Today took us to a red from the very northern reaches of Italy - the Alto Adige. This is the 2017 Putzenhof Bozner Leiten - made from mostly schiava, with about 15% of pinot Nero and lagrein mixed in. It's about $17-18, and it is better than most wines 3X the price. I have a bias toward mountain wines - a remarkable mix of intense mineral and sometimes fairly ripe fruit mixed with bracing acidity. This has all that - on steroids. It uniquely traverses the happy, cheerful side with a really serious depth and complexity. Nose a great mix of strawberry, sour cherry, hints of cranberry and raspberry. Quite mineral heavy, and tons of floral notes - rose, lavender, violets. Palate has ample acidity lifting the fruit, which is underpinned by solid minerality. Finish very long indeed. This is the kind of wine I really enjoy drinking. Plenty complex, plenty serious, yet it's not heavy and plodding. It is exceptional at the table with steak (our dinner), but would be good with most beef or pork or duck or even chicken. The acidity refreshes after the fat and proteins of the steak, the fruit complementing the deep umami of the steak and mushrooms and favas, playing off the slightly bittersweet asparagus.
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