2016 Renato Ratti Barbera d’Asti (Piedmont): Brash, bold, and beautifully bountiful of brambly, berry fruit. $25 B+ 2014 Tenute Cisa Asinari Marchesi di Gresy Martinenga (Barbaresco): Perkily picking itself up and confidently wiping the topsoil from its leather jacket sleeve. $60 A- 2017 Donnafugata Bell’Assai Frappato Vittoria (Sicily): Floral, friendly, and fun, and capable of…
Fight The Good Fight (Castelluccio Romagna Recent Releases)
“Romagna had to fight a lot – and still has to fight a lot.” So mentioned Alessandro Fiore – who, along with brother Claudio, oversee wine production of Castelluccio, one of their family’s three winery operations – recognizes the oddly ironic state of Romagna wine. On the one hand, by most measures this hilly, picturesque…
Wine Reviews: Weekly Mini Round-Up For February 25, 2019
2017 Dutton Estate Winery Kylie’s Cuvee Sauvignon Blanc (Russian River Valley): It’s a big yard, but the grass is fresh and well-tended, and the tropical plants look great. $27 B+ 2016 Dutton-Goldfield Walker Hill Chardonnay (Russian River Valley): Sporting a sexier profile than normal… and there’s nothing at all wrong with that. $50 A- 2016…
French Soul, California Roots, Philly Grit (Sosie Wines Recent Releases)
Over the Winter holiday break, I managed to catch up with talented Sonoma-area winemaker and Philly-boy transplant Kieran Robinson, who will soon be opening a tasting room for his wines in the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it one-block section of downtown… Downingtown, PA. Downingtown is basically my backyard, so I’m very much looking forward to the advent of Robinson’s…