2007 Quarto Ducale Rosso di Cerignola

Ahhh...hump day (cue the camels) and what better day to enjoy a nice bottle of wine than the middle of the week as we are heading rapidly towards a holiday weekend!  Have I mentioned that we should be incredibly excited this year as Memorial Day falls as early as it possibly can while Labor Day falls as late as it possibly can which means this is going to be the longest summer humanly possible!  So to celebrate I've opened a bottle of 2007 Quarto Ducale Rosso di Cerignola, a blend of Uva di Troia and Negroamaro from Puglia, better known as the heel of the Italian boot!

The wine is a lighter color, somewhere between a pinot noir and a syrah.  The nose is very interesting, with a tart combination of cherry, fresh cut grass and spice box over hints of leather and prune,  The taste is quite nice, with some rich black fruit up front, blackberry, cherry and plum that transitions nicely to some notes of cardamom and minerals.  The finish is smooth with a velvety mouthfeel amid a final rush of flavor that reminds me of an Italian grandmother.

Overall I would rate this wine a solid 7.5, it's a very nice example of the wine and a terrific value at around $15.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with some grilled terriyaki glazed pork tenderloin along with some grilled asparagus and steamed wild rice.  The wine is ideal for pork as the ample fruit makes a nice foil to the other white meat.  Cheers!