2009 Planeta "La Segreta" Rosso

Sometimes our Italian wine buyer, Greg St.Clair, has a tendency to ignore the big producers from Italy, looking upon them as “bulk wineries.” Once in a great while, maybe every five years, a wine that is hugely good will come along from one of these “bulk” producers, bringing Greg back to Earth and he has to admit that he is wrong. This La Segreta did just that. In fact, the incredible quality of this wine made us open our collective eyes, even with oddity of the blend. Deeply colored, this Gem has a wonderful, opulent nose that is expansive and ever changing. In the mouth, this viscous wine shows cherry-like to dried rose petal fruit, heightened by a creamy texture and hints of white pepper and cloves. This is an incredible wine, particularly when you take the price into account. Rusty has demanded that I bring two cases, at least, of this gem home to be one of our house reds for the month and beyond.

So what’s the “Secret” with La Segreta? Hey this wine caught me by surprise, I usually follow my nose to the classic DOC’s or emerging zones and not so much with inexpensive proprietarily name blends….OK that’s going to change. I was floored by this wine’s quality to price ratio…OK it is just a great deal. Planeta is one of Sicily’s larger yet still very high quality wineries, they own small wineries all over Sicily and it allows them a greater resource to use fruit from regions all over the island. The uvaggio or grape blend is unique but you’ll be looking for it in the future because this is stunningly good. 50% Nero d’Avola -25% Merlot -20% Syrah -5% Cabernet Franc….see if you can find another one like this! The Nero d’Avola’s soft, smooth, supple texture and ripe cherry flavors are sometimes a bit too simple for me but as a base for the rest of these noble varieties to liven up the canvas it is perfect. That soft and cushy background is ideal for the bold structure and ripeness of Syrah; it gives the wine density, power and distinctiveness. Merlot’s chocolaty spice lightens the severity of Syrah but the real kicker is the Cabernet Franc that adds a hint of wild herbaceous, some distinctive personality and laces the wine into one experience! You won’t believe the Bang for your $ that you get with this wine and best of all it comes in a screwcap!