Since everyone was so fired up about all the new Italian wines from Oliver McCrum this past month, I've got another ten new wines this week that absolutely knocked my socks off. I've just locked in my own personal purchases and now I'm letting you all know about your must-have wines for this weekend.
2020 Pra Soave Classico Otto $17.99 - A very clean and precise expression from one of the top producers in the Soave. No malolactic fermentation is done, compared to other producers, so the wine is crisp and refreshing; it spends just a few weeks aging on the lees for richness. The Garganega is grown in true volcanic soils on southeast facing hillsides. Pra is looking to re-establish Soave as a serious player for Italian wine. The vines were planted between 1957 - 1987, all old vine, and this is just the entry level wine ! Certified organic. This wine is vivid, lively, full of zip and zest.
2019 Weingut Niklas Kerner $19.99 - Kerner is a crossing of Riesling and Schiava, which creates an aromatic white with lovely acidity, and nice herbaceous notes in the mid-palate. Dieter Sölva is the winemaker at Niklas, and his father helped originally bring Kerner to the Alto Adige, so his vines are the oldest vines in the region. In cooler vintages, it’s more aromatic like Riesling, but in warmer vintages it’s more like Schiava, giving Dieter different ways to play with the expression. 2019 was a cooler vintage, so the aromatics are on full display. Drink this with practically anything!
Cavallotto Langhe Nebbiolo 2018 $39.99 - Up there with Oddero in terms of the iconic Piedmonte producers imported by Oliver McCrum, 100% of the grapes are from Barolo proper, from Cavallotto's top family estate vineyards. Referenced in every Barolo reference available, Cavallotto was one of the first small bottlers in the region back in 1948. You're basically Getting baby Barolo for less money, as the Lange Nebbiolo is aged 18 months in Solvenian oak, 6 months in bottle before release, unfiltered. Fine, chewy tannins, loads of violet and classic earthy Barolo flavor, but far more approachable. This is absolutely superb. DO NOT MISS.
Pra Valpolicella Morandina 2019 $24.99 - A traditional blend of corvina, corvinone, rondinella, certified organic, glacial volcanic soil, 20 hectoliter barrel maturation for 3-6 months. This for all intents and purposes, a 100% natural wine, but you’d never know it. It's ridiculously good: jamming with dark berries, black pepper, but light and juicy on the palate with so much freshness. You could even put a chill on this.
2020 Cincinnato Malvasia Puntinata $12.99 - Cincinnato is a co-op in Lazio founded in 1947, featuring newer producers that bring serious value for the dollar. Certified organic, made up of 126 growers who farm within 250 hectares southeast of Rome. Ancient volcanic clay soils give this Malvasia a different texture than say Malvasio from Fruili. 100% Stainless steel. Creamier on the palate, but with nice crisp stone fruit flavors that remain balanced against the acidity.
2010 Perillo Taurasi $59.99 - Perillo is a very special producer in the Taurasi DOC, sitting on the highest Aglianico vineyard in the region at 5000 feet above sea level. The high elevation helps preserve the freshness of the grapes, which balances out what is a highly tannic, often extracted varietal. This wine saw an incredibly long 35 day maceration, but all that concentration is in total balance. After 12 years in the bottle, there is SO MUCH going on! Highly aromatic on the nose: savory, meaty, rustic, umami, iron, cedar, and dark plum. BOOM! So incredible! This Taurasi is for adventurous drinkers, on the hunt for their next great bottle. Pair with an herb-marinated medium rare steak.
2018 Biondi Etna Bianco Outis $24.99 - Made from 90% Caricante and 10% Sicilian field blend (cataratto, minnella), from vineyards grown in a crater in Etna roughly 640 meters above sea level. The vines are east-facing planted in true volcanic sand. There's a nuttiness on the nose almost like fino sherry, but with a fruity, herbaceous lift on the palate. This is delicious!
2019 Le Fraghe Garganega $19.99 - Le Fraghe is a one woman show in the Venato region, making clean natural wines that are unfiltered, organic, and made with extended skin contact. The Bianco is 100% Garganega from a cru vineyard site called “Camperengo”, vinified in cement. Delicious and refreshing, no signs of any funkiness whatsoever. This is clean natural wine!
2020 Le Fraghe Bardolino $16.99 - The Bardolino is made with 80% corvina, 20% rondinella, blending varietals typically in Amarone. 10-15 day skins maceration, cement, indiginous yeast. Located between Lake Garda and Valpolicella. This is a juicy, full-fruited, light-bodied Italian red that can pair with just about anything, and that tastes great at room temperature, or with a slight chill!
-David Driscoll