2007 Tenuta Vitanza Volare Sangiovese di Toscana

Happy Friday the 13th!  I hope it wasn't too scary, but even if it was a nice glass of wine at the end of the day can do wonders.  Tonight I am enjoying a wine that's a bit off the beaten path, the 2007 Tenuta Vitanza Volare Sangiovese di Toscana, a lovely classic Sangiovese from Tuscany.  Now this wine is not your average Sangiovese, but is actually a somewhat hidden gem.

Now for those of you less familiar, the Brunello di Montalcino is perhaps the king of all Italian wines, and as you might expect, there are a lot of regulations to ensure the King is protected from potential impostors.  The first rule of Brunello is that it must be made from 100% Sangiovese grapes, and in fact there was a big controversy regarding a few producers that had their entire 2003 vintage seized because of allegations that some foreign varietals were included in the wine.  The second major rule is the aging, which requires a minimum of 2 years in oak, and an additional 4 months in the bottle before release.  Now most regular Brunellos are released 50 months after harvest, while the Riservas are released a year later.

Now a Rosso di Montalcino is made in the same way as Brunello, but does not require the extensive aging (it is only required to be aged 6 months in oak and total aging of 1 year before release).  Often this helps producers with cash flow, by producing a wine that can be sold earlier, and it also helps provide an outlet for less than ideal vintages.  Now the most important thing to remember is that violating any of the rules for these wines can result in fines, prison, and worst of all, destruction of a winemaker's reputation.  All of which brings us to tonight's wine.  This wine was basically made from the same grapes as Brunello, but the winemaker apparently had his reasons for not wanting to comply with the rules of Brunello and decided instead to simply offer the wine as a plain old Sangiovese!

The wine itself has a wonderful bright ruby color in the glass, and the nose is so reminiscent of a nice Rosso or Brunello.  We have lovely aromas of leather, vanilla and oak, with a hint of ripe, sweet fruit.  The taste is fruit forward, with flavors of black cherry and plum, followed by a warm, peppery spice midpalate, transitioning effortlessly to the bright tannins that provide a long, dry finish.  I certainly won't oversell this as a baby Brunello, but man, this wine is richer and much more complex than any run of the mill Sangiovese!

This really is the best "generic" Sangiovese I've ever had, and the fact that it was on sale for only $12 makes this a super bargain if there ever was one!  Overall I would rate this one a solid 8, with room to improve as it matures.  I bought this wine at G.B. Russo's, my favorite local wine merchant who is actually the sole sponsor of my evening activities, since I bought the wine and the Tuscan pizza I'm enjoying it with.  The pizza is a lovely crust, with roasted peppers, prosciutto di parma, and crema di toscana sauce.  I added a few leaves of fresh basil as well, but the rich flavors of Tuscany are the perfect complement to this wine.  Cin cin!