Varietal: Â 65% Cabernet Franc; 20% Sangiovese; 10% Primitivo
Region: Â Virginia, between Roanoke & North Carolina line
Cost: Â $19 (SRP)
Winemaker’s Notes: Â Dark in the glass, the nose of this wine is filled with plum, licorice, and cedar. The supple attack is slightly tannic, with rich strawberry elements. The rich midpalate is complex, with undertones of blueberries, strawberries, and rhubarb. The full and complete finish includes milk chocolate, tobacco, and black pepper.
My Review: Â It would be a poor October that didn’t feature a Virginia Wine, since October is Virginia Wine Month. This time I popped open the second bottle of Villa Appalaccia from my Virginia Wine of the Month Club shipment – the Toscanello.
This wine was nice and dark in the glass, and on the nose I mostly got cedar. In the mouth strawberry and rhubarb jumped out at the front and midpalate, with tobacco and black pepper showing for me at the finish.
My wife and I paired this with a dinner of tortellini, sausage, and vodka sauce, and it was a great pairing. The wine wasn’t too heavy, which was great given the slightly lighter sauce. What I really enjoyed about it was that it was easy to sip on even without the food, making the $19 price point an even better value since you don’t have to pair it with food…though you’ll probably want to.
I’ve never been to Villa Appalaccia, but now that I’m living in North Carolina and much of the Charlottesville/Loudon County wineries are a bigger, more involved trip, wineries like Villa Appalaccia near the border of NC are looking more and more appealing – thank in large part to wines like this.
If you’re a fan of Italian wines (and I know I am), but still want to drink it up for Virginia Wine Month, this is a good one to pick up.
