This $8 wine has
confronted me in the
liquor store for quite some time. I have
resisted purchasing it because of its age--now nearly
six years. While it is said that well made
Salice Salentino can live up to about
eight years (and I have some
moderately priced versions of this wine in my *cough* "
wine cellar" to test this), I doubted that an $8 wine could still be alive with taste after six years. But It came on sale for $7, so I said
what the hell.
I was half right. The wine's color had lightened a shade, showing some orange at the edges, but it still seemed consistent with other Salice Salentinos I've tasted. The aromas were faint but spicy, with a bit of a sherry tinge that seemed to be a sign of some oxidation. The fruit flavors of the wine were present but somewhat weak, and this threw the wine out of balance, bringing out an acidity which was probably masked by the stronger flavor of a young wine. All in all, still a pretty good wine for the money (and I recommend other products from the winery), but mediocre overall; and it's definitely on the decline. If you've got a bottle of this sitting around the house, I suggest that you drink it now.
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