1997 Allegrini Palazzo Della Torre, Valpolicela

[Drew]

Opened this tonight with some penne pasta cacciatore, my recipe.
Very dark ruby, almost opaque. Nose of dark fruit, some oak, tobacco, and I swear, molasses. Rich with flavors of blackberry and tobacco but a little too much oak. Paired well with the meal but just a little too much wood. Close to perfect. $16

Drew

[winepoppi]

Drew, if you enjoyed that wine, you should also try the 1997 Allegrini La Grola for under $20. Its full bodied made from 70% corvina, 15% rondinella, 10% syrah and 5% sangiovese. This juice is supple and rich. The oak, rather than being intense is rather subtle.

[hotwine]

Opened a 2000 of the Allegrini PDT tonight with spaghetti & meat sauce, garlic-buttered French bread. Don't think there was a friggin' veggie on the table. Wow, dee-lish of a wine! Ditto Drew's notes but minus the oak prominence. This dude's in balance and still the same price.

[wondersofwine]

I had the Allegrini Grola Veronese IGT (vintage wasn't listed on the menu) at Bistro Montage in Des Moines, Iowa. It was suggested as the wine to accompany duck breast. As indicated above by Winepoppi, the grapes are Corvina, Rondinella, Syrah, and Sangiovese. I didn't take any notes at the time but found it an enjoyable red wine. One website describes it as having a nose of bitter red fruits and some herbs, and a palate of herbs, cherries with some wood. It mentions that it is balanced and has some complexity.