Carpineto Dogajolo `08, (IGT) $13.99 (Not TJ's) 2nd Review***

When I saw this wine in the wine rack, I thought to myself... "hey, I have reviewed this before!"  Of course it was wine that I had (maybe a bit too much of and played table football...) at a restaurant on the Upper East Side, but it really went well with the meal then.  How would it fare for a Sunday lunch??? Today, I found out.

JPH laid out a spread of smoked chicken, sausage, pate, cheese and fresh bread. After some discussion about the picture - MEH took the first pics, and they were the best (hers in the one on the left - I'll post mine below), I took my first sip.  This Carpineto Dogajolo "Baby Super Tuscan" (13% ETOH)  has Sangiovese (80%) as the predominant taste, strong, fruity, kind of oaky but the finish was definitely Cabernet Sauvignon (20%) making it mellow and long.

We broke bread and munched away at a picnic spread of cold meats, subtle cheeses and bread from the oven. It was a good inexpensive dry red table wine that cut through the rich cheeses:  Bucheron, a goat cheese from the Loire that is MEH's favorite & Queso Manchego, a Spanish sheep's milk cheese that has firmer, riper, buttery flavor.

After the Vinturi:  Yes, it would do you well to aerate this wine.  It not only opens it up, but it evens out the taste, making it a consistent mild acid cherry taste of the Sangiovese with the deep dryer taste of the Cabernet. It is interesting how they make this wine.  The grapes are picked, and then fermented separately  - due to different timing in the fermentation for each varietal and then they blend the wine for a fermentation in oak barrels.  On first sip, the wine has light tannins, but after the Vinturi, it has a much longer finish.

An Italian "Super Tuscan" wine, American smoked chicken breast, French sausage, pate and cheese, along with some Spanish cheese made for an international party of flavors on a beautiful Fall afternoon. There were New York Honey Crisp Apples for Dessert - but I opted for the chocolate meringues that JPH made on Saturday... (Have I mentioned how spoiled I am since I have been staying here?  Expect some very depressed posts when I move to a place of my own.)