Chianti went from the unwanted stepchild of Italian wine in the
1960’s – 1970’s, to one of its darlings in the 1990’s, and this was no
accident. During the 1980’s, growers in
Tuscany undertook a massive scientific scheme, in which they identified the
best clones of Sangiovese -- their trademark grape varietal -- and re-planted
their vineyards with better clones, in better sites. The result was part of the massive revolution
in Italian winemaking during the past thirty years that has catapulted the
nation’s offerings into the very front ranks of the earth’s vinous
treasures.
One of the epicenters of this revolution was Chianti Classico, the
specific zone in Tuscany that has long been identified as the source of many of
the region’s greatest wines. But there
are other bottles that are worth seeking outside of the Classico area. Here are a few of the Voyager’s favorite
Tuscan reds…
The Super-Tuscan Interlude
Beginning in the 1980’s and carrying through to the present day, some
vintners decided that they wanted to supplement Sangiovese with so-called
international (i.e., French) grape
varietals, especially Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah. Some of these wines (e.g., Sassasicaia and
Orenellaia) are fantastic…and fantastically expensive. These days, critics are paying considerably
less attention to these so-called “Super-Tuscan” wines, preferring to
concentrate on wines made form Italy’s indigenous grapes. Critical fashions, of course, come and go –
but the idea of blending Sangiovese with French varietals is far from
dead. And not all of these wines carry a
premium price-tag.
One of my favorite go-to wines for everyday drinking is the result
of a collaboration between American importer Neal Empson and prominent Tuscan
winemaker Franco Bernabei.
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| Vintage after vintage, this wine delivers outstanding value |
2010 Monte Antico Toscano
(Tuscany, ITALY):
Medium garnet, some maturity on the rim.
Sour cherries, vanilla, plum and leather on the nose, which is nicely forthcoming. Sour cherry notes again on the palate, with
beefy tastes as well. Great value, and
an excellent match with any southern Italian cuisine. Very well-made, and an outstanding value that usually retails at
$10.00 - 12.00 ***1/2
There’s life in Chianti outside of Classico
There are seven different sub-zones in Chianti, and in Chianti Rufina, there are wines to
rival the very best of what the Classico zone has to offer. Here’s an excellent example that, at the
store where I work, retails at $12.98 – and is a steal at the price…
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| The fragrance here is reminiscent of Bordeaux |
2011 Renzo Masi Chianti
Rufina Riserva (Tuscany, Italy): A rather surprisingly dark ruby. The things I love about Chianti Rufina are
all here. Spicy blackcurrant aromas that
remind me a bit of a good Margaux, with an additional element of real earthiness,
and even a trace of mint. That earthy
note repeats itself on the palate – you can really taste the soil here. Despite all this minerality, there’s also an
elegance and sophistication to this wine, along with a structure that I find
lacking in all but the best Chianti Classicos.
This is a producer whose work I’ve admired for many years, and I’m happy
to report that they are still on form in the 2011 vintage. ***1/2 -- ****
The IGT Revolution
Some Italian winemakers don’t want to be hedged in by the specific
requirements of Italian wine laws, and thus make their wines under the generic
IGT (Indicazione Geografica Tipica)
designation. Some of these wines are
cheap, some are quite expensive, but some come in at a price that occupies the
middle ground. Here’s one that
consistently gets critical plaudits and is worth investigating…
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| Does the wine make the meal, or does the meal make the wine? |
2011 Brancaia Tre Toscana
IGT (Tuscany, IT): Pale-medium ruby. Orange rind, sour cherry and stewed tomatoes
initially; later, scents of graphite and smoke emerge. Delicate on the palate, with subtle cherry, vanilla and herbal
flavors. What’s missing here? There’s a lack of richness, a thin quality,
that leaves me wanting more. I paired it
with chicken, which seemed to be an inopportune match. **1/2 at first; will put this under Private
Preserve gas for a couple of days and see what happens.
And what did happen?
Second note on Brancaia
Tre: with a plate of pasta in a lovely red sauce,
the wine was transformed. No longer thin
and reedy, it now had the perfect weight.
The fruit in the wine was much brighter, and the harmony between the
beverage and the meal was sublime. Glad
I saved some for a second experiment. I
learned many years ago to pair wine with food from its own locality – here’s
another confirmation. Bumped up to *** ½
(The Brancaia Tre should comes in at
around $22.00 here in Boulder.)
Mini-Brunellos come out of the shadows
Lastly, here’s a wine that comes from Montalcino. This town is the
home of Brunello di Montalcino, one of Tuscany’s most prestigious
growing areas. Brunello is rich, sophisticated, and usually quite
expensive. A less costly alternative is Rosso di Montalcino, which has
historically been regarded as the little brother of Brunello. For years, the wines designated as Rosso di
Montalcino were haphazard, and buyers were well-advised to exercise
caution. Now, however, this is a
category that is gaining increasing attention from both the producers and the
wine press. Here’s a wine that will give
you an excellent introduction to the glory that is Montalcino…
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| This wine speaks to you in clear terms, and tells you to enjoy... |
2012 Il Poggione Rosso di
Montalcino (Tuscany, Italy): Pale-to-medium garnet. Some maturity on the rim. The nose is loaded with interest: sour
cherries, vanilla from old oak (a bit reminiscent of a Rioja), some woodsy
aromas and a pleasant hint of the barnyard.
More cherries and dark tea on the palate. With air, a slightly smoky, flinty, minerally
component started to emerge, along with sweeter cherries. Later still, a suggestion of mushrooms. This is lovely; it’s so open and inviting that
there’s a pronounced wow factor here.
Tried this with both spaghetti in a tomato garlic sauce and a margherita
pizza, and it was equally at home with both.
A very good sample of what Montalcino can do; even though it’s fairly
light in color, it has great acidity for food, and, despite coming in at 14.5%
alcohol, it has excellent balance. This
really is a “baby Brunello.” **** (This is another wine in the $22.00 range here
in Colorado.)
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