La Secchia - Balsamic Vinegar of Modena PGI "Cinque Stelle", Aged in 20 Barrels of Different Woods, High Density, 250 ml Bottle with Cork Pouring Cap.

Note- this review is about the High Density 5-Star version of this product. This is now the best IGP balsamic I have ever tried to date. It is as thick as the DOP grade balsamics, and the flavor profile is better than many of the 12-yr DOP vinegars that I have had. This is sweet but not overly sweet, and it has just the right amount of sour. There is no obvious wine vinegar taste like many of the other lower grade IGP balsamics exhibit. The flavor is very complex. This is seriously just about as good as La Secchia's 12 year DOP grade, and not very noticeably inferior to their extra vecchio 25yr either, which are both FANTASTIC balsamics in their own right. I put this out for a group of people drizzled on sliced 24 month DOP parmesan cheese, half with this product, the other half with the La Secchia extra vecchio DOP grade. 4 out of the 6 people could barely tell the difference. 4 noted the extra vecchio was slightly better, and one liked this one better! This is truly at the top of the IGP realm, but priced at a level where it can be used more often than your coveted special occasion DOP balsamics. This is now my everyday use balsamic. It really is good enough to be used on ice cream and fruits as well! La Secchia products are a fantastic value, and this one is no different. It is definitely worth every penny, and then some.

La Secchia 5 Star, is an absolutely delicious IGP Aceto. Very concentrated flavor.... sweet, and pleasantly acetic. I did side by side taste testing against Giusti 3 Gold Medal and Due Vittorie Oro Gold, and I find La Secchia to be thicker, with a more concentrated, flavorful profile. They are all nice, but La Secchia 5 Star was by far the best. Sweeter, thicker, with far more gentle acetic nature to it.I was curious, to find the age of this, so I wrote to LA Secchia, and the owner Lorenzo, actually took the time to right me back informing me the 5 Star is aged for 8 years..... with 60%+ of grape must. And they use all small barrels from what I understand.I wrote to several Balsamic producers inquiring on the ages of their different IGP, and Lorenzo from La Secchia was the only one kind enough and caring enough to write back with a lengthy and very informative response......... that is someone who cares about the product and the customer!They won me over as a customer-- It is the only IGP I will buy now. I am looking forward to treating my self, and indulging in their 20 year old Traditional PDO......Joseph

This is an amazing balsamic, very smooth and flavorful with great balance between sweet and sour notes. So delicious you can drink it straight out of the bottle.

While visiting Rome 3 weeks ago I noticed that most restaurants had this available on the table. Dipping my fresh Italian bread in local cold pressed olive oil and this balsamic was amazing. In fact , while waiting to board the plane back to the US I ordered it on my phone with the olive oil (highly recommend)...ROI Ligurian Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Great variety, the recipient of the gift was thrilled! 10 out of 10!

Flavor explodes in your mouth

Product box came damaged. Looks like the item was a previous return. It had white residue all inside the box. The inner cardboard that held the bottles were all ripped. Very disappointed, as this item can not be returned!

I am so disappointed! I could. not find my usual brand and took a chance on this one because of the high ratings. This is as thin as water and tastes like wine vinegar with a tiny hint of sweetness. In other words, it's just as bad as the $5 bottles at my local grocery store. I hope I can get my money back.