Wine Review - 12e Mezzo Primitivo: Bold Wine Consumed From A Recommendation
We were shopping at Cristall Wine Merchants and we decided to grab a Primitivo to have with dinner. At the cash, our selection was reviewed by Pete from behind the counter and he asked if we were selecting that particular Primitivo on purpose and we said no. He immediately led us back to the Italian wines and grabbed this one which was the same price at $17. He said this one was superior and we were easily convinced to change our selection. He was a fantastic knowledgeable and friendly salesperson, kudos to him. He also said if we liked it and reviewed to say that "Pete says it is OK!" Well Pete, we like it.
We decanted the wine and had it with homemade Pita Pizzas. From Varvaglione Vigne & Vini in Italy, this Primitivo (think cousin of Zinfandel) is a fairly robust red with a heavy dose of coffee, chocolate, and cherries.
It is a dark wine, as expected, in the glass with a very deep mahogany or cherry wood that feels like a thick wine when you swirl it. The legs are slow to roll down the sides of the glass, however, this wine comes in at 12.5% on the label. Interesting.
The nose is very oaky with vanilla and cherries and a hint of mocha. The nose is not overly complicated but does have a nice bouquet and has an attractiveness to it.
The taste is quite delicious and goes very well with food. The cherries and vanilla continue but the main taste profile revolves around the enhanced cocoa and coffee flavours that were present in the nose. For being a full bodied grape it is not as big as one would expect, call it medium to full bodied. The wine does linger on the palate to the point of being very extended which is a nice note. We could definitely see this being a great wine to pair with a steak or a heavier pasta dish. Overall, it is a very solid wine with some heavy tannins and great a fairly good balance.
We decanted the wine and had it with homemade Pita Pizzas. From Varvaglione Vigne & Vini in Italy, this Primitivo (think cousin of Zinfandel) is a fairly robust red with a heavy dose of coffee, chocolate, and cherries.
It is a dark wine, as expected, in the glass with a very deep mahogany or cherry wood that feels like a thick wine when you swirl it. The legs are slow to roll down the sides of the glass, however, this wine comes in at 12.5% on the label. Interesting.
The nose is very oaky with vanilla and cherries and a hint of mocha. The nose is not overly complicated but does have a nice bouquet and has an attractiveness to it.
The taste is quite delicious and goes very well with food. The cherries and vanilla continue but the main taste profile revolves around the enhanced cocoa and coffee flavours that were present in the nose. For being a full bodied grape it is not as big as one would expect, call it medium to full bodied. The wine does linger on the palate to the point of being very extended which is a nice note. We could definitely see this being a great wine to pair with a steak or a heavier pasta dish. Overall, it is a very solid wine with some heavy tannins and great a fairly good balance.
| Tasting Notes: | Score: | |
| Sight (0-5) | Deep mahogany colour with a thickness to the wine in the swirl. | 4.0 |
| Smell (0-5) | Oaky with vanilla and cherries and a nice touch of mocha in the nose. | 4.0 |
| Taste (0-10) | Not as big as we would expect so we would call it medium to full bodied. Cherries and vanilla continue but the mocha kicks in there with strong tannins and pretty good balance overall. This wine sticks around on the tongue...very nice. | 8.0 |
| Total: | 16.0 / 20 (80.0%) |
This is not a bad little wine and is worth the price. As a Primitivo, we really like it but if it were a bit more full bodied we would love it. Nice selection Pete, well done.
Keep on tasting!
Chris & Shannon
thx for the thumbs up......hope I see you both soon
ReplyDeleteyour friend Pete (wine geek)LOL