Taurino Salice Salentino

[Innkeeper]

Picked this one up a week before the last one I posted at the New Hampshire State liquor store off I-95 in Hampton. Not that I'm a big fan of state or provincial stores, but New Hampshire does a good job, and competes with private stores when it come to wines.

This one is 1997 Taurino, Salice Salentino, Riserva, Rosso ($8.99). It is 80% negroamaro and 20% malvasia rosso with not a trace of primitivo. The resulting lack of acidity was overcome by yield reduction and concentration. It was a very nice wine that we would buy again. It revealed plums (really glad I tasted some recently) and faint barnyard aromas. Had a glass as dinner was cooking, and the stand alone results were not for the faint hearted. The plums and other ripe fruit carried over to the tongue tip, very earthy and deep forest flavors contributed to the complexity across the palate, and the slighty oaky finish lingered. With food it was marvelous. We matched it with OO broiled Italian sausage and salad. Just fantastic. Look for this one.

Have a nagging feeling in my stomach that the great deals on Salice Salentino will not hold for much longer. It is getting a lot of publicity in the mainline press. So guys and gals, rush out and get some soon. Think I've posted on five or so of these and haven't found a bad one yet. Can't say the same for some of our other favs such as CDR.

[This message has been edited by Innkeeper (edited 11-19-2001).]

[Botafogo]

Fear not, IK, if they built a ten foot wall arounc Puglia and didn't let them export wine they would drown in a day. There are OCEANS of cheap, delicious reds there that they don't even show us because they are $1 a liter at the wellhead and they don't want to undermine the market for the ones that are $4.99 retail....

[This message has been edited by Botafogo (edited 11-19-2001).]