Here at Sokolin, we are lucky to have a colleague, Summer Wolff, who travels extensively throughout Italy. She spends some of her time there searching out great new indie wineries for our company to sell exclusively in the US.
One of my favorite 'Summer Wines' so far is the 2005 Eugenio Bocchino Barolo la Serra. Summer rates this wine 95 points (since it is not officially rated) and the bottle sells for $59.95 (compare to the very similar Roberto Voerzio Barolo La Serra in the same vintage, with a score of 94 points from Wine Spectator, which trades up to $250 per bottle!) One of the best aspects of the small, indie wineries is that they are super small production (150 cases made) yet not over priced! It's a small, tenderly cared for cuvee, for a price that cannot be beat.
And this is a 'Summer Wine' in more than one respect- sitting on a rooftop in Manhattan on a warm summer evening last weekend, with a plate of Italian cheeses, some freshly sliced prosciutto and a huge loaf of Italian bread, I had the pleasure of enjoying a bottle with some close friends. The wine is medium bodied with very round fruit; the fruit had a ripe, pruney quality. It is mouth coating and very juicy, with an ample amount of floral and chocolate notes, and a delicate, feminine roundness. You can drink it without a thought since it is a light, pleasant wine, but if you take the time to concentrate on the complexity in this bottle, you'll discover layers of nuanced flavors and a nose that is too enticing for words. The group enjoying the bottle with me were all young women who do not know much about wine, and I was wondering what they would think of a big, round Barolo. To my pleasure and surprise, all were impressed with the bottle! Everyone enjoyed it and I would serve it again in a heartbeat.
Some people are uncomfortable trying wines from wineries or producers that they do not know. But I am here to tell you not to hesitate to try new and unique wines, which can be found online at our website and in stock in our inventory. I am grateful to Summer for expanding our inventory, and providing us with some fun and unique wines to sell to our Italian wine loving clientele!