Smells of cherry, plum, and strawberry. The taste is bright and fruity with flavors of cranberry, cherry, plum, strawberry, and watermelon on a light but velvety smooth body. The finish is long and moderately bitter, featuring notes of grape leaves, watermelon rind, raspberry, and a touch of pipe tobacco. Overall, this is a young, unoaked “novello” style valpolicella, essentially the same as the Bardolino just with grapes grown on the other side of the Adige river near Verona. However, I do find this to be a markedly superior wine, with more complex flavors and a better structure. Very good wine for the price ($14) which was actually less than the Bardolino.
