Statti Gaglioppo Rosso 2007
Calabria, Italy ($19)
Walking down the Italian red aisle at my local wine store with $20 in hand isn’t as exciting as it used to be. Let’s face it countries like Italy, France and Germany aren’t known for value. In the past my go to choices would have been Montepulciano D’Abruzzo, Salice Salentino or a decent Dolcetto but these days I’m looking to try something new and these choices just won’t cut it.
Turns out a recent stop at Premium Wine & Spirits in Williamsville, NY turned up something inspiring from Calabria as Statti’s Gaglioppo 2007 was a label I hadn’t seen before. This 12.5% alcohol by volume wine from what I consider to be one of the warmer regions of Italy was accompanied by solid reviews from Tanzer and Spectator. Looking forward to my first taste of a Gaglioppo wine, I picked it up for $19.
First off the nose hit me over the head with black raspberry, which I found extremely reminiscent of Perry’s black raspberry ice cream. As it opened up it revealed some grapey notes along with more rustic aromas of tree bark and sour cherry. Its lively acidity and rustic tannins combined in the form of some slight astringency but nothing that a proper food pairing wouldn’t appreciate. The finish was strong with a lingering bittersweet chocolate flavor.
Overall a well made wine that certainly had its own style and flavor. The astringency dissipated on day two smoothing it out and making a case for this being a wine that can stand alone. Bottles like this remind me that Italian wine can never get boring even if you’re on a modest budget.
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