A trio of delicious Italian wines - must try more!

The first two were (in my opinion and many of those present) the stars of the show, in a line-up of Langhe Nebbilo presented to the Nottingham Wine Circle by Andy Leslie, whilst the latter was fished out from under my stairs last night. And all three provided much pleasure - so much so that I am determined to add to my pathetically small collection of Italian wines.

G D Vajra Langhe Nebbiolo 2010

Lots of citric lemon/orange acidity and red fruits on the nose. To begin with, it comes across as loveable but quite simple. But wait...... with a little air, it actually reveals a good deal of structure and complexity, with redcurrant, cherry and cranberry fruits mingled with notes of damp earth, tobacco and spice. I took this bottle home and finished the last glass on Thursday evening, and it was holding up beautifully. Lovely texture, with plenty of tannic grip, but oodles of juicy acidity and an abundance of sweet and sour fruit - totally vibrant and full of interest. All-in-all, and absolute delight, which is so lovely to drink now, but promises to evolve nicely for a decade or so. Cracking stuff, which I believe is currently available from The Wine Society for around £15. And considering that it offers as much pleasure as a very decent Village Burgundy,  a bit of a bargain.

Produttori del Barbaresco Langhe Nebbiolo 2007

To begin with, the nose is all about savoury, with meat/gravy and soy aromas dominating the fruit, with subtle notes of Christmas cake and apples steeped in brandy.. The palate is not only very savoury, but also sweet-fruited (almost overtly so), rich and concentrated, with a nice rasp of sour cherry giving real lift. Again, I took the remains of this bottle home to enjoy on Thursday, by which time it had opened out considerably and developed much more in the way of tertiary/secondary non-fruit and forset floor aromas and flavours, with hints of truffle, flowers and polished old wood. Moreover, the overt savouriness has dissipated and the flavours are more sprightly and expressive, less sweet and much more tangy. All of which suggests that this wine also has another 10 years or more to go to maturity. A fabulous wine.

Guiseppe Campagnola Amarone Classico 2005

As one would expect, this one is a totally different animal, but I just fancied something Italian again, and (to my great shame) I only have a handful of different Italian wines in my possession. Having said that, another 5 inches of snow last night had me craving something rich, warming and spicy. And it fit the bill perfectly, with a liveliness and (dare I say it) lightness of touch that many Amarones don't have, with deep bramble aromas mingled with raspberry, red cherry and an almost orange/citrus tang to both the nose and palate. Furthermore, there is little sign of the 15% abv to offend the senses - rather, it caresses with a gentle warmth, showing hints of exotic spices, damp earth, subtle woody notes and masses of juicy red and black fruit flavours. It isn't a glugger, of course, but a couple of glasses went very nicely with last night's pizza, topped with lashings of tomato and herb sauce, caramelised onions, peppers, mozzarella and oregano. A delicious combination. And I have 4 more bottles of this, which I shall enjoy over the next few years.



Pizza, just before going into the oven - delicious with Amarone!



Weekend wines - a young Amarone and an aged Californian Pinot

Once again, it has been a week since I blogged, as I've been a bit too busy doing various things. I have more posts to add over the next few days but, meanwhile, here are my notes on a couple of really lovely wines we have enjoyed this weekend.

Giuseppe Campagnola Amarone della Valpolicella Classico 2005

This is a wine which I found at a local bin-end supplier a year or so back. I bought (and sold) a couple of cases, but kept half a dozen by for myself. This is the second one we have opened this year and it really is a lovely drop, considering I paid considerably less than a tenner a bottle. The Amarone style is (in general) peculiar to the Valpolicella region of Italy, and is made from grapes which are harvested fully ripe, then air-dried on straw mats for several months after the harvest, before being fermented in the normal way. The resulting wines tend to be rich and quite alcoholic - and often very powerful. But a good one will also be fruity and retain a healthy level of acidity. And this one really does fit the bill. It is a model of restrained power, with fresh red cherry and black fruit flavours, soft tannins and delicious balancing acidity. In fact, it is almost elegant, with a lightness of touch which belies its 15% abv. It isn't particularly complex (yet - though it will gain plenty of that over the next 5 to 10 years) but it is so lovely to drink now. Indeed, it went brilliantly with a dish of lambs liver, sausage, garlic and onions, braised in a good half-bottle of red wine, accompanied by garlic and mustard mash. A lovely combination!

Lynmar Quail Hill Vineyard Pinot Noir 1994 Russian River Valley

I picked up a case of this for a relative song at auction a while back and shared a few bottles with friends. A couple of bottles drank previously have been good, but this was sensational. The cork was worryingly saturated (and yet quite brittle) but the fill was high. The colour is a lovely pale ruby, with amber glints, and the nose is simply sublime. The first thing you smell is old, polished leather shoes, but it quickly opens out to reveal a dazzling array of aromas including wild strawberries, clotted cream, freshly-squeezed oranges and balsamic vinegar. There are also some savoury/beefy notes, forest floor and a touch of oak vanillin (which seems like French, rather than Californian oak).The palate is a riot of sweet Pinot fruit and again a certain savouriness, which is very welcome and adds to the complexity. And over the next hour it just gets more and more alluring, with those glorious red fruit flavours augmented by soft citrus, meat stock, cinnamon and clove, with meltingly soft grape tannins and excellent acidity. It caresses the tongue and keeps you coming back for more. This is Russian River Valley Pinot at its most expressive and sublime, and a great bottle of wine for an early Autumn Saturday evening. I had a feeling that it would go beautifully with a lemon-infused roast chicken, but that was on the menu for Sunday, so it had to match our traditional Saturday home-made pizza - and did so, admirably.

   

Incidentally, I was out on the patio yeaterday morning and just happened to see these beauties soaring overhead...........

Buzzards are by no means uncommon in this part of the world, but more often than not I tend to spot them soaring over the local airfield or the golf course. And in my experience, they tend to hang around in pairs, so it was a treat to see three of them together. Magnificent creatures, and great to see them thriving here in the frozen north.