I've enjoyed previous vintages of this wine which, sadly, isn't available in Kansas. So I jumped on a few bottles I saw in a grocery store in St. Louis last month. While not quite the "fruit bomb" I remembered, it's still uncommonly rich and fleshy for a $15 Italian wine. The
2008 Cantina Zaccagnini il vino "dal tralcetto", Montepulciano d'Abruzzo DOC is about as dark as anything you'll see coming out Italy; save wines from the Veneto. On the nose I get a tremendous amount of primal, grapey, alcoholic, yeasty notes as well as baker's chocolate and a light floral essence. The palate, on the other hand, is a completely different animal. Intensely dry, oaky flavors and hefty tannins that suck the moisture right out of your cheeks. Acidity rewards an appropriate food pairing. If you're one of those people like me who are consistently underwhelmed by thin, acidic Chiantis, give this a try next time you're having spaghetti or stuffed shells.
Bill, did you take this photograph? Certainly more dynamic and interesting than just a label; well done.
ReplyDeleteMon.di Ab. does tend toward a very good QPR, and one can't hardly go wrong with it.
Oh, on your recommendation I picked-up a S. Minor PN, and I'll let you know in a future blog post how it went down.
Thanks for the great blog posts,
Dennis
Nope. Google search copied to Photobucket.
ReplyDeleteHope you enjoy the Sean Minor. I hope I haven't talked it up too much and set the bar too high......