Hello! Welcome to As Drunk by Exotic Wine Travel, a weekly column where we feature interesting wines that we encourage you to seek out. The reviews featured in this series may be written by either one or the both of us. The featured wines can be from obscure or well-known wine regions. We hope that these wine recommendations will keep you gastronomically curious and your palate invigorated.

Tedeschi Winery

When it comes to wine, Italy is where my heart lies. Perhaps it’s because that’s where I first cut my teeth with fine wine. Maybe it’s because the food is so delicious and marries perfectly with the wine. Or maybe because traveling through the country is magical.

We are usually in Italy eight to ten times per year. From the north to the south, we can’t get enough Italian food and wine. Aside from the big names, the biggest hole in our Italian wine education is Veneto.

Veneto produces the most wine annually by volume. It’s also home to some of Italy’s most exported wines including Soave, Valpolicella, and Amarone Della Valpolicella. One of the estates that produce all three wines is Tedeschi.

Tedeschi is credited with producing one of the first single-vineyard wines from Valpolicella – the Tedeschi, ‘Monte Olmi’ Amarone Della Valpolicella. “In the past, our family’s focus was Recioto (sweet wine). But my father recognized the quality of the grapes from this 2.5-hectare parcel, so we made the first bottle of Monte Olmi in 1964,” owner Maria Sabrina Tedeschi says.

During a recent portfolio tasting, we got the chance to see what makes this Amarone so famous. While the ‘Monte Olmi’ lives up to its billing, we were impressed by the more affordable wines in Tedeschi’s lineup.

• Tedeschi, ‘San Rocco’ Valpolicella Ripasso 2017

Mostly Corvina, Corvinone, and Rondinella aged in Slavonian oak. Like all Ripassos, it’s made with the skins of grapes that were used for Amarone. Notes of pine forest, pepper, blackberry, and black cherry emerge from the glass. The nose is more savory but on the palate, the dark fruit flavors emerge. Silky mid-palate with a subtle note of tobacco on the finish. This bottle offers a lot of wine for the price (<20 USD) and is sure to please many palates. Score: 88/100

• Tedeschi, ‘Maternigo’ Valpolicella Superiore 2016

Single vineyard blend of Corvina, Rondinella, and Corvinone. Notes of tobacco, black licorice, black cherry pie, and white pepper. Full-bodied with very ripe fruit. There are several layers of flavor here. Fine-grained tannins and a pleasurable, fruity finish. This has the concentration to improve with several years in the cellar.

The Tedeschi, ‘Maternigo’ Valpolicella Superiore offers exceptional value for money. This is something to buy by the case. It’s a wine that can cellar well but offers plenty of immediate pleasure on a random Wednesday night. Score: 91/100

• Tedeschi, ‘Monte Olmi’ Amarone Della Valpolicella Classico Riserva 2013

Bottled since 1964, this is quite an elegant Amarone with notes of dark plum, dried cherry, coffee, pine, and a touch of leather. This has a serious, fine nose. Full-bodied and rich, there’s a generous amount fruit here with many layers of flavors. The alcohol is high but it’s not distracting. With firm tannins and a long finish, this Amarone is something to behold. Score: 94/100 

You can find out more about our scoring system on the WINE RATING page.

You might also enjoy:

Wines of Italy Livestream: Interview with Sabrina Tedeschi

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Thanks to Tedeschi for providing samples. Please note that the opinions expressed are our own and have not been paid for in any way. We do not sell editorial content as that would destroy the legitimacy of our reviews and the trust between Exotic Wine Travel and its readers. On occasion, we extend the option of purchasing the wines we review or/and the products we spotlight. Some of these product links are set up through affiliate programs, which means Exotic Wine Travel gets referral credits if you choose to purchase these items via the links we provide.

The post Tedeschi ‘Monte Olmi’ Amarone Della Valpolicella & ‘Maternigo’ Valpolicella Superiore appeared first on Wine Travel.

It’s not often that you enjoy a 4,000 Euro bottle of wine.

Liber Pater is one of the most controversial and expensive Bordeaux red wines in the world. The winery is located in the Graves AOC, within the left bank of Bordeaux. Winemaker Loic Pasquet wanted to re-create the taste of Bordeaux before the aged of phylloxera in the late 1800s. He planted ungrafted vines and varieties that existed in Bordeaux in the 19th century. On top of that, he planted his vines at high density (over 20,000 plants per hectare).

Liber Pater is made in tiny quantities and on-release sells for around 4,000 Euros a bottle. On top of that, 2009 was a legendary vintage in Bordeaux. On paper, the Liber Pater 2009 should be something special. So what does it actually taste like?

We were given a bottle of Liber Pater as a gift, with one stipulation that we taste it blind. So when we carried it with us to visit a friend in Oradea, Romania he agreed to organize a blind tasting. As the evening approached, we wondered if the wine would stand out.

The Evening With Liber Pater

The evening started with two Champagnes, a Piper-Heidsieck Brut 2006 and a Piper-Heidsieck Millesimé Rare Brut 2002. The Brut was solid but didn’t get Charine too excited, while the Millesimeé Rare Brut 2002 is another story. It’s a fine Champagne that is still a baby and worthy of at least a few more decades of aging.

After Champagne, the blind tasting commenced. We had no prior knowledge of what wines would be included except the Liber Pater. Our host shuffled and selected randomly after covering the bottles. The wines tasted in order were:

• Giardini Arimei, Da Uve Surmature Dry Passito (wildcard from Ischia, Italy)
• Bodegas Benjamin de Rothschild & Vega Sicilia, Macán Classico 2013 (Rioja, Spain)
• Chateau Porto Carras 2008 (Meliton Slopes, Greece) 
• Liber Pater 2009 (Bordeaux, France)
• Crama Oprișor, Cabernet Sauvignon 2011 (Oltenia, Romania)
• Heimann, Franciscus 2011 (Szekszárd, Hungary)
• Mapon, Kikone 2009 (Macedonia, Greece)
• Tenuta Carretta Cascina Fererro, Barolo 2008 (Barolo, Italy) 
• Fornaser Monte Faustino L’Amarone del Maestro Fornaser, Amarone Della Valpolicella Classico Riserva 2008 (Veneto, Italy) 
• Zenato, Amarone Della Valpolicella Classico 2008 (Veneto, Italy)
• J&J Ostrožović, Tokajský Výber 6 Putñovy 2003 (Tokaj, Slovakia) – not served blind

All of the wines showed well but we were most impressed with the following.

The Crama Oprișor Cabernet Sauvignon 2011 is one of the finest Romanian reds we’ve tasted. It’s from Oltenia, the southwestern part of the country. When it was unveiled, we had nothing but applause for it. The wine is full of plum, walnut, black cherry, and pepper. It shows lots of nuances for a big, ripe wine. Chocolatey finish with sweet tannins. The style is in between a left-bank Bordeau and a Napa AVA-level Cabernet Sauvignon.  92/100

Find or buy on Wine-Searcher.

The Château Porto Carras 2008 is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and the local grape Limnio. It’s aged in oak for 24 months prior to bottling. This is a helluva wine, especially with the fact that the ex-cellar price is around 15 Euros. Notes of animal, meat, black fruit, and citrus peel with some olive and violet flavors. It’s complex with refined structure. The tannins are developed and are guided by juicy acidity. When it was revealed our friend said, “I visited this estate months ago and it wasn’t showing close to as well as now, it tastes like a 100 Euro wine.”

Wow, wow, wow, what a wine.   93/100

Find or buy on Wine-Searcher.

The Zenato Amarone Della Valpolicella Classico 2008 showed remarkable balance despite its high alcohol level of 16.5% abv. Notes of black cherry, sweet cedar, nutmeg, and tobacco emerge from the glass. It’s dense and big with chocolate flavors on the finish. The tannins are chewy and this still has a lot of life left in it. Time has served this bottle well.   94/100

Find or buy on Wine-Searcher.

The Liber Pater 2009 was shy at first but everyone immediately recognized that it was a high-quality wine. It was the wine that stirred up the most conversation. After an hour in the glass, it started singing. It lies more on the side of elegance as opposed muscle. This wine is much more accessible now than many of the high-end 2009 Bordeaux that we have come across.

The wine has notes of black fruit, violets, blueberry, and cedar. It’s tangy with firm tannins and a long juicy finish. The juiciness and elegance are what threw everyone off guard. Nobody guessed that it was nearly ten years old, it is still very youthful. Half of us loved it while others were lukewarm about it. Regardless, it was the most talked about wine during the evening along with the Chateau Porto Carras and Crama Oprișor.   94/100

Is it worth the price tag? It’s a beautiful wine, whether it is worth it or not is for you to decide.

Find or buy on Wine-Searcher.

You can find out more about our scoring system on the Wine Rating page.

The opinions expressed in this article are unsolicited and have not been paid for in any way by governmental bodies, enterprises, or individuals. We do not sell editorial content as that would destroy the legitimacy of our reviews and the trust between Exotic Wine Travel and its readers. On occasion, we extend the option of purchasing the wines we review or/and the products we spotlight. Some of these product links are set up through affiliate programs, which means Exotic Wine Travel gets referral credits if you choose to purchase these items via the links we provide. 

The post An Evening With The Liber Pater 2009 appeared first on Wine Travel.

Hello! Welcome to As Drunk by Exotic Wine Travel, a weekly column where we feature interesting wines that we encourage you to seek out. The reviews featured in this series may be written by either one or the both of us. The featured wines can be from obscure or well-known wine regions. We hope that these wine recommendations will keep you gastronomically curious and your palate invigorated!

Corcova Dessert 2013

During an evening in August 2018, we made our way to the Transylvanian city of Oradea. We were recovering from a whirlwind two weeks of nonstop tasting and travel in Sardinia (Italy) and Slovakia. We planted ourselves in Romania for a week to finish up some work and see a fellow #winelover and friend.

Our friend Serban Sincai is a wine enthusiast and member of Millésime, a Romanian group dedicated to culture and wine. The group does wine tastings a few times a month in the old fortress of Oradea. Even though most of the members were away on holiday, Serban called an impromptu meeting in our honor.

We tasted several international and Romanian wines blind during the evening. The wines that stood above the rest were the Château Montrose 2008 and Quinterelli Giuseppe Amarone Della Valpolicella Classico 2003. The Montrose is still a baby with ripe fruit and chewy tannins, we would prefer to drink it in another ten years. The Quintarelli Amarone is drinking exceptionally well now, it’s a wine for meditation and long evenings by the fire.

Serban also mixed in several Romanian wines blind. We were pleased with the Davino Flamboyant 2012 (a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Feteasca Neagra) in addition to the Corcova Cuvée Boheme 2009 (a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot). Both wines are plush and ripe with good structure. They’re massive wines that will appease even the most critical of palates.

It was the last sweet wine that was the biggest surprise. The wine was served blind like the rest and it followed the Château Montrose and Quinterelli Giuseppe Amarone Della Valpolicella Classico. We thought that the wine was a Sauternes. When the wine was unveiled, we were shocked.

The Corcova Dessert 2013 is a blend of 85% Sauvignon Blanc and 15% Chardonnay aged in stainless steel. Around 90% of the Sauvignon Blanc was infected with botrytis in this vintage. Notes of honey, stone fruit, and tropical fruit flavors. It’s rich and luxurious on the palate with balancing acidity. Fantastic value for money as it can be found in Romania for under 8 Euros. It’s one of the few Romanian wines at the La Cité du Vin in Bordeaux and for good reason. 

4.2/5 (You can find out more about our scoring system on the WINE RATING page.)

Find or buy on Wine-Searcher.

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Romanian Wine From Dealu Mare
Romanian Wine From Drăgăşani

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