2024 Wine Advent-ure: Day 21

Balance of Power Rosso d’Italia

We travel back to Italy for Day 21’s featured wine, titled simply “Rosso d’Italia”, or “Red of Italy”, from Balance of Power. This Italian red is bold and complex, with fruity aromas of blackberry, black cherry and plum. The palate is a whopper, with rich flavors of the aforementioned dark red fruits and oak. The tannins are quite aggressive and grippy, and this leads into my sole criticism of the wine – I wish it was a little fuller in body to stand up to the tannins. Even though the wine has body, but it still feels rather lean and “young” as if it hasn’t quite grown into the tannin structure. Indeed, in my notes I wrote that the fruit needs to catch up a bit with the tannins. Perhaps it would help if the wine is allowed to age a year or so, allowing the tannins to soften and break down, that would make a lush wine. There is enough acidity in the wine to preserve it so that shouldn’t be a problem. So I think it has the potential to be great, but the Rosso is very much drinkable as is. There are layers of deep fruit and a solid finish.