2015 Vignalta Marrano - Veneto IGT Rosso (750ml)

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If you can forgive its label and squat bottle that we can all agree won't win any beauty contests, and just taste this wine, we think you'll agree this wine from the Veneto just slays for $35--good luck finding a better Cabernet blend for the price! This can outpace wines at 3 times the price. It comes from a tiny DOC called the Colli Euganei, which may count among the most overlooked in Italy. Lucio Gomiero took his inspiration from great Bordeaux, and set out to make wines in that vein with the finest vineyard sites he could find. Lucio Gomero set up shop here early in 1980 and was a trailblazer for the region; this trailblazing decision allowed him to take his pick of the most choice vineyard sites available in the region--most often at the highest elevation points of each area. A volcanic nudge from beneath a layer of limestone created the hilly landscape here which also enriched the subsoils, rendering ideal vineyard sites. The magma never quite pierced the surface, creating surreal, flattened cones. Each site is varied between limestone, volcanic, and sedimentary soils, offering a wide range of sites for different varieties.  

How marvelous that with nearly 10 years of aging, this wine still feels so fresh and alive! The wine is unctuous, but balanced and pure. Aromas of tea (likely Merlot-derived) and licorice (likely Cabernet-derived) give shape and contour to the wine's fruit, and this would make for an excellent partner to rich meats or even pizza.