Azienda Vitivinicola Pier Barbaresco Vila Riserva
From Italy's incredibly famous Piedmont region in the North come two powerful red wines that are nearly household names, Barolo and Barbaresco. Each is made from Nebbiolo, perhaps Italy's most intense and mysterious grape varietal. The flavours produced by Nebbiolo are always aromatic, complex, and fairly powerful, though aging can bring some remarkable softness to these big wines. Yet even when the vineyards are adjacent to each other, the difference in the wines made from Nebbiolo is remarkable. Such an example is even true with Barolo and Barbaresco as regions themselves; Barolo is perhaps seen as the more famous of the two regions, and the wines are both very expensive and because of the intense tannins, Barolos must be held for at least five to eight years in order to be enjoyed. Barbaresco, on the other hand, gets just enough of a dose of sea air from the Mediterranean that the grapes ripen sooner, and the tannins are less harsh. Hence beautiful wine made from Nebbiolo, but able to be enjoyed much sooner. Having said this, Barbarescos too can age for quite some time, and this wonderful Riserva from Azienda Vitivinicola Pier is showing its style with age. Both floral, earthy and even spicy in the nose, the main body is the classic formidable yet softened sweet cherry flavours with earth notes, hints of eucalyptus and light spices. The finish lingers beautifully! There are still some tannins left which could suggest more aging, but this seems to be drinking beautifully now. We grabbed the rest of the available stock of this wine for the club members. If more surfaces we will be sure to let you know. Enjoy with fine meats, Mediterranean inspired foods of all kinds (though nothing spicy, which would get in the way of the subtle qualities of the wine).

2003 Medici Pinot Noir "East Block"
There's been some great luck with aged Oregon Pinot Noir being available lately, and the Medici label has long been producing exceptional results. The vineyards were planted in 1976, making them some of the oldest among Oregon's now famous Pinot Noir culture, and the results show in this beautiful wine from the particular set of vines known as the "East Block." Notes of raspberry, herbs, orange zest and even a hint of cinnamon greet the nose. The body follows with a nice core of cherry and raspberry fruit, framed by spice and what must be described as the "essence of orange oil," due to the focused and rather exotic flavour of the citrus notes which hover on the finish. It's hard not to just enjoy this on its own, glass after glass, but it pairs nicely with fish, roasted chicken, or something somewhat different such as butternut squash ravioli.