Castello di Stefanago-Baruffaldi "Casaresca" Bonarda vivace  2004, D.O.C. Oltrepo Pavese. **HERITAGE WINE**

color: very dark red-purple, slight haze of tiny little bubbles of CO2.
Nose: expressive, loaded with peppery sweet, cherry and spicy nuances, jammy, also fresh, not complex but clean, straight and honest.
Taste: a little touch of sweetness, slight sparkle, refreshing acidity, lots of juicy, ripe sweet fruit (cherry), piquant tannins. Nice touch of pepper and almonds, delicious combination of sweetness rusticity (aroma as well as tannin and acidity) and a prickle of CO2, not complex, deep or refined, but clean and well balanced.
Finish: medium long, juicy and slightly sweet, but also piquant, clean and a delicious balance between the rustic, fresh and aromatic side of the wine.

* If you just want pure and uncomplicated pleasure, try this organically produced wine: the expressive spicy and ripe cherry fruit combines nicely with the piquant, slightly rustic tannins, uplifting freshness and the attractive touch of sweetness. The very light sparkle adds an extra fresh and joyful touch. Not complex or deep, but just delicious.

- Drink this wine as young as possible, will keep until 2008. Will not improve with age.

- Residual sweetness in a red wine is something a serious wine amateur rather would like to avoid. In most cases I agree on this, but there are exceptions. Sometimes a wine possesses such an intriguing combination of taste constituents that I fall in love with it. In this case the sweetness and juiciness of the wine are perfectly balanced with a matching type and quantity of piquant tannins and idem freshness. These two sides of the wine compensate each others' unpleasant characters, creating a new exciting taste impression you will never find in a modern, full blown rich, sumptuous, wood aged wine. A style that increasingly dominates the shelves of the supermarkets these days.  This is Italy, the idiosyncratic style in which the aroma's, tannins and acidity of the indigenous Bonarda (Croatina) grape from these Lombardian vineyards beg for some sweetness. Never mind this wine is not complex, refined or deep,  it is produced just to enjoy it and have a good time with the company you eat your meal with.  Producer who also makes organic wines.
 

- lotnr.: L 6005

- tasted: 17-01-’07

- estimated retail price ca. 7 euro

- average production: ca.  bottles

- Azienda Agrituristica Località Stefanago  -  27040 Borgo Priolo, tel.: +39-0383.875227 / 0383.875413 ;-  fax.: +39-0383.879053 ;  e-mail: info@castellodistefanago.it web site: www.castellodistefanago.it
- exportoffice: ASE , Corso Europa 1916/20 , 16167 GENOVA - Italy , e-mail: ase2006@libero.it ;   fax: +39 (0)10 3299049 ; mobile: G. Fassina + 39 347 9641606 ;  G. De Vecchis +39 340 7929726