5/9/10

Wine Review: 07 Cantina Zaccagnini Riserva (Italy)

Bless me Father for I have sinned.  That’s how I usually begin the sacrament of confession; unless the attending Priest knows me well enough to begin the ritual himself with an exasperating “Okay Stephen, what did you do THIS time?

I confess, to YOU fellow runners, that I know about as much about Italian wines as I do about properly hydrating for a marathon (which, if my last Boston is any indication: means I know just enough to be dangerous).  This might seem surprising to those of you who know that I am of half Scottish decent on my Father’s side, and half Italian on my Mothers side (my grandparents having immigrated from Pontecorvo, a small town and commune in the southern province of Frosione, Lazio Italy), but my ignorance of Italian wine remains.

Wine was always a part of my family culture, on my Italian side; as my Great-Grandmother Emma Fraioli would cook ENORMOUS Sunday dinners for our ENORMOUS Italian family, complete with multiple courses of ham, cheese followed by handmade pastas and sauces (she called it gravy) and fish or meat of some kind.  Wine was featured throughout; and yes: they were all Italian wine, some of which was grown and produced by my Great Grandfather Antonio.

So, when my wife and I were in the local wine shoppe (two “p”s and an “e”, so it had to be good!) and she picked out a bottle of 2007 Cantina Zacagnini il vino “dal tralcetto” montepulciano d’Abruzzo ($17 US, Wind Advocate rating 90-95); I was kinda excited to give it a taste.

This is a 750ms standard bottle with 13% alcohol and is described as:


“Deep garnet-purple color.  Ripe cherry and tobacco leaf aromas with a touch of game.  Medium-full body with a good concentration of fruit and a medium to high level of balancing acidity.  Medium level of grainy tannins.  Long finish.” 

The bottle comes with an off white label, cork top with a string of grape vine adorning it’s front and a two inch segment of grape branch tied on it’s front as a bow.

Blah, blah, blah, sure: what-evah…I’m here to taste the stuff and give you this runner’s opinion (for what it’s worth).

But remember, before we begin: I know very little about Italian wines, and I’m a total wine GEEK. 

Here’s all I know about Italian wine.  Please don’t blink or you’ll miss it:

Piedmont in the north, home of Docetto; The Tre Venezie in the north east, home of Prosecco, Bardolino, Valpolocella and Soave (but even my dog Indy knows THAT); Emilia-Romagna north of Florence (my favorite city so far, in Europe, not that I’ve been to many mind you) known for Lambrusco (remember Reunite on ice?  Yeah: THAT Lambrusco) Tuscany (my favorite wine region, home of Chianti, Brunello and Montepulciano), Umbria in mid-Italy, home of Orvieto, Sicily (in the south, the TOE of Italy’s boot) home of Marsala and that’s what I know about Italian wine.

Maybe some of you are impressed; but you shouldn’t be.  See, I’ve BEEN to some of these regions, I READ everything about wine: you know me as a runner, but wine is yet another major passion of mine that I try not to bore you with (except with these reviews) so…I should know what I'm talking about with regards to this region.  But, sadly I know almost nothing about Italian wines.

Enough of my yapping, let’s get into it.

Color (9/10)

Deep rich, frothy purple.  I decanted this into a glass decanter and as it poured the color really revealed itself, just a perfect glow of ripe plum (you know what I mean, right?  That deep dark juicy color that’s got a little blue in it: but not as dark as say a malbec…just agree with me: I’m not that great of a wine geek, but I know my wine colors…I had to study the resistor color codes in electrical engineering circuit theory class back in college.  This one I give a 9.  It’s a beautiful wine.

Nose (28/30)

WOW, I’m stunned at how good this is.  Sweet candy cherry Yubba-Bubba bubble gum, but not as tart with hints of leather and baseball mitt sweat (that’s a good thing) this is lightly fruit forward on the nose but not overpowering; I took my first wiff and BAM I was in love, I let it decant for 30 minutes, drew another pour and it was even better when it opened up.  Me likee. I’m giving it a score of 28 points.

Palate (38/40)

Medium bodied for sure, but not as full bodied as Wine Advocate says it is, but that’s a good thing because it makes it a good summer wine (mouth feel is not as thick as, say, a syrah or a malbec).  Flavor notes were rich and complex; tiny bit of good sour on the back of the mouth, but a nice light dryness (not “merlot dry”, but just a hint of chalk on the back end).  The finish is sublime (yes, I know what that means…I wasn’t just searching for an impressive word).  Remember that song by C+C Music Factory “Things that Make you Go Hmmm…” this is definitely one of THOSE things (in a good way).  This gets a score of 38 points from me.

Overall (18/20)

This was such a great wine; and for me: a Robert Parker Jr. devotee Bordeaux nut Malbec freak….that’s saying a lot.  I know I should be well versed in Italian wines, I should be able to rattle off good vintages and everything that makes a Super Tuscan “super”; but this Cantina Zaccagnini Riserva both took me by surprise and knocked my socks off (okay, I was barefoot as I drank this…but that’s more information than you needed to know).

Overall, taking into consideration how well balanced this wine was, how it developed over decanting, the sweet, rich nose and the delicious medium texture, light dryness (tannins were not overpowering and certainly not as grainy as reported by the Advocate) I have to score this a solid 18, overall.

Total:

9+28+38+18= 93

So there you have it, 93 points for the 2007 Cantina Zaccagnini Riserva from Italy.  A fantastic wine that you MUST find, and hide from your loved ones!!  (No one deserves it more than YOU do!!)

Of course, my wife has a much better palate than I do, so I’m at her mercy…and I’m starting to wonder if she has some of this wine hidden somewhere?

Hmmm…

Salute!

- Steve