WTN: Italians. 4 of 'em.

Gulfi, Sicilia IGT, 'Carjcanti, 2004
Pale light gold colored with a very slight bronze tone. Toasted pine nut, lemon skin, and muted herbal aromas. lemon zest, peanut shell, taragon, soft wood, and oxidized notes on the end. Nose becomes less aromatic, but has a nice mouthfeel. 12% Decent, but was expecting a bit more. B/B+

Mastroberardino, Laryma Christi del Vesuvio, 2005
This be the RED Lacryma. Piedrosso grapes. Those of you who love acidic Loires should fall all over this one. Very sharp and very red fruit. Not alot within the wine, but perhaps it needs some time to settle down and lose some of the pricklyness? B

Argiolas, Isola dei Nuraghi IGT, 'Turriga, 1998
Ah, now we're talkin. Back to some real wine, and a stunner to boot. Color is deep cherry red with glycerin trails. Perfumed aromas of bittersweet chocolate, fennel, Italian plums ripening on the tree that transport you. In the mouth, there is a sweet medley of dark chocolate covered cherries (the expensive kind), bittersweet chocolate dust, fennel seed, and the ripest-purest cherries you've ever eaten. Seamless and delicioso. Seems nowhere near 10-years old and tastes far removed from any grenache-based wine that I've had. Finishes with a Campari note on the end. One of the most memorable wines had in awhile, and uniquely of it's place. 14% (big, but comes across as balanced) A

Feudo Montoni, Sicilia IGT, Nero d'Avola, 'Vrucara', 2004
Although this is probably the finest Nero d'Avola I've tasted, it doesn't change my opinion that perhaps the best uses for this grape variety is for blending purposes, or for making simpler wines. Let's review: a cloudyish light-medium red color, dull and watery looking. Smoke-filled red plum and hazlenut biscoti on the nose. Old mulberry, library book dust, and a dirty, old-wood feel. Good acidity frames this high altitude Sicilian wine, without which this would feel plodding. A simple wine for $30. 13% B/B+

Mark
Re: the Lacryma Christi... don't hold out hope for improvement. It's a relatively well known name locally (tears of Christ) which for perhaps religious motivation has been successful. I've been very disappointed with the few I've tried, including an earlier vintage of this wine, that suggests it's firmly in the "trading off it's name" camp.
regards
Ian

Ian - good to know. For 14$, I thought I'd take a chance. The last time I drank this was in the late 1980's or early 90's, and I seem to remember having a better opinion of it then (of course, I was still rabidly learning about wine then)

Mark,

I import the Feudo Montoni for CA, and that sounds like a bad bottle; the wines are very clean. (Tastes differ, of course, but the wine you are describing sounds different from the ones I've opened.)

I generally agree with you about Nero d'Avola, it's become the Oz Shiraz of Sicily, but there are some very good, more structured wines. (Feudo Montoni is at high altitude in the center of the island, which explains the stylistic difference.)

Nice notes, Mark.

Those of you who love acidic Loires should fall all over this one.

Great, I am one of them, going to look for it asap.