Whenever I go to a new wine bar, tasting room or wine shop, I’m always looking for opportunities to try new varietals or wines from new regions. A great technique that I have developed is that any time I see a new varietal that I am not familiar with, I add it to a list in my phone. This has helped in developing this schedule for the 52 Weeks of Wine Training Program but also encouraged a bit of education on each varietal to better understand the attributes of each wine. Lacrima is a result of this process and a wine that I saw on a wine bar list while visiting Vail, Colorado this past ski season.
This Lacrima had a deep purplish ruby color and a great jewel. The aromas were strong of rose and violet but also had a bit of a citronella type aspect. The smells were all floral for me, which I found unusual because typically I can pull at least one fruit aroma from a wine. As for the taste, the perfume notes from the aromas carried over very prominently and were accompanied by a subtle oak, strong acidity and tannins, with a touch of blueberry and blackberry. This was a good wine but more than anything, a very new experience for me. The perfume aromas in a red wine were very unique but a little over the top for my palate. As with Gewurztraminer, I find that perfumey wines balance on a fine line of “over the top” and “palatable”. In this case, this Lacrima was “over the top”.
This 2016 Lucchetti Lacrima Di Morro D’alba Guardengo retails for $15-25. I gave this wine a 3 out of 5 cork rating. When tasted alone, the perfume notes were a bit overwhelming, though I believe it could pair nicely with a spicy beef or pork Asian dish.