2008 Vino Rosso

$9.50 per bottle / $114 per case*

A brilliant blend of the delightfully fragrant Piemontese grape dolcetto, its muscular counterpart nebbiolo, and the elegant Rhôdanian syrah.

Juicy and bright on the palate, it's a luscious mouthful of bramble and stone fruits, raspberries, plums, and peaches. The über-ripe dolcetto contributes a come-hither fragrance and flavors of black raspberries, red raspberries, cherries, and strawberries, and the nebbiolo and cool-climate syrah temper the blend, giving it rigor and boundaries, plus a deeply spicy, earthy undertone.

A wine eminently suited for gastronomy, especially cuisine involving saucy tomatoes, meaty braises, pastas, bread with seasoned oils—truly all manner of rustic Mediterranean fare. A couple of years of bottle age have tamed the beast and it is truly delicious. But drink it with pasta and red sauce, not with the Queen.

Vital Statistics
Varietal Blend: 72% dolcetto, 14% nebbiolo, and 14% syrah
Appellation: California
Alcohol by Volume: 13.5%
Production: 1,200 cases
Cellaring: 5-8 years
pH: 3.42
TA: 8.55 g/L

* Same price for members and nonmembers; because of the rock-bottom pricing, there are no further discounts on this wine.