The 2009 Banfi Cum Laude has 14.5% alcohol (almost too high), cost under $35, and scored 17 points on the Dionysian scale of 20. At nearly a decade old, the is was soft, filled with fruit and oak notes. An excellent food wine, but hard to guess as Italian.
Pleasant blackberry and blueberry aromas and all the French oak make you think this wine could be Californian.
A total of 18 months in French oak rounds out the Cum Laude. I’m concerned about letting the grapes get over-ripe and producing higher alcohol. Its long clean finish is enjoyable. In vino Veritas.
With a basic pasta and salad dish, the wine became the feature item of the evening, and it provided a lively discussion about how Italian it really was?
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