A surprising find at Trader Joe’s for just $10? We review the 2016 Canto Del Principe Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Riserva.
Primarily Sangiovese grown near the town of Montepulciano in Tuscany, Italy.
Although often overshadowed by Brunello, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is one of the top wines within Tuscany. Grown around the town of Montepulciano and made primarily from the Sangiovese grape, these wines have a storied history.
As a Riserva level wine, this wine must be aged a minimum of 36 months before release, with at least 12 in barrel. So to find a Vino Nobile Riserva with some age on it for just $9.99 at Trader Joe’s is pretty interesting, to say the least. Let’s check it out.
This wine is available exclusively at Trader Joe’s in the US and is priced at $9.99. It is imported by D’Aquino Italian Importing Co., Inc.
From the bottle:
The DOCG Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is one of the oldest Italian denominations. It has been harvested for centuries in the medieval hilltop town of Montepulciano in the Tuscany Region. Our Reserve was aged for 23 months in large oak barrels and refined in the bottle for a further 6 months. It is strong and complex in character, full and persistent on the palate. The sensational taste of the Tuscany Region. Salute!
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14% Alcohol
The 2016 Canto Del Principe Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Riserva opens with aromas of dark fruit, leather and a touch of a floral and spice note.
Tasting the wine reveals it to be smooth and easy to drink with similar flavors to the nose. Unfortunately that’s about it. It definitely needs a lot of air so we’re hoping for better on day 2.
It ends dry, long and a bit grippy.
On day 2 it was indeed a bit better but was still rather underwhelming. Yeah it’s Vino Nobile Riserva, and yeah it’s from 2016, but there’s just not much depth here. All that said, at only $9.99 it’s probably worth the price tag, it just doesn’t deliver the kind of value we were hoping for.
2016 Canto Del Principe Vino Nobile Riserva
As always you can find an updated list of our recommended wines from Trader Joe’s as well as more info on their pricing model and some tips and tricks for shopping the store in our giant guide.
You can also find more of our favorite wines from Italy here!
