Fattoria Del Cerro Vino Nobile di Montepulciano 2006

A holiday gift enjoyed on Super Bowl Sunday...

EXPERIENCE
The cork has a faint peppery spice. The wine smells very Tuscan... pepper and dried cherries, with very little alcohol on the nose. The first taste is tart, acidic and dry. As it opens you get more fruit, peppery spice, and the surprisingly vivid scent of oregano. Solid medium body with a nice dry finish. Good depth and variety of flavors throughout the tasting.

VERDICT
GOOD AND CHEAP - This wine sells for right around $20 and it is well worth it! It's hard to find a bottle at this price point with such varied and interesting flavors. Nothing knocked us out, but also nothing bad... just enjoyable all around.

FACTS
Fattoria del Cerro is located in Montepulciano, just south of Sienna in eastern Toscana. The estate is part of a larger agricultural group called Saiagricola. Their DOCG Vino Nobile di Montepulciano  is made from Prugnolo Gentile (Sangiovese) 90%, Colorino 5%, and Mammolo 5%. They age 30% of the wine in French oak barriques for 12 months followed by 6 months in Slavonian oak casks and the other 70% in Slavonian oak casks for the full 18 months. The wine is then moved to stainless steel drums for a short time before it spends 6 months in the bottle. The winemaker recommends no more than 10 years of maturation in your cellar.

Le Sughere di Frassinello 2006

Schlepped this one all the way back from the vineyard in Tuscany! We know it's quality wine, but were worried it didn't survive the travel...

EXPERIENCE
It survived! Cork is light with cherries. First nose is beautiful (candle worthy) with a potpourri of pepper, some fruit, & a subtle amount of earthy funk. First taste, pepper all down the middle, sangiovese! It has some raisin/prune with a bit of cherry on the finish. Full bodied and opens to more raisin with soft earth tones & softer on the pepper. Becomes a little less dry with a dried cherry finish. Towards the end we tried it with some spicy capocollo, and it made a great combination... makes the wine seem extra smooth.

VERDICT

GREAT VALUE - We got this from the vineyard for 20 Euro, but it's widely available in the States for around $30... definitely worth it. A great example of what the new "Super Tuscans" are all about. A sangiovese blend that is unique and new, yet still true to the region and its history. 

FACTS

Rocca di Frassinello is located near Grossetto in the North of the Maremma region of Toscana. The winery is beautiful with one of the largest cellars in the world designed by Renzo Piano. Rocca is actually a joint venture between two heavy-weights of the wine world, Chianti producer Castellare di Castellina and the legendary Lafite from France. This IGT Maremma Toscana blend is made from 25% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 50% Sangiovese. It is aged for 12 months in French oak, and then another 9 months in the bottle. Check the winemaker's website for more on this interesting collaboration. 

La Selva Rosso Maremma Toscana 2008

Another bottle, this time red, that we picked up after our tasting at La Selva.

EXPERIENCE
A mildly tart nose. Good balance of fruit, tart, and acid on the tongue. The finish is just the slightest bit dry with a little bit of the pepper you'd expect from sangiovese. Overall a really pleasant drink, very balanced and clean.

VERDICT
GOOD AND CHEAP - Another wine from La Selva with quality well beyond it's price. This bottle sells for $10.99 (under an alias) here in the US. This is a "super-tuscan" quality wine at an everyday price. All of the wines we've had from La Selva offer really clean and clear flavors with plenty of depth. You'll kick yourself if you only buy one bottle.

FACTS
La Selva's Rosso Maremma Toscana is classified IGT and is a blend made from sangiovese (60% I believe), malvasia nera, merlot, and cabernet sauvignon. Grown and bottled near Magliano in Toscana, all of the grapes are organic and minimal sulfites are used. You can find this wine in the US at Pasanella and Son labeled as "Pasanella & Figlio Rosso" - both in their store and online. Hopefully Pasanella, or perhaps La Selva themselves, will have more of their offerings available here soon!

La Mozza Aragone 2005

The more expensive of La Mozza's two wine offerings, this bottle sells for around $43. We picked it up at Italian Wine Merchants in NYC. Aragone is the name the winemaker has given to this blend, which represents their attempt at a different kind of "Super-Tuscan" (a name given the regions non-traditional blends). La Mozza is owned by Lydia Bastianich, Joe Bastianich, and Mario Batali.

EXPERIENCE

This cork gave off a telltale spice. The first sip is vague at first then leads to a citrusy, tart finish. The wine is surprisingly light and the finish surprisingly strong. As the wine opened up, the fruity, citrus flavor became less apparent and the tart, dryness became the main focus. The aroma was pleasant throughout, but almost deceiving; we expected more on the "front" of the wine, not just a strong finish. In the end we wished the wine was more balanced like La Mozza's less costly "I Perazzi".

VERDICT

NOT A VALUE As huge fans of all things Batali and Bastianich, this was hard for us to dole out. At $40+ a bottle, this wine simply doesn't stack up, especially since we are such big fans of La Mozza's other offering.

FACTS

La Mozza is located in the Maremma region in the province of Grosseto in southern Toscana. The Aragone is classified IGT and is composed of 40% Sangiovese, 25% Alicante, 25% Syrah, and 10% Carignan.