AdamJefferson's Wines

A great full bodied wine, packed with fruit flavors of blackberry, persimmon and cherry, with just a little oak and tobacco in the finish. Enjoy hearty mouthfulls with a roast beef crusted in sea salt, rosemary and coarse black pepper, or a venison stew. Sip with very dark chocolate. A very good value.

I stumbled onto this bottle--a 2005 for $10--in a grocery store and bought it because I drank a different merlot from Fontana Candida a few months ago and liked it. This wine is from the Lazio province of Italy, is not particularly fragrant, but has an interesting earthy flavor that finishes spicy. I haven't tasted many like it for near the price; a great value. A fine pairing for pastas dressed with red sauce. I'm planning to have a bottle with a really great meatloaf soon.

I recently ordered this wine in a neighborhood restaurant in Rome on a waiter's recommendation. I'd never heard of it before. It has a very clear but deep color and medium body. The aroma was unremarkable but generally pleasant and not indicating a "fresh" wine. Nothing special to this point, which made the first taste such a surprise. The flavor is very spicy (black pepper and eastern seasonings like tumeric or ginger overpower any fruitiness that the texture and smell would have suggested); the taste lingers. It paired well with antipasto of roasted peppers, eggplant, and deep fried squash flowers with anchovy, and equally well with a meal of ravioli in a light marinara sauce, and linguini carbonara (liked it better with the carbonara, but it complimented both well). I'd try something else with mild cheeses, fresh fruits and vegetables--or lighter main dish than we tried--as this wine would mask subtle flavors without the muscle to fight through or which lacked the staying power to outlast it on the tongue. We passed on dessert for a gelato nearby but I wish we'd had the opportunity to finish off the bottle with something made out of dark chocolate.