Mea Culpa Vino Rosso
The MEA CULPA Vino Rosso Italia from Casa Vinicola Minini is an incredibly expressive cuvée of Primitivo, Syrah and Merlot. Mea Culpa - my fault, please forgive me - is the not entirely serious statement of Mario Minini, who has composed what he considers the best cuvée he can imagine from the best lots of his wines from different regions.
"MEA CULPA, please forgive me, but we do it now as I say! It will be the most accurate cuvée with the greatest excellence and expression, no matter what it will take." - Mario Minini
Like its little brother - the Tank Nero d'Avola - the red wine cuvée Mea Culpa was produced by the appassimento method, that is, it contains grapes that are particularly intense because they have dried.
In the glass, the MEA CULPA Vino Rosso Italia comes with deep dark, extremely dense purple color and almost black core. The nose enraptures with dense cherry notes. Dried cherry, mon cheri, rum cherry, juicy heart cherries, cherry crumble and rows of other associations come to mind. The aroma is complemented by ripe blackberries and strawberries. Noble, wintry Christmas nuances of mocha, vanilla and dark chocolate complement the bouquet of MEA CULPA red wine.
On the palate, Mea Culpa is immensely juicy, round and powerful. This wine is the answer to gray November and freezing December evenings. Despite the lush alcohol, the Mea Culpa does not come across as brandy-like, but rather fruity, spicy and wonderfully velvety. The round and soft tannins are complemented by a fine melt and vital fruit acidity, which keeps this red wine powerhouse from seeming clumsy and awkward.
Since two vineyards for the Mea Culpa are located in Sicily and one in Puglia, this cuvée has to do without a prestigious designation of origin. No problem, because the Mea Culpa doesn't need a DOCG or the like on its neck to inspire. The Primitivo for the Mea Culpa comes from Salento, more precisely from the vineyard "Alberello", where the vines with an age of 40 - 50 years already have a lot on the hump and the yield is therefore relatively low.
After the manual harvest, about one third of the grapes are used for the appassimento process and dried for 30 days. During this process they lose 30% of their weight. The berries are macerated for 8-9 days before fermentation, which ensures even better aroma extraction. The final touch is given to the Mea Culpa Vino Rosso Italia by aging in French barriques for 6 months.
The second component of this Mea Culpa is an appassimento of Syrah grapes from Sicily. These remain on the vine for a particularly long time until they too have lost about a third of their weight. To perfectly round out this red wine cuvée from the south of Italy, it is perfected with soft but powerful Merlot.
Food pairing
Mea Culpa is paired with hearty beef roulades, either classic or with a stuffing of prunes, lardo, sauteed onions, parsley and toasted pine nuts.
Awards
- Luca Maroni: 94 points
- Falstaff 2018: 90 points and Top Value