There is a splendid castle in northern Napa - way up near Calistoga - called Castello di Amorosa. It is beautiful and you can take a tour through it - which is worth the $31 bucks. There is a 30+ minute wine tasting at the end included in that price. My husband and I did this tour while here over the summer (before we moved here) and we sent my parents there last week. They came home with a bottle of this Pinot, which we happily drank last night.
Pinot Nero is the Italian Pinot Noir. The Castle produces Italian style wines, so they follow the naming rules as well. As you may recall, I've been known to like a Pinot Noir and this Nero was no exception.
We opened this bottle after finishing a bottle of cabernet -- which produced some interesting initial tastings by comparison. For example, it tasted a bit sweet. It certainly isn't a sweet wine, but the contrast to the cab made it seem so the first couple of sips.
The wine was delicious -- hearty and smooth. Complimented our grilled steak, sauteed veggies and baked potatoes quite well. Didn't overpower anything. The wine has a hint of smokiness to it. We sampled a wine on our visit which was intensely smoky and I was hoping this was it because we loved it, but it was not. At any rate, it was quite good.
I can't find the pricing list for this particular wine on their website, so I'm not sure what they paid for it but I imagine in the high 20s. The castle doesn't sell their wine outside of the castle, so while I recommend you try this and a couple of others, you have to come here to do so! (FYI- should you visit, I LOVE their Gioia, which is a DRY rose. Fantastic summer wine. They also have a couple of amazing, though very pricey, reserve wines, in particular their Chardonnay and Cabernet)
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