May 2017

WINE WATCH
ITALIAN WINES
migrate back to the
WINE LOVER’S GLASS
by Bennet Bodenstein
The annual migration is now in full bloom … the ducks and geese are headed
north, as are the Monarch butterflies, while the college students are headed south.
Another great migration concerns Italian wines that are heading for our shores
at record speed. It has been a long time since Italian wines were the vogue. Their
time was the 1960s when Chianti was king. Every bistro, pizzeria, and college
dorm room had the ever-present straw covered Chianti bottle as a candle holder,
resplendent with age-old multicolored melted wax drippings.
As the ‘60’s departed, along with it went the Chianti rage. It was not the wine that changed, it was the wine drinker’s
preferences. Americans discovered California sweet white wines and they reigned supreme during the 1970s. Italian
wines languished in almost obscurity, finding their place mostly in Italian-American homes and Italian restaurants. A rather
ignominious fate for something that was so popular for so many years.
Today, Italian wines are again being appreciated by serious amateurs and casual wine drinkers alike. While they still make their everloved
Chianti, Italian winemakers have broadened their export spectrum to include many of the indigenous grape varieties not often
grown in this country. There has also been a significant increase in the overall selection of Italian wine in general.
Cecchi 2015
Chianti ($12.99)
Like a phoenix
rising from the
ashes, Chianti has
been reborn. This
wine is a picture
perfect Chianti,
with all the flavors
and aromas that
made Chianti
an international
favorite but
unfortunately,
it now comes
without the
classical straw
basket bottle. This is a big and
robust wine that despite all
of its power, maintains a soft
velvet-like character. The wine
has a complex fruit aroma
with the accent on plums and
cherries. The flavor exhibits
the same plum and cherry
elements, which mingles with
black raisins and just the
slightest hint of oak. It is a
fantastic accompaniment for
Italian cuisine and a great way
to relive the past.
Cecchi 2015
Sangiovese
Di Toscana
($15.99)
This wine
displays
everything
that has made
Sangiovese
wines so
popular. The
aroma is intense,
displaying
cherries, plums,
and a subdued
hint of fresh
spices. On the palate, the
wine presents a full fruit flavor
and a hint of oak. The wine
has a silky feel in the mouth
and finishes with a long and
very pleasant aftertaste. The
finish is one of the outstanding
features of this wine, displaying
the very noticeable flavors of
blueberries and blackberries.
When well aged, as this one is,
the wine takes on an incredible
mellowness. This wine is
perfect for spicy meat dishes
and those accompanied by
red sauces.
Cecchi La Mora 2014
Vermentino ($19.99)
Tired of the ordinary white
wines? Cecchi gives us a
chance to sample a wine from
a grape not often seen in the
United States, the Vermentino.
This straw yellow grape
announces the aroma of pear,
white peach, lime, and pink
grapefruit, which follows with
what I can only describe as a
very extraordinary finish. It is
a wine with a new and novel
flavor twist.
Frescobaldi
2015 Montesodi
($36).
Frescobaldi
is another
winemaker of
prominence
in Italy and,
like Cecchi, is
sending over its
latest vintages.
It is almost
universally
agreed that the
Montesodi is one
of Frescobaldi’s
finest. The wine showcases
a darker than dark ruby color
while the nose is slightly spicy
from aged wood, which is still
present but not overpowering.
The aroma also abounds
with violets, blackberry, black
cherry, and an unexpected
balsamic element. The taste
is dominated by blackberry
backed up by a hint of citrus,
all of which wind up in the long
and velvety finish. P
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MAY 2017