Two Wines from Mondial

Two very classy Italian food wines from Mondial

 

Mondial, an importer of Italian wines, asked if I would like to have a look around their site and pick out a couple of wines to review.

 

The website itself is professional, if a little functional, and could do with some Naked Wines-style choice architecture, but after a quick browse, I chose:

 

- a current vintage Vermentino; Italy's answer to Chardonnay, Vermentino is neutral-but-classy and an extremely versatile food wine

 

- an aged Taurasi; from the "instep" of Italy, Taurasi has a southern warmth and spiciness and I was keen to see what this wine from the last century would be like.

 

Both wines were very impressive - well-chosen, well-made, sophisticated and complex - and I would happily go back for more based on this showing.

 

Cherchi Tuvaoes Vermentino DOC 2013 (£17.64) golden Sandy yellow, sweet ripe orchard fruits, baked apple sprinkled with sweet spices, fresh zippy acidity; leesy  saline, mineral savouriness.

 

Very Good.

 

A versatile food wine; match with creamy mushroom pasta, roast pork or guinea fowl.

 

Mastroberardino Radici Taurasi Riserva DOCG 1999, (£34.68) decanted for around an hour, ruby garnet with some brick red hints; complex nose of dried red fruits, old leather, liquorice, green herbs, cool mint and roasted spices.

 

Fresh red and dark berries, firm, muscular tannins and supple texture. Long, precise and savoury.

 

Drinking nicely now, but will age further.

 

Very Good Indeed.

 

Match with venison steak or bistecca alla fiorentina.

 

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