Notes on 6 Wines from a Sunday BBQ 6/6/10

Got together with a few friends of mine in Waterbury for a nice Sunday afternoon BBQ. The weather was on and off but the food was great and the wines tasty. We dove into the whites first, both from Italy. I, admittedly, don’t have the most experience with Italian whites besides Pinot Grigio. The first bottle was a 2008 Bigi Orvieto Classico. Bigi is the leading wine of Orvieto and the wine is dubbed “the wine of popes” because of its popularity at the Vatican. The Bigi wasn’t a big wine but was light bodied, smooth, refreshing with nice acidity.  A white wine blend that reminded me of a Sauvignon Blanc.

Next came the 2006 Bastianich Vespa Bianco. Owned by Joe Bastianich, who owns several restaurants in NYC besides a variety of other things. Comprised of 45% Chardonnay, 45% Sauvignon and 10% late harvested Picolit, this had much more complexity than the first wine. It displayed some apple, peach and smoke flavors with a  nice creaminess to it as well. Impressive.

The 2006 Viticcio Chianti Classico Reserva we tried a few weeks ago on one of our Saturday afternoon tastings at the store and it is a very nice wine.  Ranked #35 on Wine Spectator’s Top 100 of 2009, the wine took about an hour to open up. Once it did this medium bodied wine had flavors of sour cherry, earth, and meat with silky tannins and a polished finish.

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The next wine is one of my favorite value wines out of Napa Valley, the 2007 Atticus John Cabernet Sauvignon. Word has it that it is the leftover grapes from a larger winery in Napa that sells for close to $100 a bottle. I have heard three different wineries although it is obviously speculation. Regardless, this is a very nice bottle with a lot of upfront red and dark fruit flavors. The silky tannins glide across your palate and it has a hint of vanilla on the finish. Doesn’t drink like a $25 bottle!

We changed gears with the next bottle, opening a Bleasdale Uncle Dick’s Sparkling Shiraz. This is the only sparkling Shiraz I have ever had. Quite an interesting contrast.  You really get the fruit flavors of the Shiraz but the bubbles add an interesting twist.  If your ever in the mood to try something different, pick up a bottle of this.

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We rounded out the night with a classic Italian value wine, the 2005 Villa Antinori Toscana. A blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Syrah, it had some upfront cherry and plum flavors that gave way to herb and coffee on the backend. Got better with time but the tannin suggested this could use either a decant or a few more years in bottle.  Overall, a very nice afternoon trying a variety of different wines.