Allegrini Palazzo Della Torre 2004

Keeping with the tradition of pairing a cheaper Italian wine with a simple tasty pasta, I chose to pair my lamb sausage, feta and mint pasta with Allegrini's Palazzo Della Torre, an IGT wine (IGT is a new designation set up by the Italian government that has less strict requirements than the traditional DOC and DOCG labels, but is still supposed to indicate a 'finer' wine) from the Veneto and made in a unique style inspired by Allegrini's methods for the production of Amarone. I won't get into the details of that, since I find it kind of boring - but suffice it to say that it is not a typical ripasso style, although it still borrows intensity from the Amarone grapes, albeit with different techniques. The wine is made from 70% Corvina, 25% Rondinella, and 5% Sangiovese.

The nose was black cherry and wood and felt a bit hot. On the palate the wine was moderately tannic and minerally with a health dose of sweet plum. It reminded me of a certain stoney-earthyness and its decent acidity gave it structure and sparkle. If I have a critique it is that the wine is too hot and alcoholic and so tends to have a bit of a harsh feel when swishing it around one's mouth. This mellowed a bit with air and food, but it was not a perfect match with the pasta. I think, instead, I would recommend a rich stewed or braised type meat. So, while not as balanced as I tend to like wine, this still had great concentration and flavour and ended up being decent and enjoyable.

Very Good

$30 at BCLDB