Hello everybody I am WineNineterchuk and this is your Daily Gr... oh wait, I got confused. So as not to upstage the terribly exciting news within the Wine Blogging community I thought I would just enter a simple tasting note on a top drawer wine that has to be among the best value wines anywhere in the world. So, keeping it tight ...
Last weekend I had the jolly good fortune to visit Umbria and the vineyards of Arnaldo Caprai, I've been to Caprai before, (link it up me - Arnaldo Caprai) the vineyard and tasting rooms are amongst the most informative and stylish in Sagrantino and it's a pleasure to taste here in such beautiful surroundings.
The main Caprai buildings are awash with in depth information about the soils of the area, ageing and oak etc, and for those really interested in the vinification of Sagrantino, one of the worlds most tannic wines, it is an informative day out. A free one too.
As I've already written extensively about Caprai's facilities and range in 2009, I'll let you follow the link above if your heart so desires and just get on with what I want to talk about, which is, the Rosso Outsider.
Now, Caprai already has two infamous wines, the Collepiano and 25 Anni Sagrantinos are the signature Caprai wines (amongst the best examples of the grape) but it's the Merlot/Cabernet Rosso Outsider that I fell in love with in 2005 (95 Points - me) and whose personality simply could not be ignored in the big, over the top, 2006.
Caprai Rosso Outsider 2006, is very similar in style to the 2005 but yet more extracted, concentrated and with a finish as long as your arm. The 2006 has an obnoxiously overwhelming fragrance of wet pencil and tobacco, you would think for all the world that this was some young slip of a Pauillac and yet, not sat even in Bolgheri, we're sampling Cabernet Sauvignon perfection? Blended perfection?
This is Umbria, but with the '06 vintage fairing so well for Brunello/Chianti we should not be surprised the Cab blend has fared so well. The structure of this wine, the biting tannins and length are a real power play and if the price of Bordeaux and Super Tuscans make your eyes water, this could be the next "go to" place for age worthy, merlot/cab blends. MARK IT DOWN. Super Umbrians are coming and Marco Caprai, the media savvy company head is leading that charge.
Arnaldo Caprai Rosso Outsider 2006 - £30 - BUY
Intense ruby red with pronounced, youthful aromas of graphite, blackcurrant and with sweet spicy overtones. On the palate the wine has extreme grippy tannins and an intense oak bent that I'm gambling will drop away over the coming years, I hope, to be replaced by the dark forest fruitiness that can be found on the long punchy finish. Incredible structure but not to be drunk now. 93 Points
The 2005, in my opinion, is far better for drinking over the short term and is much more fruit forward at this young age. If you're prepared to wait, the '06 would be an interesting gamble. However, if you buy a case of both, you're sure to win, and that's what I have done!
Where can I buy this wine?
For us Brits - Lea and Sandeman carry the 01 for £25
For us Europeans - Superiore.de carry this vintage for £30. ,
For you Americans - Grapes The Wine Co have the '04 for $60
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Are you ready for the Super Umbrians? Have you already heard their call, are you in fact, already enrolled? Vive la revolucion in the tiny village of Montefalco. Vive indeed.
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