Saturday morning I attended a nice southern Italy tasting at Wine Cellars of Annapolis in their lovely “Barrel Room.” Here are some notes in case they are any use to anyone.
The tasting started off with a 2006 Santadi Vermentino di Sardegna Villa Solais, which had a nice nose of light peach, rich melon and wet stones. Elegant in the mouth with nice balance. I picked up a bottle of this and will write more about it in the future. The 2006 Villa Matilde IGT Falanghina Campania was a bit of a disappointment, crossing well over the line between elegance and undue restraint. The nose was very, very tight with just a little pear and apricot and perhaps a ocean air note. In the mouth it was equally unassertive and possessed a long but mildly bitter finish. I have had some very good wines from the Falanghina grape in the past (including the 2003 vintage of this same wine) but I have been underwhelmed with the past several I have tried. When I find my next good one I will be sure to write about it. It can be a truly wonderful grape when the winemaker can coax more out of it.
Moving on to the reds, first up was the 2006 A Mano Primitivo. While lacking in tremendous complexity, this was a very tasty wine with black cherry, plum and a touch of caramel. I know a wine would be great with a steak when drinking it makes me strongly crave one. This wine does exactly that. It possesses a nice flavor profile and sufficient modesty for red meat accompaniment, ringing up at only 13.5% alcohol and not something that would be mistaken for most California Zins. At only ~$11/bottle, this is very nice QPR for a dinner red.
Last up were to Aglianicos from the same producer, the 2005 Cantine del Notaio Il Repertino Aglianico del Vurture and the 2004 Cantine del Notaio La Firma Aglianico del Vurture. The '05 Il Repertino's first impression was a lovely and earthy ruby hues in glass and assertive, conentrated red fruits. It is a tart, acidic wine with emphatic tannins and a long finish. The '04 La Firma is a decidedly different wine with deep cherry coloring and a nose of old oak and black cherries. It attacks the tongue with firm tannins and a burnt plastic note reminiscent of a younger Barolo but its finish is a bit more modest than the Il Repertino. The Il Repertino was selling for ~$30 while the La Firma was going for $5 more. Despite the higher price, I think the La Firma is a better buy based on how it is drinking today. It definitely has more interesting things to say than its younger relative.
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