2018 Campogiovanni (San Felice) Brunello di Montalcino, Italy, Tuscany, Wine Review
Ruby in color with some browning, mostly clear and bright. Great nose with cherries, sandalwood, and tea leaves. Medium to full bodied. Great balance and acidity. Nice "slick" texture. Medium tannins. On the palate, flavors of black cherries with an interesting cola note and some earthiness. Long finish. This needs another five years in a good cellar to really take that next step, but patience will be rewarded. The score should jump one to three points. Great on its own but better with food. Osso Bucco would be a great food pairing.
2019 San Felice Vigorello Toscana IGT, Italy, Tuscany, Wine Review
2021 San Felice Chianti Classico Il Grigio Riserva, Italy, Tuscany, Wine Review
Garnet in color, mostly clear and bright. The nose is initially tight but with air opens to show cherries, black cherries, and slight cough drop. very clean. Plush texture, full bodied with firm tannins. Greatt mough puckering acidity. On the palate cherries and tart cherries with a hint of mint on the finish. Long, clean finish. This is young but drinking well. The acidity/grape makes it better with food. After all, it is Italian. This would be great with Spaghetti and meatballs. Drink over the next ten years.
2020 Marchesi de' Frescobaldi Chianti Rùfina Nipozzano Riserva, Italy, Tuscany, Wine Review
This is a great value in Chianti and in fact red wine in general. Garnet in color, mostly clear and bright. The nose is nice with black cherries, cherries, spices, hay, slight mocha and mint. Medium bodied. Medium tannins. Good acidity. On the palate, flavors of cherries, earth and forest floor. An interesting menthol note on the long finish. This is made for food. A great choice to pasta with a tomato based sauce. Or a mid-week pizza. Drink over the next five to eight years.
2007 Poggio Antico Brunello di Montalcino, Italy, Tuscany, Wine Review
This bottle had been purchased at the winery. Deep ruby in color, clear and bright. The nose is nice with cherries, sandalwood, tea leaves and spice. Medium to full bodied. Medium tannins. Great acidity. On the palate, this seems at peak. Complex and delicious. Flavors of cherries, some black cherries, spice and char. Long finish. This is nice on its own but much better with food. Perfect with a plate of pasta. Drink over the next five to seven years.
2010 Il Paradiso di Frassina Brunello di Montalcino, Italy, Tuscany, Wine Review
This is drinking well now at about at peak. Garnet in color, mostly opaque and bright. The nose has cherries, slight root beer, spice and forest floor. Medium bodied. Good acidity. Tannins are resolved. On the palate, this has depth and complexity. Flavors of cherries, slight dried cherries and some earthy notes. Good finish. This needs food to come together. A nice plate of your favorite pasta would be perfect. Drink over the next few years.
2022 Montenidoli Vernaccia di San Gimignano Fiore, Italy, Tuscany, Wine Review
After trying the "Tradizionale" VdSG from this producer which is aged on its skins, it seemed appropriate to try this version. It is also made from 100% organic Vernaccia grapes but this is made from free run juice which sees very little skin contact. Light golden in color, clear and bright. The nose has some citrus with minerality and a hint of peach. Medium bodied. On the palate, minerals and citrus. Clean. Good finish. This is nice on its own and very food friendly as well with lighter foods. A nice choice with grilled fish. Drink over the next couple of years.
2022 Montenidoli Vernaccia di San Gimignano Tradizionale, Italy, Tuscany, Wine Review
Fascinating wine. Made from Vernaccia grapes. This is an organic white wine in which the grapes were macerated on their skins. Not quite an orange wine, it looked more like a salmon-pink rosé with deep golden hues. Clear and bright. The nose has some hay, some light oxidized tones, and some almonds. Medium bodied. Good balance. On the palate, this is deep. Flavors of slight citrus, minerality and a slight bitter (in a good way) note. Good finish. This wine needs food. It would pair well with Cinnamon Risotto. Drink over the next few years.
2019 Marchesi de' Frescobaldi Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Tenuta Calimaia, Italy, Tuscany, Wine Review
Like Chianti, Vino Nobile wines are mostly Sangiovese grapes and from Tuscany. The best of them compare with many of the good Chianti's and the price is often less. Frescobaldi (a famous Chianti producer) expanded into this area by buying this property in 2021. This wine was made prior to that but recently released by Frescobaldi. It is a blend of 90% Sangiovese, known locally as Prugnolo Gentile, and 10% other red grape varieties. Deep ruby in color, mostly clear and bright. The nose has cherries, black cherries, sandalwood, spice and slight sour cherries. Medium bodied. Medium tan