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Again, trust me on this. The color is a dense garnet that looks heavy when you pour it. The nose has loads of smoke and toasted oak, but it’s the chocolate that really shines. If you thought Belgium had a stranglehold on the chocolate biz, check out what the Italians are doing in gems like this. Not to be outdone, the bouquet also has fruit including black cherry, plum and a little blackberry. Once you taste it, this red’s heft translates into a mouth-coating richness. It’s thick and oily, but chalky, too. Oak, chocolate and plum all stay with you longer than a Coltrane sax solo. Especially the chocolate. I guess that shouldn’t be such a shock. Ghiradelli is an Italian name. Trust me on this. Cheers, Shopping Hint: Check your local Trader Joe’s. If they don’t have it, ask them to order it. If you don’t have a TJ’s near you (I’m sorry), ask your local wine shop to get it in house. It’s imported by D’Aquino Italian Importing Co. I hope that helps. WoW |
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| If you love Amarone, … wait. Forget that. Everyone loves Amarone. Even if you’ve never had it, you love Amarone. Trust me on this. Amarone is full of ultra-rich aromas and flavors. It gets its heft from a process called recioto, where the premium grapes used for the wine are partially dried prior to being crushed. This concentrates the juice given off by the fruit and, voila, you’ve got a wine as rich as its price tag. Ah yes, that’s the problem. Most Amarone is about as affordable as a coke habit. Luckily, there are wines like this one. Think of this
as a poor-man's Amarone. It gets its flavor from Amarone, and Ripasso is made
from wine that, after fermentation, is placed in barrels holding
some skins and the lees (lees are -- yuck -- dead yeast cells and
whatever sediment the grapes leave) from a prior batch of Amarone.
The idea is that the lees help impart flavor and color into the
ripasso. It's a little like lying on the exhumed body of John Coltrane
in an effort to become a better jazz musician, but more effective. |
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