STORE HOURS
COVID-19 HOURS:
Mon-Sat 9am-6pm
We apologize for the
inconvenience.
The Tasting Room is closed.
Closed Sundays
|
| |
- More Tuscan Wines
-
-
-
-
ISTINE
- The Istine winery is a relatively new enterprise, the work of an
impressive young dynamo named Angela Fronti. Her grandfather
launched a vineyard/agricultural business. Her studies were in the
field of public relations and she certainly has made a big splash in the
world of Tuscan wines.

With the 2009 vintage she began making Chianti Classico from
vineyards her family had been farming for some years. Instead of selling
off all the grapes as they had been, Angela told her family she wanted to make
wine. "But I told my father I would not get into this business using
conventional viticulture. I wanted to farm organically and
responsibly."
Initially Dad was a bit surprised by this notion of bucking conventional
farming, but Angela says he now sees the wisdom in such a move as a means to
having better quality grapes.
Certification for being organic was granted in 2016.


They have about 20 hectares of vineyards, most in the environs
of Radda in Chianti, but there are some near Gaiole in Chianti.

The Istine tasting room is out in the countryside and it
neighbors some of the vineyards.
Get in the car and drive to beautiful downtown Radda, as it were, and there are
more vineyards close to the little city. And that's where you can find a
small, self-serve car wash and an out-of-the-way set of warehouses. That's
where you'd find the Istine winemaking facility.

The red highlighted blocks on the map illustrate the vineyard holdings of
Istine.
Here's a map to show the various areas of the Chianti
Classico region.


There's a "basic" Chianti Classico. The 2017 is
a great representation of the Istine winery and the vintage which produced some
pretty impressive wines.
We understand this is entirely Sangiovese. It was matured in Slavonian oak tanks and it's showy presently and will age nice
for several years, maybe more.
Vigna Casanova dell'Aia comes from a 4.5 hectare site out in the wilds of
Radda. It sits at 500 meters above sea level with a southwest
exposure. Many younger vines there, as they've been replanting the past
few years.
Vigna Istine is a 5 hectare site ranging from 480 to 550 meters above sea
level. It's got a northwest exposure and was planted in 2002.
Vigna Cavarchione is in the Gaiole area at 429 meters near the Castle of Vertine.
They planted these vines in 2009 and 2010.
The Chianti Classico Riserva is a blend of the best grapes from each vineyard
site which have been aged separately and then blended shortly before
bottling.


The cellar is kept quite clean and orderly.


Tasting tank samples...


The wines in progress were showing quite well...balanced and expressive.
You know Tuscany is famed for not only Chianti, but for its magnificent
Bistecca Fiorentina."


The Istine Riserva from the 2015 vintage was very good and it paired handsomely
with the steak.

Angela is a big fan of California.
-
Currently in stock: ISTINE 2017 CHIANTI CLASSICO
$24.99
ISTINE 2012 CHIANTI CLASSICO RISERVA $44.99
-
-

-
-
-
BADIA di MORRONA
In
America, we think of some building or place as being "old" when
it's 50 to 100 years of age.
This abbey was built, we understand, back in 1089. Historical
documents indicate the place was operated by monastic orders of various
types...Benedictine monks, at one point and Camaldolites at
another. I suppose the former drank a French liqueur and the latter
smoked some sort of cigarettes made by R.J. Reynolds wrapped in the sleeves
of their monastic robes.
-
Today the property is owned by the Gaslini family and it's a short drive
from the shadows of the tower in Pisa. We've had various wines from
the property off-and-on over the years. The property encompasses
something like 500 hectares, with 80 of them being devoted to
vineyards. It's not a huge winery, but it's not a tiny cellar,
either.
-
-
-
-
-
- We've been fans of their basic, simple Chianti wine. Since
the vineyards are located in the Pisa region, it's outside the
"Classico" zone and takes simple the name Chianti. This is
good news, for the word "classico" adds a few bucks to the
pricing of any Chianti wine, whether the quality justifies the premium or
not.
Savvy buyers know to explore off the "beaten path" and so wines
such as this estate's can be good values.
-
- The 2018 vintage Chianti is one of our best buys. It's called
"I Sodi del Paretaio" since calling this merely
"Chianti" takes all the mystery out of life. The
wine is about 85% Sangiovese with the balance being split between Cabernet,
Merlot and now Syrah. Despite the presence of the Bordeaux varieties, the
Sangiovese really sings in this wine.
It's
a cherryish, medium-bodied red wine. This is a totally dry
wine and it's a far cry from internationally-styled, oaky reds which
litter the enological landscape these days. When you taste this
wine, you'll understand they were trying to appeal to someone seated in a
restaurant with a savory pasta dish before them, not some wine critic
locked in a tasting room who's evaluating a flight of 50 or a hundred
wines.
California does not make this sort of wine. First, twelve bucks is not
enough to cover the tour and tasting fee at many wineries. Secondly,
the average consumer of California wines is not looking for a wine with
'snap' or tangy acidity; the sort of balance that acts as a palate
cleanser when paired with food.
-
- Anyway, we're fans. You might be too if you've got a big bowl of
steaming hot pasta with a slowly-simmered tomato sauce.
-
- The winery also makes some other offerings.
We can order Badia di Morrona's other wines for you. They have a
special bottling of Sangiovese called "VignAalta," as well as a
mid-level Cabernet/Sangiovese/Merlot blend called Taneto. Vin Santo
here is quite good, too.
The estate also has a number of "agriturismo" apartments.
It looks like a nice place to stay.
Badia di Morrona Agriturismo info:
Tel. +39 0587 656013 - 658505
Fax +39 0587 655162
email: agriturismo@badiadimorrona.it
-
Currently in stock: 2018 BADIA DI MORRONA CHIANTI
"I Sodi di Paretaio" SALE $12.99
-
-
-
CASTELLO DEI RAMPOLLA
The
"Conca d'Oro" is, for those who study Chianti, sort of a "grand cru"
site. Located in Panzano in Chianti, this is a shell-shaped hillside which is bathed in
sunshine. Before vineyards were so prominent there, the Conca was
planted annually to wheat, hence the reference to "oro," gold.
Siblings Luca and Maurizia di Napoli Rampolla are the proprietors, their family having owned the property for a couple of
centuries.
The vineyards were planted in 1969 and the first Chianti Classico was made in 1975.
Consulting with di Napoli at the outset was the legendary Giacomo Tachis, former head of winemaking operations with
Antinori.
They currently have about 28 hectares of vineyards and they farm according
to biodynamic principles.
Winemaking is straightforward. They like to do a 3 to 4 week
maceration period with maybe one week of actual fermentation. They
follow the phases of the moon in determining the best time to rack or bottle
their wines.
The "cult wine" made here is called "La Vigna di Alceo," a Cabernet
Sauvignon/Petit Verdot blend. It costs a small fortune when you can find it.
We have been able to purchase a couple of bottles from time to time, so stop
by to see if we have any.
"Sammarco" (originally labeled "San Marco") is a Cabernet Sauvignon
with about 5% Merlot and 5% Sangiovese in the style of Antinori's Tignanello or Ruffino's
old vintages of Cabreo. It's aged about a year and a half in French
oak.
However, for those of us who enjoy Chianti, Castello dei Rampolla's "normale"bottling is worth a look. This used to be entirely Sangiovese and they were
proud to say it was lacking Cabernet and Merlot. Today, though, they
admit there "may be" some of each of those Bordeaux varieties in
their Chianti.
It's vinified in cement tanks and then goes into some sort of smallish wood
to mature. But they don't use the oak for flavoring, simply to allow
the wine to develop and mature a bit.
-
Currently in stock: 2012 CASTELLO DEI RAMPOLLA Chianti Classico
$34.99
-

CASTELLO di FONTERUTOLI
Here's a
winery with ties to Thomas Jefferson and the other founding fathers of the United States.
Owned by the Mazzei family, it seems Filippo Mazzei was invited/paid by Jefferson
to come over from Italy and plant some of the first European vines in America. These
were, of course, at Jefferson's Virginia digs in Monticello. The Mazzei family
is still in charge of this estate, located near Castellina in Chianti.
The family is a leader in Chianti Classico, being involved in the "Gallo Nero
Consorzio," so it is incumbent upon them to produce top-quality wines, especially
since so many top producers have dropped out of the "Black Rooster" group.
-
-
-
-
They used to produce a wine called "Concerto," but have recently dropped that
label from the portfolio. I think this was a clever attempt at
attracting buyers of the expensive wine called "Opus One."
The wine may have been noteworthy, but sales were flat.
-
- The property comprises something like 79 hectares and they make about
half a million bottles of wine annually. They make a range of wines,
from a small, little Sangiovese and Merlot blend called "Badiola"
to a couple of bottlings of Chianti Classico and a Super Tuscan blend of
Merlot and Sangiovese.
-
We have their "regular" bottling of Chianti Classico in the shop. The
2015 is a very good wine, being drinkable now and with the structure to age nicely for another
3-6 years, maybe more. This is about 90% Sangiovese, with small
amounts of Malvasia, Colorino and Merlot. It sees a bit of French oak and the wine is nicely
elegant and balanced.

Siepi is the Super Tuscan blend of Merlot and Sangiovese. The ratio
varies from vintage to vintage. The importer does not presently
offer this wine. It's usually ridiculously priced, in my view.
-
- The Mazzei family owns an estate in the Maremma region of
Tuscany and makes wines called Belguardo there. They make
Cabernet, a Sangiovese and a blend of Sangiovese and Alicante.
Another project is situated in Sicily and the wine is called Zisola.
This is a Nero d'Avola red...I found the first vintage we tasted to be a
bit over-priced, frankly.
- Currently in stock: 2015 Chianti Classico Sold
Out
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
SASSICAIA (Tenuta San Guido)
This is a
legendary wine which put Italy on the world's "Wine Map" back in the 1970s.
The property was founded by the Marchese Incisa della Rocchetta whose family acquired the
estate called Tenuta San Guido back in the 1940s.
Though vineyards existed in this coastal area of Tuscan, not much attention was paid to
the wines produced there. Italian wine aficionados were critical of the wines from
the Livorno area because they often tasted of the salt sea air (blowing inland off the
coast).
So the Marchese decided to plant a hectare of Cabernet on a hill which was about a
thousand feet above sea level, thinking this would prevent the saltiness.
The first wine was made, I suppose, in the late 1940s combining the odd Tuscan tradition
of the "governo" process (adding some dried grapes to the already fermenting vat
of wine) and the Bordeaux fashion of small oak barrels. Unfortunately, this
"innovation" of using barrels was difficult as the barrels leaked!
Months after the first wine was vinified, a tasting was held and all in attendance decided
the wine was a disaster. Awful.
The Marchese continued with other affairs, notably raising horses and flowers.
A few years after this sad tasting, he decided to open a bottle of one of the now-aged
bottles. It seems the wines, from various vintages, showed elements of promise.
Cabernet, of course, makes a more tannic and astringent, rough-and-tumble red wine.
These people were accustomed to easy-drinking, youthfully exuberant Chianti wines
which were drinkable just a few months after the harvest.
The excessively herbal notes of the Cabernet, which they probably found somewhat crude and
rude as the wine was first born, took years to evolve into something more balanced and
interesting.
Marchese Incisa invited some friends over for a tasting and many were said to have found
the wines to offer some potential.
Eventually the "governo" technique was eliminated and the Marchese was able to
find barrels which were properly coopered and did not leak.
Now the Marchese purchased a site at a lower elevation called Sassicaia and he planted
more Cabernet (both Sauvignon and Franc, apparently). The wine continued to be good
and enough was made to keep the Marchese and his cronies in good supply.
A nephew of the Marchese was getting his feet wet in the wine business, the family having
been engaged in that trade for hundred of years...his name is Piero Antinori. He
tasted his uncle's wine and suggested the wine be made available commercially. The
first vintage to hit the market was the 1968.
I recall being aware of Sassicaia starting with the 1973 vintage. The wine was, for
me, mind-boggling!
(I should point out that the Italian wines which first gave me -personally- a clue
to Italy's potential were a 1967 Bruno Giacosa Barolo, a 1961 Gaja Barbaresco and a
Sassicaia from 1975. "Oh, you mean Italy makes something other than
Chianti in a straw-covered bottle?!?!")
There was a small importer named Jerold Jacoby who had some curious French and
Italian wines and Sassicaia was amongst his various offerings. He had a legendary
salesman named Bill Cooke working for him.
Bill was an enthusiastic fellow, to say the least, and a major
"character" in the Bay Area wine business.
On my first foray to Italy we had an appointment with the Antinori winery. The
English-speaking woman who showed us around that day (I think she was American) took us to
Antinori's main winery. We inquired about Sassicaia (since Antinori would bottle the
wine for his Uncle). She explained that no Americans were allowed on the estate
since the visit of some guy from San Francisco who was speaking an odd combination of
Sp-Italian or Ital-ish. (Bill hailed from Argentina, so his Italian
was laced with
Spanish!) We were disappointed, of course. Knowing Bill Cooke, though, well,
anything is/was possible.
Over the years Sassicaia has gained in fame and prestige (and price!). It
carried
"cult" status (long before Araujo, Harlan, Dalla Valle, Bryant Family and Screaming Eagle from
California's Napa Valley).
On a visit one year to Milano, the lovely and most attractive Barbara Ferri wanted to
treat me (and the rest of Le Crazy Milanese) to a bottle of
Sassicaia. She scoured Milano and finally begged a restaurateur for a bottle.
"Only because you and your business associates dine here frequently will I consider
parting with a bottle!" he offered.
The wine is still much sought-after, though its lofty price now keeps the
"riff-raff" from being interested in buying some. Italy's
great, fancy restaurants all have Sassicaia on their wine lists. It's
a badge of honor and an indication to patrons that the sommelier knows what
he (or, perhaps she) knows wine.
A fair bit of Sassicaia reaches the export market. The American market
has long been important.
We received some bottles nearly every vintage. Sadly, though, in prime
vintages those who buy wine only when The Critics proclaim success, get involved and
Sassicaia achieves amazing prices. The 1997 vintage is an example. Arriving
here through its normal channels, the wine costs $150 a bottle. However, we received
offers from gray market importers who had prices twice that!!!
Yet there are few vintages of Sassicaia which do not merit the adjective
"excellent."
The wine has become so hard to get that others outside of the Marchese Incisa della
Rocchetta family have started to "make" Sassicaia! The Italian
"fraud squad" recently seized something like 16,000 bottles of fake Sassicaia in
Naples. The counterfeiters had sold the wine in various locales in Italy, claiming
the attractive price was because an overseas importer did not take its allocation of
Sassicaia! While news reports claim none of the bogus wine was exported, this cannot
be guaranteed!
Today Nicola Incisa della Rocchetta runs the property. He now has many neighbors!
I visited the region of Bolgheri a few times. The region is amazingly
similar to the coastline from Half Moon Bay to Santa Cruz! Bolgheri seems to be a
prosperous little village, though aside from a restaurant or two and a gelateria, I'm
uncertain of what commerce goes on.
Numerous new estates have been 'planted' in the neighborhood.
Piemonte's Angelo Gaja has a wonderful winery near Sassicaia. The
Tenuta Ornellaia is down the road, too. Antinori makes a wonderful
wine from grapes in the same neighborhood and their wine is, frequently at
the top for the Bolgheri region.
So, Sassicaia is, no longer, the only game in town, but it still is the
"leader" in being an ambassador for wines from Bolgheri.
The wine is typically 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Cabernet Franc.
Yields in the vineyard are restricted to intensify the character of the
fruit. Two years aging in French oak contributes a bit of wood to the fruit of Sassicaia.
While, at one time, Sassicaia was an extraordinary wine from Italy, I can
only say recent vintages have been less exciting than the wines I recall
tasting some years ago.
A new wine called Guidalberto is being introduced. I bought a bottle
in Italy and tasted it with some friends. I was not especially
thrilled, frankly. I recently had a taste over here and my initial
impression was confirmed. I overheard someone from the estate telling
an associate at a trade tasting (in Italian) "Don't tell people this is
a 'second' wine. It's not a 'second' wine!"
Though I understood what he was saying, I could only think "He's
right...it's a third or fourth level of quality."
We have seen a decline in the quality of the wines being made these
days. The estate has been enlarged and today they cultivate about 90
hectares and are making close to a million bottles! It's not the
same as it was.
Some years ago we were surprised to see they offered a 2002 bottling of
Sassicaia. This was a very difficult vintage and the wine was really
weak, a good example of wine from a poor vintage. Still, the wine cost
a lot of money and it seemed to us to mark the start of an era where
Sassicaia was merely a label of a luxury product like Rolex or a purse with
a designer label on it.
They, in our view, betrayed the consumer by merely selling packaging and not
making a top quality wine.
It still received a "Tre Bicchiere" award from Italy's Gambero
Rosso wine guide. That, too, was a disappointment, for it signaled
that the people on whom many consumers rely on to provide valuable
assistance in highlighting top wines, were not paying attention to the
contents of the bottle.
A fellow from the winery had stopped by a few years later and we suggested
they should not have bottled a wine of such lackluster quality. He
defended the wine saying it was a difficult and challenging vintage.
Yes...Sure. We understand that, but the wine still carried a premium
price and was a weak example of Sassicaia.
They could have, in our view, declassified the wine and sold it under the
Guidalberto label.
He could see only the perspective of the winery and had, seemingly, little
sympathy for the consumer who was being fleeced.
The 2003 vintage, an exceedingly hot year, produced another rather ordinary
red wine. A winery rep told us this vintage was being compared
to the legendary 1985 vintage!
Really?
By who?
We could mention the 2007, which was certainly better than 2002 and 2003,
but it wasn't, in our view, a truly great wine.
And now, as we write this, we've tasted more recent vintages which continue
to get accolades from various wine publications.
At a tasting in
Europe we asked a friend who's a wine aficionado to please come taste the
new vintage of Sassicaia. We both found the wine to be perfectly
well-made but rather simple.
"Well, you know these wine guides have to sell copies of their
magazines and books." she told us.
The following year we met again and tasted the new release and both of us
found a wine of the quality of a rather modest Chianti Classico, not a noble
Cabernet blend.
"Yes, it's a pity." she said.
The 2015 is another wine that has been reviewed with near perfect scores.
We tasted it in 2018 and were disappointed.
We poured tastes for our colleagues here at the shop and the wine sat in the
glass for maybe 15 minutes, or so, before they arrived and could taste it.
We did not tell them the identity of the wine, wanting to hear their honest
critique of the wine, tasted "blind."
Ellen found the wine to be made made from very ripe fruit and found it to be
a bit jammy. Our other colleagues were also unimpressed and were not
interested in recommending this wine.
We revealed the identity of the "mystery red" and nobody was
impressed. And yet the various American critical publications all urge
readers to invest in this wine, seemingly competing to see who can lavish
the most praise on it.
We suspect all those people who write about wine were tasting the 2015
knowing full well what they were tasting.
Perhaps they might consider making their evaluations of wine
"blind" so as to not be influenced by the reputation of the winery
or the price tag on a bottle.
At a tasting for the trade in early 2019 the 2015 Sassicaia was offered and
we finally tasted a good bottle.
So now we might ask why are these bottles so inconsistent?
How many bottlings do they have?
- Currently in stock: Sold Out. Literally and
Figuratively.
-
-
AVIGNONESI
For a few years, many experts had Avignonesi at the top of the list for Vino
Nobile wines in the town of Montepulciano. They did make some
extraordinary wines in the 1980s and, since then, have a few high-priced
bottlings which may rob the basic wine from being consistently
good.
Many vintners get side-tracked into making special bottlings of rare and
costly wines and to do this, sometimes they use fruit which was perhaps the
'foundation' of the normal bottling. The wines today seem to be a bit
more approachable in their youth and they're a tad lighter, too.
When we first got to know the wines, a young fellow named Marco de Grazia
was representing the property. He's not been affiliated for many years
and he's now going by the name "Marc." My how things
change!
-
Owned by the Falvo family for many years, they sold the property to a Belgian
woman, Virginie Saverys. She retired from practicing law and has
jumped in to the Avignonesi production with both feet.
There are about 200 hectares of vineyards
scattered around Montepulciano and nearby Cortona.
There are 8 parcels in Montepulciano, while in Cortona they have 7 plots and
cultivate Cabernet, Merlot and Chardonnay for the most part.
Ms. Saverys is a proponent of organic and biodynamic farming. An
agency which audits vineyards for organic certification requires three years
of monitoring at the outset and Avignonesi was slated for certification in
2016.
-
-
-

These little barrels contain the precious Vin Santo.

One wine that's caught our attention a few times is an amazingly concentrated Vino Nobile
from the 1999 vintage. It's called "Grandi Annate,"
"great vintages." They don't make this very often: 1990,
1993, 1997 and the new wine from 1999. The 2003 is nice, but I am
not certain it's truly a "grand" vintage. I bought a
bottle and we found the wine perfectly fine, but not as compelling as its
predecessor.
The current vintage of Vino Nobile is 2013...perfectly well-made wine.

It's along the lines of a good quality Sangiovese from other parts of
Tuscany.
That's a polite way of saying it's perfectly nice, but to our tastes, not
as "nobile" as we would like.

Vin Santo is a particular "show piece" at Avignonesi. They
make two different bottlings and each is matured for about a decade in
small wood.
The 'regular' bottling is made from Grechetto, Malvasia and Trebbiano,
while the Occhio di Pernice is made of Prugnolo Gentile.
Both are hugely sweet and impressive wines.
These are not for simply dipping biscotti. They are grand
expressions of Vin Santo and will impress those who drink nothing but
Chateau d'Yquem.
- Currently in stock: Grandi Annate --Special order...about $90
1997 Vin Santo Occhio di Pernice SALE
$219.99 (375ml)
2013 Vino Nobile $29.99
-
-
-
BRANCAIA
The Brancaia estate
is located in Poppi, a small village near Radda in Chianti. It's owned
by a Swiss couple, Brigette and Bruno Widmer. They bought the place in
the early 1980s and the first wines were made by their friends at Castello
di Fonterutoli.
Now they have their own winemaking facility and since
the 1998 vintage, the wines are made under their own roof. Their
daughter Barbara holds the title of winemaker, assisted by consultant Carlo
Ferrini.
Signor Ferrini has a bunch of famous wineries in his stable, including
Brolio, Riecine, La Massa, Fonterutoli, Tenuta di Terriccio, Poliziano and
Casanova di Neri, so it's not surprising his fingerprints are visible on the
Brancaia wine.
There are about 20 hectares comprising the estate, 10 in Castellina and 10
in Radda. Chianti Classico
and the IGT wine "Brancaia" are the wines produced at this estate,
though I understand the Widmers have purchased some land on the Tuscan coast
near the famous estates that produce Sassicaia, Ornellaia and Sassigaja
(that's my name for Angelo Gaja's Bolgheri project).

They made some very good, showy wines. These had been matured in
a bit of new wood and routinely were mildly cedary and woodsy. They
got our attention, for sure and they had a bit of cache in the market.
The winery is well off the beaten path, being in the Località Poppi, not
too far from Radda in Chianti. They do accept visitors, but apparently
ask guests to pay something like ten Euros for a tour and tasting. It
seems Napa has arrived in Tuscany!
We visited a few years ago, having
tried to arrange an appointment. I suppose since we had not
"signed up" for an official tour & tasting, we were shown the
facility, but not offered a taste of Brancaia's wines! ((My two
Italian friends were shocked by this. Having visited a few wineries
without being offered even a sip, I was amused, but disappointed.))
We sent the winery a note suggesting they consider putting a wine glass in
the hands of their trade partners who pay them a visit.
The fellow who had married* into the family was horrified to learn of our
visit and the rather shabby treatment.
We had been shown around the modest cellar, make the rounds down one side
and up the other, returning to the entrance. At that point we were
thanked for our visit and the door was opened so we could return to the car.
*The couple was divorced a few years after our visit. Hopefully we
were not the cause of marital tensions!!
-
Brancaia offers a more modestly priced wine called "Tre."
A book came out in Italy (published in April of 2010 and written by
Andrea Scanzi) which quotes a Tuscan vintner who cites a government
investigation of some shady practices which are said to be commonplace in
Tuscany.
(We would say "not only" Tuscany, but numerous other places in the world
of wine, from here in California to virtually every corner of the wine
world.)
The folks at Brancaia were "outted," a vintner claiming Brancaia's
wine had been impounded. In responding, the Widmers assert that for
their top wines, all the fruit is from their own vineyards.
"Our
easy-drinking wine, Brancaia TRE (IGT), is made from grapes that we
have not selected for our top wines.
Because of the success of and demand for
Brancaia TRE, in addition to the grapes we grow ourselves, we have
been buying grapes and bulk wine — both Toscana IGT — for some
time now. This is no secret and it is by no means a crime." |
This statement, posted above in blue, was made in
response to the book in April of 2010.
As of June 1, 2012, though, here's what they wrote on their own web site of
their "Tre." (Much like what they had posted in June of 2010,
actually.)
|
"Tre"
is a blend of Sangiovese, Merlot and Cabernet. The grapes are
carefully selected from our three estates Brancaia (Castellina),
Poppi (Radda) and Brancaia in Maremma (Morellino di
Scansano).
The wine ages 12 months in French tonneaux. |
|
Apparently, there is an allowable percentage of purchased fruit or bulk
wine. On the other hand, perhaps the winery should not mislead customers
saying the wine is made from fruit grown in their own vineyards?
Here's how they currently deal with that modest controversy (2018)
Brancaia
TRE is a wine full of character giving you drinking pleasure already at
the moment of release. TRE stands for the three grape varieties
Sangiovese, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon and for our three Tuscan
estates - the basis for this wine. |
Now the fruit from their estate vineyards is "the basis" for this
wine.
It's a clever way of leading consumers to believe the wine comes from
Brancaia's own vineyards, while leaving it open for the explanation that they
buy grapes or wine.
The Brancaia wines had been imported by the Hess folks for a number of years
and in March of 2012 they announced a change.
Can you imagine Gallo now importing the wines of Brancaia?!?!
Hard to believe!
Gallo has put together a portfolio of producers which had a measure of
prestige. Now they import Allegrini, Renato Ratti, Jermann, Argiano and
Pieropan wines in their "Lux" portfolio. Brancaia is not in
that same grouping, but is sold with Gallo's very modest Da Vinci brand of
Tuscan reds and their La Marca Prosecco. Oh my!
- Currently in stock: We no longer stock these for, as you can
imagine, a variety of reasons.
-
-
-
LA FIORITA
The La
Fiorita venture was founded in 1992 by three partners.
One was winemaker Roberto Cipresso. Another was Lucio Gomiero who
owns Vignalta in the Colli Euganei near Padova and the third fellow is
race car driver Tiziano Siviero.
But things have changed and now Roberto Cipresso remains at the helm and
the other two have been bought out.
The property consists of two, Poggio al Sole and a larger piece at Pian
Bossolino and the vineyards are all mature, as the youngest vines are more
than 15 years of age.
Cipresso spends much of his time making wine for other brands and
wineries..
He's a consultant for nearly two dozen producers today and he's worked
with several dozen more in the past, helping them establish their
winemaking regimens. He's even been affiliated with overseas
wineries!
He took over a nice facility in the Montalcino area, not far from
Frescobaldi's Castelgiocondo. The place is owned by some Swiss investor
and it houses perhaps a half a dozen of Cipresso's winemaking projects.
Cipresso is also famed for collaborating with an American woman named
Natalie Oliveros.
-
- Ms. Oliveros has a stage name, too, going by Savanna Samson and she's
made more than a couple of dozen sexually explicit movies. We don't
carry her "Sogno" wines, so if you're looking for those, you'll
have to try the X-Rated Wine store down the block.
-
- We did have Cipresso's wonderful 2006 vintage of Brunello di Montalcino,
a wine which saw about a year in French oak puncheons before being
racked into large cooperage. What makes this fellow's wine
approachable in its youth is that he strives to produce wines with a
softer profile of tannin.
We understand he's a bit of a stickler in monitoring the ripening of the
fruit in the vineyards so as to hit just the right moment before the
grapes start to dehydrate and become over-ripe. On top of that, he
keeps a watchful eye on the fermentation and the skin contact, looking for
a moderate level of tannin, but not a hugely astringent or coarse
wine.
The
2006 Brunello hits what we imagine to be Cipresso's target right on the
bull's-eye.
The wine has a bright cherry note of Sangiovese along with a nicely woodsy
bouquet and flavor. The oak is fairly prominent at this stage and we
expect it will diminish somewhat with several more years of bottle
aging. It's the sort of wine which pairs handsomely in its youth
with grilled or roasted red meats. It has sufficient tannin to last
another ten years, we expect, but it's wonderfully showy now.
We have tasted a number of vintages and they're typically
well-made.
The 2006 was special, though, and we hope to find another that hits the
mark.
-
Currently in stock: 2006 LA FIORITA BRUNELLO DI
MONTALCINO Sold Out
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
ORNELLAIA
The Tenuta
dell'Ornellaia was founded in 1981.
It's undergone a series of changes in ownership and this week it's the
property of the Frescobaldi clan.
When it was founded, Ornellaia was the work of Ludovico
Antinori, who's older brother Piero is somewhat famed for some Tuscan wines,
including something called Chianti Classico. Piero also makes a wine called
Solaia, his entry in the Bolgheri wine derby. Ludovico's cousin Nicolò
Incisa della Rochetta owns the cellar next door, a property known as Tenuta San
Guido which makes the famed red wine called Sassicaia.
Robert Mondavi was a shareholder in the winery as of 1999 and became the sole
proprietor a few years later. Mondavi also had a partnership with the
Frescobaldi family to produce "Luce" in Montalcino. The
Frescobaldis took control of Ornellaia in 2005.
The early vintages of Ornellaia were perfectly pleasant wines with the typical
tax assessment of royal wine families incorporated into the price.
Ornellaia is their main red wine, though now they make a second wine called Le
Serre Nuove. There's a remarkably fine and hugely expensive Merlot called
Masseto and a Sangiovese blend called Le Volte.
There was, once upon a time, a Sauvignon Blanc which has since been
discontinued.
Ornellaia, for our tastes, was a modest copy of Sassicaia at the outset.
Since the 1980s, it seems to us that Ornellaia has pulled ahead in this horse
race and having tasted the 2007s from both properties side-by-side, we much
preferred the Ornellaia. We will admit to having a preference for
Cabernet-based wines rather than those made of Merlot, so our choice of
Ornellaia is curious since its percentage of Cabernet has been reduced to
somewhere between 50%-60% of the blend.
If you're able to afford such a luxury, do splurge and treat yourself (and
perhaps a few friends if they're worthy) to a bottle of the 2012
Ornellaia. It's a totally charming bottle of wine, being beautifully
balanced and drinkable at this early stage and yet with some potential for
further development in the cellar.
Our Milanese pal Carlo Perini has treated us to an older vintage of Ornellaia
which had aged very handsomely. I was stunned, in fact, to find the wine
had blossomed so magnificently. In May of 2010 we enjoyed a nice
bottle of Masseto, another strikingly fine Tuscan red.

-
Currently in stock: 2012 ORNELLAIA SALE $199.99
- CASTELLO DELLA PANERETTA
-
This
estate is located a bit off the beaten path, although a couple of
neighboring wineries are quite famous and this one is reasonably well-known
to Chianti Classico aficionados.
The neighbors are Castello di Monsanto to the south and Isole e Olena to the
north...Paneretta is situated on a very minor road and so it's not a
property that gets as many casual tourists as easier-to-find Chianti
wineries.

-
The philosophy at Paneretta is one we appreciate: no Merlot and no Cabernet
Sauvignon. They actually have the idea that while Cabernet and Merlot can
be cultivated with success around the world, Sangiovese has its home in
Tuscany's Chianti region.
The cellar features some modern equipment and battle-tested, old paraphernalia.



We had, some years ago, a wonderful 2000 vintage from Paneretta, a relatively modest vintage
so they incorporated their top vineyards into their basic Chianti Classico,
forgoing the fancy bottlings that year.

The Paneretta wines have had a few different local importers and
availability has been sketchy.
We had the 2006 and it was quite good.
In
2017 we tasted their wine alongside dozens of other Tuscans and this was perhaps
the most showy Chianti Classico we had found.
It's 90% Sangiovese with 10% Canaiolo. No Cabernet or Merlot.
Old school Chianti Classico!
We tasted the 2015 Riserva in July of 2020...Beautiful!
The wine spent about 2 years in wood, as they use cooperage of various sizes to
mature this wine.
We like the hints of wood spice lurking behind the red fruit notes.
Currently in stock: 2015 CASTELLO DELLA PANERETTA CHIANTI
CLASSICO RISERVA SALE $33.99

Paneretta has a nice cellar full of these traditional,
large wooden tanks.
LA MASSA
We
have asked Tuscan winemakers who blend their Sangiovese-based wines with
Bordeaux grape varieties why we've not met any French winemakers who tell
us about blending Sangiovese into their Cabernet/Merlot wines.
The La Massa winery is a bit of a Bordeaux-centric estate in a prime spot
in Tuscany. The winery was founded by Giampaolo Motta who hails from
Napoli. His family was in the leather industry which didn't appeal
to him. At some point he ventured to France and got a taste for
Bordeaux after visiting numerous cellars there.
Returning to Italy with a taste for wine, he found himself in Tuscany
where he worked at the Riecine winery, an artisan estate in Gaiole in
Chianti. He also spent time with the large Zonin winery's Castello
di Albola before taking a job with the prestigious Castello di Rampolla.
A property near Rampolla in a prime location was on the market and Motta
was able to purchase that in 1991.
This is located in Panzano's famed Conca d'Oro, a prime site in the
Chianti Classico region.
The first La Massa wines were made predominantly of Sangiovese and were
made according to the regulations for Chianti Classico. But
then in 2002 or 2003 Motta decided the rules for Chianti Classico were not
allowing him to make the sorts of wines he was interested in making,
having been bitten by the Bordeaux wine bug.
So he then threw off those restrictive shackles and embraced the idea of
labeling the wines as IGT (Indicazione Geografica Tipica), allowing for
him to blend his Sangiovese with Cabernet, Merlot and Alicante Bouschet
for his normal red wine. For his special bottling, Giorgio Primo,
this is now Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot.
Motta, despite turning his back on labeling the wines as "Chianti
Classico" so he can blend in other grapes as he likes, does
make a pure Sangiovese. It's named after his daughter Carla.
It's called Carla 6. No Cabernet or Merlot. Yet. And it
doesn't carry the Chianti Classico designation.
-
Currently in stock: LA MASSA 2015 "La Massa" IGT
Rosso $25.99
LA MASSA 2012 "Giorgio Primo" IGT Rosso $89.99









-
-
MORE
TUSCAN WINES
BACK TO OUR HOME
PAGE
-
|