Palazzo Della Torre, Veronese 2000, Allegrini, Italy
~ $16.00

I drank this wine the other night on my birthday after a friend let me choose any wine from his modest collection and it was a great choice. Later I found out that it was actually made the top 100 in the Wine Spectator, 2004. It was #65. It is a Valpolicella blend of Corvina (70%), Rondinella (25%) and Sangiovese (5%). A note for the label, Allegrini is the producer or winery and Palazzo Della Torre is the vineyard that the grapes came from and Veronese (Verona) is the appellation that the vineyard is located in.

Color: Dark Ruby with edges becoming orange from age.

Nose: Strong aromas of dark chocolate, leather, and tobacco with a core of dark fruits that open up as the wine sits in the glass. There is a mineral earthiness and mushroom character that lingers in the background as well.

Palate: The wine is well rounded on the palate with integrated tannins and a full jammy flavor. The wine does have a rather quick finish to it and leaves you wondering where it went. It is so strong up front and then feels weak as it leaves.

Overall: It is a very good wine, it looks like it is aging fairly quickly which may be because Corvina is such a light wine and the Rondinella gives the wine strength in tannin and mouthfeel. Overall it is a great wine to drink now or keep for another couple of years.

I give it a B+