Bartman
Senior Member
I made this low-priced Castel del Papa kit in June 2009, and only bulk-aged it about 5 months. Opening the first couple bottles about a month after bottling, it was pretty green and was really pretty fruity. Seemed then like it could make a really good cooking/mulled wine, and we drank most of it in the first year after that. Since the name is not recognized by most, we didn't give much away.
Opened the last bottle last night, and we really enjoyed it. It's still not a 'heavy' wine and doesn't have a lot of body, but if you are drinking it with dinner, watching a movie, or playing cards, it is really an easy wine to enjoy. Not as fruity as when first bottled, and not a lot of oak (I would probably bulk age it with an oak spiral for another 2 months, if I got a do-over). Soft fruits, nice finish, but no particular flavor dominated. I think I got it on sale back in mid '09, so it was probably less than $2 per bottle - a very good deal for the price! I would recommend it for a quick-drinker that has a little aging potential.
Opened the last bottle last night, and we really enjoyed it. It's still not a 'heavy' wine and doesn't have a lot of body, but if you are drinking it with dinner, watching a movie, or playing cards, it is really an easy wine to enjoy. Not as fruity as when first bottled, and not a lot of oak (I would probably bulk age it with an oak spiral for another 2 months, if I got a do-over). Soft fruits, nice finish, but no particular flavor dominated. I think I got it on sale back in mid '09, so it was probably less than $2 per bottle - a very good deal for the price! I would recommend it for a quick-drinker that has a little aging potential.