“The execution of the laws is more important than the making of them.”

–Thomas Jefferson

The concept was rather straightforward, but as with most projects in life, it was the execution (or lack thereof) that was the key and, well, thus is the story of my life.

Back in the Spring, I received an email from a PR firm in Italy who has a rather impressive portfolio of producers from all over Italy. I presented them with an idea that, while not all that novel, would (at least for once), make a little bit of sense out of the title of this site. I proposed a few posts about the wines from the regions that were being traversed by the cyclists in this year’s Giro d’Italia. [For those that don’t know, there are three “Grand Tours” every year in professional cycling: The Giro d’Italia in May, the Vuelta d’Espagne in September, and by far the most famous, the Tour de France which just concluded at the end of July.]

After a bit of correspondence, we settled on essentially three regions (and routes) to highlight and I would publish my notes about the wines. Like I said, straightforward.

Until it wasn’t.

First, on their end, some of the wines we had discussed were not available from the wineries, so they were substituted with wines that were close to this year’s route, and that was fine.

Until it wasn’t.

The wines, it seems, were held up for a bit in customs, and by a bit I mean “almost a month” and while there was a little wiggle room, there wasn’t that much wiggle room. Thus, the wines showed up after the conclusion of the Giro.

Oh well. We tried.

Since then, I have been sitting on these notes since I did not really know how to publish them. Until today, as another Musgo Wednesday (yes, I know today is Thursday, but yesterday was a “significant” birthday for me, which I spent on my bike, away from my computer, and with people who are near and dear to me–yes, I am giving myself a pass), here are the wines that I was going to discuss for the 13th, 14th, 17th and 18th stages of the Giro d’Italia, which spent most of the third week in the northern part of the country, where I have visited some, but not nearly enough.

The first comes from the Valle d’Aosta region, tucked away in the northwestern-most part of the country, nestled in the Alps with France and Switzerland much closer than Rome in many ways. It is the samllest wine region in Italy and home to several native grapes that can only be found in this tiny corner of the world, including Petite Arvine.

2023 Vigneti Rosset Petite Arvine, Valle d’Aosta, Italy: Retail $35. Responsible Bottle (519g; 18.3oz). 100% Petite Arvine. So a couple of firsts here. 1). I am pretty sure this is my first wine from this region in the Italian Alps, and 2) I am equally sure that this is the first note I have written on a Petite Arvine (there is a solid chance I had some when I was a cycling tour guide in Europe, but that is just a guess). Rich, even voluptuous on the nose with oodles of citrus and tropical fruit (lemon, guava, pineapple) and honeysuckle blossom. Whoa. The palate is also stellar, as it is round, curvaceous, even, and loaded with pineapple, fresh peach, and an acidity, that initially struggles to keep up, but is in lockstep well before the finish. Like I said, this wine is “new” to me on at least a couple of levels, but I am loving the you-know-what out of it. Then I tried it again a bit later, and it improved even more as it approached cellar temperature. Excellent. 92 Points.

The second wine comes from a more familiar region, Alto Aldige, for many consumers but alsoa region I have never visited (although I have been close). Lagrein is slightly more “common” than Petite Arvine, but I say that only due to the fact that there are at least some plantings outside of northern Italy.

2020 Kellerei Bozen / Cantina Bolzano Riserva Taber, Lagrein Alto Adige – Südtirol, Italy: Retail $55. Heavy Bottle (602g; 21.2ozz). 100% Lagrein. I was making my way through several wines that I received to do a piece on “The Wines of the Giro d’Italia” (more or less), but thanks to the tariffs(?) these wines arrived after the Giro and I did not taste this beauty until well after the Tour had started. Oh well. As I said: beautiful. I have tasted a handful of Lagreins, all from this part of the world, and I can say with little equivocation, that I have loved them all. And this one is no different. Dark, even brooding in the glass, with loads of black fruit: blackberry, cassis, and plum. A slight touch of dark earth, and plenty of violet round out the nose. Yum. The palate continues the glorious theme with loads of fruit, albeit in an austere, reserved way, with an acidity that is close to off the charts. I was ready for a big bruiser after nosing the wine, but this is an acid-driven, fruity, fantastic wine that screams for a dinner table or a warm fire. Bravo. Outstanding. 93 Points.