Cavalchina Bardolino DOC 2006

Authentic Bardolino is the perfect embodiment of all that is good and magical in the wines of Lake Garda and the surrounding Veneto. Cherry colored, light but round, and ohhh so sensual, the 2006 Cavalchina Bardolino offers the taster one of the Veneto's ultimate pleasures. As delicate as Venetian lace and as lusty as a Titian masterpiece, Cavalchina's 2006 Bardolino will have you reaching for a second bottle in no time. Simply stated, the 2006 Cavalchina Bardolino is the picture of style, elegance, and vivacity in a glass. Its compelling scent of black cherry fruit, marzipan and almond extract make for a most appealing bouquet. On the palate, warm round flavors are married to youthful exuberance to render the 2006 Cavalchina Bardolino the purest expression of the local Corvina, Rondinella, and Molinara grapes. Medium bodied, refreshing, and immensely drinkable (the quintessential attributes of true Bardolino), this offering from Cavalchina displays the ultimate Bardolino personality. Bardolino is typically a wine to drink young. However, we have found that Cavalchina's Bardolino will age well for three years or more before reaching its apogee. We suggest serving this wine at cool room temperature or better still at cellar temperature (55°- 60° F), especially in warm weather.

Bardolino is a marvelously adaptable wine. Its flavorful, medium-bodied format suits most pastas and salads, so whether you are serving a simple chicken salad or homemade pasta with a complex sauce, the 2006 Cavalchina Bardolino is ready and able to please. Moreover, heartier fare like risottos and grilled meats also offer appealing accompaniments. Stews, cassoulets, and meatloaf are hardly too robust, either. A good hamburger or even a lightly seared tuna steak, served with a mango salsa, provides superb accompaniment to the 2006 Cavalchina Bardolino, as well. Fine cheeses such as Asiago, Emmentaler, Feta, and Morbier also shine in the presence of the 2006 Cavalchina Bardolino, so enjoy!

The Cavalchina winery is located along the southern shore of majestic Lake Garda. It has belonged to the present owners, the Piona family, since the beginning of the 1900s. As far back as 1848 Cavalchina was registered officially as having the finest vineyards in the region, and they still do. After all, terroir is terroir and good winemaking remains the order of the day at Cavalchina. This is also an estate that is not afraid to experiment. Presently, the Piona family harvests grapes from two distinct sites: 16 hectares at the original Cavalchina estate in the Veneto and at La Prendina, a nearby parcel just over the regional border of Lombardia. Grapes from both estates are vinified at Cavalchina, but each is fermented and bottled individually. Cavalchina specializes in traditional regional wines, including the zone's finest Bianco di Custoza (a blend of Garganega, Tocai, and Trebbiano grapes) and several excellent Bardolino in varying styles. Giulietto Piona, the reigning family patriarch, invented Bianco di Custoza at Cavalchina in 1962. He is now considered the founder of that thriving DOC. Presently, his talented son Luciano makes all of the wine at Cavalchina. At Cavalchina and La Prendina, the estate wines are marvelously consistent and always delicious. Yet every vintage brings a new and interesting surprise from this ingenious proprietor: one barrel of an innovative and scrumptious dessert wine, a Bardolino Novello, an older vintage of something squirreled away in the cellar, or a wonderful vino da tavola. Luciano Piona always keeps life fun and interesting, just like the marvelous array of wines he loves to produce. And even though Luciano Pioni routinely fashions increasingly superlative wines from one vintage to the next (anyone who tasted Cavalchina's wines from the 2001 or 2004 vintage can readily attest to the ultimate quality of this estate's wines), the outstanding 2006 vintage may be responsible for Cavalchina's greatest efforts to date. Not surprisingly, Cavalchina's wines are enormously popular in their native Veneto and can be found in nearly all of the area's best trattorias.