Cesari Ripasso

[Innkeeper]

2000 Cesari, Mara, Vino di Ripasso, Valpolicella Superiore ($9.99 Micucci’s Market, Portland). Black cherry aromas join with deep red fruit on the tongue tip. Full body (13.5% alcohol), rich texture, and off dry bitter-sweet complexity course the palate, and the finish is delightful. Matched it with beef kielbasa, salad vinaigrette, and dinner rolls. Very nice. This has to be close to the top QPR for a Ripasso.

[Innkeeper]

Picked up two more bottles of this on the way to the birthday party for two of our granddaughters that share July 17 tho six years apart and from our two twins. They were greatly enjoyed at the party that started early, and at the after party later on Saturday. Very, very nice both as a food wine and as a quaffer. It was back up the $14.99 or a five dollar hike. Sigh!

[Innkeeper]

Had a bottle of the '01 tonight with even more pesto and Italian sausage. The '01 is worth the $13.99 that it settled down to. This has certainly been the summer of pesto. Seems to be basil everywhere at give away prices.

[Innkeeper]

So this is a slow day, so I'll mention that we had one tonight with grillpanned portorhouse steak, and it was just wonderful. Sorry, Bucko, Italian Wine goes just fine with steak.