Sunday, November 8, 2009

Agricole Vallone Salice Salentino Rosso Riserva Vereto, 2000

My last two bottles of this wine were showing a bit of excess volatility (maybe a sign of age or heat damage?), but this bottle is just right, drinking as beautifully as the bottles I had in 2008 and earlier. It's a deep ruby with some bricking at the rim. If there is any volatility on the nose, it is exactly what you expect from a good Italian red, and it accentuates the powerful bouquet of cherries, black licorice and rose petals. There is excellent acidity for a wine grown so far to the South; it's medium bodied with a modest 13% alcohol level. Fruit tannins from the peels provide a gutsy mid-palate and a lasting finish. This wine is singing right now, and so am I because I have another five bottles in the cellar.

As I mentioned in earlier posts, I paid $4.79 for this wine on closeout from Hardings Markets. In the future, I would gladly pay the regular price of $12.99 for a Salice Salentino of this quality.

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