Recent wine release – Carried at trader Joe’s I noticed this Tuscan gem in the Italian section on a recent visit. As a very big fan of the Antinori family’s Tignenello – Cianti Classico of various vintages I thought that I would give this one a try. At 19 dollars I reasoned it could be a really good deal, respectively.
The wine was a Sangiovese, Cab, Merlot Super Tuscan Blend. The color was a very dark Garnet with a strong barnyard/wet earth nose initially – so strong that I decanted it for 20 minutes or so which really help to dissipate those initial aromas so I could concentrate on the more settle nuances.
Once settled I did get some dark cherry and plumb on the nose, this soured out a bit on the palate with a high acid and earthy minerality on the taste.
Most reviews I have read subsequently give this wine a high 80’s rank, I would low 80’s it and recommend it with a rich cheesy dish – maybe a good pizza – with the acid to cut through the richness of a Mozzarella Di Buffalo topping. However, I would like to see this wine in the bottle for at least 2 years, and see what it tastes like then
