Since I have minimal experience with tasting reds beyond the more popular reds (especially those grown in the US), I wanted to do this Drink This Now! lesson to have an opportunity to try more traditional reds. On top of that, since I have plans to go to Italy after I graduate, so I should be getting familiar with some of the wines I'll probably be drinking.
The Basics - Briocco Dei Tati Piedmont Barbera :
- Grape Variety - Barbera
- Country of Origin - Italy
- Region of Origin - Piedmont
- Vintage Year - 2019
- Price - $8.95
City Vino Review:
"From a small estate in the heart of Piedmont, some vines as much as 80 years old. 100% Barbera. Bouquet of black cherries and a bit of spice on the palate. Light tanning, medium acidity, and medium finish."
Wine Folly Reference (79):
Barbera is the everyday drinking wine of Piedmont, Italy. Wines are approachable, affordable, and have lip-smacking high acidity. Tasting notes include tart cherry, licorice, blackberry, dried herbs, and black pepper.
My Review Initially:
The wine was quite purple/pink than red; almost approaching a cranberry color. There's a slight smell of licorice and prune - something with a hint of some sort of age too. The wine was surprisingly sweet and really tannic with some of my tasting notes including oak, currant, blackberry, cherry, and fig. There was also a slight spice and strong tobacco flavor too which I wasn't too fond of.
My Review Later in the Day (with and without cheese):
After waiting a couple hours, I tried the wine again. There was less spice that I could taste and smell. There was still a strong fruity flavor overall, but the flavors morphed into having a similar complexity that jam sometimes has. Fortunately, there weren't any tobacco flavors, instead, there was some hint of licorice or other candy.
When I tried the wine with a piece of brie I had, the butteriness of the cheese and the tannins was quite present. I was surprised there weren't as many fruity flavors brought out by the cheese as I've usually experienced in other pairing experiences. Overall, I think the wine doesn't mesh well with the cheese - not necessarily saying one overpowers the other, just that they're not a good fit - since I'm missing more elements from the wine.
My Review 24 Hours Later:
A day later, I tried the wine again. The color didn't appear to change much - still pretty cranberry in color - but perhaps shifting more towards the pinker side as it's oxidated. There was an odd smell coming from the wine which was more molasses-y and metallic, with a specific note of blackberry. The taste was by far the most bitter and tannic of all three of the tastings, and there was a specific cheese, must, and aged taste. While the wine was still heavier than I thought it would be by this point, the more pleasant-tasting notes I got included oak, cranberry, jam, and prune.
The Basics - Anzivino Gattinara DOCG:
- Grape Variety - Nebbiolo
- Country of Origin - Italy
- Region of Origin - Gattinara
- Vintage Year - 2018
- Price - $21.95
Villa Italia Review:
"This Gattinara is 100% Nebbiolo, aged for 4 years in traditional large Slavonian oak barrels. With an additional 3 years of bottle age, it is typically medium garnet in color and has developed complex flavors and aromas of dried fruits, spices, and violets. The finish is long and smooth, always inviting another sip."
Wine Folly Reference (141 - 142):
One of Italy's top reds made famous by the Barolo region of Piedmont. It's where wines deliver both delicate aromas and rigorous tannins the grape is famous for. Tasting notes include cherry, rose, leather, anise, and a clay pot with northern Piedmont flavor notes specifically including sour cherry, rose hip, tobacco leaf, leather, and black tea.
My Review Initially:
The wine had a pretty strong alcohol/tannins smell; and while the color was pretty red, relative to the other wines I had for this session, there was still a light, yellow hue around the edge of the glass. The wine was really tannic and alcoholic to the taste too and was overall heavier in flavor. There was some black cherry, blackberry, caramel, vanilla oak, and even a cardboard must. The wine was overall pretty sweet and less fruity than I would anticipate from a punchy red, and again I was happy to not taste tobacco or strong spice.
My Review Later in the Day (with and without cheese):
When I drank the wine later that day, there was still a punchy, rich note in its smell while the color remained the same. The second taste I had was much sweeter and lighter than the earlier drink I had and was somehow generally blander in its taste. I was still able to taste some licorice, currants, and the other fruity flavors I chose, but somehow I was still missing the punch I wanted from the stronger fruit flavors and tannins. Oddly, it tasted like watered-down juice with a hint of alcohol.
When I tasted the wine with brie cheese, the tannins were enhanced a bit more while I lost the creamy element of the cheese and the general fruity profile of the wine. This was probably the worst combination I had of all three wines since there was a lack of punch from either the cheese or the wine. Based on my other tasting experiences, I'm now looking for that strong punch from the two together, and I didn't get that at all.
My Review 24 Hours Later:
After tasting the wine again a day later, the color hadn't changed at all - with it's still deep red color and a yellow hue on the edge. There was a strong, sharp tannic smell with some notes of balsamic, freshness, and maple syrup. The tannins were still very present, while the fruit taste was more mellowed out - though I could still pick up notes of cherry, jam, balsamic, chocolate, caramel, hazelnut, vanilla, and blackberry. I was surprised to see the intensity of the fruits increase between tasting rounds - but this has been the most pleasant glass I had so far.
The Basics - Fattoria La Lecciaia Sangiovese Maremma Toscana:
- Grape Variety - Sangiovese
- Country of Origin - Italy
- Region of Origin - Maremma Toscana, Central Italy
- Vintage Year - 2019
- Price - $12.95
The Wine Buyer Review:
"Bay leaves, undergrowth, dried cherries, chocolate, and walnuts on the nose. Its medium-bodied with firm tannins and a chewy, savory palate. Drink or hold." (James Suckling)
Wine Folly Reference (162 - 163):
Sangiovese is Italy's most planted grape and the key variety in Tuscany's renowned Chianti. It's sensitive, tasting quite different depending on where it grows. Key tasting notes include cherry, roasted tomato, sweet balsamic, oregano, and espresso.
My Review Initially:
This Sangiovese was really intense all the way around. Its sharp red ruby color was quite distinguishable, it smelled like a wellness shot (lemon, apple, and horseradish), and its taste was strongly cherry and spice-forward (like cinnamon and pepper). It was incredibly tannic and punchy with tobacco, jam, blackberry, and raspberry. The glass made me want a bite of food and a drink of water, so I could barely finish my glass on its own at this point.
My Review Later in the Day (with and without cheese):
When I tried the wine again later, the wine had slightly lightened in color - but still a strong red. There was a slightly sweet smell and less acid than the last round, both of which I was able to pick up on in the tastes along with a stronger fruity presence. The wine was overall less intense, especially mellowing out on the spices and tobacco (unless I introduce more air into the glass - then I can taste it), but there was still a large fruit present in the wine - specifically raspberry and blackberry.
When I had the brie and wine together, the combination was fairly pleasant. There was still a fair amount of stinky elements from the cheese coming through the wine, but it did help bypass most of those flavors. The butter and cream of the cheese were enhanced quite well with the wine and brought out more of the fruity, jammy sides of the wine. With the cheese, the wine mellowed out quite well, and the small number of tannins left was still quite pleasant.
My Review 24 Hours Later:
When I revisited the wine a day later, the wine was even lighter in color and was approaching more of a bronze-red than a straight red with a hint of yellow around the rim. There was a strong floral, pepper, semi-sweet, and even tannic smell to the wine. None of these flavors really came out in the taste, but I did get a strong tannic, acid, caramel, jammy, and hay/olive. The wine wasn't as sweet as I thought it would be, and the flavors were harder to identify.
Conclusion:
This experience let me try some of the richer, more intense red wines. I really appreciated trying the wines at different stages of their oxidation process - since I was able to taste how the wines morphed over time as air was introduced. I overall liked the Nebbiolo the best across all stages, but I was able to find something I liked in each of the wines. This hopefully won't be my last experience with these wines, since they're something I would happily drink these again - especially after they've aired for even a couple hours.
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