On arriving back to the UK from the land down under "Where beer does flow and men chunder, Can't you hear,can't you hear the thunder? You better run, you better take cover." Yes, well, the last thing I really wanted to drink was Shiraz that was so ripe that it teetered around the 16% Alc mark. So digging deep into middle earth I excavated a bottle of Nino Negri Mazer Inferno 2002 from the Valtellina Superiore region. This was a wine I'd picked up from my days of working impossibly long hours at Valvona&Crolla's VinCaffe in Edinburgh. I had planned to leave it a couple more years but my curiosity and strained palette got the better of me. Now, this is a little know appellation in Northern Italy that creates wines from the Chiavennasca Grape, more commonly know as Nebbiolo. Nebbiolo is of course the grape that creates ridiculously priced Barolos and Barberescos further North in Italy's Piedmont region. I had heard the saying within the wine making world that Nebbiolo delivers what Pinot Noir promises and that is no more clearly demonstrated than in this wine. The aromas spill out the instant you ease the cork out of the broad shouldered imposing bottle. It's all plums, splash of black currents intermingled with undertones of tar, cured meat and violets. On the palette, it over delivers, liquorice, dark cherries and images of deep autumnal arbours. The acidity gives the wine lift and vibrancy making it extremely drinkable. The finish is long and complex with lovely secondary characters and a slight oxidised note. This is an absolutely awesome Nebbiolo and should convince anyone of what a great grape variety this is. Later vintages of this wine can be found at Valvona & Crolla and can be ordered on-line for just £14.95 a bottle for the 2004 vintage, an absolute bargain for a wine of this calibre.www.valvonacrolla.co.uk/
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