2006 Latium Morini "Campo Prognai" Valpolicella Superiore Veneto Italy
Suggested retail price $21-$24
Distributed by Jan d'Amore in NYC
In the year 2000 the seven Morini cousins decided to join forces and start vinifying the grapes from the vineyards that belonged to their fathers for more than 40 years. The name of the estate originates from the Latin name of their home town, Illasi: the Roman troops on their way to conquer the northern “barbaric” regions founded villages in the sheltered valleys of the Valpolicella and planted vines and olive trees. Latium released the first Amarone in 2007 a wine that embodies the style of the estate: fruit driven, lush and rich and yet retaining great elegance and drinkability.
Made from 70% Corvina and Corvinone, 20% Rondinella,10% Croatina and Oseleta, this wine is an authentic example of a great, earthy and slightly rustic yet rich and fruity Valpolicella. Crafted in a (somewhat) Ripasso style, 40% of the grapes underwent a 30 days drying period before a short Crio-maceration (after de-stemming, the grapes are cold macerated on the skins for about 10 to 12 hours) followed by a 12 days fermentation in stainless steel tanks. The maturation occurred in Slavonian oak tonneaux (big barrels) for 15 months. 10,000 bottles were produced.
The robe is quite dark ruby red. The nose expresses aromas of earthy, very ripe to almost sweet, dark and blue berry with (somewhat) animal and forest nuances. The palate is quite nice, easy, soft, rich and very fruity with a lovely texture and excellent mouth-feel. The finish add an extra dimension with a touch of earth, notes of scorched dirt and hints of spice.
Overall, it was a pleasant surprise for a Wine Buyer like me who is not really a big fan of Veneto's reds like Valpolicella and Amarone. I've found it very good and pretty enjoyable for a wine at 14.5% of alcohol, even if I normally do not like to go over 13.5%.
However, as I often say: "Every wine deserves to be tasted, even if not every wine should be drunk! But you can't say that you don't like it, if you didn't try it. And you can't say that you don't like certain wines made with this grape variety or from this particular region, because you'll never know what you might discover or how a wine could surprise you, until you've tried it!" LeDom du Vin
One needs to remain open minded with everything and especially with wines and food, because you may not like a certain type of wine (or dish) one day, but discover a very similar wine (or dish) crafted by another producer (or a chef) the next day and really enjoy it....and that goes for everything.
Enjoy!
LeDom du Vin
Info partly taken from Jan d'Amore website at www.jandamorewines.com
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