Sunday, August 12, 2007

Mocavero Puteus - 2001 Reserve

I believe that this wine was purchased at Big Red Liquors in Bloomington, IN....although I don't remember if that is definitely where I bought it. I think it was about $11 for the bottle. This is an Italian wine that is 80% Negroamaro grapes and 20% Malavasia nera. I had never heard of these grapes or this wine name in my life, but thought it would be a fun wine to purchase and try.

The Wine Guy and I decided to drink this on a night when we ate Italian food, thus the full "Italian" theme. The label of the wine said that it is "better to decant it before drinking it", so about two hours before our meal we poured it into a decanter. I would definitely say the label was right! When the Wine Guy first smelled the wine he kind of made a face and said, "It smells weird." Well, by the time we enjoyed it with our spaghetti with meat sauce and garlic breadsticks it was just right, and has continued to get even better since the meal is over (or is that just the 13.5% alcohol talking?)

Anywho, the wine has a VERY spicy scent...it'll clean out your nostrils! The flavor, as the wine guy describes it, is "very fruity", with a lot of red jammy fruit flavors as well as spice (a hearty peppery spice). It went well with our spaghetti, although in the future I might serve it with a spicier meal - perhaps something that has a lot of pepper in it. I asked Wine Guy for his final input and he said thoughtfully, "I'd say it's medium to full bodied?" and I agree.

Date tasted: 8/12/2007
Winery name & location: Mocavero - Salice Salentino, Italy
Grape/blend: Puteus (80% Negroamaro and 20% Malavasia nera)
Vintage: 2001 Reserve
Color: dark ruby
Taste: medium to full bodied, red jammy fruits, loads of spice
Aroma: One of the least favorable attributes of this wine...very spicy, almost too much. Also has a bit of a smoky scent.
Thoughts/info from wine label: "Suitable for: game, roast meat, spicy dishes, salami. To be serve: 18-20 degrees Celsius - It's better to decant before drinking it. To be dept: 16 degrees Celsius."


Below is our rating for this wine:

Wine Gal's Five Grape Tasting Scale: OOO
Wine Guy's Five Grape Tasting Scale: OOO 1/2
Almost in perfect agreement...I think the Wine Gal just finds the wine to be a bit too spicy on both the nose and the taste. Give it a try if you plan to cook a hot-hot-hot meal! :)

Link to winery's website: www.mocaverovini.it

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