Barbera d'Asti Superiore 2003 Michele Chiarlo

Here's another red that the group enjoyed in Crested Butte, CO ... the venue was Marchitelli's Gourmet Noodle, the mood festive.

I don't have any specific tasting notes but we wanted something light to medium-bodied that would go with a variety of entrees. We hit the mark.

Price: expected retail is $12-15.

Abbadia Ardenga Brunello di Montalcino 2001

We bought this when Rob and Mary were in Atlanta a few weeks ago. Splurged on it as a deal for a special occasion. I think it was $32 or $35 marked down significantly (do you remember the original price, Rob or Mary?) I copied the description below from another blog, because it really did capture what the wine was like and I am crappy at describing wines. See further down. I did note the acidity and plum and cherry flavors before being biased by the more professional view below. We decided to drink when visiting my folks. We cooked a dish called Peposo (pepperey Italian beef stew) to go with it. Yummy. It was perfect for this wine. This is a big, food wine, not for sipping around coctail hour. Four things:

1. You do need to let this breathe -- decant and let sit two hours (label says so).
2. Taste it immediately upon opening. Really interesting the difference the two hours makes. At first, it is very acidic and alcoholy. It mellows incredibly.
3. Where in the world do you all find the labels to post?
4. If you're interested, I've started a dining blog called ATL Adventure Eats.
   

"Black almandine ruby with black reflections and slightly brownish rim. The bouquet is unusual, with flowers -- a mixture of dried and violets -- mingled with nutmeg spice and a fair amount of sea salt, with underlying dried plums, all supported by moderate balsamic acidity. On the palate it's full, and bright, with lively cherry fruit that gains direction from brisk cherry acidity, and is supported by ample smooth tannins that lead into a fairly long bright cherry finish that again is supported by acidity and gains depth from some brambly bitterness. Pleasant; and will drink quite well with succulent red meats or stews; it also has the capacity to age well for a number of years. I wasn't familiar with the winery, but am happy to have discovered them."

Cavalchina Bianco di Custoza 2005

Leigh had this at Bottega the other night. It was sold by the glass and the waiter recommended it saying it went with most of their food very well. It was very good. Not too light (Sauvignon Blanc) and not too heavy (Chardonnay) but just right. A website had this to say: Mouth-gripping experience from this tank fermented and aged blend of Trebbiano, Garganega, and Fernada. Very lively - almost frizzante; green melon, ripe lemon spice, green pears. Bright and lasting finish. Since this was not purchased by the bottle I am not sure this is the correct picture.

Colterenzio Lagrein Grieser 2005

It has been a while since I have posted. The whites of summer did nothing for me and I haven't been in the mood for reds. Until now. I went to my favorite wine shop, Village Wines in English Village and purchased a very expensive bottle of wine for a friend. While there I asked for a cheap bottle of red for myself. Something to drink and not think much about. I was told that this wine was very popular and I believe it only cost $12.99. I wish I had more of a wine imagination so I could describe the scent but all I can settle on is "very good!" Trust me, it is a great bottle and you should try it.

Wine dinner at John's City Diner

Tuesday night we did something we wanted to do for a while by attending one of the bi-monthly wine dinners at John's City Diner downtown. After a Bellini made with Rotari Sparking Chef Paul Clark gave an overview of the food to come. First course - 3 cheese ravioli with sauteed crabmeat and toasted sweet corn ragout. Second course - Pasta rustica with chicken, sausage, onion, herbs, lemon. Entree - Stuffed center cut pork chop with grilled polenta, wilted greens, and port wine jus. Dessert - 2 assorted sorbetos.

As for the wines:
Rotari Sparking
Libio Felluga, Tocai Friolano, Collio (white)
Masi Campofiorin Ripasso, Veneto (red)
Ceretto Barolo, Piemonte (red)

Jennifer Horner of MBC United Wines did a nice talk about what we drinking and had some geographic reference material on each table.

Rotari
Not an "asti" but a champagne-method sparking. Made from chardonnay and pinot noir grapes.

Libio Felluga
This white reminded me of a French Loire Valley white, very little or no oak.

Masi
This specialty of Masi, resulting from the refermentation of wine from fresh Veronese red grapes with a percentage of semi-dried grapes of the same varietals, splendidly encompasses the qualities of the Verona area: the excellence of the zone, the highly individual style of the indigenous Veronese grape varieties, and the originality of the techniques of "appassimento" (semi-drying) and double fermentation by Masi. It combines simplicity and grace with power and majesty. It is rich, full-bodied, round and velvety, and has an aging potential of 10 to 15 years.

Ceretto
The star of the evening (we don't get to enjoy Barolo very often). Great with the pork.

Luce della Vite Toscano Lucente

We were celebrating 06/06/06 with Scott and Kay at Gianmarco's and I ordered a bottle of this Tuscan red blend after tasting Kay's glass. (It was much better than a Pinot Noir I tried.) This turned out to be very good and was reasonable by restaurant standards. I found out later that the 2003 scored a 90 from Wine Spectator.

From a web review: Big, rich aromas of crushed blackberries, licorice and minerals with just a hint of lemongrass. Full-bodied with thick, luscious tannins and a long, smoky tar and berry finish. A full-throttle wine. This is really excellent for the money. Sangiovese, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Interesting story behind this wine: In 1995, the Marchesi de' Frescobaldi family of Florence and the Robert Mondavi family of Napa Valley joined forces to achieve a common goal: to create a world class Italian wine. And thus Luce was created.

We'll look for it locally. Price range retail is low 20's.