In hindsight, it was a no-brainer that I went Italian for the last stages of the Euro.
Chiara Condello, 2018
Chiara Condello is the name of the winery, the wine and the woman who makes it. Chiara makes her wines in the town of Predappio in Emilia-Romagna, carrying on a family tradition, which I intuit she respects, judging by her precise touch. It's 100% Sangiovese and it's fragrant with crushed berries and smoky earth. Lovely and moreish with a tangy, tannic finish. Bourgogne Crown imports it. (July 6, 2021)
I planned a big wine for the Italy-England Finals. But, man makes plans and Bacchus laughs!
Rizzi, Barbaresco Riserva, Boito, 2011
My last bottle from the batch I bought a few years ago when Eldad Levy and Yaffo-Tel Aviv imported this small, excellent producer from Nieve in the Barbaresco DOCG. This comes from the Boito vineyard in the Rizzi cru and it's powerful and deep, resembling a Barolo, at first. Then, a voluptuous canopy of red cherries, forest floor, spices, ground coffee, before everything shuts down as the nose and palate turn oaky - which is at odds with my experience with Rizzi, whose regular crus were gorgeous and wonderful right from the start in the case of the 2013, on paper a much better vintage. I can only assume this needs another five-ten years. (July 11, 2021)
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