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Posts Tagged ‘Barbera d'Alba’

2007 Conterno Fantino Vignota Barbera d'Alba

20 Nov

Now, I know what you’re thinking… $22.99 isn’t exactly a “budget” wine, especially during these days of economic difficulty.  And while I generally agree and have made every effort to keep the prices down on the wines reviewed on this blog, I have had this wine before and couldn’t pass it up this week.

This wine is inky purple in color with a big, bold aroma of juicy dark fruit that washes over the tongue and fills the whole mouth with luxurious complexity.  In other words, this wine may be $22.99/bottle, but it drinks like a wine that costs two to three times that.  So don’t let the price tag scare you….go out and get a bottle.  Enjoy it now or, better yet, save it for a special occasion.  Your patience will only be rewarded.

4 corks popped!

Cheers!!

P.S.  I’m headed up to the Bay to visit the girls this weekend, so there is a chance that there won’t be a CorkPopper dinner on Sunday.  My apologies, but please stay tuned for next week.  We’ve got lots in store for Thanksgiving!!!

 
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Posted in 4 Corks Popped, Barbera d'Alba, Conterno Fantino Vignota, Italy

 

2006 Vietti Tre Vigne Barbera d'Alba

19 Nov

Here we have the second of this week’s Barbera d’Alba, the 2007 Vietti Tre Vigne.  With lots of super-ripe dark blackberries and plum, some earthiness, and a bit of smoky leather, this wine has a lot of amazing depth, especially at this price point ($19.99/bottle from Wine Exchange).  Though it’s a bit tart on its own, it’s a great wine to pair with food…. I had a glass with crackers and a St. Andre brie, and the creaminess of the cheese balanced out the tart acid in the wine wonderfully.

3 corks popped!!

Cheers!!
 
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Posted in 3 corks popped, Barbera d'Alba, Italy, Vietti Tre Vigne

 

2007 Guido Porro Vigna Santa Caterina Barbera d'Alba

17 Nov

As you can imagine, I spend quite a bit of time these days seeking out good yet reasonably priced wines, and I’ve found that sometimes the best way to find something good is to ask.  There are lots of great local wine retailers these days, especially in California, and many of them actually allow you to order online.  Brilliant.  A few of my current favorites are The Wine House in West Los Angeles, the Beverage Warehouse in Los Angeles, K&L Wine Merchants, which has retail locations in Hollywood, San Francisco and Redwood City, and Wine Exchange in Orange, California.  It’s the nice folks at Wine Exchange (Jason, in particular) that recommended the first of this week’s Barbera d’Alba – the 2007 Guido Porro Vigna Santa Caterina.

Dark garnet in color, this wine has a nice aroma of red plums, cinnamon and red clay.  It’s a bit tart on the palate but has some good acidity, with a lingering finish of ripe red fruit.  While it’s not an especially complex wine, it is certainly decent and easy-drinking, especially at just $12.99/bottle.

I’m giving it 3 corks popped…

Cheers!!
 
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Posted in 3 corks popped, Barbera d'Alba, Guido Parro Vigna Santa Caterina, Italy

 

Week 12: Northern Italian Reds (Barbera d'Alba)

16 Nov

This week I’m headed north from Tuscany to the Piedmont (“Piemonte” in Italian) region of Italy, from which I’ll be tasting three different wineries’ Barbera d’Alba.  Piemonte, not Tuscany, is actually the quintessential premium red wine region of Italy, producing the country’s two finest red wines – Barolo and Barbaresco.  Unfortunately, as is often the case, quality comes at a price, and Barolo and Barbaresco wines simply are not within the CorkPopper budget.  But don’t fret.  There are plenty of other delicious Piemonte reds that are still affordable, including, but not limited to, Barbera d’Alba.

Barbera is actually a grape varietal native to Italy, and Alba is a town within the Piemonte region in the very northwest corner of the country near France.  Though Barbera d’Alba currently only has DOC (denominazione di origine controllata) status, it is widely rumored to be under consideration for  DOCG (denominazione di origine controllata e garantita) status.

The Barbera grape is related to the French-Spanish Mourvedre varietal and generally produces lighter red wines with good acidity and balance.  We’ll see how these three stand up…

First, we have a 2006 Vietti Tre Vigne, which was given 90 points by Wine Spectator and is available at Wine Exchange for $19.99/bottle.

Next, we have a 2007 Conterno Fantino Vignota, which received 90 points by Wine Advocate and is available at Wine Exchange for $22.99/bottle.

Finally, we have a 2007 Guido Porro Vigna Santa Caterina, which is $12.99/bottle and was recommended by Jason at Wine Exchange when he discovered that my first choice was out of stock.

Cheers!!
 
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Posted in Barbera d'Alba, Conterno Fantino Vignota, Guido Porro Vigna Santa Caterina, Italy, Piemonte, Vietti Tre Vigne