Trullari 2006 Primitivo del Tarantino

*Bottle #20: Trullari 2006 Primitivo del Tarantino IGT

*Price: $10

*Running Tab: $260

Not more than a year past, in a far, far away land known as "Australia," a young, wine-green woman stumbled across an Italian restaurant boasting a quote that caught her eye.

"Amici e vini sono meglio vecchio," the cobalt blue fonted sign read out of her. After inquiring the translation to the thickly Italian cadenced man behind the front desk, she found the meaning to be quite prolific.

"Old friends and old wine are best."

Even though only several months hath past since that date, the young woman still holds dear to the Italian proverb, her love of Italian men and wine, and first and foremost, her oldest of friends.

Surprise! She's me!!!

The truth in those words of wisdom - as most things go - are circumstantial. I've found that my oldest friends have turned out to be quite great ones, even though some have faded with time and some wines are truly given a peak that shouldn't be passed if you plan on drinking them.

Italian mottos and Italian wines, however, should still be highly esteemed and frequently drunk.

Speaking of frequently drunk, I'm still Fantasy Trippin' it in Italy and tested out the Trullari Primitivo del Tarantino. Fancy words, yes. Trullari, the producer, in the region of Puglia of the Tarantino appellation, is home to the Primitivo grape (which is Zinfindel's identical twin, genetically), which flourishes in the limestone soaked soils of this area.

The wine is mostly Primitivo, that gets by with a little help from its friend Montepulciano, and stays true to its rustic, old-world origin in Italy.

The nose stood out with bright, red and ripe fruits. Cherries galore - almost in a Dimetapp fashion (I've never been a fan of the cough syrup) - with a mineral hint to it (must be the limestone) and a metallic aroma that hails from the wine's steel aging. 

The same fruitiness comes across on the palate, bordering on sweetness (red wines are not sweet, just fruity!). It was light but held complexity from the sleek tannins, heaps of fruit and gentle acidity. I found it to be quite the opposite of the full-bodied, spicy Zinfindels that I've witnessed from California. 

I think what killed this wine for me was that I could taste the alcohol more than feel it. I've gone on and on in previously posts about how I love the heat (alcohol) of the wine as it goes down the back of my throat. This case was different - I could taste the alcohol and not feel the heat. If I wanted to taste my drunk, I'd throw back some tequila. 

It could be that this guy was probably bottled roughly two years ago, and that's why I'm wanting to drink old wine instead and keep those old friends as well.

Score: 3.5. 

Pieropan 2006 Soave Classico White Wine

*Bottle #19: Pieropan 2006 Soave Classico White Wine

*Price: $12

*Running Tab: $250 (Free for me - got the hook up)

My future husband is Italian soccer star, Luca Toni - he most likely doesn't know it yet - but I'm the best thing that hasn't ever happened to him. In light of our love that he is unaware of, I've decided to Dream Trip it to Italy. I guess the Italian national team is doing okay in the Euro Cup also... 

That means soccer, Dad.

Thankfully, my latest work endeavor offers several Italian choices, from the wine to the cured meats we serve, all for decent prices, considering the shipping/gas costs we have to deal with for international sales these days. 

I landed the Pieropan 2006 Soave Classico, a nice $12 white table that is 90% Garganega and 10% Trebbiano. Italian what? Yeah, grapes, I guess.

The Pieropan producers are considered to be one of the best producers of these varietals in Italy, from their hometown of Soave, located in north-central Italy in the Soave Classico Appellation. SO much easier than the French! No wonder the Italian team beat France on Tuesday...

A typical blend together, these two grapes make up the Soave wine, stylized with elegance, citrus fruit and nut, savory but light on the palate.

I couldn't disagree. The golden straw liquid sat in my glass and shined brilliantly back at me. The nose set off a medium level acidity, a noticeable SO2 note (not in a bad way, just in a safely unoxidized way), extreme freshness and some zing to it. 

"Zing:" [noun] energy, enthusiasm or liveliness. 

Honey, honey, honey. Not just what my college boyfriend would say to drive me insane, but also the most prominent fragrance from the bulb of the glass. A summer-welcoming cantaloupe, pear and rainwater were standing firmly behind the honey as well. 

Just as I thought, on the mouth, there was pear and honey along with other citrus and tropical flavors. Plenty of acidity but more on the noise than the palate. There was some hint of white tea, like the kind of Starbucks... The Pieropan Soave was fresh and light yet complex with a wonderful finish. 

I'm not crazy enough about white wines to say this one put me threw the roof, but I did really like it. I like my Italian boyfriend better though. 

Score: 8. 

Penfolds Bin 128 2005 Shiraz

*Bottle #18: Penfolds Bin 128 2005 Coonawarra Shiraz

*Price: $20 (on average)

*Running Tab: $250

Back to Coonawarra, land of the Cabernet Sauvignon grape of Australia and home to the originally to Shiraz vines. Pinned down as Australia's claim to fame in the late 1800's, the Shiraz grape supposedly originated from Persia/Iran, before the French planted their legendary Syrah in the Rhone Valley.

Watch this slick guy... Shiraz IS Syrah! Australia vs. France, respectively. 

Just to snub the French where I "was" for the past two weeks, I "went back" to Australia on my magically, mystery wine tour of fiction for the great Shiraz/Syrah challenge. Mainly because of budgetary cutbacks - I dipped into the cellar only to travel back to the Land Down Under because it was my only international wine available... Honesty is blowing my cover as a wealthy sommelier! 

Penfolds holds the title as Australia's "first growth" wine and is considered to be one of its finest productions in the grape industry. Other than the lovely licks of Costco's high-selling Yellowtail Wines, Penfolds is one of the most recognizable and palatable labels from Oz. Penfolds Grange (their reserve label), comprised of mostly Shiraz with help from Cab, has received several 99s (out of 100) from Wine Spectator Magazine and wine critic Robert Parker Jr. croons over the "concentrated and exotic" blend. 

I'm really not going to sugarcoat it but the Bin 128 2005 Shiraz would not fall into the category I thought this lionized wine would have.

At its finest moment (which was nearly an hour and a half later after screwing off the top), the Shiraz was a nice table wine. 

The ruby red color faded as the wine hit the rim, hinting at its young age but giving a promise of plush fruit from the nose which offered blackberries, blueberries, cinnamon and a lot of black pepper. What took me the longest time to pinpoint was the meaty note in the bouquet - I'm not sure if I've been able to pull that out of any of my past wines but Penfolds gave a very distinct gamey scent to the wine. 

And there was that meat in the mouth as well but less prominent. A little bit of fruit and pepper from the nose transfered over as well. The wine was balanced with soft tannins that had a decent amount of grip to them but not so much that it felt as if my teeth were wearing pajamas. Now that is potent astringency. 

Alas, nothing in this wine was potent, powerful or exceptional. Like your very first kiss - it probably was okay for what it was, tasted fine but didn't shake you to the core. Like that kisser, the wine will probably get better when it's older. I'd lay this down for awhile and give it another try in a couple years.

It was simple, which I've had issues with in the past (kissing and wine) and that descriptor just doesn't seem to float my boat.

Score: 6.5. 

Domaine de La Vougeraie 2003 Gamay

Bottle #17: Domaine de La Vougeraie 2003 En Bollery Gamay 

Price: $18

Running Tab: $230

I'm not sure if it was my pathetic cry of desperation to forge into wine or my winning smile but somehow I convinced some crazy people into employing me at their wine bar. I'm ecstatic. 100+ wines by the glass - majority of them in extremely foreign languages with producers and winery names that trail on for days - and even more for retail that blow my mind for the prices these suckers can fly for. 

A handful or two of those wines are French and with Todd the Wine Guy training me at the shop n'bar by pouring miniscule tastes of wines for me to spit (boo), I've decided to extend my hypothetical stay in France. 

Let me tell you - Le systeme francais de vin semble raisonnable nul. That's a little Francais for you translating out to me still remaining completely confused by the entire French wine-ing system.

In a feeble attempt to understand more, I checked out what Burgundy can produce. And I chose a varietal the province is not typically known for (unintentionally - of course I had no idea!) - Gamay Noir, which is widely grown in Beaujolais.

The break down of this overly complex framework is as I see it like so: 

Domaine de La Vougeraie is a wine producer in Cote d'Or, which is a department in the Bourgogne region of Burgundy (which isn't a French province anymore but more of a celebrated wine area) in the country of France. En Bollery (the largest font title on the label) is merely the land plot. 

Holy details. Post-history lesson, I relished in this non-Burgundy Burgundy red wine. 

The bouquet from the Domaine de La Vougeraie was subtle yet with striking notes of oak, spice - nutmeg?, redcurrant and definite veggies like green bell peppers. A little earthy but nothing like that of a Pinot Noir. 

I was more sold on the palate of this wine - as I'm assuming that's how it should be. This bright, fruitful, ruby-colored wine had acidity that struck me at the core. It was solid but not forceful, giving the wine a bounce in its step. Like a Parisian romance song - the wine tasted as if it were in love...

The remainder of the wine was supple with light tannins and had a delightful finish - it didn't linger past its welcome but made a great first impression. Just what you'd expect from a French fling. 

Score: 9.