Flamboyance in wines (and life?) is a turn-off for me. An honest sense of place, combined with balance and freshness on the other hand, now that’s a turn-on. This wine, at twenty years, represent all that I like in mature, reasonably-priced wines that pack enough structure and freshness to withstand the talons of time; eventually they all succumb. OK, maybe not Madeira 😀

Manual harvest, sorting table, then foot stomping/crushing. After, the wine is fermented in 30Hl casks before being moved to 2nd/3rd/4th passage tonneau for 16 months. Certified Biologic (since 2008), with a total of 20k-25k bottles per year. 70% Sangiovese, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon.

The estate is nearly 800 acres, with 50 of those under vine. In addition to winegrowing, the estate produces olives, olive oil, cereal grains and trees for lumber.

14 January, 2018 1997 Tenuta di Ghizzano Terre di Pisa Veneroso  “At twenty years old, a few things about a wine can get lost. For example, it might be more difficult to determine, with any real certainty, the grape, or place, or both, as the passage of time may have blurred those traits while at the same time, creating something better, or worse. In the instant case, this struck me as a lovely 3er/4er Bordeaux wine, that’s in/or nearing the outer limit of the center that is its sweet spot of its most mature and final years. Mainly Sangiovese, with a lesser percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon. Medium-bodied, this added weight, textural appeal and aromatic complexity as it opened over the first hour. Red-fruited, with very good soil attributes, a pinch of herb, tree, old club chair, dust and purple floral backing it all up. Still quite good with food thanks to plentiful acidity, the finish is average, but the nose and overall class the wine presents is just lovely. Drink now and the next 3-5 years. 13,0% abv., recommended+”

Grown between Pisa and San Gimignano; served non-blind, slightly better on night #1. A good deal of fine, and some chunky sediment, too; stand this one up for a week or two.

I’ll be keeping an eye out for these wines, would be very happy to have some in the cellar.

company website