Tonight we’re tasting another Soave, this time it’s one with the Classico DOC designation produced by Cantina del Castello. This winery, which translated means “Castle Vineyard,” lies just below Scaligeri Castle in Soave. A beautiful and regal location.
This wine is produced from 90% Garganega and 10% Trebbiano di Soave. This wine has not seen any oak, but was aged in stainless steel tanks before bottling.
So, upon tasting this wine, I have a question: Who put a banana in my wine? Seriously, there is a banana aroma on this wine. It also has a bit of butterscotch, pear, a touch of petrol and really soft orange blossom. The palate is pure pear and yellow delicious apple flavors. There’s a little bit of lemon on the finish. It’s a nice wine, good for delicately flavored foods, like white fish and mild cheeses.
Wine: Cantina del Castello
Variety: Soave Classico
Vintage: 2008
Alcohol: 12.5%
Rating: 86
Price: $16.00
Find Cantina del Castello Soave Classico with Snooth
Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.
One of the things that I geek out about is introducing wines to those who are learning about them. A lot of visitors to this site are people who are a little bit into wine, but curious and wanting to learn more. I can’t encourage you enough to explore new varieties and try wines that may be unfamiliar to you. You never know what you’ll find.
One type of wine that I really enjoy, but you may have never tried is Soave. It’s pronounced SWAH-vey and every time I say it, I can’t help but think of Rico Suave… but that’s not why I like this wine. I like it because it’s a nice, floral wine with light fruit and mineral flavors.
Like many Italian wines, the name represents both the location where it’s grown and the grape variety. In the case of Soave, Veneto is the region and Garganega is the variety of grape. But it’s not quite that simple with Soave… within the region there are different classifications, based on location. Look for Soave Classico or Soave Superiore with a DOCG designation to identify the higher quality wines with more complexity.
The one I’m tasting today is produced by Villa Erbice, which dates back to 1870 and has a beautiful winery in Veneto.
This Soave has a deep, golden color, almost like a lager beer. Beautiful floral notes wisp gently from the nose, along with hay, mineral and very subtle lemon. The nose is delicate, but quite enjoyable. The acidity is sufficient—although a touch more wouldn’t hurt it. The palate has the flavor of a honeydew melon (but it’s not nearly as sweet as a melon), pear, mineral and there’s a little bit of spice too. This is an outstanding wine for light cheese or fish.
Wine: Villa Erbice Soave Superiore
Variety: Soave Superiore
Vintage: 2006
Alcohol: 13.5%
Rating: 87
Price: $14.00
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Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.
These days, a lot of wine consumers are turning to South America for some outstanding wine values—and in particular, they’re turning to Chile and Argentina. When it comes to Argentine reds, Malbec is king. But there’s another variety that’s widely grown in Argentina that you may want to try. It’s called Bonarda. And, in fact, until recently it was the most widely grown variety in Argentina.
The wine produced from Bonarda can vary quite a bit. It can be light-bodied and fruity or big and powerful, depending on the age of the vines, vineyard practices and wine making techniques. The flavors can range from cherry and plum in lighter wines to raisin and fig in bigger Bonarda. This one, from Tercos, falls somewhere in between.
Although it’s fairly simple, this is still a nice wine. It has a very smoky aroma along with some blackberry and tar aromas. The palate brings good fruit flavor with blackberry and currant flavors, plus a little spice to make it interesting. The acidity is good and the tannins firm. The finish is enjoyable, although not exceptionally long. Still this is a nice wine for the price.
Wine: Tercos
Variety: Bonarda
Vintage: 2007
Alcohol: 13.9%
Rating: 86
Price: $12.00
Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.
I’ve done numerous wine reviews for which the background involved a family-run winery passed down from one generation to the next, but this one is a little different. The roots of Martellotto Wines go back for generations and began in Italy, but the story now continues in California.
Greg Martellotto’s grandfather immigrated to the US in 1909 and brought traditional wine making techniques with him. Today, Greg continues those traditions in California with a winery focused on the vineyard first, employing sustainable agriculture techniques.
I really dig this wine. It has great intensity on the nose, with black pepper, black cherry, blackberry, camp fire and mushroom… obviously, exceptional complexity. The palate brings plenty of black cherry, black raspberry and cassis flavor, as well as some black pepper adding some spice to the finish. It has the structure to age for a few years, but why wait when it’s good to drink now.
This is a great wine, 90 points!
Wine: Martellotto Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon
Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon
Vintage: 2006
Alcohol: 13.5%
Rating: 90
Price: $18.00
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Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.
When it comes to finding good wines at a great value, I’ve become a big fan of Chilean wine. And while I’ve had some nice red wines from Chile, I’ve found many of their white wines to be stellar—particularly Sauvignon Blanc. But this is the first Gewürztraminer I’ve tasted from Chile. When I think of Gewürztraminer, I typically think of Alsace, not Chile. So, I was really curious how this one would perform. To cut to the chase, it’s an amazing wine for the price.
This wine comes from the Casablanca Valley in Chile, a cool-climate region known for producing awesome white wines—although, they don’t produce a lot of Gewürztraminer. Within the region there are a number of micro-climates, which produce subtle differences in the wine produced from them. One of the things I like about the Visión product line from Cono Sur is that they produce the wines from specific blocks in their vineyards, labeled on each bottle, so that you can begin to learn which micro-climates and terroirs appeal to you. It’s certainly a practice that’s not unheard of, but I rarely see it in wines within this price range.
Mineral and soft gardenia aromas abound on the nose of this wine. It’s a really pleasant bouquet. The palate is crisp from near-perfect acidity. Apple, peach and citrus flavors make it quite tasty. It’s definitely a drier Gewurz, which is how I prefer it. The finish is elegant and interesting with perfume notes on the back of your palate. It’s very nice.
Wine: Cono Sur Visión
Variety: Gewürztraminer
Vintage: 2007
Alcohol: 13.5%
Rating: 86
Price: $14.00
Find Cono Sur Visión Gewürztraminer with Snooth
Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.
I’ll be honest with you, California isn’t the first region I think of when I’m looking for a Gewürztraminer. And Forest Glen never comes to mind as a brand I would expect to turn to for Gewürz. But then Forest Glen has surprised me before, like when their Pinot Noir topped some other Pinot’s more than twice the price in a blind tasting.
This is a brand that’s produced by Bronco Wine Company, best known for making Two Buck Chuck of Trader Joe’s fame. Seriously, I never expected them to produce a Gewürztraminer. And to be honest, I was a bit biased against it and therefore tasted this wine blind alongside a few other Gewürztraminers.
Fresh cut flowers are all over the nose of this wine, which is really nice. But there’s also a slight cabbage aroma, which is not as pleasant. It’s a touch spicy too, which gives it another plus. The palate has powerful lychee and a touch of honey. It could use a touch more acidity, but I wouldn’t call it flabby. The finish has a lingering sweetness, so I would only recommend this one to those who like sweeter wines.
All told, I’m surprised again. While I wouldn’t call this an exceptional Gewurztraminer, it’s still decent… and a bargain at $8.00.
Wine: Forest Glen Gewürztraminer
Variety: Gewürztraminer
Vintage: 2008
Alcohol: 11.8%
Rating: 84
Price: $8.00
Find Forest Glen Gewürztraminer with Snooth
Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.
Although its name can be intimidating to those who are new to wine, Gewurztraminer is a wonderful and exciting variety that I recommend you try. But first, let’s deal with this name. It looks long and complicated, but it’s not when you break it down. Let’s start with the first half of the name, Gewürz, pronounced geh-VERTS. You can actually get by with knowing just that. Walk into any wine shop and ask for some geh-VERTS and they’ll know what you mean. The literal translation of Gewürz is “spice,” but in this case it means “perfumed.” The second half of the name is traminer, pronounced trah-mee-ner, which is a grape variety.
When you put it all together you get geh-VERTS-trah-mee-ner and it basically means “perfumed traminer.” In the past, the French have used some other names for this wine which basically translate the same way: Traminer Parfumé, Traminer Musqué and Traminer Aromatique.
You may find yourself wondering now, “why is this called perfumed?” Well, it is one of the most aromatic wines around with rich floral fragrances. It is so distinct, that it is often one of the first varieties of wine that drinkers are able to recognize.
While I and many other wine lovers think it’s a wonderful variety, Gewürztraminer is still not prolific on the shelves or in the vineyards. It’s most prevalent in Alsatian and German wines. Some of the best I’ve tasted have come from Alsace, where Gewürztraminer is the second most planted variety. And that’s where this one from Lucien Albrecht hails.
It has the classic floral nose you would expect from a Gewurz, but it’s delicate. There is also a touch of petrol aroma, which is not uncommon in Alsatian Gewurz. The palate is really peachy—as in peach flavors, not “peachy-keen.” There are some melon and lychee flavors too. It’s off-dry, but not overtly sweet. And the acidity is good, which helps prevent the sweetness from being too much. Overall, it’s good. It’s not quite as intense as I typically expect from Alsace, but it’s still a nice wine — especially for the price (You won’t find a lot of Alsatian Gewurz for less).
Wine: Lucien Albrecht Gewürztraminer Reserve
Variety: Gewürztraminer
Vintage: 2008
Alcohol: 13%
Rating: 85
Price: $19.99
Find Lucien Albrecht Gewürztraminer Reserve with Snooth
Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.
Carménère , or Carmenere, was once one of the grapes of Bordeaux. It was always a problematic grape, due to late ripening, but brings some unique qualities to the wine in which it’s used. In particular, it’s known for giving a green pepper characteristic to wines, which is intensified when the grapes are harvested under-ripe. It can also have an herbaceous or tomato-like quality, which is one that I find particularly interesting.
You won’t find much of it in Bordeaux these days, as it was wiped out by a phylloxera infestation in the 1880’s. In fact, for many it was years considered a lost variety until it was rediscovered in Chile where it was being mistaken for Merlot. Since its rediscovery in 1994, Carmenere has made a comeback and become one of the gems in Chilean wine, where it is regularly produced as a single-variety wine.
Over the past few weeks, we’ve been reviewing some affordable Carmenere. Here’s the roundup.
Top Rated
The top pick of those tasted was the 2008 Viña La Rosa, La Capitana. This wine has exceptional complexity and is an elegant Carmenere. Chocolate, nutmeg and other spicy qualities make it interesting and luscious blackberry and blueberry flavors give it deep, concentrated flavors.
Another top pick was the 2007 Terra Andina Altos, which also has a lot of complexity, with a wonderful aroma of stewed tomatoes, cherries, cola and pencil shavings. This is an awesome wine for pasta dishes.
The best value goes to the 2007 Concha y Toro Casillero del Diablo, which is an amazingly chocolaty Carmenere for only $11.00.
Here’s the full roundup:
Viña Valdivieso originated as Champagne Valdivieso way back in 1879. It was the first producer in South America to make sparkling wine, and didn’t even begin producing still wine until 1980 when they expanded and formed Viña Valdivieso.
The grapes for this Carménère are from Central Valley, which means that they aren’t from one region, but a couple.
Dusty and herbal aromas dominate the nose of this wine. Sage, vanilla, mint, cedar, cocoa and black cherries all meld together to create and interesting and delightful nose. The palate seems a little thin, but not too bad. It’s a touch on the acidic side, making it harsh on its own but great with rich foods. Plum and dark cherry make up the fruit on the palate. There are also some chocolate overtones and some peppery spice. This is a decent Carmenere.
Wine: Valdivieso Reserva
Variety: Carménère
Vintage: 2005
Alcohol: 14%
Rating: 86
Price: $15.99
Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.
Viu Manent is a family-owned winery in Colchagua Valley, Chile. Founded in 1935, it originally under the name Vinos Viu. Seventy-some years after its inception, the winery is still run by descendants of its founders.
The grapes for this wine come from a vineyard named La Capilla, near the town of Peralillo. It’s 100% Carménère and the wine was aged 11 months in 87% French oak and 13% American oak.
It has a powerful nose with loads of green pepper and floral notes. There is some fruit in the nose, but it’s hard to find it under all the green pepper. The palate is full of red fruits, plum and dark chocolate flavors. The tannins are pretty heavy, in a good way… giving this wine a nice mouthfeel. The acidity is nearly perfect. A slight tar flavor comes into play on the finish.
This is a well-made Carménère, but it’s not a wine for everyone. The “green” characteristics are pretty strong and not everyone would be a fan. But if you like that in a Carménère, then you’ll love this one.
Wine: Viu Manent Reserva
Variety: Carménère
Vintage: 2007
Alcohol: 14.5%
Rating: 86
Price: $14.00
Find Viu Manent Reserva Carménère with Snooth
Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.
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