Case Corini Wines

This evening I went to a special wine tasting at the Lower Falls Wine Co.. Eileen Wright, of Il Capriccio and Adonna Imports, was there presenting wines from an all-organic winery, Case Corini. As I have mentioned before, I am a big fan of Adonna Imports. They sell mainly Italian wines, and they are usually very good. They concentrate on small Italian producers and find many excellent producers.

Case Corini is owned by Lorenzo Corino who make organically farmed Barbera d'Asti in the town of Costigliole in Italy's Piedmont region. He is the fifth generation that has lived amongst the vineyards. Lorenzo is a soil scientist and is concerned about the health of the ecosystem in his vineyards. He believes that much of the wine is made in the vineyard so he does not subject his wines to lots of technical manipulation.

The wines at the tasting included:
2001 Monferrato Rosso "Achille" ($65)
2003 Barbera d'Asti "La Barla" ($75)
2001 Barbera d'Asti "Bricco" ($65)
2001 Barbera d'Asti "La Villa" ($75)

They also provided some good cheese and bread with the wines. Overall, these were excellent wines. They were Old World style, well balanced and had lengthy finishes. They would be fine on their own, or paired with food. They probably could be paired with many different foods as well, from Italian food to game like duck or even venison. Though I could also just sit and drink these wines on their own, savoring their flavors.

2001 Monferrato Rosso "Achille": This wine was a blend of Nebbiolo and Barbera. A very smooth and easy drinking wine. Lots of nice fruit flavors.

2003 Barbera d'Asti "La Barla": My favorite of the four wines. This is 100% Barbera from old vines. Great structure, complex and just a silky pleasure. Nice concentration and a very lengthy finish.

2001 Barbera d'Asti "Bricco": This is 100% Barbera, with a mix of old and young vines. This was a fruitier wine that felt a bit less complex but still was an excellent tasting wine.

2001 Barbera d'Asti "La Villa": This is also 100% Barbera, with a mix of old and young vines. This wine seemed to be somewhere in the middle between the La Barla and the Bricco. It certainly shows how the same varietal can create several different style wines.

Adonna Imports certainly found another top notch group of wines! They are not every day wines, but they certainly would impress. For a special occasion, you won't go wrong with any of these wines.