17 September 2017
This Castel del Monte DOCG produced by Torrevento is officially priced at 24.30 CHF, but is currently selling for 16.50 CHF at Denner.
The wine is made with Nero di Troia grapes: Troia being the town of the Odyssey, where the grape supposedly originated from; Nero referring to the intense ruby color, almost black.
On the nose there is a clear predominance of mulberries. In the mouth the wine is austere, with drying tannins, a harsh finishing and not much of aftertaste.
Having previously drunk a couple of pleasant wines made with this native grape of Puglia (while in the region and for a much lower price), I had higher expectations towards this bottle. On the other side, I stopped by chance at the Torrevento winery on the way to the retreat of the Holy Roman Emperor Fredrick II and didn’t taste any wine, because they were busy selling mainly cheap wines by the litre. That’s probably what they are good at.
I personally don’t look at ratings, but for those who do, the wine is rated 91 points by The Wine Advocate of Robert Parker fame.
Country: Italy
Region: Puglia
Grapes: Nero di Troia
Type: Red
Vintage: 2013
Producer: Torrevento
Price range: Medium (15-30 US$)
Pascal’s Enjoyment Index: 2/5