Contemplating on picking this one up. Anyone able to offer a bit of insight on the BAstello Di Gabbiano? (wine newbie here)

Corrado wrote:Fixed... and veeeeerrrrry quiet here.

Probably doesn't help that there was plenty to buy the last couple days...

Stupid wine.woot and its stupid, delicious wine acquisitions. My credit card can't keep affording tasty new wines to try, but I just can't pass up a 90-point, very tasty sounding super tuscan, fresh (so to speak) from tuscany. At least I didn't throw away much in the way of money during the woot off...

In for 1. Since I am Italian-American, it is only appropriate that the higher ups choose an Italian to rat the first Italian Woot offering.

alas no Michigan

paryb wrote:Oh I know I know, I was mainly teasing, and mainly about This is great wine! I like to hear what's great about the wine. Just sayin. Also I kinda wanted this, maybe it'll come back.

Got it. With all the grief folks take for posting positives, sometimes, the teasing is hard to see.

I agree, though, all comments are more useful when some sort of explanation for the opinion is offered, too.

Yeah! A Golden Ticket!

How cool is this? The first Italian Wine WD offers and I get to rat it.

Hush now, I'm about to decant, and don't want to spill anything...

Initial impressions (more to come when guests arrive in about an hour or so...)

Color: Deep dark red (garnet? ruby? not sure of the appropriate stone...) No sediment in the bottle...

Nose: I get the same black cherry as INTLGerard. To me, the spice seems like Allspice, with a little clove.

Initial taste: not sure how to describe, first word that popped into my mind was "thin", but not unpleasant, just different than a big brawny red like a barolo (I know, a completely different grape, but my palate hasn't developed enough to detect more subtle differences). The spiciness reminds me of Nero d'avola. The fruit (definitely black cherry, maybe a little currant as well) fills out and lasts for a while. I do get a little tobacco about halfway through the taste.

Really happy I went in for two, I might have to call up my alter-ego for a couple more...!


More to come after some time in the decanter, and the guests arrive

EDIT: After about an hour and a half in the decanter, the spicyness really becomes the primary note, the fruit has dissapated into the background. This would be great with a big veal chop!

Didn't read all the comments to see if it was said already, but here's some FREE wine.woot! stickers. http://www.winecountryconnect.com/decal/

sheppard2jt wrote:Didn't read all the comments to see if it was said already, but here's some FREE wine.woot! stickers. http://www.winecountryconnect.com/decal/

kylemittskus wrote:

link was posted on fat wallet website

sheppard2jt wrote:Didn't read all the comments to see if it was said already, but here's some FREE wine.woot! stickers. http://www.winecountryconnect.com/decal/

Yay! Thanks for this.

With apologies to Lennon/McCartney:

I am totally rad,
I got ratted today, yeah.
WineDavid made me glad,
Things are going my way!

I've got a ticket to try,
I've got a ticket to try,
I've got a ticket to try,
And soon I'll share!

sheppard2jt wrote:Didn't read all the comments to see if it was said already, but here's some FREE wine.woot! stickers. http://www.winecountryconnect.com/decal/

Thanks.
The regulars here know how to get them, but newbies might not.


edit: The link is always in WineDavid's or WineFarm's signature.

[LABRAT REPORT: INITIAL SALVO]

POP 'n' POUR NOTES (rest of the bottle is decanting for later).

Immediately surprised at the opacity of this stuff; it has Syrah-like color. It's immediately clear that this ain't your Sangiovese-based Italian.

Surprise #2 is the nose. Hellllooooooo, vanilla! Tough to pick anything else out this early in the game, but this is not the earthy/raisiny Italian wine I was expecting.

Entry is velvety smooth and the wine immediately proceeds to coat your palate before it knows what's hit it. From the nose, it's not surprising that oakiness (tastes like primarily new oak) is a component of the flavor profile. Where the nose failed to produce fruit notes (again, pop 'n' pour right now), there are clear raspberry and boysenberry flavors with a white peppery nip at the finish.

There is virtually zero 'bite-back' here. The finish presents the first hint of tartness, but the sweet effect of the vanilla balances very nicely against it.

I bought this as an Italian wine lover who was PSyched to get Italian wine from woot. It is not at all what I expected, but I am not at all sorry that I have 4 more bottles coming my way.

More in a few hours after the non-lovely-decanter decanter has had its way with Alleanza.

CelticWabbit wrote:[LABRAT REPORT: INITIAL SALVO]

POP 'n' POUR NOTES (rest of the bottle is decanting for later).

Immediately surprised at the opacity of this stuff; it has Syrah-like color. It's immediately clear that this ain't your Sangiovese-based Italian.

Surprise #2 is the nose. Hellllooooooo, vanilla! Tough to pick anything else out this early in the game, but this is not the earthy/raisiny Italian wine I was expecting.

Entry is velvety smooth and the wine immediately proceeds to coat your palate before it knows what's hit it. From the nose, it's not surprising that oakiness (tastes like primarily new oak) is a component of the flavor profile. Where the nose failed to produce fruit notes (again, pop 'n' pour right now), there are clear raspberry and boysenberry flavors with a white peppery nip at the finish.

There is virtually zero 'bite-back' here. The finish presents the first hint of tartness, but the sweet effect of the vanilla balances very nicely against it.

I bought this as an Italian wine lover who was PSyched to get Italian wine from woot. It is not at all what I expected, but I am not at all sorry that I have 4 more bottles coming my way.

More in a few hours after the non-lovely-decanter decanter has had its way with Alleanza.

I'm a 93 on the nerd score too!

Sitting around tonight, not much going on? Come join us at Fruit Forward and Fabulous. The gist is basically this. Tonight is Dark and Delicious in Oakland so since we're not there we're over here drinking fruit forward wines and having a virtual tasting. Proper stemware NOT required.

CelticWabbit wrote:[LABRAT REPORT: INITIAL SALVO]

POP 'n' POUR NOTES (rest of the bottle is decanting for later).

It's "later" and I can pretty definitively say that the color is unchanged in 2h+ it's been since the cork was pulled.

The vanilla nose has largely blown off, allowing the herbaceous (basil?) aromas beneath to make their presence known.

Entry is still very luscious with the raspberry/boysenberry adding dried cherry. Definitely a lot more spice-rack coming in now, too, everything from savory basil (yep, basil... I think) to a pie spice I just|can't|place (allspice? nutmeg?). I'm noticing more tartness on the mid-palate now, but I'm willing to attribute that to the residual sweetness of the mini-donut I had about an hour ago.

The finish is MUCH earthier than the pop 'n' pour. The vanilla really only starts coming back in as the other flavors fade.

This is a whole lot closer to what I expected (as I drink more, it's exhibiting more & more dryness, which is a good thing!) I still would never peg this as an Italian wine in my first two (or five) guesses. It has characteristics I associate more with South American wines.

I've kicked half the bottle tonight & will try to hop on (ha ha, get it?) tomorrow night for a Day Two report.

Thanks to wine.woot for the labrat and the opportunity to play!

CelticWabbit wrote:It's "later" and I can pretty definitively say that the color is unchanged in 2h+ it's been since the cork was pulled.

The vanilla nose has largely blown off, allowing the herbaceous (basil?) aromas beneath to make their presence known.

Entry is still very luscious with the raspberry/boysenberry adding dried cherry. Definitely a lot more spice-rack coming in now, too, everything from savory basil (yep, basil... I think) to a pie spice I just|can't|place (allspice? nutmeg?). I'm noticing more tartness on the mid-palate now, but I'm willing to attribute that to the residual sweetness of the mini-donut I had about an hour ago.

The finish is MUCH earthier than the pop 'n' pour. The vanilla really only starts coming back in as the other flavors fade.

This is a whole lot closer to what I expected (as I drink more, it's exhibiting more & more dryness, which is a good thing!) I still would never peg this as an Italian wine in my first two (or five) guesses. It has characteristics I associate more with South American wines.

I've kicked half the bottle tonight & will try to hop on (ha ha, get it?) tomorrow night for a Day Two report.

Thanks to wine.woot for the labrat and the opportunity to play!

Nice reporting! Sounds like an interesting wine!

Are you able to compare it to any previous woot purchases with which we may be familiar?

Can I assume that since W00t cannot ship this to OH then no other place is going to be able to either? ..... This is turning into the opposite of touching and feeling at BestBuy then buying from Amazon...

jwhite6114 wrote:Nice reporting! Sounds like an interesting wine!

Are you able to compare it to any previous woot purchases with which we may be familiar?

That a tough one. The wines I've had that I would use in comparison have strong reps here and it's been a while since I've had either, so I may be off the mark.

But since you asked, the best *I* can come up with is something like the Saxon Brown Syrah, but with a bit of Iron Horse Cab Franc thrown in and a different oaking plan. It really isn't like anything I've had from wine.woot.

kevinx82 wrote:I'm a bit confused... I googled this and it seems like "The Cheese and Wine" shop in Ohio is selling it for $18.

http://www.blogcatalog.com/search.frame.php?term=super%20toscana&id=7f72c563b8591966d8125276c7df2cbf

However, everyone else is selling for $30+ (Alleanza Toscana IGT)

What gives?

The Wine and Cheese Place I believe is in MO, not OH. The grocery stores in southern Cuyahoga and Northern Medina county carry the various Castello Di Gabbiano Chianti's. Couldn't find any Alleanza. I'd stick with w.w.com for your Alleanza...except for us OHs that can't buy...just saving for our favorites!

How cellarable is this wine and when will it be in its prime? And by cellar I am referring to a professional storage facility with optimum conditions not my pantry where the regular (quick turn over) drinkers go.

Thanks! I am venturing into new territory here and appreciate the help.

jwhite6114 wrote:Nice reporting! Sounds like an interesting wine!

Are you able to compare it to any previous woot purchases with which we may be familiar?

I agree with CelticWabbit about the Cab Franc. I also recall another woot wine that was almost, but not quite, as spicy as this one (at least to me), the Castoro Cellars Tempranillo....

edthebedhead wrote:I'm a 93 on the nerd score too!

Good FSM, I hit 96.

Wigdog wrote:I agree with CelticWabbit about the Cab Franc. I also recall another woot wine that was almost, but not quite, as spicy as this one (at least to me), the Castoro Cellars Tempranillo....

Funny. I almost went there. I really liked the Castoro. What kept it off the 'similar' list is that I thought there were very distinct properties in that wine that were NOT in the Alleanza.

I would say that, for me, the similarity lies in that the CC Temp was a unique wine to wine.woot and I had a tough time picking a "similar to..." wine for the Alleanza.

I've got a glass of last night's Alleanza poured and I'll be giving a "Night 2" update shortly.

CelticWabbit wrote:
I've got a glass of last night's Alleanza poured and I'll be giving a "Night 2" update shortly.

Talking to myself (again).

NIGHT 2 UPDATE:
The vanilla that was prominent yesterday has almost entirely blown off. Nose is moving more toward dried cherry/raspberry. Still very mouthfilling and starting to get some rosewood-inspired flavors coming into the mix. It's somewhat tart on the mid-palate (temp is still a bit cool though), but the finish is really where it's at tonight. Long, luscious, lingering, delicious.

It's still not anything I would pick out of a line-up as an Italian wine, but it's still a pretty damn good drink. Good balance such that I can see this being either a 'drink with friends' wine or pairing it well with a rich, beefy dish (Beef Stoganoff, Bourguignon, or just a hearty beef stew).

I don't feel qualified to set a "drink by" date, but there's still some youth in the bottle here. I'm tempted to up my order from 4 to 6 bottles 'cause I'm pretty sure I'll wish I had a few more around if I open a bottle a year for the next 4 years.

CelticWabbit wrote:Talking to myself (again).

NIGHT 2 UPDATE:
The vanilla that was prominent yesterday has almost entirely blown off. Nose is moving more toward dried cherry/raspberry. Still very mouthfilling and starting to get some rosewood-inspired flavors coming into the mix. It's somewhat tart on the mid-palate (temp is still a bit cool though), but the finish is really where it's at tonight. Long, luscious, lingering, delicious.

It's still not anything I would pick out of a line-up as an Italian wine, but it's still a pretty damn good drink. Good balance such that I can see this being either a 'drink with friends' wine or pairing it well with a rich, beefy dish (Beef Stoganoff, Bourguignon, or just a hearty beef stew).

I don't feel qualified to set a "drink by" date, but there's still some youth in the bottle here. I'm tempted to up my order from 4 to 6 bottles 'cause I'm pretty sure I'll wish I had a few more around if I open a bottle a year for the next 4 years.

Really excellent lab ratting - thanks for being thorough and giving us the timeline updates.

Yes it's rather early...

And yes I am on a SIWBM....

But still, I will ask:

Can we have a clue?

Edit: If WD and WF are out gallivanting with the likes of a bunch of PSychos, how are we to ever get a clue?!

Wigdog wrote:I agree with CelticWabbit about the Cab Franc. I also recall another woot wine that was almost, but not quite, as spicy as this one (at least to me), the Castoro Cellars Tempranillo....

Oh well you guys are not helping protect my credit card. All three of those (Saxon Brown Syrah, IH Cab Franc, and Castoro Cellars Tempranillo) are all near the top of my list of favorite Woot offers. Very interesting mix of comparisons, too.

Winedavid39 wrote:That was alot of fun.

Clue?

3

Still jealous.

Three Rivers Winery?

kylemittskus wrote:Still jealous.

Three Rivers Winery?

Or it could be a blend(s) from Folie à Deux...

mother wrote:Or it could be a blend(s) from Folie à Deux...

Or 3 random bottles of wine!

edthebedhead1 wrote:Or 3 random bottles of wine!

Oh?
I am the only red wine drinker in the house until last night. My man heard red wine is good for the heart, now he drinks my wine, last night it was 1/2 a bottle.
I need to sock up, before I run out.

Why do I remember a similar clue to this in the not so recent past?

Winedavid39 wrote:That was alot of fun.

Clue?

3

So did someone get it?

I looked through the wineries who have had three offers on woot and those who would be offering their third, and there are too many for this to seem a reasonable clue.

Of those that show up as "due" for a repeat Lucas & Llewellyn is the most likely (with three offers in the past, 2 of those from Mandolina).

jwhite6114 wrote:So did someone get it?

I looked through the wineries who have had three offers on woot and those who would be offering their third, and there are too many for this to seem a reasonable clue.

Of those that show up as "due" for a repeat Lucas & Llewellyn is the most likely (with three offers in the past, 2 of those from Mandolina).

I hope it's not my idea of one of each that Mandolina offers since they produce 12 wines, or did last time I looked.

Winedavid39 wrote:That was alot of fun.

Clue?

3

second clue: divine.

winefarm wrote:second clue: divine.

Communion wine? Really?