A Really Good Italian Wine Tasting in Oak Cliff on Sunday

by Andrew Chalk

It is at Blind Bishop, which seems appropriate for a Sunday.

• 16+ Italian wines available to taste in 1oz, 3oz or 5oz portions

• Walk around format

• From 3pm to 7pm

• Master of Wine, Dilek Caner, on hand to answer questions

• You can purchase a card to use on the WineStations, choose the wines you'd like to taste and how much you'd like to taste, order food, eat, drink, learn and relax on a Sunday afternoon/evening.

RESERVE

THE WINES...

Four Whites

1. Velenosi "QuerciAntica" Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico 2020 Verdicchio is the primary white grape of the Marche region. Velenosi is especially refreshing with plenty of citrus fruit on the nose and the palate.

2. Livio Felluga Pinot Grigio Collio 2019 (90-WS) Felluga is one of the most acclaimed producers in Collio and their Pinot Grigio is much more concentrated and fuller than most of its counterparts. Elegance and compatibility with a wide variety of foods.

3. Pieropan Soave Classico 2020 (91-WS) Typical, very good quality Soave with its oily texture and apple, pear, peach notes. Versatile, especially with vegetarian dishes. Also good if you're preparing for blind tasting exams and want to taste a good representation of Soave Classico.

4. Pietradolce Etna Bianco 2021 100% Carricante, the highest quality white grape of Sicily, from the volcanic soils of Etna DOC. This is a wine people's wine. Refreshing acidity, intense minerality, very pure flavors.

Twelve Reds

1. Anselmet "La Touche" 2018 A chance to taste a high-altitude (~2,000ft), Valle d'Aosta red that we read about but rarely get to taste. Made from the native grape varieties of Valle d'Aosta, including Petit Rouge, Cornalin, Mayolet and Fumin. Has a Pinot Noir-like acidity but the body is fuller and the texture is softer. If you prefer freshness to ripeness, this one is for you.

2. Paitin "Serra" Barbera d'Alba 2020 Most of the Barbera grapes for Paitin's "Serra" label come from their vineyards in the Neive area. There is a high intensity of fruit and a 'just ripe' character, almost like a modern style, but it has no new oak (Slavonian botti only) and drinks much more like a traditional style of Barbera.

3. Domenico Clerico "Visadì" Dolcetto Langhe 2018 (90-RP) Here is an opportunity to compare and contrast Barbera, Dolcetto and Nebbiolo (Prunotto Barbaresco) side by side and see how these varieties that all grow in Piedmont differ from each other. Lots of red and black cherry/berry character in the Dolcetto.

4. Prunotto Barbaresco 2018 (93-WE, 90-WS) Elegant and floral. It is approachable even now, but will easily improve for another 10 years.

5. Tenuta Sant'Antonio "Nanfrè" Valpolicella 2020 Bright red fruit, soft tannins. Cheerful, everyday wine for pizzas, pastas and sandwiches. Burgers too.

6. Prà "Morandina" Amarone della Valpolicella 2016 (94-JS, 93-DE, 92-WS) 35% Corvina, 35% Corvinone, the rest Rondinella and Oseleta. Tiny amount brought into the USA. Concentrated, complex and follows with a persistent finish. Has that black cherry/ berry flavors, spiciness, dried fruits and the tertiary aromas of tobacco and tealeaves. It does have some new oak character and carries it very well. Must taste even if only an ounce.

7. Ricasoli "Brolio" Chianti Classico Riserva 2019 (95-DE, 93-WS) A more modern style of Chianti Classico with a fuller body, darker color and ripeness of fruit as well as new oak influence. Still has the powerful structure of Sangiovese and the minerality and freshness in the finish. An excellent value.

8. Le Ragnaie Brunello di Montalcino 2017 (94-RP, 90-WS) Riccardo Campinoti is a relatively new owner/winemaker in Montalcino, but makes Brunelli that are traditional in style. Think concrete tanks, indigenous yeast and long maceration times in Slavonian botti. The grapes for this label come from a high altitude area of Montalcino. The wine is powerful and still manages to remain balanced and elegant.

9. Manimurci "4 Contrade" Aglianico Irpinia 2018 If you like tannins, black cherries and blackberries with a dark character in your wine, this is it. One of the most underrated grapes in Italy, Aglianicos can be the best value for the right person. They even age very well.

10. Colosi Nero d'Avola Sicilia 2021 Very approchable, drinkable, affordable and a crowd-pleaser. Ripe red fruit, sweet and savory herbs, soft tannins, and fullness on the palate make this easily likeable and pairable.

11. Tornatore Etna Rosso 2019 (92pts-WS) One of our best-liked wines by our guests at Blind Bishop, especially when paired with... well, pretty much anything. 95% Nerello Mascalese and 5% Nerello Capuccio. Etna Rosso's high altitude, volcanic soil-grown reds have been on the radar of the wine industry people for over a decade now and Nerello Mascalese's Pinot Noir-like structure probably played a big role in it. Just like Pinot Noir, the color is light, the tannins are soft and the red fruit dominates. But it's a tad riper and fuller than most Pinot Noir, and without the leafy notes.

12. Badia a Coltibuono Vin Santo del Chianti Classico 2012 (93-WS, 93-Vinous) 50/50 Trebbiano and Malvasia picked early, dried indoors and aged for about 6 years in attics. Delicious sweetness carried perfectly by 9g/l acidity. Pronounced intensity on the nose with dried figs, apricot preserves, crème brulée, pecans and tobacco notes and a minerally finish that lasts for minutes.