Amendment 21 Wines

Baracchi Winery's O'Lillo Supertuscan hails from the hills outside Cortona in southern Tuscany. "Supertuscan" refers to a style of Italian red wine made in the region of Tuscany from a blend of both autochthonous and non-autochthonous grape varieties. In this case, O'Lillo is made with 25% Sangiovese, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, and 25% Syrah.

The wine is macerated in conical tanks for 22 days; 6 months in stainless steel followed by 3 months in bottle. Ruby red in color, traditional in its complexity, roundness, elegance, yet modern in its intense fruitiness, accessibility, and soft tannins. You'll find aromas and flavors of black fruit and roast coffee. $19.99

The Barbera grape variety hails from north western Italy and can be found growing in & around the quaint village of Alba. Barbera flourishes here and produces medium-bodied reds that burst with red fruit flavors, offer mild tannins, and high levels of acidity. Barbera d'Alba is ideal alongside lighter fare, especially dishes such as pasta, stewed chicken, barbequed dishes, veal, grilled lamb, and tomato sauces.

The Barbera d'Alba Superiore DOC from Palladino is made with 100% Barbera grapes, fermented from 15 to 16 days at a controlled temperature. The must is stirred 3 times a day starting the wine making process. In March the wines is placed in big barrels of Slavonia oak for a period of 12 months. $15.99

The Italian viticultural area known as the "Langhe" is situated in north-western Italy in the province of Piedmonte, at the foot of the Alps. It is here you will find some of Italy's most noble red wines made from the variety known as Nebbiolo. Nebbiolo (from the word 'nebbia', which means fog) is king of the Langhe and produces wines that are lightly colored, highly tannic, and which offer scents of tar and roses. 

This Langhe Nebbiolo is a great entry to the category which includes Barolo, Barbaresco, Gattinara, and a few others. Although those wines fetch much higher prices, the Nebbiolo from Monchiero will offer an expression of Nebbiolo without breaking the bank.

Light, bright ruby red color. Straightforward fruity aromas of cherry, plum, strawberry, and red flowers. A bit more depth and grip than the light color and bouncy, fruity nose would lead you to expect. The acid is strong, and noticeable tannin makes this a very food-frinedly wine. Clingy flavors of dark cherry and some roasted herbal resin.

Try it with Venison, roasted meats, pasta with a strong meat sauce, beef casseroles, and salami. $15.99 

Amarone is one of Italy's most noble wines.  Hailing from the northern Veneto region, Amarone is produced with the Corvina, Rondinella, and Molinara grape varieties.  The grapes are harvested ripe in the first two weeks of October and allowed to dry, traditionally on straw mats. This process is called appassimento or rasinate (to dry and shrivel) in Italian. This causes an intense concentration of the remaining sugars and flavours.

Wine Enthusiast magazine awarded this wine 89 points and had this to say:

"Young and sprightly, this bright Amarone delivers fresh notes of berry fruit, exotic spice and cola. The quality of the nose is very clean and polished, and the wine boasts sweet flavors backed by impressive intensity. Although it's ready to drink now, the wine will show even better after 2010."  $54.99

Another Blair Taylor import, this is made from the Brachetto grape and is the red cousin to everyone's favorite Italian dessert wine, Moscato. If you enjoy Moscato, you'll fall in love with Villa M!

Hand-picked Brachetto grapes are rushed into the wine press to preserve their fresh and vibrant flavors. The result is a markedly sweet red with a bubbly effervescence that leaves your palate longing for more.

Grab a bottle of Villa M along with some strawberries and whipped cream and you just might end up like Mickey Rourke and Kim Bassinger in '91/2 Weeks!' $16.99