Aldegheri I Lastari Valpolicella Classico Superior 2016, Veneto, Italy 🇮🇹

🍇 Corvina
🍇 Rondinella
🍇 Other Indigenous varietals

🧐 Alcohol 13%

🍁 My Score 90 Points

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The nose is rather intoxicating with aromas of sour cherries, wild strawberries, leather, vanilla and peppery notes. On the mouthfeel, light-medium bodied, bright flavours, lively acidity and smooth tannins. The finish is long with juicy red spicy fruit flavours lingering.

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Tasted this Valpolicella at an industry trade tasting. It was my favourite of the afternoon by far. A wonderful Valpolicella with stunning aromatics, wonderful combination of freshness and easy drinking qualities. Needless to say, strongly recommended my wine friends. Cheers 🍷

Away from home, pizza night at the Hotel 🙂

Glad to be back in Ottawa and even happier to order a Pizza from Ricardo’s Pizza, which I have enjoyed for over 20 years. Visiting this pizzeria brought back many great memories and great to see that it’s still the same pleasant, customer focused staff still working there magic here.

As for the wine, one wine wasn’t enough 😜

1- Paul Jaboulet Aîné Saint-Joseph Le Grand Pompée 2016, Rhône Valley, France 🇫🇷

🍇 Syrah 100%

🧐 Alcohol 13%

Beautiful, inviting nose with aromas of plums, blackberries, floral and peppery notes. On the mouthfeel, medium bodied, flavourful with smooth tannins and fresh acidity. The finish is medium length with lots of peppery plum and light earthy flavours lingering.

2- Prá Morandina Valpolicella 2018, Veneto, Italy 🇮🇹

🍇 Corvina 35%
🍇 Corvinone 35%
🍇 Rondinella 23%
🍇 Oseleta 7%

🧐 Alcohol 12.5%

Bright nose with aromas of strawberries, raspberries, red cherries and floral notes. On the mouthfeel, light bodied, fresh with lots of energy, fine grainy tannins and bright acidity. The finish is medium length and full of fruity flavour lingering.



🔹 Definitely interesting to compare these two wines with the pizza, darker fruit on the Saint-Joseph and red fruit on the Valpolicella, smoother tannins with the Syrah and much higher acidity with the Valpolicella. The Saint-Joseph is in a beautiful place right now and the Vapolicella is young with additional time in bottle to come soften up a bit. Both enjoyable in their own right but the Saint-Joseph was  the better pairing.

Cheers my wine friends 🍷

Vigne Nuove Di Musella Valpolicella Superiore 2009, Docg, Veneto, Italy

I seldom purchase Valpolicella, I find them light and a bit pedestrian with little flavour or structure, but this little over-achiever blew me away. On the nose such exquisite aromatics with flavours of red cherry, plum, rhubarb, vanilla, slightly spicy with light cedar notes. On the mouthfeel, medium bodied, fresh ripe fruit, spicy with crisp acidity and fine silky tannins. The finish is very refreshing with a good mixture of sweet and sour fruit, ending with fine silky tannins, adding weight and structure to the whole package.

 

This wine is a blend of 70% Corvina, 20% Rondinella and 10% Barbera with alcohol coming in at 13.5%. I served this wine around 16-17 °C because my experience is that lighter wines are better enjoyed slightly chilled. This is an easy drinking wine, unpretentious, of great value and delicious. Strongly recommended, score 90 points.

Purchased November 24, 2012 LCBO New Release (205757) at $15.95