The first day of the event is reserved solely for journalists. The second day is open to journalist and trade persons. The last two days are open to the public and make tasting something of a challenge as the space becomes very small, very quickly. That said, I persevered, for you 😀 All of my…
Category: Sangiovese
Benvenuto Brunello 2018, Montalcino Centro, Part I
After a few weeks of travel through New York City, Connecticut, Paris and the eastern side of France, I’ve finally made it to my beloved Italia. A quick night in Turin, then another in Asti, and now here, in Montalcino for the past three days, attending the new release of the 2013 Brunello di Montalcino,…
Nicely mature, with elegance and modesty – 1997 Tenuta di Ghizzano Terre di Pisa Veneroso
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…
Brilliant farming you can taste – 2006 Agostina Pieri Brunello di Montalcino
Reconciling a perceived preference with reality can be a humbling, powerfully educational experience. For instance, if someone were to ask me about my preferences for wine/winemaking, I’d include, among other things, the lack/restraint of oak usage in the cellar as an important factor. Or, if oak is used, I’d say I (generally speaking) prefer older…
Tuscan Masterpiece – 2013 Il Palazzone Brunello di Montalcino
My nearly one month stay in Montalcino zone last year produced some really eye-opening moments. Specifically, the careful, and clever, attention that some winegrowers (and that number appears to be growing, an uplifting thought) are paying to their land and vines is exciting. It’s almost as if there’s a revolution underway – a campaign where…
Podere Salicutti – humility and genius
At this year’s VinItaly, I had a chance to spend some time with Francesco Leanza, after 20 minutes of talking about some his past vintages that I’ve enjoyed, I also had some time to taste his newly released wines. My experience with the Podere Salicutti wines prior to meeting him prepared me, if just a…
2015 Casa Emma Chianti Classico – yes, please!
I’m just getting started processing the 3000+ tasting notes during my recent (March-June) trip to Italy’s wine regions; it’s going to take a while. This was a trip that spanned from Aosta to Apulia, and back again. There were multiple (including #VinItaly) wine fairs, etc. I tasted a lot of wines. Most of them were…
2010 Il Palazzone Brunello di Montalcino Riserva – sheer joy
If you’re lucky enough to be one of the few people on the planet that owns this wine, congratulations, you’ve hit pay dirt, as they say. The air is rather thin here, not so many have risen so high. From the very first smell, and right through to the final sip, you’re patently aware of…
2009 Selvapiana Vigneto Bucerchiale
Bucerchiale (boo-chair-key-al-ay), a name you need to know, even if you can’t pronounce it. The same goes for the tiny sub-region of Rufina, and the tiny area of Selvapiana within that tiny sub-region. The maps below should give you an idea of this sub-region, one of Chianti’s smallest, just east of Firenze (Florence), far in…
San Giusto a Rentennano, Part III
Bettina leads us to the tasting room, which is to say we’re exiting the (former Monastery) and headed a few steps away to the detached tasting room. When wine geeks think of a perfect place to have a wine dinner or have a private tasting, this is what they think about. Great space, which would…
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