Let's talk about Villa Cafaggio Vendemmia Cortaccio 2006. At $33 (retailed locally), this may look like a bottle that's out of your price range, but trust me when I tell you that it's a great wine for the value.
This wine is a super Tuscan. I paired a glass of this perfect, deep plum-colored wine with our goat cheese manicotti for a perfectly orchestrated symphony in my mouth. The wine was a big bass drum as it played along with the beautiful, delicate string section of the entrée. The wine let you know it was there, but it was a perfect pairing to the creamy texture of the dish, still allowing it to offer that pop of flavor from the local goat cheese stuffing inside of the homemade pasta.
I want you to think of a full figured brunette woman, in a dark orchid-colored velvet dress, eating chocolate covered cherries with dirt under her fingernails when you think of this wine. Why? Because this wine is big, it's bold and it's sexy. It has a smooth finish that reminds you of cherries and chocolates. It also does what exactly what a Tuscan should do: balances elegance with earthiness in a way that makes you appreciate the ground from which it came.
Bring this bottle in and the corkage fee is on me!
Cheers,
Toni