The Villabella Vigna Morlongo Bardolino Classico DOC 2013 is a blend of 55% Corvina, 30% Rondinella and 15% Corvinone grown in an estate vineyard on a hillside near Lake Garda in Verona, Italy. Those are local grapes, traditionally used in the production of Bardolino, it seems every Italian town has indigenous local grapes that are only common to that area. With Italian wines, you may see some well-known grapes such as Merlot or Chardonnay, but the vast majority of the wines are produced with unique local grapes. Villabella is a family owned (actually two families) winery founded in 1971. The Vigna Morlongo is a young wine and is not meant to be aged, the sooner it is consumed the better. It sees no oak barrel aging, it is fermented and aged (1 year) in stain-less steel tanks. The alcohol content is 12.5%.
The color is medium plum red. The nose is red fruit, cherry, raspberry, plums and a mix of spices. This is a bright, fruit forward wine, both smooth and spicy. It tastes of cherries, raspberry, a little black pepper, curry spice and Altoids’ spice. It has a spicy nature, but it is balanced and the spice does not overpower the fruit. The tannins are soft and there is enough acidity for the Vigna Morlongo to work well as a food wine. The finish is full and smooth.
The Villabella Vigna Morlongo Bardolino Classico DOC 2013 is a wine that you would drink while relaxing in a café in the Veneto region of northeast Italy. It is an everyday wine, it should be priced around $10, smooth and easy to drink, with more than enough spice to keep things interesting. The Bardolino Classico is an enjoyable sipping wine and like most Italian wines, it turns into a “wow” wine when paired with food, I’m thinking toasted ravioli or spaghetti with meatballs would work very well.
