2013 Cantele Salice Salentino Riserva Red Wine $16.50

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2013 Cantele Salice Salentino Riserva Red Wine $16.50

Winery Tasting Notes:
COLOR: Streaks of garnet giving way to intense ruby red.
NOSE: Candied fruits and spices that evolve into clean underbrush, tea, and amber notes.
PALATE: Enhanced by notes of red flowers, the aromas return on the palate transported by confident but not overbearing alcohol. The tannins and fresh acidity work in counterpoint to create a balanced, soft wine.

“Wine Advocate” Tasting Notes:  90 Points
“The Cantele 2013 Salice Salentino Riserva shows a greater level of depth and finesse compared to many of its peers. The wine is packed tight with blackberry fruit, with Maraschino cherry, plum and prune in abundance. The wine is chewy and rich for sure, but it also provides an authentic and generous portrait of a red wine from Puglia. A spicy beef or lamb dish would make the perfect pairing partner.”

Blend: 100% Negroamaro***
Alcohol Level: 13%
Cases Produced: 20,833
Winemaker Name: Gianni Cantele
Maturity: Drink Now – 2022

Pairings:  Roast veal and beef, game, lamb, and ripe aged cheeses.

Drew_july2012_250112Staff Review:  DREW MOFFAT –  Sometimes all you have to do is ask and you shall receive an awesome wine that you never heard of before!  That’s exactly what happened with this stunning 2013 Cantele Salice Salentino Reserva Red Wine from Southern Italy.  If you are like me when thinking of southern Italian wines your first inclination would be Sicily but this wine actually comes from the eastern side of southern Italy or the “heel of the boot” if you are looking at the map.

 

This is one of those wines that might get lost on your wine rack because you don’t truly know what it is by looking at the label.  SO…if there is a night that you want a big chewy cab, or dark/dense syrah or petite syrah…reach for the Cantele Salice.  You are BBQ’ing some nice New York’s or Ribeye’s…maybe have something simmering all day in the crockpot…grab the Cantele Salice.  You won’t be disappointed.

 

Why did we choose this wine?  With prices of not only wine but everything going up, up and up…its refreshing to find such a value driven imported wine that can enhance one’s wine drinking experience.  Tasting this wine we found the similarities of the aforementioned varieties (last paragraph) and thought it could be a nice “gateway” wine to more imports in the future.  Though we specialize in domestic, primarily California wines we are constantly looking to expand our wine knowledge globally as well!  Enjoy!

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