Italian Wine Tasting Notes

2003 Ruffino IL DUCALE
Toscana IGT Italy
Score: 86.0
Ruffino's flagship wine, Riserva Ducale Chianti Classico, was introduced almost 80 years ago. It's a very fine Chianti, and as such it's bound by law to certain designated grape varieties. The current generation of winemakers wanted to make a wine with more latitude of expression, based on Sangiovese, but blended with grapes outside the perameters of Chianti. The result is IL DUCALE. This inaugural addition from the very hot 2003 vintage is a blend of 80% Sangiovese, 15% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. It's an elegant wine with bright fruit character recalling raspberries and cranberries. Oak ageing adds hints of walnuts and cocoa. Light bodied and dry, with supple tannins, IL DUCALE is easy drinking now, and is capable of ageing through 2013. Perfect to pair with poultry or veal.

1999 Vigne Regali
Principessa Gavia "Piedmont, Italy" Gavi Perlante d.o.c.g.
Score: 87.0
"The package of this Gavi is worth the price of admission. The beautiful, clear, fluted bottle yields a dry wine with peach and pink grapefruit character, and just a hint of spritz to give it a crisp, palate cleansing snap. The rather short finish serves up citrus and mineral notes."

1999 Banfi Cellars
Principessa Gavia Gavi "Piedmont, Italy" "[Gavi, Cortese]"
Score: 88.0
"Gavi is a very pleasant dry white made from Cortese grapes grown in Piedmont. Too often its overpriced. Banfis, on the other hand, is a good value and one of the best Gavis youll ever find. Aromatic and flavorful, its fresh, fruity and bone dry, with apple, pineapple, ginger and mineral notes on the palate, medium body, silky texture on the mid-palate and crisp acidity through the long finish. Quintessential seafood wine."

1997 Banfi
[Italy] Dolcetto dAcqui DOC
Score: 87.0
"Heres a case where a wine need not be complex to be thoroughly enjoyable. This is a lighter style, elegant Dolcetto, with silky texture and vibrant berry fruit. If you want to search for it, theres a hint of soil-leather character in the background, but what matters here is the fruit and the exquisite balance. A great value, drink over the next year or two. Pairs well with roast beef, smoked salmon, cheese and pasta dishes. "

1994 Castello di Gabbiano
[ITALY] Chianti Classico Riserva Oro
Score: 88.0
"Dont want to wait for wine to age. heres your chance to geat an already aged Chianti. It displays some bottle bouquet-green tea, earth, a hint of soy sauce, but thos e charactaers still take a back seat to the tart berry fruit. Moderately astraingent, this is an interesting wine that cries out for food - pasta or steak in particular."

1996 Castello di Gabbiano
[Italy] Chianti Classico Riserva
Score: 90.0
"Ahhh! This is very good Chianti. Full-bodied, big, round, with good depth of bright cranberry fruit, moderate tannin, and a long, slightly astringent finish. Very satisfying with veal, pasta, or eggplant parmigiana."

1999 Antinori Campogrande
Orvieto [italy] Orvieto
Score: 85.0
"Light and crisp with mineral and mushroom character, and a lingering finish that mirrors the nose and mid-palate. "

1998 "Antinori, Castello Della Sala"
Umbria [ITALY] Indicazione Geografica Tipica
Score: 88.0
"Bright peach and watermelon, round on the palate with crisp edges and a long minerally finish. Very appealing and very food friendly - shellfish and poultry are a given, but it also works with roast beef. A good value at"

1998 Antinori Cervaro Castello della Sala
Umbria [italy] [chardonnay/greccheto
Score: 88.0
"Heres a case where an alternative to Chardonnay can be mostly Chardonnay. In this case 80%, to 20% of the native Grechetto. The wine has fascinating mineral-earthy aromas, dry citrusy fruit, smokey oak nuances, and a long, complex yet subtle finish."

1995 Pian delle Vigne
[Italy] "Brunello di Montalcino: Piero Antinori, famous for his Super Tuscans and Chiantis, has released his
Score: 85.0
"It takes some aeration to pry open the nose, which then offers some cherry fruit and a hint of oak, while on the palate the first impression is of sweet ripe cherry-plum fruit and a whisp of dark chocolate which is enveloped in fuzzy, soft, somewhat bitter tannins on the mid-palate and through the short finish. This is a well-balanced Brunello from a middling vintage, requiring another 4 to 6 years to reach its peak. "

1997 Castello Banfi
"Montalcino, Tuscany" [italy] Chardonnay
Score: 80.0
"Light varietal character, seems to be holding back."

1997 Antinori Peppoli (backwards accent on the e)
Chianti Classico [Italy]
Score: 86.0
"From the renowned 1997 vintage, this is a very elegant, lighter style Chianti with fresh fruit character reminiscent of cherries on the mid-palate and dried cranberries in the finish. There is enough tannin to give it structure without being obtrusive. Best for the near term (now to five years). "

1997 Castello Banfi
[Italy] Rosso di Montalcino
Score: 84.0
"This Rosso di Montalcino is a delight and an indication of the quality of the '97 vintage. Floral and fruity, with tart cranberry on the palate, distinct clove and ginger notes, moderate tannin and a tart fruity finish. An easy drinking wine now, it has good potential and should develop texture and complexity with another 5 to 10 years in the cellar."

1994 Candido
Apulia Italy Salice Salentino
Score: 85.0
"Like no other wine Ive ever tasted, this southern Italian wine is made from Negroamaro (85%) and Malvesia Nera (15%) grapes. The closest I can come to describing it is this: a dry, full-bodied wine with candied plum and leather overtones, light tannin and a soft earthy finish. Pair with chili, hamburger and barbecue. "