Villadoria Bricco Magno Langhe Rosso 2007

Wine Noob disciples! I hope you all enjoyed that lovely 70 degree weather last week, if you're like me you probably tried a whole lot of white wines to cool down in the afternoon. I'll be honest, although I really like white wine, I really stink at drinking it. I'd say 90% of the wine I've ever drank in my life has been red, so I'm a lot more comfortable with it. Because of that, I've decided to keep with the reds for now, just until I get a better feel for what white wine has to offer us. This week's wine is the Villadoria Bricco Magno Langhe Rosso 2007. Long named wine... must be good.

Let me just start off by saying that I really like this wine. For $13.99 this wine gives you a boat load of Barolo and Barbaresco characteristics that would otherwise cost you at the very least $30, and often soar up into the $200 range. This is because the wine comes from an area within a few miles of Barolo and Barbaresco's vineyards, and is produced with the same exact grape: Nebbiolo.

Now, I could give you a history lesson dating back to the 1960s on the nebbiolo grape, but we'll save that for when we have a glass of the stuff together in the future.

Alrighty then. So once again, the Bricco Magno is a wine reminiscent of Barolos and Barbarescos. That said, it's similar to them, by no means is it the real deal. In the glass, the wine has a nice deep red, but I can see my fingers through the glass. It doesn't have the full body of the Barolo, nor the entirety of the elegance and finesse of Barbaresco. You may think that's a bad thing, but it doesn't have to be. Just from the color you can tell that the wine isn't going to weigh you down like Barolo, or overshadow the meal you're having like Barbaresco often can. At the same time you're going to get the solid acidity and structure that the nebbiolo grape surely delivers, and that my friends, is totally bananas.

The nose was by far my favorite part of the wine. It was so charming and so pleasant, I definitely didn't expect this going into it. Being that the wine is pretty young for a Piedmont red, the fruit was still there, and it was still swinging. Strawberries, red currant, and ripe plums are the fruits that come out and smack you in the face. Me, being a sucker for Piedmont, dug a little deeper and found some other things going on though. Brace yourselves fellas, this 2007 Bricco Magno showed signs of: mushrooms, tar, tobacco, and anise.

"Are you freaking kidding me Marco? What the hell are you smoking?!" Don't worry fellas, I'm in class right now so technically I'm not allowed to be smoking anything in here. But if I had it my way, I'd be puffing down a nice Marlboro red right now. Anyways, yeah, I'm dead serious about that. When I first noticed mushrooms and tar, I was ecstatic. I had always heard people talk about tar in wine before, but I had never really caught onto it before. Family, friends, high-tech pedophiles, believe you me that when you hone in on your palate and nose, you'll get those notes and you'll have a great time doing it, too.

Now that we've hit the five paragraph mark, I think it's a good time to start talking about how the wine tastes. So, I've mentioned already that the wine is young and that therefore the fruit comes out swinging. This wine is absolutely a fruit bomb (term "fruit bomb" coined by Gary Vaynerchuk, an awesome wine dude.) You get those red, ripe fruits literally wrecking down your mouth with catapults and trebuchets. But you guys know me, I'm a fool for texture and body- and this wine lacked a little bit in that department. Not enough tannic backbone and not enough going on in the mid palate. What I will say is that this wine has a lovely floral finish, and that it goes down so smooth with almost no bite whatsoever. I didn't try this wine with food, but I would imagine that the Piedmont region and the nebbiolo grape do a great job of producing wines with a good amount of acidity to pair with game meats, red pasta sauces, and who knows, maybe even forest salads (... are forest salads a real thing?)

Let's finish this post off with the wine's reception at the store. From what I've heard, people generally didn't like it. I got pretty depressed when I heard that, I really thought that I had found a quality value in a Piedmont region red that people would appreciate. So, where did I go wrong? Hell, I don't know. I'm slowly learning what people are looking for in wine, and I guess that maybe this wine isn't for everybody. A casual wine drinker should be able to enjoy this wine, but there's no guarantee of that. The Italy wine expert, on the other hand, would probably go crazy for this wine. What better Piedmont red at $13.99 can you drink while you wait for your 1997 Barolo to age to the height of its maturity? To be honest, there's probably a lot of better wines to be drinking right now than the Bricco Magno, but it doesn't hurt to diversify. Just ask those Lehman guys.

Chateau D'Arvigny Haut-Medoc 2008

Hey everybody, it's been a while, hasn't it? Usually I try to have about two posts a week, but it just so happens that in the past seven days I've had about six different wines and I've had some difficulty trying to decide which ones to write about. Also, on top of that, I've been trying these wines several times throughout the week so I can get a better feel for them.

But enough with this teenage foreplay, let's dive right in! (Recycling past jokes, good start, Marco)

This time around I'll be writing about a pretty nice Bordeaux red. France's Bordeaux region has consistently produced world-class wines since, well, the middle ages. The particular wine that I'll be talking about comes from the Haut-Medoc region of Bordeaux, an area that allows only certain percentages of cabernet sauvignon, merlot, petit verdot, cabernet franc, and a little bit of malbec to be blended into their wines. The wine I'll be discussing shortly is from 2008, a vintage in Bordeaux where you taste the chateau, or the specific appellation/vineyard (which is pretty cool, comparing 2009 where you taste the vintage*.)

"LET'S GET ON WITH IT, YOU CLOWN!", you all scream!

... I'm not a clown!

The Chateau D'Arvigny Haut-Medoc 2008. In my opinion, this wine is pretty overrated, but pretty underrated as well. I guess you can call it average, or above average maybe. It depends on your taste. It's hard to find a wine from the Haut-Medoc region that isn't good, but that doesn't mean that they're all going to always be spectacular. What I mean by both over and under rated, is that some people will assume that because its a 2008 Haut-Medoc, it will be a spectacular wine; but at the same time, because it wasn't a 1st or 2nd or 3rd Growth rated wine, that it won't be any good. That's tomfoolery. Trust your palate, and you'll find what you like, don't buy into wine-world generalizations!

It's a pretty red. A dark red really, with a black purity to it. The legs on the wine are pretty nice, which is a sign that it's well structured and balanced, a prelude to what you'll experience when you taste it (... that's what she said.) I'd like to think that its solid structure will let it age pretty well, I'd say this wine could be put away for a few years and it'll mature pretty gracefully.

The blend (which specifically, I'm not sure of, since Haut-Medoc AOC's allow a lot of grape variety) gives the wine some nice aromatics. The wine is floral up front, with some fruit coming in towards the end of the sniff. Red currant, raspberries, and black cherries come through pretty nicely. It's not too earthy, and the oak takes a back seat to the flowery and fruity front court. There is a vanilla note if you really look for it, though.

As nice as the scents are though, they do no justice to the mouthfeel and flavor of the wine. It's supple and light on the tannins. Supple is the key word. The wine becomes chewy to an extent, and I'm not going to lie, it's a really nice feeling on the palate. Once again, in fruit you get some subtle red currant, black cherries, and raspberries in front of the pleasant red floral notes (or should I say red floral symphony?) The oak is there, but it's mild. That might be the only real downside to the blend.

Overall, the Chateau D'Arvigny Haut-Medoc is a pretty simple and nice wine. Is there something left to be desired, hell yeah there is. It's freaking Bordeaux. The appellation's chalky terroir should be coming through a lot more. The limestone in the soil should be growing on you throughout the mid-palate. BUT. The wine costs about 16 Zelda rupees (1 Zelda Rupee = $1 USD.) For a pretty modest price you're getting a very good wine in terms of value. There's some Bordeaux characteristics in this wine that other Haut-Medocs fetch over $30 for. That structure is something to be coveted, it's hard to find. So is that supple and chewy texture. The merlot in the wine really shines, and Bordeaux merlots can soar into the $1000 range.

What can I say, I'm a sucker for good values. I'd give the wine an 86 on the 100 point scale. That's pretty good, then again my scale relies heavily on dollar power. Big time wine drinkers would probably scoff at this bad-boy, but post by post, we're changing that. We can appreciate this wine. Hell, its delicious. I've got about two glasses left in my bottle at home, and I'm excited to finish it off if it stays fresh for another couple of days.

Anyways, thanks for the patronage, and you'll be hearing from the Wine Noob once again by the end of the week. Enjoy the sunny weather, fellas! (expect some white wine reviews coming soon!)


*Mad Props to Wine Spectator for the comparison between '08 and '09 Bordeaux

Jermann Pinot Neros

HELLO EVERYBODY! Welcome to my blog, how's it going? I'm doing great, in case you're wondering. Why am I doing great, you ask? Because I had some absolutely outrageous wines this week. Wines that I've been looking for my entire life. Wines that I'll look back on one day, wishing I had just another day with them. Wines that will make all future wines live in the shadows of their spectacularity. Wines that will make me question why I ever even spoke to other wines in the past. Wines that will make me write unnecessarily long introductions to my blog posts.

If you can't tell, I'm excited to write about these wines. They're both pinot noirs (pinot nero, since they're Italian, really.) They are from the creative and artistic Jermann winemakers in the Venezia Giulia area of Italy. Jermann has historically created some spectacular wines, and the two that I've had this week lived up to their old standards. They were beautiful, engaging, and they both put a huge smile on my face. They were good.

We'll start with the Jermann Red Angel on the Moonlight 2008. Read that name again. Beautiful. Good start.

In color the wine showed a dark red, slightly see-through, hint of a ruby shine. That shine, in my opinion, comes from the beautiful texture and body of the pinot noir grape. The color justified the wine's label, making me think of a serene, chilly night in Venice (near where the wine was made.) I can imagine the gondole in Venice riding in channels of the wine throughout the city. Quite a pretty scene.

The nose on the wine was excellent. The oak barrels used by Jermann are not French. Jermann ferments its wine in slovenian oak barrels, which gives their wine some very particular and unique characteristics. The Red Angel for instance, has an unmistakable potpourri dimension. The oak then comes out swinging, drenched in the floral and blackberry/plum mask of scent.

In flavor, the Red Angel I feel is second to very few. Its body was elegant, not too light and not too heavy. Silky and smooth, reminiscent of dried and live roses at the same time. The oak comes in on the mid-palate, completely transforming the flavor, leaving you with a subtle, yet powerful fruity finish. (By the way, did I mention the wine is only $17?)

I realize that I've written quite a lot for just one wine this episode, but I'm going to go ahead and power through on to the next one as well. I'd feel horrible not giving this next wine the same attention and care as I did the last, it certainly deserves it.

The next bottle of wine I had this week was the Jermann Blau & Blau 2008. Another pinot nero, this time comprised of two genetic pinot noir cousins, 90% Blaufrankisch and 10% Blauburgunder. This combination made a spectacular wine. A wine that quite frankly, I think is right up there with the first wine I've reviewed in my entire blog, 2011's #1 rated wine itself, the Kosta Browne Pinot Noir 2009.


I'm not sure about this 100%, but I believe that the winemaker dedicated this wine to his daughter, who picked the name and picture to appear on the label of the wine.

The color was a dark and beautifully pure violet red. Nothing would pass through its depth of color, unless I put the glass under the right light, where I could see right though it. It had a beautiful roundness about it, something that you'd have to see to know what I'm trying to express. 

Its nose was more interesting, somehow, than the Red Angel's. More juicy, a clove vector piecing my nose, and forest scents underneath. If you ever want to just smell something (yes, just smell something) this is the thing to smell. There's so much going on, I was able to break it down, dissect the individual scents and isolate the others. It's that slovenian oak!

The flavor was elegant, slightly dry, and oh so smooth. The blackberries and red currant flavors burst through, really giving my taste buds a smack. There was a slight flower note of flavor, but mostly I could taste the fruit and I was overwhelmed by its full texture. The wine, although just a sip at the moment, felt as if it filled my entire mouth. A freshness overcame me, and the lush flavors of fruit paired with the forest oak qualities created something truly remarkable. This is a wine I won't soon forget. 

Wow! That was quite a bit of blogging. I apologize for the pretentious writing this time around, as you should know by now, that's not my style. It's just that these wines brought out something else in me this week. At any rate, I think I know what wine I'll be bringing to my daughter's wedding in 30 years. Have a nice week, fellas, and thanks for reading! 

Sagelands Cabernet Sauvignon 2007

Everybody loves cabernet. I've tried maybe three different cabernets in my entire life, and personally I really don't see what all the fuss is all about. Granted I've never had a Napa Cab, I think that's reasonable. What I hate about Napa Cabernets is that it's hard to find a decent one in the $10-$20 range. So, instead of dropping $30 in pretty pennies for a "Robbie Mondavi" or a Decoy, I went for a decently priced cabernet from Washington State: the 2007 Sagelands Cabernet Sauvignon.

For those of you getting the idea I'm purchasing the wine myself, I just want to say that the wines I try are the wines that my parents bring home to try and see how they are- and once again, with their supervision, I get to try them (and spit them out.) The misleading introduction is just the cuddling and the necking before the real deal.

This, my friends, is a garnet

On to the wine! (I say, in my Medieval King voice)

So I poured out a glass of the cabernet, thinking to myself, "Awesome! I'll finally understand what people mean by rich and bold when describing cabernets."

This cabernet had a nice color, nothing spectacular. It was garnet-esque, which I think was pretty (I like garnets.) I've included a picture of a garnet so that all of you might start liking garnets as well.

I sniffed the glass. At first I got black-currant, which is a huge part of the cabernet flavor profile. After aerating it though, I caught onto something green. A green scent, that is. I'd always heard about people smelling things like bell peppers or herbs in wine, but I had never experienced it myself until now. I wasn't used to it, so I spent about fifteen minutes trying to tell what it could be. Eventually I couldn't even notice the black-currant, I was fixated on that elusive green smell. I came up with three possibilities on what it was: it was either asparagus, broccoli, or artichokes (or a combination of the three.) I'm not going to lie, it really pissed me off that I couldn't tell what it was for sure, because that damn smell was so familiar. But it makes sense, the wine is called Sagelands, so it was bound to be herby or vegetal.

Eventually, I took a mouthful of the cabernet and swished it around my mouth. I could taste the black-currant, and a little black cherry (maybe,) at first. Throughout the mid-palate, the fruit flavors diminished and I got the vegetables, the herbs, and I guess sage (but I think that was my mind convincing myself that I'd get a hint of sage in there.)

Its body was full, the acidity wasn't overbearing, and the texture seemed bland. Is that what constitutes rich and bold? I think not! (I say again, in my Medieval King voice.) I think it's just that Washington State is trying to do something else with their cabernets, as opposed to the Kings of the Cab in Napa Valley.

What I've learned from this wine is that, yes, fermented grape juice can taste like veggies, and that I've got to try a Napa Cabernet sometime in order to understand what everybody loves about them. Am I disappointed? Come on guys, don't be silly- Of course I am!

Banfi Chianti Classico 2009

Last night I tried my first-ever Chianti Classico, a wine that I absolutely should know more about. Chiantis are a type of wine that sell quite often at my parents' shop, and whenever somebody asks me about them I feel I have to get my mom, Lucia, to help me out with the recommendation. To tell you the truth, out of the twelve or so Chiantis we carry, I usually end up selling the 2008 Renzo Masi Chianti Riserva, just because I can say it scored 90 points with Wine Spectator. Needless to say, I've got a lot of learning to do about Chianti.

So, the 2009 Banfi Chianti Classico, in my opinion, is a pretty good wine. We sell it for $15.99 at the shop, which I think might be a $2 stretch for what I think it should go for. Of course, somebody who's palate appeals to this particular Chianti, would definitely be getting a great deal on it.

This Chianti has some nice features to it. It has a lovely deep violet color, something I wouldn't have expected from such a young wine (to note, Chiantis are meant to be had young, anyways.) The wine's aromas were mild, but very pleasant. But don't misunderstand me by when I say mild, I caught strong whiff of the Chianti as soon as I opened the bottle, it's just that the scents themselves aren't overwhelming.

The scents I'm talking about are violets, blueberry or strawberry jam, and just a tiny hint of... orange peels. Typically orange peels are a quality found in New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs, but I don't know why, I'm 100% sure I got the slightest hint of it in the nose. After breathing for just fifteen minutes in the glass, the wine opened up another scent, at first I couldn't tell what it was, but after muting the TV and shutting my eyes shut (which is scientifically proven to make you smell better) I imagined myself in a big, wine-filled, wooden barrel. I guess that's the oak.

When I finally got around to tasting it, right off the bat I got the sugary aspect of the blueberry/strawberry jam on the tip of my tongue. The mid-palate left much to be desired, regarding the evolution of the flavor. What was nice, was the light-to-medium body with its weightless texture. It had just the right amount of acidity, at least for the mid-palate taste, but the acidity in the finish didn't really do it for me (when the wine breathed ten minutes more, it was much more enjoyable.)

Overall, for my first Chianti, I can't say I'm not impressed with what the blend can do between the $10-$20 range. Would I pay $15.99 plus tax for this wine? Probably not. But if I was looking for something simple that won't overpower the meal I'm having, then yeah, I guess this wine gets the job done.

So! Episode 3 had a lot less fooling around, and I can't say I'm happy about that. I'm pretty sure it has something to do with Ben Jammin, who pointed out my overuse of parentheses. Thank Ben Jammin for the less entertaining episode, but also thank Ben Jammin for the more practical episode.

That said, please check out my series of video blogs that I'm using to help out my customers at the shop in Tuckahoe, the second video blog is coming out sometime before Sunday, so stop by the link on the top of my page to check it out sometime by then if you're interested! Thanks again for the viewership, and thanks all for the encouragement!

Argiano Brunello 2006 & Falesco Montiano 2007

I tried another two great wines just a few hours ago, both of which I'm very excited to talk about tonight! My dinner started with my father telling me that he had seen my blog, and I got the feeling that he really vibed with the fact that I'm exploring the world of wine. Because of this, he was much more willing to educate me a little more about the wines we were having tonight.

We started our meal with a 2006 Argiano Brunello Di Montalcino, a wine that my mother told me retails for over 100 golden dabloons (I make up a lot of words for dollars, so keep that in mind.) Upon hearing the price, I sort of prepared myself for something of an experience in tasting the Brunello. Looking back on it though, I wish I didn't know the value of the wine. As you'll find out throughout my wine-blogging, I really don't want to know about the price tags associated with particular wines, at least when I'm the one drinking them (it's different when I'm working at the store, because I have to be able to communicate good values to customers.)

Anyways, let's get to the Brunello. For those of you that don't know, Brunellos are made out of the Sangiovese grape, and are produced in Tuscany. If my memory serves me correctly, Montalcino is located south of Florence (don't quote me, because I could be wrong about that, and wine connoisseurs can really make you feel stupid when you make a mistake, trust me, I'd know.)

Upon pouring the wine into my glass and getting my tasty Gruyere Swiss cheese sliced, I quickly noticed the color of the wine. My mom told me she saw an orange aspect in there, but my eyes didn't buy that. She was thinking about Barolo. This Brunello was a little see-through, and at the stem of the glass I could picture a tiny little round ruby, so I told my parents and my brother that I thought it was ruby colored... to this they said I was wrong (BUT I KNOW WHAT I SAW!)

On the bouquet (am I using this word correctly?) I got the characteristic plums right away, and while aerating the wine I got this barnyard dimension that really grew on me throughout the glass.The scent got me thinking about my aunt's farm in Italy, where she has oxen on one side, and a tall wall of hay on the other. This wine really brought me back there. When I finally starting tasting the wine, what I mostly picked up was the plums, and to tell you the truth, I was disappointed. I really want to say something different about it, but that's what I got. What I did find interesting though was that typically, you have to look through the terroir to get the the fruit. This time, I found I had to go through the plums to get that wet-hay like taste that I recognized in the nose. And since I'm talking about a Brunello, I guess I'm supposed to tell you that it was "medium-to-full-bodied", because no one that has ever reviewed a Brunello has failed to mention that aspect (seriously guys, we get it already.) On a final note for the Brunello, my dad did tell me that it would benefit with a little more age. If that was the case though, why did we have it tonight?

We got through that first bottle fairly quickly. There were four of us at the table, after all. Later on, the penne were served. As usual, my father interrupts me from my pasta (whilst forking the penne), to send me downstairs to fetch another bottle. This time, he sent me to find a 2007 Falesco Montiano. This wine comes from Lazio, a central region in Italy in which all I can tell you is that the historical city of Rome is located there (I've been around and about in Lazio before, so I guess I can tell you what it looks like, the weather, and the hotspots to check out in Rome, but I'll leave that to Wikipedia if you're interested.)

The grape varietal(s) were not labeled on the bottle, so I can honestly say I was in the dark when trying this wine... Until my dad told me it was merlot-based. So much for that sense of mystery and exploration. I began to pour the wine for my family, looking at the color and texture of the wine in every glass. At this point, my parents were arguing the nature of IGT wines, so I avoided that conversation (since I have no idea what that means), and focused all my attention on the body of the wine in the glass. It was much darker than the Brunello, less red, and more purple. I was pretty sure those are the signs of a tannic wine. My mom later told me they were, so I gave myself a pat on the back.

On the nose, I could tell this wine was very true to its terroir, it was a classic Old World (or Old School) wine. I was getting wet tobacco, some oak, and an extremely faint note of vanilla. It was pretty interesting, I had a lot of fun breaking it down. In order to convince my skeptical family that there was vanilla in there, I took a bottle of vanilla extract out of our pantry and made them smell the extract, and then taste the wine. I'm proud to say that my tactic worked. Vanilla was definitely in there, and its combination with the tobacco gave it a very rich and elegant scent and flavor. Later on my dad noted "wet horsehair", to which I said "YES". This wine smelt like wet horsehair, and it was awesome.

I had a hard time getting any fruit when tasting it, but eventually, by the end of the glass, I could get some raspberry in there. It was full-bodied and tannic, but I really enjoyed the balance in the mid-palate. When I swirled the wine around in my mouth, I could tell it was going somewhere in there, and that's what a good structured wine does to you. It also helped that since it was Merlot based, its softness made the wine very pleasant to dissect.

Wow. I really went on for a while tonight. If you made it through to the end, I commend you. If you think you learned anything, awesome! If you're an experienced wine drinker and think I'm a hack, let me know what I missed. I'd really appreciate the help.

As always, stay tuned for another review very soon, and thanks again for the viewership, I really, really appreciate the patronage!

Kosta Browne Pinot Noir 2009

Welcome to the second ever Wine Noob post! For those of you still wondering, I'm the Wine Noob. On that note,  let's start these reviews with a real home-run of a wine.

A few weeks ago, I had the extreme fortune and pleasure of trying one of the New World's very best wines. A wine so good that I actually wrote an essay about it in my Composition class. My professor was very fond of my details and insight into the wine, but unfortunately, he gave me a B- on the paper. But enough foreplay, this wine is Wine Spectator's #1 rated wine of 2011, the 2009 Kosta Browne Pinot Noir.

It was Sunday dinner at the Bruno household, and we had finished our bottle of Barolo by the second course (as we usually do). We followed up our big Italian Red with a half bottle of the Kosta Browne. As soon as I poured it into my glass, I could tell I was in for something big. What struck me was its pure black-violet color, and the way its silky form hugged the inside of the glass. This wine was sexy, and it was a perfect 11. After calming myself down, it was time to make my move. Naturally I was nervous, the Kosta Browne was the most beautiful wine I had ever seen- but I knew she was mine for the taking. As Dennis from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia would say, she couldn't say no.

That very first sip left me speechless. I've said it before, but I've been around. I've tasted a good number of wines for an 18 year old, but I haven't been left speechless from drinking something since my first carton of chocolate milk (and my first Jack & Coke.)

It was smooth, velvety, and beautifully structured (like Michelangelo's David.) My palate was caught completely off guard. I've never had a wine so comfortably velvety that I can still vividly remember that slightly (and by slightly, I mean fully) arousing sensation of that first sip. What I really loved about it in particular was that it wasn't flavor driven. If you extracted the flavor of this wine and put it into water, it would taste like worn, stained leather shoes (my dog would go crazy for that.) What made this wine magnificent was its structure and texture. Trying to get that elegant note of wood and cherry through all of the dirt and leather masks was fun, but the texture is what made it all worth while. It was like having liquid lingerie flow through my mouth. And at the end of the day, isn't that what it's really all about?