This week I attended a tasting at Enoteca Di Palo where Lou Di Palo and son Sam run a well stocked wine shop loaded with hand picked value driven Italian wines. Sam visits Italy quite often and has the opportunity to pick his favorites. They showcased wines from Cantina Bergamasca, Valcalepio vineyards located in the area between Lake Como and Lake Iseo in the province of Bergamo, in the region of Lombardy. And DiPalo's matched the wines with polenta, salumi, cheeses, panini's, rice balls and many other small dishes that complimented the wines perfectly.
I really enjoyed the Valcalepio Rosso Riserva which is a 50-50 blend of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, vinified separately in stainless steel tanks, then a minimum aging of 3 years in French oak casks, and finally 3 months in bottle. For the Riserva they selected several vineyards where the growers reduced the crop quite significantly to improve quality. Only the best ripened grapes were used to make this wine, since the long maceration during the winemaking process allow to extract all the poliphenolic compounds from the skins.
Exhibiting deep ruby colors mingling with a rich texture, there is a dense vibrancy of aromas ranging from cassis and blueberry to marzipan, and herbs. The palate shows a sturdy structure with cola, toasted vanilla bean, spice, a lively acidity and a fine finish.
There were 4 other wines represented and I will talk about them later.
Enoteca is right next door to Di Palo Fine Foods Store at 200 Grand Street in Little Italy, NYC.
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