Thursday, June 12, 2008

2007 Argiolas Serra Lori Rosato

Time to try another Rosé! This was the third Rosé that I recently purchased at the Lower Falls Wine Co.. How would it compare to the other two? Was there any way it could top the 2007 Txakoli Gurrutxaga Rosado?

The Argiolas winery and vineyard, about 494 acres, is located on the island of Sardinia in Italy. Antonio Argiolas and his twin sons, Franco and Giuseppe, run the winery. They have focused on indigenous varietals, including white grapes such as Nuragus and Vermentino and red grapes such as Cannonau, Monica, Carignano and Bovale Sardo. Their first vintage was bottled in 1989. Their wine maker is Mariano Murru and they also use a consultant, Giacomo Tachis.

The 2007 Argiolas Serra Lori Rosato (about $16) is a blend of Cannonau, Monica, Carignano and Bovale Sardo. Though the label only mentions the Cannonau. The grapes are harvested from south-eastern facing vineyards in the hills surrounding Guamaggiore and Selegas. The vineyard soils are composed of clay and limestone. The grapes are hand harvested and undergo a partial carbonic maceration and extremely short traditional maceration. The wine is aged for 3 months followed by an additional 3 months in bottle.

This wine has a vibrant light rose color with a nose of strawberry. On the palate, the wine has a strong alcohol taste. It has an alcohol content of 13.5%, higher than some other Rosés, but it should not be as obvious. Though there is some interesting bright fruit flavors, the alcohol dampened my enjoyment of the wine. So, I cannot recommend this wine. I do own another bottle though. Maybe this bottle was a fluke. If the other bottle is better than this one, I will report back.

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