Tramonte & Sons Wine Tasting

I recently tried 14 wines in the warehouse. The following were my favorite picks:

1. Cloverly Estate, Queensland Semillon Chardonnay 2002 ($10) -- Australia. 70/30%. Slight Semillon nose but not overpowering. Good balance. Cute fish on the label. After all, it's Australian.
2. Enotria, Moscato 2003 ($13 for 37.5cl) -- Mendocino, California. 7% alcohol. Slightly sweet dessert wine with very low alcohol. Delicious. Be sure to hide from the women in the house!
3. Robert Hall, Syrah 2000 ($17) -- Paso Robles, California. Elegant fruit flavors with a medium finish. Not a complex sipping wine, but great with food.
4. Monte Volpe, Peppolino 2001 ($22) -- Mendocino, California. A proprietary blend of 3 Italian varietals: Sangiovese (34%), Montepulciano (33%), Negroamaro (33%). Winemaker is Greg Graziano, who makes wine under Saint Gregory, Enotria, Graziano and Monte Volpe, and is from a third generation Italian family who produces only Italian varietals. Not a big nose, but wonderfully balanced flavors, makes a great food wine with acid backbone and just a touch of sweetness.
5. Sabatucci, Primitivo di Manduria Emozione 2000 ($24) -- Italy. Vincola Savese SNC. 16% alcohol. A slight wiff of dried cork on opening, but not flawed. Full-bodied flavors. Integrated tannins, good finish. Did I mention that it was full-bodied! This is related to the Zinfandel varietal and would be another good food wine with roasted meats, chili, or hand grenades!
6. Enotria, Barbera 2001 ($14) -- Mendocino, California. Good fruit nose and flavors. Another good food wine.

Greg Graziano will be in town in May to host some wine dinners. I will let you know the details as soon as I know. Tentatively I will be hosting a dinner with Greg at Pho Paris on May 9th. Reservations are limited to 40. It should be fun pairing the French Vietnamese cuisine with Greg's great food wines. One of the chefs told me to bring in the wines and he will work on a special menu to match the wines.