Michele Chiarlo, LaCourt 2020 – Nizza Riserva

The wine has a pale ruby color. The nose is slightly reduced at the beginning and expresses smoky and meaty notes. After aeration, it offers a concentrated and juicy fruitiness, even a little roasted (crushed wild strawberries, roasted red cherries, morello cherries, raspberry coulis, a hint of crushed blackcurrant), combined with notes of sweet spices (grated nutmeg, cloves, ground cumin, licorice with a hint of star anise, a touch of vanilla), flowers (dried rose, cornflower, iris) and herbs (mint, cut rosemary, black tea), as well as only fresh tobacco. The palate is juicy and airy. It expresses notes of tangy fresh fruits (red cherry, morello cherry, strawberry, crushed raspberry, red currants), a pronounced, but enveloped spiciness (notes of clove, ground cumin, vanilla and licorice with a touch of star anise), as well as a slight hint of toasted hazelnut and fresh flowers (iris, rose, violet). The tannins are sapid, a bit grippy, but fine. The finish is savoury and juicy, with a nice acidity, a pleasant bitterness and gourmand notes of chocolate cherry. A balanced wine, with a warm and concentrated nose and a lovely freshness on the palate.