Aromas of dried pineapple and sliced green pears follow through to a medium to full body with cooked apples, honey and melon. Subtle yet flavorful. Delicious. From biodynamically grown grapes. Drink or hold.
The 2018 Bianco, a blend of Vermentino, Trebbianoand Malvasia Bianca, is superb. Lemon confit, white flowers, mint and orchard fruit are all nicely delineated. Beautifully textured and polished, the Bianco is truly delicious. Best of all, it is a terrific value.
Lots of blueberry character with tangy fruits and spices. Medium body, firm tannins and a fresh finish. Drink now.
Fresh raspberry, citrus and strawberry character with some forest floor. Medium body, medium-chewy tannins and a redfruit-laden finish. Drink now.
The 2017 Rosso Il Ghizzano is another tasty entry-level offering from Ghizzano. Sweet tobacco, menthol, licorice, crushed flowers and dried cherry all grace this open-knit, pliant Sangiovese-based red.
Irresistible wine with a lot more personality than you'd expect from an entry-level red. The estate does make flashier wines, but you can't beat this for sheer drinking pleasure. Floral and berry aromas, soft but full of energy.
Dry, fungal and earthy aromas with plum and cranberry fruit with some red currant and mineral salinity. Tart and refreshing with drying tannins and expressive fruit, raspberry and red currant notes, light cherry and a touch of spice, this is clean and light - a good complement to food with good minerality and acidity without overpowering. Very lovely, easy drinking blend.
Ghizzano's 2013 Nambrot is another gorgeous wine from Ghizzano. Black cherry, blackberry, menthol, licorice, lavender and cloves are some of the many notes that develop. There is lovely succulence to the fruit, yet the 2013 remains mid-weight, gracious and highly expressive. The blend is 60% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Petit Verdot.
Nambrot offers enticing aromas of violet and anise, its flavors of blackberry and plum showing a ripeness characteristic of this estate’s sun-drenched slopes near the Tuscan coast. Predominantly merlot with 20 percent each of cabernet franc and petit verdot, the wine aged for 18 months in French oak barriques, where it picked up notes of baking spices as the tannins mellowed. It feels balanced and pliant, finishing on a pleasant smoky note.
Raspy tannins rein in flavors of blackberry and plum, layered with notes of leather, tobacco and spice. Comprised of merlot with 20 percent cabernet franc and the remainder petit verdot, the wine reminded one of our tasters of a Bordeaux, “but with more Italian happiness.” Its fruit will catch up with the tannins in another year or two, when it will make a good partner for wild boar ragù.
