Wine & Spirits - October 2016 - 94

IMPORTED NEW RELEASES feels oceanic, a match for Wellfleet oysters. § Artisan Wines, Norwalk, CT; North Berkeley Imports, Berkeley, CA 212907 91 | Vadiaperti $38 2014 Greco di Tufo Tornante ^ Troisi selects fruit for Tornante from several vineyards, including one that sits at 1,960 feet of elevation, and he harvests the fruit later than he does his basic greco to gain more ripeness and intensity. It opens with scents of roasted nuts and smoked ham and flavors of honey and green tea, subtle notes of golden apple emerging alongside a sea-salt mineral tone. While the texture is dense and waxy, the acidity keeps it mouthwatering, ready to take on grilled sausages. § Artisan Wines, Norwalk, CT; North Berkeley Imports, Berkeley, CA 212906 90 | Vadiaperti $22 2014 Greco di Tufo (Best Buy) ^ Scents of white flowers and lemon tea lead into flavors of apple and citrus, cool saline notes cutting through the wine's waxy texture to leave a clean and fresh impression. More mineral than fruity, this has the heft to accompany duck pappardelle. § Artisan Wines, Norwalk, CT; North Berkeley Imports, Berkeley, CA MARCHE 215255 90 | Santa Barbara ing balance in this richly textured verdicchio. Aged in stainless steel without undergoing malolactic conversion, it's a zesty white for al fresco dining with any sort of shellfish. § Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, CA VENETO 215193 91 | Pieropan $20 2015 Soave Classico (Best Buy) ^ Notes of fresh cucumber and sage balance flavors of green apple and citrus in this cool and poised Soave. Hints of lime zest lend verve to the flavors, and a wash of salinity gives the texture a lovely mineral tone. The flavors are clean and precise, with a light grip to the texture and energetic acidity that propels the wine to a dry and refreshing finish. § E&J Gallo, Modesto, CA $12 2015 Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi (Best Buy) ^ Saline notes swirl though this wine's juicy apple and tangy lemon flavors, keep- 214766 86 | Cavit $9 2015 Delle Venezie Pinot Grigio (Best Buy) ^ Tangy acidity lifts flavors of golden apple and pear, with just enough sweetness to balance the light bitter almond note. A refreshing and affordable pinot grigio for chicken kebabs. § Palm Bay Int'l, Boca Raton, FL W&S SF 50 Find reviews of all our favorite places to eat and drink now in San Francisco @ wineandspiritsmagazine.com 94 WINE & SPIRITS OCTOBER 2016 ITA LY RED VENETO: AMARONE 214873 93 | Dal Forno Romano $365 2009 Amarone della Valpolicella ^ This inky black wine is so dense and chewy it feels more like a meal than a beverage. Intense flavors roll out in waves of soft black fruit, dried tomato, charred meat and tobacco. The wine underwent a long fermentation, starting in stainless steel tanks for about two weeks and continuing in new barriques for 18 months, gaining a luscious texture and rich tones of dark chocolate, anise and cardamom. Those flavors run into a wall of tannins right now, needing at least a decade in the cellar to mellow. § Folio Fine Wine Partners, Napa, CA 214892 93 | Masi $64 93 | Masi $154 93 | Masi $170 92 | Masi $85 2011 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Costasera ^ After two years in a mix of large and small barrels, the 2011 Costasera is smooth and spicy, with a dark-chocolate richness to its black cherry and plum fruit. A cherry-pit bitterness balances the primary fruit character, while lively acidity imparts an appealing vivacity. Approachable now, this also has the structure and density to improve over a decade. § Kobrand, Purchase, NY 214895 2009 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Campolongo di Torbe ^ Masi made the best of the warm 2009 vintage, turning out a number of exceptional single-vineyard Amarones. This one comes from Campolongo di Torbe, with its deep red limestone soils, and shows bold flavors of red cherry and dark chocolate spice with anise and black pepper. The texture feels chewy and dense, tempered by vibrant acidity that leaves a rosy glow on the finish. Cellar it for a decade to soften the wine's firm tannins, or decant for braised duck. § Kobrand, Purchase, NY 214894 2009 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Mazzano ^ Earthy and savory notes mingle in this Amarone from the brown marl soils of the Mazzano vineyard. Flavors of black olive and dried mushroom balance the wine's dense black raspberry and cherry compote fruit character, enlivened by notes of clove and anise. The tannins have a ferrous quality that feels like cold, polished iron, giving a firm footing to the wine's dark fruit tones and calling for a long stay in the cellar before pouring alongside a New York strip steak. § Kobrand, Purchase, NY 214893 2009 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Serego Alighieri Vaio Armaron ^ The Vaio Armaron vineyard, once owned by the descendants of Dante, today lies within the Serego Alighieri estate. The vines face southwest on terraced slopes of red soils over limestone and clay, and give a lush wine with notes of chocolate, espresso and black tea http://www.gallo.com/portfolio/pieropan http://www.palmbay.com/cavit-pinot-grigio.htm http://www.wineandspiritsmagazine.com

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