2006 Dievole Pinocchio Nero d'Avola

About ten bones at various shops with a nifty looking label, why not give it a try?

A big nose – with a giant burst of fresh, ripe raspberry.

All sorts of raspberry on the palate here – good structure with enough acid to be enjoyable – but damn - this could be spiked with raspberry brandy.

The finish sees no change – loads of raspberry.

I promise not to lie - everything here is nicely balanced and fine but the flavor profile is very one dimensional. It's a decent wine for drinking with food and such, but for this sort of concentration just isn't terribly interesting.

Wine: 5.5
QPR: 5.5

2006 Feudo Arancio Nero d'Avola

This was seven bucks at the mighty Costco – we haven't had too many Sicilian wines but this varietal is pretty reliable at the lower pricepoints.

There's really not much on the nose.

On first sip, I was going to annihilate this one but it improves as it opens. Chocolaty and earthy, with cherry and fairly potent clove spice. Some cheap Italian wine is light bodied and highly acidic, this is the other kind – dark, heavy, and chocolaty – now this isn't necessarily a bad thing, but to me the simplicity and flaws in this darker style jump out more.

On the second day the nose opened big time – chocolate, cherry,

The palate here has taken a turn for the worse – the flavors haven't changed but some bitterness is coming through that's rather unpleasant.

The finish tastes like garbage – not necessarily a bad thing, but not all that great here.

We had the other half of the bottle two days later....

No nose other than some very faint oak notes. Still a bit flabby but the balance improves nicely – chocolate, cherry, bell pepper, cigar box, and some faint spice notes, and the acid comes through fine. The finish suggests bell pepper and chocolate but it fades fast.

The ratings here assume you let this wine open or pour a glass and finish the bottle a day or two later – even with that qualification, it's still a five.

Wine: 5
QPR: 5

2005 Rudini Pachino Nero D'Avola Sicilia

We received this as a gift. I've had happy to receive it as we've had some very good luck with this varietal.

Earth, funk, berry, and even a bit of slate on the nose.

Fruity with almost no tannin – berries mainly with some cherry. There's enough acid to bring it into balance, but there's really nothing that jumps out.

Not much on the finish really – cherry and and a bit of oak comes through.

Not a complex wine, but an enjoyable one. I liked this simply because it's so balanced – it's not a fruit bomb by any means, there's no overpowering oak, it's not too acidic, nor is it too flabby - it's just a a nice, easy drinking wine that's great for day to day drinking.