One Of the Most Exciting New Finds Of 2011
An Italian Red With A French Flair
Tre Bicchieri Winner Glorious Cabernet
I have a very good friend in the wine business that happens to service one of the finest Restaurant Groups in New York. He alerted me to this wine and I was lucky enough to taste it around June of last year. Ever since I have patiently awaiting an allocation to offer and it has finally arrived. The wine is not good; it is truly exceptional, one of the purest, cleanest expressions of Cabernet I have ever tasted. Since then the winery has one of the Italy’s most coveted wine award called Tre Bicchieri by Italy’s leading wine publication, Gambero Rosso. The wine is 2006 Tenuta Mazzolino Corvino Cabernet and it must be tasted to be believed. Superbly balanced, excellent intense fruit and soft integrated tannins. I met the winemaker in NYC, Jean Francois Coquard in the fall, yes a French winemaker who comes from a top Burgundy family and has won awards for wines he has made in Burgundy. This French dimension adds a depth to the wine and complexity. The region where this wine hails from is Oltrepo Pavese in the Lombardi Province of Italy. From this area you can literally have lunch in Italy and have dinner in France. Tenuta Mazzolino is a blend of French and Italian culture and vines. This area is also known as old Piedmont and has ancient ties to France. We also don’t think of Italy and quality Cabernet coming together but this wine really works. Great with food, superbly pure and clean, impeccably well made and develops luscious pronounced black fruits as the wine opens up. I am sure many of you can remember the great restaurant scenes in HBO series, The Sopranos. Well in one of those scenes the wine being enjoyed is the wine I am recommending today.

Tasting Notes: The Corvino is made of 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. The grapes are hand-picked, hand-sorted, crushed and destemmed. The fermentation takes place in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks and lasts two weeks. This long fermentation allows a good extraction of color and tannins. The Corvino is aged one year in French oak from the Allier and Tronçais forests and 25% of the cooperage is made of new barrels. The Corvino is full-bodied with a deep rich red color. It has aromas reminiscent of little red berries, a bouquet of leather, coffee and jam, a full mouth-feel and ripe tannins. The Corvino will age well and should be enjoyed at around 18° C (68° F) after allowing the wine to breathe. With aging, the Corvino develops complexity and finesse.