A Massa-terful Wine

Fri, 01/20/2012 - 3:27pm — rebecca

Vigneti Massa Croatina 'Pertichetta' $27.99

Walter Massa is one of our all-time favorite winemakers.  He has great passion for the grapes indigenous to his native Colle Toronesi in the Piedmont region of Italy, and it shows in every wine he makes.  His Monleale and Sentieri are perhaps the best wines in the world made from Barbera, and this week, we are featuring his outstanding rendition of the Croatina grape.  The wine is called Pertichetta, and it is truly fascinating.  It has complex, slow-to-unfold aromas of iron, tar, and cranberries, with dark fruit, particularly dark cherry, on the palate.  There is plenty of acidity and tannin to balance it all, but make no mistake, this is a big, winter red worthy of patient attention.  It goes really well with snow!