Pecchenino Dogliani Siri d'Jermu (Dolcetto) 2006 DOCG

Thick and opaque with colors of ruby red, this Dolcetto has smoked bacon, cassis and red cherry licorice on the nose.

On the palate a cherry cream pie, with specks of vanilla and white pepper, then notes of root beer, dark fruits, near perfect acidity and healthy chalky tannins.

The 2006 Dogliani Siri d'Jermu (Dolcetto), which gets the full treatment of malolactic fermentation and 6 months of aging on its lees, is an especially structured wine loaded with layers of ripe dark fruit on a sumptuous, richly-textured frame. Beginning with the 2005 vintage, Siri d'Jermu qualifies for the newly-created Dogliani DOCG which producers can use for their high-end Dolcettos. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2012. Brothers Orlando and Attilio Pecchenino run this small property in Dogliani, where they make some of the most powerful, intense wines readers are likely to come across.
Antonio Galloni of Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

An elegant Dolcetto from a selection of Pecchenino's oldest vines, this binds juicy blueberry and and cherry flavors with chalky tannins, a structure that brings focus and length to the wine. It gains depth with air, emphasizing refinement over richness. Impressively concentrated, it will benefit from 3-4 years' cellar time.
Wine & Spirits 93 Points

Gambero Rosso Tre Bicchieri

Notro Sangiovese - Bonarda 2008 Argentina

This really interesting blend of 50% Sangiovese and 50% Bonarda from Mendoza region of Argentina. Medium bodied with aromas of ripe red berries, and a forest floor lushness. The flavors are soft and tannins are supple with a long silky finish. Found this for about $10 at The Wine Room of Forest Hills. 13% alcohol.

From Wikipedia
Bonarda is a name applied to several different grape varieties used to make red wine :

Charbono of California is widely grown in Argentina as Bonarda. It originates in Savoie, where it is known as Corbeau or Douce Noir ("Sweet Black"), but is not the same as Piedmont's Dolcetto.

This grape is known in Italy as Dolce Nero ("Sweet Black") and it is believed that the same translations of these two grape names has led to the frequently-quoted statement that they are the same grape. Dolcetto ripens early and makes a light, fruity wine, while Charbono is very late to ripen and makes wines of great substance. Bonarda Piemontese is grown in Piedmont, around Turin, and makes a light, fruity wine. It may be labelled as Bonarda dell'Astigiano, Bonarda di Chieri, Bonarda di Gattinara or Bonarda del Monferrato.

Croatina grown in Lombardy, around Pavia, is known as Bonarda dell'Oltrepò Pavese, making a mildly tannic wine similar in style to Dolcetto.

Uva Rara is called Bonarda Novarese in Novara and Vercelli.

Elvio Cogno Dolcetto d'Alba 2010 Vigna del Mandorlo

From Elvio Cogno, in the Northern Italian region of Piemonte, this dry red Dolcetto d'Alba shows dark brooding purple colors in the glass with violets, floral and mint aromas. Flavors of vanilla, toasted hazelnut, pungent earth tones of tar and glycerine, reminiscent of caramelized figs, marinated peppers, finish is tart with gripping tannins and very low acidity. We had this bottle at Il Poeta in Forest Hills.

Dolcetto d'Alba De Forville 2006 Piedmont Italy

Italian wine • Sat at the bar at Market Table in the village on Carmine street and Bedford. This Dolcetto d'Alba, has aromas of cherries & sour fruit, medium weight with dark ruby color. It has a palate of chocolate, spices, herbs and medium tannins, with a bitter finish. It wasn't one of my favorites, a little too tight and on the sour side. Wine was paired with an Italian cows milk cheese called Taleggio with dried figs in balsamic vinegar. A sharper aged cheese might have worked better.

Abbona Dogliani "Papa Celso" Dolcetto di Dogliani 2003 DOC

From Piemonte, dark and ominous with deep purple colors, heavily textured and looking unfiltered, but then revealing woodsy aromas with floral notes, especially violets. A bit of blackberry touches the palate with ripe plum and a hint of balsamic, nicely structured tannins, good finish.

Had this by the glass at the bar at In Vino in the East Village NYC until my friends arrived, after which we moved to a table and... well that's another post.

Bricco delle Lepri Dolcetto di Dogliani 2007

From Piemonte, Bricco delle Lepri translates from Italian: Jug of Hares... I like the name, but the wine? I love it! Had it by the glass at Eataly tonight, bright strawberry, sour cherries, cocoa, oak, red berries, and herbs, tannins talkin' to me, all good. The color really impressed me too, really deep reddish purple and almost completely opaque.

Bargetto Winery

Earlier this month while in Monterey, California I had the pleasure of visiting the Bargetto Winery Tasting Room, right on Cannery Row. Billy Norton was my excellent wine guide and took me through the following 5 wines, 1 white and 4 reds.

Bargetto Viento Vineyard Monterey County Gewerztraminer 2011
Clear straw colors the glass, aromas of apricot, ripe grapefruit, mango and lychee, while the palate is an intense blend of green apple and citrus. Crisp acidity and long thoughtful finish.  $15





Bargetto Monterey County Sangiovese 2012
Aromas of spice, cinnamon, potpourri, vanilla and pine, flavors of dark fruit, licorice, cherries, black pepper and earthy finish.

Bargetto Tuxedo Red 2011
A really pretty blend of Dolcetto, Nebbiolo, and Refosco, with additional contributions from their signature La Vita blend of Sirah, Zinfandel and Merlot. Named after Tuxedo, the Winery's mascot cat, this blend is aged in new & neutral French, American and Hungarian oak for 18-36 months. Aromas of violets, rosewater and barnyard, on the palate cassis, blue fruits and leather, beautiful bright acidity and soft tannins. Enjoyed this immensely, great as an everyday wine. This was one of my favorite bottles and a bargain at $18.

Bargetto Monterey County Petit Sirah 2012
Aged in 30% new and 70% neutral American and French oak for 24 months. Dark fruits, cherries, chocolate covered raisins, toasted oak. Nice balance of chewy tannins and acidity. $22

Bargetto Santa Cruz Mountains Cabernet Sauvignon 2011
Sourced from Peter Martin Ray vineyard, aged in oak for 18 months. Sweet ripe cherries, red and black ripe fruits, blackberry contrasting with a slight vegetal hint of red bell pepper and tobacco. Full bodied, complex and well balanced. $48

Red Wine Blind Tasting

At snooth on Sunday afternoon I participated in a blind tasting of 12 red wines. Led by Greg Dal Piaz of Snooth, all the bottles' labels were covered and we sampled 4 flights of three each. Here they are along with my comments:

Flight 1 (Sangiovese)

2005 Perdroncelli Alto Vineyard Dry Creek valley, CA
color: cool rose; nose: bright cherries, violets, roses; palate: raisins, vanilla

2006 Terra d'oro Amador County, CA
nose: cassis, chocolate; palate: grapefruit rinds, sour cherries

2005 Pietra santa Cienega Valley, CA
color: deep purple; nose: smokey, concentrated not unlike Amarone, intense, violets, cherry syrup, cough drops, and vanilla; palate: red fruits, ripe cherries, white pepper

Flight 2 (Other Italians)

2006 Montevina Amador County Aglianico, CA
color: ruby; nose: vanilla, blueberries; palate: strawberries, blueberries, fresh fruit finish

2006 Bocella Rasott Campi Taurasini, Italy
color: dark ruby opaque; earthy, plastic wrap, Christmas gift wrapping, chemical cherries, sweet and sour cherries

2004 Pietra Santa Dolcetto Cienega Valley, CA
color: opaque inky deep purple; beatiful aromas of clean earth, simple and on palate ripe cherries, wood and green peppers

Flight 3 (Syrah/Shiraz)

2005 Shoo Fly South East Australia
bramble and underbrush on the nose, also hints of earthy blackberries and palate of sweet ripe fruitiness, bubble gum, violets with a candy finish

2006 The Lackey South Australia
nose: red fruits; palate: super ripe blackberries, strawberries, blueberries, smooth and fresh finish

2005 Valley of the Moon Sonoma County, CA
medicinal cherries

Flight 4 (Syrah/Shiraz)

2004 d'Arenberg The Love Grass McLaren Vale, Australia
nose: vanilla and high alcohol at first, but opened to a sweet fruit bomb (in a good way), blueberry, lavender, fruit rind with a finish of white pepper and a smokey undercurrent, refreshing, jammy, balanced

2005 Sixth Sense Lodi County, CA
nose: vegetal, sweet and spicey; palate: vanilla, violets, cherry orange liquore, oak

2005 Toasted Head Dunnigan Hills, CA
pleasing aromas of mild floral tones, preview a palate of soft, balanced and perfectly ripe bing cherries

G.B Burlotto Dolcetto d'Alba 2009 DOC

Deep black cherry colors in the glass, darker around the rim, and a very attractive but subtle freshness... floral aromas waft from the glass ranging from violets to lavender on one end of the spectrum, and on the other a contrasting earthy, barnyard... juicy flavors of prune, red berries and spice dominating the palate, and finishing as if bitter almonds were dusted on sour cherries.

An excellent pick by Eric Guido, who recommended this winner to me at the tasting last week at the Wine Room of Forest Hills, and the first meeting of the Wine Society of Queens. $15/bottle, 13% alcohol.

The Burlotto family is one of the oldest families involved in the production of Barolo wines.

Vinification: Vinification requires a maceration-fermentation of almost 7 days in vats of French oak, with pumping over, remixing and re-submerging the wine on a daily basis, as well as temperature control, which should not exceed 27 -28 degrees. By achieving malolactic fermentation in stainless steel vats, the wine matures for some months in Slavonian and Allier oak casks, holding 35-50 hectoliters.

Bottling: After bottling, normally done in May, the wine ages in the wine cellar for a brief period.