+MUST TRY+Tormaresca Neprica
Italia: Puglia
Negroamaro 40%, Primitivo 30%, Cabernet Sauvignon 30% (red)
2008
$12.99
89+ pts
If you like a little Old World in your red, this is a great find. This blend comes from the southern Italian region of Puglia, the heel of the boot, just east of Calabria along the Adriatic coast. The taste profile here is rich, indeed: dark cherries, plum, spice and musty earth--plus floral hints and perhaps coffee on the back end. Posseses a gorgeous ruby red color, a nose that offers some cherries plus petroleum and pepper, and a wonderfully smooth mouth feel. A nice, dry Old World red (good pucker quality), with an okay length (falls just a bit shy of 90 points here, largely because of the abbreviated length). Negroamaro and Primitivo are two native Italian grapes little known in the States, so this wine has a nice interest level, too. The name--Tormaresca--means "Tower by the Sea," referencing the old warning towers that dot the Italian coast in Puglia. All of this for about $13.00 US, and even less when on sale. The 2008 Tormaresca Neprica has a whole lot going on at one helluva good price. It's a MUST TRY!
Salice Salentino (by La Corte)
Italia: Puglia (Salentino Peninsula)
Negroamaro 85%, Malvasia Nero 15% (red)
2006
$9.99
87+ pts
Sold by the glass at Dunlay's, $8.00; a decent red, with mixed berry, good tobacco, and a lot of earthy flavors (hint of manure); old world taste; like it, but have to be in the mood.
+MUST TRY+
Vitiano (by Falesco)
Italia: Umbria (Montecchio, Terni Region)
Cabernet, Merlot, Sangiovese blend (red)
2006
$9.99
90 pts
A delicious Italian blend (I.G.T. label, indicating it's true to the region, in this case Umbria, but also allowing some greater liberty for the winemaker to get jiggy wit it); full of delicious jammy red fruit, but also some complexity; nice acidity; this wine, at just $10.00 a bottle, is one of the best values I've found. A tremendous wine, especially warming on a winter night.
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