Bolla Creso – Powerfully Delicious

In my early days of wine discovery, Bolla was one of my “go to” brands.  I was young and didn’t have a big wine budget, and Bolla offered some wines that were good for a bargain hunter like me.  And while I don’t drink Bolla very often these days, I still have a nostalgic appreciation for the brand.

It’s funny how our perceptions change over time.  When I was younger, I thought that Bolla was exotic and sophisticated, but now I often overlook it feeling that I’ve graduated to better or “more refined” wines.  I’ve become an elitist wine snob and for some reason developed a prejudice against Bolla.

But every now and then, I’ll taste a Bolla wine and I’m reminded about why I liked them when I was younger.  I realize that my prejudice is totally unfounded.  I realize that I should still love Bolla, not because of nostalgia from my younger years, but because they still make some pretty good wine that’s great for a bargain hunter like me!

This is one of those wines that reminded me to not discredit Bolla.  This is a wine that kicks ass!

It’s made from a blend of 65% corvina and 35% cabernet sauvignon from the Verona region in Italy.  And in addition to being an awesome wine, the bottle I have came with a super cool lion head coin on a necklace that looks like something a gladiator would wear.  It matches the design on the label.  I wear it around the house and my wife laughs at how silly I look.  I don’t know if this often adorns these bottles or if I just got lucky.

This wine is powerful all the way around.  The nose has intense chocolate, black cherry, blackberry, toasted oak and leather aromas.  The high alcohol level (15%) also makes the alcohol vapors come through rather strong on the nose, which is the only real downside.  The wine is gigantic in the mouth, with powerful black cherry, plum, blackberry and chocolate flavors.  There’s a touch of spice too.  It has awesome acidity and the mouthfeel is good.  Lingering berry and spice flavors provide a lengthy finish.  It’s big and bold, but it’s also a touch obtuse — yet it’s still a very tasty wine.

Wine: Bolla Creso
Variety: 65% corvina and 35% cabernet sauvignon
Vintage: 2010
Alcohol: 15%
Rating: 89
Price: $20.00
Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.

Find Bolla Creso with Snooth