Barbera
& Bonarda 2003
Wine Lovers'
Page
 It's a fine Italian red from the Po River valley south of Milan, a blend
of the familiar Barbera and the not-so-familiar Bonarda grape, the local name
in Lombardy for Croatina, a different variety than the Bonarda of Piemonte.
It's a very dark
wine, blackish-purple at the center, clear garnet at the edge. Fresh berries
make for an appetizing aroma, warm and ripe; on the palate, mixed-berry fruit
is shaped by tart, lemon-squirt acidity in a wine that, like many of its Italian
brethren, is made to go with food.
FOOD MATCH: The wine would do well with
a variety of red meats, poultry and cheeses.
I matched it against an offbeat pasta creation,
shredded chicken in an Alfredo-style sauce accented
with smoked Cheddar and a hint of chipotle peppers
over fettuccine.
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Wine Lovers Page (February 7, 2005)
Wine
News
 "Two Gutturnio blends stood up particularly
well to both the unctuousness of a cream-based
tortellini with prosciutto, tomatoes and peas,
and the textural quality of a prosciutto-spiked
pizza: The 2003 Podere Casale
Gutturnio, called Canalegrande (JK Imports), offers aromas redolent
of bing cherry and red currant with a lively cherry
flavor enveloped by soft tannins and finishing
with a slightly bitter but pleasant aftertaste.
Its vibrant flavors will also neatly complement
that quintessential dish from Emilia-Romagna, tagliatelle
with Bolognese sauce."
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Wine News, October/November 2005 |
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Restaurant
Wine
4 STARS | A
full bodied, crisp, fruity blend, with moderate
richness, and a crisp finish. Similar to a Piemontese
Barbera, if slightly richer. 60% Barbera, 40% Bonarda.
[Best: 2005 - 2006] 4/5 stars
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Restaurant Wine (Issue #105, March , 2005)
E-mails
"I opened the Canalegrande last night
mainly because I could not wait to try it.
So how
about this: Distinct red cherries in the nose
and palate along with some licorice in the nose.
Deep color (young wine) and crystal clear. First
sip was alone with the tart cherries quite pronounced.
Next with some gorganzola cheese and it was like
it had been finely tailored...still red cherries
but creamier and not so tart. Then with a hamburger,
yes a hamburger grilled with onion and gorgonzola.
Very tasty. The wine had enough acid and body
to stand up to the ketchup and onion. In fact it
went quite well.
Then vacu-vin-ed the bottle and
held for tonight when I made grilled pork chops
with garlic, salt, pepper, grilled oninon
and tuscan roast potatoes. Tonight the nose still
had the cherries but now there was some very
distinct sweet strawberry as well. The taste was
still distinctly cherry but very, very smooth and
balanced. Sure went down well with the pork.
Very high marks for quality/price
ratio (QPR). Very pleased
with this wine. And now I can check off Bonarda
on that big list of Italian varietals. LOL. Will
call Monday to order more."
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