so excited for the bolder reds coming up in the tasting. It was made from 100% Sangiovese grapes and had a beautiful rose color. It had notes of strawberry, watermelon, guava, and passion fruit. I rated this show stopper a 4.3 out of 5.
Next, we moved on to a 2016 Dolcetto nick named “little sweet one” although it wasn’t sweet at all. It had notes of sour cherry, strawberry, nutmeg, and pepper. I rated this one a 3.6 because while good, it wasn’t my preferred style.
Alayna, knowing that we like bigger and bolder reds, had us try and compare a 2020 Sangiovese next to a 2022 barrel aged one. Sangiovese is Italy’s most popular grape, and while both had notes of spice, pepper, and black fruit, the 2020 leaned more pepper forward, and the 2022 leaned more fruit forward with hints of oak and vanilla. I preferred the more tannic and balanced flavors of the 2022, which is why I rated it a 4.0 and the 2020 a 3.9.
Next was my favorite red at Bottaia, the 2019 Montepulciano, which I rated a 4.2 for its smooth, well-rounded body, beautiful garnet color, and lovely lingering finish. It had notes of black fruit, cherry, spice, oak, and vanilla.
The last wine of our tasting at Bottaia was a 2021 Sicilian Nero D’ Avola. It had notes of blackberry, black cherry with a hint of mineral. I rated this smooth beauty a 4.1.
If you are visiting the area, check out Bottaia Winery and have a barrel room tasting with Alyna.
