2017 Reininger Sangiovese Grosso

Happy Sunday!  It's been thunderstoming and raining off and on all day today, which is good since I've spend much of it cooking (more on that in a bit).  In light of my dinner choices and since I just received a new shipment of this wine from Reininger Winery, my decision on what to drink tonight was fairly obvious.  I've decided to open a bottle of the 2017 Reininger Sangiovese Grosso, a 100% Sangiovese Grosso from the Seven Hills Vineyard in the Walla Walla Valley AVA of Washington.  Unlike a traditional Sangiovese, this wine is made from a clone of the varietal from Montalcino that is used to make Brunello.  As a big Brunello fan, I was tempted to let this one age for 10 years, and I have a few bottles for that, but I couldn't help opening up one tonight, so let's see how it tastes!

The wine is a bright ruby color in the glass with just a tinge of amber along the edges, just as you might expect from it's Italian cousins.  The nose presents aromas of ripe cherry, strawberry overlaid with hints of anise and tobacco.  The taste is a rush of ripe red fruit, cherry, currant and mulberry that transitions easily to some notes of dark chocolate and spice box midpalate.  The tannins are soft which combined with a kick of acidty, provides for a vibrant and voluptuous dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9, as it's one of the best Sangiovese wines I've tasted from Washington.  This wine would pair well with a broad range of dishes, from classic Italian pasta with marinara, to Bisteca Fiorentina.  Tonight I've taken a completely different route, as my local supermarket had lamb rack on sale, so I decided to look up how to make the classic Hell's Kitchen herb crusted rack of lamb recipe (hat tip to the helpful video from Chef Christina Wilson here) along with potato puree, ratatouille with bravas puree and of course the lamb sauce, of a red wine and olive reduction.  And unlike my steaks, I prefer my lamb well done, so cheers!

2002 Tenuta Col D'Orcia Brunello di Montalcino Riserva

Here we are, at another "Cellar Saturday" and I'll have to confess that although I've selected a wine for this day that's over a decade old, and is at an ideal age for drinking, it hasn't really been in my cellar that long!  In fact, I bought two bottles of this one a month ago and have been excited to try it, the 2002 Tenuta Col D'Orcia Brunello di Montalcino Riserva!  Of course, the 2002 vintage for Brunello has been widely panned in the wine press, so my expectations were already somewhat depressed going into this, but what can I do, this is the oldest vintage I have, so it's on!

I thought about pouring this one through the aerator, but instead just let it breathe for an hour before tasting.  The nose is quite complex, with a lot of different aromas going on that it almost makes you dizzy, there is a lovely smoky aroma that pervades the nose, with hints of dark fruit, leather and oak, and then there is a sudden twang of tart cherry that sort of hits you from behind.  You really don't know what to expect from the nose, but on your first sip, it hits you with lovely ripe fruit up front, blackberry and plum, and then a bit of tart cherry as you transition to some floral notes, rose petals and a bit of anise midpalate.  The tannins are very well structured, supporting a long, lush and very dry finish that seems to go on for a minute or more.  I know it was a terrible vintage and I'm not supposed to like it, but this one just brought me straight back the the last time I was in Florence, enjoying some fava beans on Tuscan toast at a little cafe down the street from Il Duomo.  If a wine can do that, it can't be all bad!

Overall, I would rate this one a solid 8.5 as it's just drinking wonderfully right now, and it was a relative bargain as I bought this a month ago from Wines Till Sold Out for only $39.99!  Tonight I am enjoying this with one of my favorite Italian dishes, some sweet Italian sausage sauteed in olive oil with onions and peppers, a bit of homemade garlic bread and some linguine tossed with garlic and olive oil, delizioso!

1988 Castelgiocondo Brunello di Montalcino

It's "Open that Bottle" night!  A day once a year when we open special bottles we've been saving for special occasions that never seem to arrive.  So tonight I am opening a bottle to enjoy with some friends that I've had since 1995, a bottle I paid 24,000 Lira for when I was in Rome!  The 1988 Castelgiocondo Brunello di Montalcino is a wine that I am hoping has aged well over it's time in my cellar.  Of course I also get a kick out of the English translation on the back of the label that sounds like Google translator a decade before Google existed, "From a severe selection of the Sangiovese grapes this wine of great structure is produced." Hopefully the wine isn't as severe!

So in the glass, the wine was a bright ruby color, with a bit of cloudiness.  The nose was a nice combination of leather, dry spice and floral notes.  The taste was actually somewhat of a surprise, particularly how much fruit was left after a quarter century. Up front the taste was quite peppery, but the spice quickly transitioned int some nice fruit, ripe plum, anise and some berries.  The finish was just bone dry, but still very pleasing, and interesting to see how a more mature Brunello presents itself.  As an aside, after the first glass, we decanted the bottle, and ironically the air seemed to suppress the pepper and spice, but the fruit was still fairly bright as it opened up.

Overall, I would rate this one a solid 9, primarily because 25-year-old wines are not easy to come by, and this one was a super bargain at only 24,000 Lira, which if I recall at the time was about $15.  Tonight my friends and I enjoyed this bottle with a lovely Italian dinner, starting with a spinach salad with goat cheese, pickled beets and candied walnuts, and some wonderful eggplant involtini with pasta and fresh tomato sauce. And of course for dessert we had some mini canoli, one of my favorites! Ciao!

2003 Piancornello Brunello di Montalcino

Here we are at my fourth "Cellar Saturday" and I've decided to go back to my love of Italian wines, and particularly the wines of Tuscany.  Now of course you can't explore the wines of this region without taking some time for the undisputed king of Tuscan wines, Brunello di Montalcino, and this case the 2003 vintage of Piancornello. For those familiar with Brunello, you'll immediately recognize that vintage as one that caused quite a stir with the confiscation of four producers' 2003 Brunello on charges that they had fraudulently included foreign varietals in their wine labeled Brunello.  By law, Brunello must be made from 100% Sangiovese grapes, and although the investigation was somewhat inconclusive, the U.S. government blocked the import of 2003 vintage Brunellos that could not prove they were made with 100% Sangiovese (so I suppose this one is safe!).  The laws also require that the wine be aged a minimum of 2 years in oak, and 4 months in bottle before release, though most producer age their wines in oak for 3 years.

This wine has been in the bottle for considerably longer than 4 months, as most Brunellos really start coming into their own when they hit about 10 years old, so this one is just about to hit its stride.  The color on this wine is a rich garnet hue, certainly a bit lighter than your typical Napa Cab.  The nose has quite a bit of herbs, some classic spice, anise, and ripe red fruit with a hint of sweetness.  The taste was a bit tart up front but quickly transitioned into some rich ripe fruit and even a bit of prune midpalate which gave way to some interesting chocolate notes.  The tannins are somewhat subdued providing for a long, silky smooth finish that left me wanting another sip every time!

Overall I would rate this wine a solid 8.5 and perhaps even a 9 given the value.  I bought this one through Wines Till Sold Out back in 2010 for just $35, which is pretty good for a Brunello!  Tonight I am pairing this wine with a simple but delicious Italian dish, bucatini with mussels.  I simply sauteed some guanciale (this is a cured pig jowl, but you can use pancetta if you can't find guanciale) with some crushed garlic, then added some olive oil and about a pound of fresh mussels.  Once the mussels opened up, I added 2 cans of whole San Marzano tomatoes and about a cup of red wine (but not the brunello!).  Let that simmer for 20-30 minutes on low heat and then toss with some al dente bucatini (bucatini is a long pasta shaped like a drinking straw, but if you can't find it at your local store a nice linguine or spaghetti will do fine).  Top the dish with some fresh basil and some freshly shaved Parmesan and you have a lovely dinner! Tutti a tavola a mangiare!

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!

2004 Casanuova delle Cerbaie Brunello di Montalcino

Another fine wine from our "Best of" wine tasting, and I can think of no better wine to post about on Christmas Eve.  After all, Christmas itself seems to go so well with Italian food and red wine, so what's better than the classic heart of Italian wine, the greatest wine in Tuscany, and arguably the greatest wine of Italy, Brunello di Montalcino!  This wine, the 2004 Casanuova delle Cerbaie Brunello di Montalcino is a very nice example of this classic Tuscan great, and I can tell you I was not disappointed in the least!

The wine has a garnet color in the glass with a hint of rust color along the edges.  The nose was somewhat "woodsy" which I guess is my technical term for a combination of moss, oak, cedar, earth and tobacco all swirling around.  The taste had some tart cherry, and mild acidity and a subtle spiciness that made for quite a backbone on this wine.  I found the wine itself quite dry, but the mild tannins made for a very smooth finish.  As the wine for the heart of Tuscany, this wine would pair well with many hearty Italian dishes, or if you're bold enough, Bistecca alla Fiorentina!  For those of you unfamiliar, Bistecca alla Fiorentina is a Tuscan style steak about as big as your torso (I exaggerate, but these are big thick steaks) grilled over a wood fire, but if you don't have any 4-inch thick steaks handy, a nice 2-inch thick Porterhouse will do nicely!

This wine was simply delightful, and I would rate it a solid 9, perhaps higher but for the price (this one will set you back in the $30-40 range).  Even so, if you happen to find some online or at your local wine merchant, I suggest buying a bottle or two to enjoy with family and friends.  Tutti a tavola a mangiare!