Light garnet with a rosy glow. Amazing crispy nose of tomato-vine and smoky, fresh berry. Thick and rich–despite the transparent hue–it screams earthy, acidic, citrus zest.
Still pretty tough to find in the United States, hopefully that will change eventually, as these wines represent the truest reflection of Corvina and pack ALL the things Cru-Bojo, Chinon, and Grenache lovers into an inexpensive bottle perfect for all kinds of food or just easy–even slightly chilled–sipping. This one is certified biologique–another plus. A year in neutral barrels and 6 months of bottle-age before release. These are young, fresh wines, but still: It’s nice to have them *settled down* a bit.
SOOO clean and focused in the mouth: Round, spicy and un-pretentiously delicious, black cherry the icing on an angsty, edgy core. Cat’s-tongue bitter, soothing savory injects elegance into the plum and strawberry, the finish BEGGING for a glass re-fill. HOW can you not absolutely ADORE these wines. I literally have never had a bad one. Of course, I only drink them from the Bardolino Cru grouping, something which assures quality. There’s still a lot of bad Bardolino and Bardolino Classico out there, but the Cru system is bringing the wine-making and marketing up into modern ideals. Find these guys. You’ll be blown away.
2018 CASARETTI ‘Olte Longhe’ Corvina/Rondinella 80/20 Bardolino Classico DOC Italy 13.0
Stephen McConnell 