Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Indigenous Grapes, Inimitable Terroir....Di Giovanna Nerello Mascalese
Easy for me to say....call me crazy but I am a fan of grapes that only seem to grow in one or just a few places, and Sicilian wine is certainly not at the forefront of wine consciousness. Yes, everyone grows international grapes like Cab and Merlot but it is from wild places like this that you find great pleasure in wines like Di Giovanna's Nerello Mascalese. It's listed everywhere as a grape that is usually blended with other grapes. But here, it shines all by itself. No costars necessary. This is one of my favorite $12.99 wines. Beautiful aromas of smoky black cherry, nutmeg and a volcanic stoniness mesh with lingering dark berry fruit in the mouth. With excellent lift, it finishes lightly tannic with a note of coffee. I'm sorry, I can't get enough of it. Very few wines of such character can be found at this price point. Pairs great with a roast chicken, some lamb chops, burgers...you name it. The label says it is produced with organic grapes though the website doesn't mention it. Oh yeah, this was the 2008 but I bet they have very few bad vintages in Sicily. Either way, it's really good. Cheers!!
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I love this grape variety very much too! Opening my last bottle of 2005 tonight in hopes it has cellared well. Probably will get a case of 2010 which I see in the market today.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds great Tom - If you can, let me know how the '05 held up. Have a Happy New Year!
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