Both Levels
Terredora di Paolo Aglianico Campania 2011
We haven’t had an Aglianico for Wine Club for years. This fun and interesting grape varietal is grown in the region of Campania in Italy. It is the grape in the well-known Taurasi which can age for a very long time. It is known as the Barolo of southern Italy.
This bottle surely deserves opening up. I would let it breath or decant and enjoy with a hearty stew or grilled lamb chops.
Winemaker’s notes:
Ruby red with violet reflections. Shows black cherry, wild blackberry and plum fruit with a spicy, toasted overtone. Soft and elegant; long in the mouth with notes of mature red fruits and displays the structure necessary for long aging.
Ideal with soups, even those which are meat-based, cold cuts, white and red meats, roasts and mature cheeses.
$35 Level
Lamadrid Cabernet Franc 2012
We have currently tried a handful of wines from this producer in Argentina and have been incredibly impressed by them all—great wines, reasonably priced.
Lamadrid touts this wine as being the top-selling Cabernet Franc in the US. That is due to the incredible quality and it’s reasonable price tag of $21. (Source: Nielsen, 52 weeks ending March 1, 2014)
Stephen Tanzer gave it 89 points and the following description:
Varietally expressive aromas of blackberry, violet, licorice pastille and mint, complemented by sweet oak. Spicy and intense, with an enticing touch of sweetness to its flavors of blackberry, spices and flowers. Pliant, supple wine with very good vinosity, building tannins and mounting length.
The Cabernet Franc grapes are grown in Agrelo, a small wine-producing village about 20 miles south of the city of Mendoza in Argentina. Located on the southern side of the Mendoza River just south of Perdriel, the area is home to some of the country’s most famous wine estates including Catena Zapata. Agrelo’s terroir is considered to be some of the best in Mendoza for the production of big, complex red wines.
$25 Level, the Aglianico and one of the following:
White Option
Macrina Verdicchio 2012, Italy
This is the perfect wine for our Spring weather. Bright, floral and minerally, it will pair perfectly with one of the fresh cheeses from Poor Orphan that just arrived. Enjoy it while you float or picnic on the Yellowstone this weekend!
It is 100% Verdicchio from the Marche region on the east coast of Italy. You can taste the sun and sea in this crisp clean Italian white. Enjoy it this weekend… winter will come back… I hope!
Red Option
Torremoron Tempranillo 2012, Spain
Wow! What a sensational value. Torremoron is a great example of an artisanal, handcrafted wine rather than a commercial wine with no personality or soul. It is crafted in a small village (population: 94) in Ribera del Duero. The residents of Quintanamanvirgo are very proud of their wine heritage; everyone in town works for the winery.
It is made from vines planted from 1914 to 1934, which produce grapes with pronounced concentration and complexity. It boasts a deep ruby-purple color, a beautiful texture and a big, sweet bouquet of blackberries, black cherries, licorice and pencil shavings. Medium to full-bodied with a precocious appeal, ripe tannin and decent acidity. It can be enjoyed over the next 4 – 5 years. AND it’s less than $15 a bottle while it drinks like a $20+ bottle. It is unoaked.
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