With the plethora of Italian wine currently hitting out shores, it is hard to differentiate one from the other. There has been a flood of the pinot grigio, chianti and Super Tuscan varieties, most of which have proven to be pretty good, but that is not how it was in the recent past.
For some reason, after the loss of popularity of chianti, Italian wines were, to say the least, wanting. It took a great deal of work on the part of the Italian government to return the wines to their former glory. During this “black period,” there were some vintners who were still producing quality wines but whose reputations had been severely damaged by the poor wines being produced by other vintners.
One of these notable producers is Mazzoni, whose winemakers travel throughout Italy to find the best grapes for wines that can be identified with a particular district, such as chianti, pinot grigio, and most specifically, barbera.
Mazzoni 2009 Piemonte Barbera ($24)Unfortunately, there have been some Italian wines that have not been easy to find, especially those from the area in the northwestern part of the country called Piemonte, or as we call it, Piedmont. Having been in Piedmont, we believe that we may know the reason; the Piedmontese are drinking it all themselves, leaving little for anyone else.
Mazzoni winemakers draw their grapes for this wine from the area in and around the center of the barbera grape-growing district, the Piedmont city of Asti.
The Mazzoni 2009 Piemonte Barbera has an inky garnet color and presents the aromas of blueberries, wild flowers and oak. The flavor offers the sensation of ripe red summer fruits balanced by a firm oak backbone. The finish is one of the outstanding features of this wine, displaying the very noticeable flavors of blueberries and blackberries. When well aged, as this one is, the wine takes on an incredible mellowness.
As you might well imagine, this wine is perfect for spicy meat dishes and those accompanied by a red sauce.
Mazzoni 2010 Rosso di Toscana ($21)As the name of the wine indicates, the grapes for this wine come from Tuscany, and, being from Tuscany, the main continuant is the sangiovese grape variety.
Along with the sangiovese, the Mazzoni vintners blended in 28 percent merlot to craft a wine similar to the very expensive Super Tuscans. The aroma presents plums, blackberry, sweet spices and a hint of licorice. The flavor is soft with smooth tannins and an exceptionally long finish.
This is a wine that simply cries to be served with anything from the barbecue up to and including heavier seafood.
Mazzoni 2011 Bianci di Toscana ($20)While we are looking at Tuscany, Mazzoni gives us a chance to sample a wine from a grape not often seen in the United States, the vermentino.
This straw yellow wine has been blended with 25 percent chardonnay to help round out the pear and apple flavor and aroma. There is also the tell-tale mineral background that has made the wines of Tuscany famous.
When cooled, this wine is a dream to serve with salads popular in the heat of summer.
Mazzoni 2011 Pinot Grigio ($20)The grapes for this wine come from the northeastern region of Italy, near the city of Venice, where they grow the white grapes used to produce the Mazzoni pinot grigio.
This is an almost colorless wine which is smooth, silky and blessed with the big and expansive aroma of summer flowers. The flavors, too, are equally expansive, stressing citrus and pineapple with hints of peach and spice and a finish that is long and fruity and stays in the mouth long after it has been swallowed.
Try this exceptional wine with chicken dishes, as well as with traditional seafood and pastas.
With wines made from the pinot grigio grape becoming more popular in the United States, this wine should be an immediate success, so shop early.
Nixa resident Bennet Bodenstein is a wine columnist and manages ArticlesOnWine.com. He can be reached at frojhe1@att.net.
