We don’t even bother trying to compare New World Pinot’s with their Burgundian cousins. There is just too much depth and nuance in those old world bottles. Centuries of meals rife with wild game and fecund cheese have challenged Euro winemakers in ways we Yanks can only vaguely recall from novels we had to read in high school.
So what can you expect from a 15$ Sicilian Pinot from BevMo? Actually quite a bit. The 2008 Feudo Arancio Pinot brings not only muscle and grace, but a rough herbasciousness Italian die-hards will delight in.
color: Forget the wan hepatitis yellow of typical to Pinot’s, this is thick blood red.
nose - raspberry vines buried in blackberry brambles and baked beneath a Sicilian sun. High notes of spice.
palate: black cherry so deep it hints at sherry. Finishes with a wiry bitterness only an Italian wine can deliver. For those who like fruity and sweet oak this will feel like scraping nails on a chalk board. For those who appreciate bitterness with their food friendly wine dive in feet first and don’t come up for air!
Ultimately, after 1/2 hour of breathing, the richness gives way to an earthy terroir that is suprisingly complex. This has the depth and breadth of a good mid-range Super Tuscan, but it delivers the rough, untamed brambles of a village Italian wine. Don’t mess with this paisano.
This can handle both wild game and rich meaty tomatoe based sauces. Let in be the bitter edge your meal lacks, cutting through rich red gravey or a supple fillet. Great with h’ors d’vours as well as a main course. Only Italian crazed wine lovers like me would quaff this wine without food.
Green bonus: Though this wine is imported Arancio has won awards for Green agriculture as well as eco-sensible site development. This does not qualify as organic wine production but looks to be large scale wine production with serious effort paid towards sustainable practices.
