D’Amore Wine Selections were featured at a tasting conducted at the Houston Wine Merchant for the Duchesne Academy of the Sacred Heart.
Our wines:
Sommariva Prosecco di Conegliano Brut NV (Served from Magnum)
Lovely green-gold hues along with a mass of bubbles like a shower of diamonds. The nose is a mouthwatering blend of Granny Smith Apple, a hint of baked bread and lightly roasted Meyer Lemon. On the palate this wine simply dances! Light, lip smacking and delightful. More Granny Smiths, Lemon zest and light yet energetic effervescence make this a grin inducing aperitif of the highest order.
Duchman Family Winery Vermentino 2009
The star bright wine is so fresh and vibrant on the nose. A zesty mingling of Limes, Lemons, Quartz and wild herbs just calls out to be quaffed. With the first taste you exclaim, “Where is the grilled fish?” More of that stunning minerality wrapped around racy citrus zest along with a lingering yet dry finish makes this wine a brilliant companion to a laundry list of foods. One sip and you are sitting on the shores of Sardinia. Best white wine made in Texas? It has my vote.
Duchman Family Winery Aglianico 2009
Cavallotto Dolcetto d’Alba “Scot” 2008
A Golden Retriever masquerading as a red wine, you will want this Dolcetto to lick your face! An explosive nose of ripe red cherry, hints of grilled Ciabatta bread and delightful Orange zest simply pour out of the glass. On the palate all of the above, ten-fold. Simply the most ripe, juicy and fun loving wine you will have in a long time. If only it could fetch, it would be the best picnic wine of all time.
Cavallotto Barolo Bricco Boschis 2005
While their Dolcetto is all fun and frolic, Cavallotto’s Barolo is an elegant and reserved wine that is so enticing and dynamic. A fabulous example of the finest Nebbiolo has to offer, the brick red hues shimmer in the glass leading to a core of garnet and cranberry. When made well and with restraint, is there any wine with a nose as knee-buckling as Nebbiolo? This wine has it in spades: lightly dried cherry, a wooden bowl filled with Rose and Violet petals, and the slightest hint of pipe tobacco. The flavors are all in beautiful proportion. The dried cherry, roses and violets, orange zest and of course beautiful tannic structure, an adventure of flavors with each and every sip.
Podere il Palazzino Chianti Classico Grosso Sanese 2006
Other Chiantis bow down to the grace of this stunning example. The nose wafts from the glass, an enchanting blend of cherries, red Tuscan dust, Sandalwood and Mandarin peel. On the palate, such firm structure and rich flavors of red cherry and dried wild herbs. The Mandarin is there too along with dusty tannins that cry out to be paired with salumi or braised meats. This wine is a perfect blend of power and refinement. Too many Chiantis try to be Napa Valley Cabernets. Thank goodness Palazzino keeps the “Classico” in Chianti.
Sesti Sangiovese “Monteleccio” 2007
What is Italy? Vibrant, seductive, awe inspiring, musical and full of life? You could say the same of this wine. One sip and you will wish you could wrap yourself up in this luscious beauty. The nose of vanilla tinged espresso and black cherries and hints of dried lavender will makes your eyes roll back into your head. Flavors of ripe black cherry, dusty earth and more of that vanilla espresso simply overpower any sense of self control you may have. Voluptuous and dark, this wine is naughty in all the best ways.
Sesti Brunello di Montalcino 2004
Brooding and Herculean in strength, Sesti’s Brunello may be the best wine to drink with grilled steak or wild game you will have all year. A pitch-perfect example of why Italian reds are such fantastic companions to food. The nose of black cherry and blackberry along with notes of dark espresso, tobacco and blend of rosemary, oregano and lavender is so beguiling, you will want to simply smell this wine for hours on end as the aromas change and evolve in the glass. Where to begin with the palate? Like a Wagnerian overture, the flavors of black ripe fruit, Tuscan olives, red earth, leather and gamey herb notes are so powerful yet perfectly balanced. Like hearing lovely notes sung Basso profondo, this wine is regal and dignified yet with a lurking danger from somewhere dark and unknown. Simply put, this heavenly music in a glass.
