Similarly the nose is very youthful, with blackberry and a little tar and vanilla to the fore, with some brighter red fruit/floral in support. I'd expect to see these settle down little with additional cellar time.
Again blackberry to lead on the palate, but as with the nose, there are red fruits giving a lighter/fresher angle, though the vanilla dulls that a little. Talking of freshness, the acidity is firm and refreshing, which works really well with the darker and quite imposing fruit. Some residual tannins, though a little lighter than expected for this grape variety, but still enough combined with that dark fruit to give a sense of bitterness on the finish.
Definitely worth 2-3 years more in the cellar, and has the potential to improve beyond that.
Overall not a wine to tempt me away from Rivera, but one I'd like to try again once it's got a few years in the cellar. It definitely has potential.
Last edited by Ian S on Wed Jun 28, 2017 11:17 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Plenty to explore in Italy, and whilst Puglia can be very variable, often the pricing remains very good. Castel del Monte (where nero di Troia is often blended with Montepulicano or Nero d'Avola) is appealing to my palate, but plenty more of interest from the more widely available Salice Salentino or Primitivos to a wine such as Gratticciaia made in the Amarone style.
Puglia would be the most underated Italian region, huge potential, fantastic climate, soils and varieties. It is where I would buy a vineyard, just between Lecce and the Gulf
For someone who loves trying something new... can't wait!