2013 Varej Piemonte Barbera

Happy Humpday!  To celebrate I've opened a bottle of 2013 Varej Piemonte Barbera, because who doesn't like a little midweek Barbera?  This little number was our office wine club selection for this month, and one I picked up from Wines Till Sold Out for a really great price!

The wine is a lovely deep ruby color in the glass, with nice clarity.  The nose presents aromas of leather, blackberry, zesty spice notes and a bit of olive tapenade.  The taste is quite nice with some ripe fruit on the outset, blackberry and cherry, which gives way to some black pepper spice and dried herb notes midpalate.  The tannins are still a bit tight, but they provide some nice backbone to the long, very dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 7.5, it's a very nice everyday wine, and a particularly good value at just $10!  It would be a great first course wine to enjoy with some charcuterie on the patio.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with some prosciutto perline pasta from Trader Joe's with some parma rosa sauce, and a spinach salad with olive oil and balsamic.  Cheers!

2011 Dolianum Dogliani San Mate

Well, here's another Italian wine the I bought from Wines Till Sold Out a while back, the 2011 Dolianum Dogliani San Mate, a dolcetto based wine from Piedmont.  The San Mate designation originates from a document found in the Dogliani City archives from the late 16th century which specifies that grapes from this vineyard cannot be picked before San Matteo's Day, which is September 21.

Well now that we've dispensed with the trivia, let's get to the wine!  The wine has a lovely deep ruby color in the glass with nice clarity.  The nose is very interesting, with some sweet notes of plum and blackberry and some earthy, meaty aromas as well as a subtle floral undertone.  The taste is very nice, a rush of cherry cola and black plum transitions nicely to some tea leaves and black pepper spice midpalate.  The finish is very smooth and very dry, but the tannins are quite subdued, making this one a pleasure to sip all afternoon.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, it's very easy drinking and a solid value at just $13.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with a simple midweek dinner of butternut squash ravioli with a creamy mushroom alfredo sauce, but this wine would pair well with a nice steak, hearty Italian pasta dishes, or a simple pizza.  Cheers!

2005 Massimo Rivetti Barbaresco Riserva "Serraboella"

Happy Wine Wednesday!  To help celebrate this fine mid-week wine day, I've decided to open a bottle of 2005 Massimo Rivetti Barbaresco Riserva "Serraboella" a nice red wine from the Piedmont region of Italy, which you guessed right, is made from 100% Nebbiolo!  I just received this wine today at the office, having ordered a couple bottle last week from Wines Till Sold Out.  Now I'll be the first to admit, I'm somewhat hit or miss on Nebbiolo-based wines, as there are some Barolos that I find amazing and others that I can't stand, though the odds of me liking them definitely increases with age, particularly once a wine reaches the 10-year mark.

This wine is a deep ruby in the glass with great clarity.  The nose is very inviting, with aromas of tart cherry over some nice earthy notes of smoke, tar and cedar.  The taste takes be back to Italy, with some wonderful flavors of anise intermingled with cherry and candied plum at the outset, which quickly transitions to some earthy mineral notes midpalate.  The bright tannins support a velvety mouthfeel and an exceptionally long, dry finish.

Overall I would rate this wine a solid 8, as it's a fine example of the wine that was a descent value at $26.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with some classic northern Italian wild mushroom risotto with some lovely shaved asiago on top.  The lovely fruit notes perfectly complement the earthiness of the risotto, but it would also pair well with classic pasta dishes with a variety of sauces or a lovely grilled steak.  Cin cin!