Hi, wine tasters.
Thursday is Wine Rep Day at Feast, which means a dozen or so people come to share wines with us in hopes that we’ll put them on our list. As a general rule, maybe a quarter or a third of the wines are potential candidates for the list, and we taste through a lot of less than exciting wines that, for one reason or another, are being thrust upon us. A few weeks ago, the Carpineto guy was in town, and I tasted the first wine and pronounced it delicious. Likewise with the second. By the fifth wine, I realized that I was suddenly a very lucky guy. These wines were excellent across the board, and a value for their respective prices. My immediate thought was that we should feature these wines at a tasting in the near future. The future, as they say, is now. While this tasting is priced a bit higher than usual (it’s $35 this month), it will still offer tastes of six delicious wines and food pairings that, with any luck, make them more so. Give us a call at 326-9363 to hold a spot, and know that we’re already overflowing into the next room for this tasting, but will soon have to cut off the signups.
2009 Carpineto Dogajolo Toscano Bianco IGT $15
Abundant fruit on the nose segues into ripe white fruits on the palate, fresh acidity and a dry but smooth finish. Grechetto brings fruit blossoms, Chardonnay provides weight, and Sauvignon Blanc adds acidity.
2009 Carpineto Dogajolo Toscano Rosso IGT $15
This is a very innovative product, a young “Super-Tuscan”, whose characteristics are never found together in the same wine. Dogajolo combines the power and deep colors of a young wine, the elegance and balance given by wood aging, as well as a fruity and fragrant bouquet. Bright Sangiovese fruit is balanced by earthy Cabernet and other Bordeaux varietals.
2009 Carpineto Chianti Classico DOCG $27
Carpineto offers a uniquely floral Chianti Classico (90/10 Sangiovese e Canaiolo) with aromas that recall violets, lavender and sweet jasmine. You’ll also get cherry cough drop or cinnamon spice smoothed over the wine’s lean texture and no-fuss appeal. Soft and easy Chianti that flies in the face of the tarry, grippy kind.
2006 Carpineto Cabernet Sauvignon “Farnito” $42
In the mold of the SuperTuscans where Cabernet Sauvignon is sometimes added to the native Sangiovese, Carpineto produce a 100% Cabernet that is barrel aged for about 10 months and then bottle aged for a minimum of 8 months before it’s released, this is an intense and complex nose with hints of spice, licorice, vanilla and cherries. The palate is rich and persistent.
2006 Carpineto Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Riserva DOCG $28
Floral nose, with a light berry structure. The wine shows a little bit of age in the smell. This is a dark wine for a Nobile di Montepulciano. Decanting shows more ripened fruit: lots of raspberry, red berry, cherry, with moderate acidity, and some earthy characteristics that are enhanced as the wine opens, and a mildly tannic and pleasantly spicy finish.
2001 Carpineto Appodiato di Montepulciano Sant’Ercolano Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG $83
Ripe and plummy, displaying a vel-vety texture and sweet fruit, this is a superb example of a decade-old red. Lico-rice, leather and spice accents make this complex and though still vigorous, its tannins are folding into the fruit. Shows fine length and harmony.