I reviewed A LOT of wines in the spring, but I was still surprised to see that I handed out EXACTLY five 5/5's. That’s pretty high. And three of them were from one producer! Altaneve dominates the list!
#5. AIX Coteaux d'Aix-en-Provence Rosé 2018
Review Release: June 1st, 2019 (Wine Pick of the Month)
The color of the wine is just a gorgeous pomelo pink. The floral character on the nose is right up front along with vanilla, and then you get aromas of strawberries, watermelon, citrus, and black pepper. For a Rosé it's got quite the intriguing nose. On the palate it's medium bodied with a borderline rich mouthfeel, perky acidity, and grainy tannin. Watermelon is the head flavor in charge with strawberries, citrus, and black pepper riding along. But citrus takes the wheel on the finish with black pepper looking to spice things up.
#4. Altaneve (Sparkling) Rosé
Region: Veneto, ItalyReview Release: March 21st, 2019
It's a very light salmon color. I absolutely love the nose. There's some breadiness over aromas of rose petals and Fruity Pebbles (don't even try to act like that's a bad thing). On the palate it's got a crisp and clean acidity but the wine still has a creamy mouthfeel. There's flavors of strawberry yogurt and peaches, and an uplift into green apples on the finish. Outstanding.
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The color of the wine is a deep purple. On the nose, oh my goodness, the chocolate! THE CHOCOLATE! There's also plums, raisins, rose petals, black table pepper, and pencil shavings. This wine has an fantastic nose. In fact, SPOILER ALERT, it has a fantastic everything! It's medium bodied with a smooth mouthfeel, soft tannin, and perfectly balanced acidity. There's flavors of plums, black cherries, root beer, chocolate, coffee, and vanilla. Then it finishes with plums and chocolate and some heat from the alcohol.
For $24 this is absolutely killer. KILLER. Mark it up! Perfect score!
For $24 this is absolutely killer. KILLER. Mark it up! Perfect score!
READ THE FULL REVIEW / WATCH THE YOUTUBE VIDEO
QUALITY VS PRICE RATING
Price: $24
Region: Veneto, ItalyReview Release: March 24th, 2019
The color of the wine is a very pale yellow. The nose starts off as very floral, and beyond that there's honey and keylime pie. The mouthfeel is wonderfully soft and creamy. There's a little bit of sweetness but it still has a refreshing briskness to it. On the midpalate there's flavors of lime and apple, and on the finish it's pears and ginger and a nice coating of that touch of sweetness.
Oh man. This may be the best Prosecco above $25 that I've ever had. It's fantastic!
Oh man. This may be the best Prosecco above $25 that I've ever had. It's fantastic!
#1. Altaneve "Z" Prosecco Superiore
Region: Veneto, ItalyReview Release: March 28th, 2019
And hot damn this is some good bubbly! It's pale yellow in color with tiny bubbles. When I first opened it there was one stream of bubbles that went up the side to the top and it was pretty cool. There's aromas of freshly cut pears, white peaches, and white flowers. On the palate it's creamy and fluffy with just the right amount of acidity and tingle. The mouthfeel is perfect. Then for flavors you've got pears and lime peel and a touch of green herbs. That may all sound really simple but when combined all together it's just phenomenal.
Godamnit. You know what? I never thought that I would say that you should drop almost $50 on a Prosecco. Never in a thousand years. That's Champagne territory. Yet here I am. The quality is worth even more than what you pay for.
Godamnit. You know what? I never thought that I would say that you should drop almost $50 on a Prosecco. Never in a thousand years. That's Champagne territory. Yet here I am. The quality is worth even more than what you pay for.
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