Finally catching up on some tasting recaps…this one’s from the 1/27 tasting… we did a tasting of five Tuscan reds; I picked the wines to show how diverse the region can be, even though the main grape (Sangiovese) dominated four of the five wines. Good turnout, and the wines overall showed well (I was disappointed in one, but that was the favorite of a few people, which is the beauty and intrigue of wine (and art, literature, movies, etc.), how the same thing can elicit such different reactions. I love Italian wines – they haven’t by and large embraced international varietals, so they’ve got thousands of indigenous grapes grown nowhere else that have distinctive character and sense of place. Sangiovese is the poster child, being the most planted grape in Italy (by a wide margin), yet not successful anywhere else. Reasons for that are legion, but that should be another post (though knowing my output, it probably won’t happen).
The wines:
Renzo Masi 2004 Chianti Rufina Riserva: I thought this wine was stunning – I hadn’t had this vintage before the tasting and thought it was exactly what Chianti should be – minerally, dry, dusty, some integrated oak tannin, high acid, yet with juicy cherry fruit. Everything was balanced and integrated; just lovely. 2004 was a great year for Tuscany, and this is my value pick out of what we’ve got. Rufina is often undervalued – it’s a less-prestigious section of Chianti than Chianti Classico, but delivers great value. For me, the surprise of the night.
Fattoria Del Cerro 2006 Vino Nobile di Montepulciano: I had this wine a few months ago and thought it was great. del Cerro’s one of my two favorite VNdM producers (along with Avignonesi), but Tuesday it didn’t show particularly well after the Masi – softer, creamier, rounder, with less intensity. Not bad at all and something I’d certainly enjoy drinking, but with less definition than it had before. Some people loved it, though, so maybe the creaminess was a plus for them; to me, it seemed a distraction. Who knows, though; in a bit of time it might evolve further into something even better.
Agostina Pieri 2006 Rosso di Montalcino: Just lovely – great balance of fruit, acidity, and integrated oak. Modern style of Rosso – the winery’s only been around for less than 20 years – and so very clean, more fruit-forward than most, but with varietal character (dusty, cherry, good acidity, slight scorched earth) and true to type. This wine to me is everything Rosso should be; with the richness of fruit of Brunello but fresher and with less oak (and thus less complexity and depth, but accessible far sooner). A big hit with everyone at the tasting.
Castiglion del Bosco 2003 Brunello di Montalcino: It’s hard to find a Brunello I like for less than $40, but this fits the bill. By law, Brunello must age for a minimum of 2 years in barrel and 2 years in bottle, so the fruit needs to be concentrated and rich enough to stand up to that oak treatment and aging; the acidity also needs time to integrate with the fruit and wood. 2003 was a hot vintage throughout Europe, which I think will reduce the ageworthiness of this wine (probably at its peak in 3-5 years; normally good Brunello will peak at 15-20 years) but also makes it ready to drink sooner. It was a little tight initially, but really opened up during the tasting. Good dark cherry fruit, scorched earth, spicy oak, rich long finish, lovely balance – a steal for the price.
Tenuta Guado al Tasso 2006 Il Bruciate, Bolgheri: We ended with a Super Tuscan from the Bolgheri region in western Tuscany near the ocean. The term Super Tuscan was coined after Sassicaia was created in the late 1960s – 100% Cabernet, at the time it could only be called Vino de Tavola (table wine) because it didn’t fit into the classification system. The government subsequently created the IGT designation for wines made using non-traditional varietals, but Bolgheri now has its own DOC as well. This wine is a blend of Cab / Merlot / Syrah; I hadn’t tasted it before the evening but was blown away by how structured it was. It needed significant decanting and aeration, and even then was still tight. Loads of fruit and minerality; a little bit backwards and reductive right now compared to what it will be, but still very tasty. Great value, too – it tasted like it cost way more than $28. Several people at the tasting bought this wine, and they’ll be richly rewarded if they put it in the cellar and forget about it for five years.
I agree on the Rufina; this will be a repeat bottle. The Super Tuscan was a first for me. I’d love to do a side by side comparison of similar blends from other countries. The tasting as a whole was delightful, I really appreciated the range of wines offered!