Day 219 Drink: Lucente 2007

Luce della Vite is located Montalcino, Italy. As Italian vineyards go, this is a fairly young estate. Some of the vines were planted in 1977 and the balance in 1997.

Lucente 2007 is a Super Tuscan blend of 50 percent merlot, 35 percent sangiovese and 15 percent cabernet sauvignon. The wine pours a vibrant purple red and has a mellow fruit and oak aroma. The flavor has a substantial level of tannins, dark fruits, spices and berries.

Tuesday Tasting: Italian Reds

Tuesday Tasting is a regular feature of Lyke2Drink that explores some of the best beers, wines and spirits on the market. This week we sample some red wines from Italy.

The Beyond Beer column in the current issue of All About Beer magazine focuses on Italian wine. During my visit to the country back in the fall it was clear just how important wine is to the overall culture. Even the huge wooden doors to the Duomo in Florence have grapes and vines carved into them.

There are 20 different recognized wine regions in Italy. They pretty much run from the top to the bottom of the boot. Tuscany is the best known. But regions like the Piedmont, Trentino, Umbria, Veneto, Sicily, Lombardy and others produce excellent wines. About 65 percent of all wine produced in Italy is red. Chianti is the best known style in the U.S., but Barolo, Barbaresco, Barbera and Brunello are all great reds that should be tried.

Here are tasting notes for six Italian reds:

Bolla 1995 Amarone della Valpolicella: The grapes that go into this wine dry on straw mats for 90 days before being pressed. The wine appears to be slightly burnt red and cloudy. There is a nice mellow flavor to the wine with hints of purple skin fruit and a slight smokiness to the finish.

Campomaggio 2003 Chianti Classico Riserva: This DOCG wine has some wood notes to the nose. It is light in body but has plenty of flavor. Black cherries and plum come through in the overall dry base of the wine.

Colle Maggio 2005 Montepulciano d'Abruzzo: Deep ruby red color and a nice aroma of figs and cedar. The wine’s flavor is a combination of purple plums and black currants, with a slight hint of leather in the base.

Mazzoni 2006 Toscana Rosso: This Moltalcino wine is made using 72 percent Sangiovese and 28 percent Merlot and is a collaboration of the Franceschi family from Italy and the Terlato family from the U.S. Dark purple color in a rich bodied wine. Nice plum and berry notes. Tannins are plentiful, yet soft.

Gomba Boschetti 2005 Albie Nebbiolo d’ Alba: This DOC Barolo is hearty with dark ripe berry flavors and a good level of tannins in the finish. A great red wine for lovers of red wines.

Sasso Al Poggio 2004 Toscana: This wine is a deep ruby red color. Plenty of ripe black cherry and wild berry flavor. Very smooth with an almost velvet like mouth feel. A great wine to go with a traditional pasta or risotto.

Olives & Grapes at Pietra Santa

The Pietra Santa Winery dominates the Cienega Valley, which is about 25 miles inland from Monterey Bay. A Spanish mission-style winery building sits in the midst of a a 455-acre estate with grape vineyards and a grove of 5,000 imported Italian olive trees. The nearest towns are San Juan Bautista and Holister, Calif. Pietra Santa is one of only two wineries located in the Cienega Valley AVA.

We were invited to visit the winery as part of writers junket to see how olive oil is produced. We were the guests of the Blackburn family, which purchased the winery a couple of years ago. Winemaker Alessio Carni, who also is in charge of managing the estate olive oil business, hosted a tour of the vineyard, demonstrated the press and ran the group through an extensive tasting of the wines produced at Pietra Santa. The Blackburns, who have been farming almonds in California for many years, were gracious and friendly. It was interesting to pick the olives and see the manufacturing process, then go through a comparative tasting of various olive varietals.

The Pietra Santa Estate Extra Virgina Olive Oil is a blend of 59 percent Franoio, 11 percent Coratina, 24 percent Leccino and 5 percent Italian mix olives. The result is a fresh, somewhat fruity and creamy gourmet oil.

The vineyards at Pietra Santa were first planted ion the 1850s by Frenchman Theophile Vache. Carni, a native of Siena, Italy, has been in charge of the vineyard since 1998. “The limestone soil provides good drainage which helps our vines and we have the mountains and our valley that are perfect for grapes.” Carli says. “The key to great wine is letting the grapes show their true character.”

We sampled the complete Pietra Santa line during our visit, which included a lunch served inside the winery and a dinner at a 100-year-old home on the property. Here are some of the wine highlights from the visit:

Pietra Santa 2004 Sangiovese: Carli uses medium toast French oak barrels to produce a tannin-filled red that has Chianti-like characteristics.

Pietra Santa 2004 Dolcetto: Deep burgundy color, this dry red has ripe fruit and tobacco notes.

Pietra Santa 2005 Zinfandel: A rich deep wine. Medium-dry with cassis and leather notes.

Pietra Santa 2006 Gewurztraminer: Solid floral nose, good level of acidity and citrus flavor notes. Perhaps note as spicy as some gewurztraminers, but very refreshing.

Vache 2002 Pinot Noir: Deep purple from some whole berry fermentation, this wine was aged in French oak and has nice plum and pepper notes.

2003 Signature: A blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot and cabnet franc, this wine is spicy with a good amount of oak. Nice ripe blackberry notes. Will likely age well for several years.

Great Lakes Great Wines Competition Results

The Great Lakes Great Wine Competition was held recently for wineries in Ontario and the seven states bordering the Great Lakes.

One of the leading Finger Lakes wineries, Dr. Konstantin Frank Vinifera Wine Cellars landed the most golds with six, including a double gold for its Cabernet Sauvignon.

The double gold and gold winners included:


Double Gold:

Black Star Farms Arcturos Fortified Raspberry NV
Black Star Farms Leorie Vineyard Merlot/Cabernet Franc 2004
Chalet Debonne Vidal Ice Wine 2005
Dr. Konstantin Frank Cabernet Sauvignon 2005
Ferrante Vidal Ice Wine 2005
Oliver Winery Creekbend Vineyard Late Harvest Vignoles 2005
Wagner Semi-Dry Riesling 2006

Gold:

Illinois
Pomona Winery Fortified Blueberry NV

Indiana
Oliver Winery Creekbend Vineyards Vidal Ice Wine
Oliver Winery Creekbend Vineyards Traminette

Michigan
Bel Lago Auxerrois 2006
Black Star Farms Arcturos Blanc de Blanc 2004
Black Star Farms Arcturos Cabernet Franc 2005
Black Star Farms Arcturos Pinot Gris 2005
Chateau Grand Traverse Semi-Dry Riesling 2006
Fenn Valley Vineyards Cherry Wine NV
Fenn Valley Vineyards Riesling 2005
Fenn Valley Vineyards Vignoles Reserve 2006
Lemon Creek Snow Moon Vidal Ice Wine 2004
Lemon Creek Sesquicentennial White 2005
Sandhill Crane Chancellor Noir 2003
St. Julian St. J. Chardonnay 2005
St. Julian Cherry Wine NV
St. Julian St. J. Pinot Gris 2005
St. Julian St. J. Riesling 2005
St. Julian Braganini Reserve Traminette 2006
Tabor Hill Cabernet Franc Rose 2005
Tabor Hill Cherry Wine NV
Tabor Hill Merlot 2005
Tabor Hill Classic Demi Sec White Proprietor's Blend NV

New York
Dr. Konstantin Frank Blanc de Blanc 2000
Dr. Konstantin Frank Gewurztraminer 2006
Dr. Konstantin Frank Pinot Gris 2006
Dr. Konstantin Frank Dry Riesling 2006
Dr. Konstantin Frank Cabernet Franc 2005
Fulkerson Cabernet Sauvignon 2005
Hazlitt 1852 White Proprietor's Blend NV
Hosmer Winery Pinot Noir 2005
Hunt Country Semi-Dry Riesling 2006
Hunt Country Vignoles 2006
Keuka Springs Riesling 2005
Lamoreaux Landing Gewurztraminer 2006

Ohio
Breitenbach Vidal Ice Wine NV
Chalet Debonne Chardonnay Reserve 2006
Ferrante Cabernet Sauvignon 2004
Ferrante Chardonnay 2005
Slate Run Red Proprietor's Blend Premblage Reserve 1999

Ontario
Colio Estate Vidal Ice Wine 2004
Mastronardi Vidal Ice Wine 2004

Pennsylvania
Conneaut Seyval & Vidal NV
Mount Nittany White Proprietor's Blend 2006
Naylor Peach Wine NV
Presque Isle Lemberger 2005

Wisconsin
Cedar Creek Vidal Blanc 2006
Trout Springs Winery Sangiovese 2005
Wollersheim River gold 2006