2006 La Pieve Rosso di Montalcino, Tuscany
Encouraged by posters (from another board that I also participate in), and fellow wine-enthusiasts, all from across the pond and recently preaching the virtues of Rosso di Montalcino, I hopped-on to the bandwagon to see what I’ve been missing out on. I’ve had very few RdM wines before, and I have not paid much attention to them and undeservedly dismissed them as something like the less-regarded second wine. I thought that the La Pieve was as close as it can get to some really good Tuscan-based reds, within the bounds of the $20 that I paid for it. With captivating smell of wood, eucalyptus, some barnyard and meadow brush, the wine started out as tannic with that excellent high sangiovese acidity that showed cherries and raspberries. 100% Sangiovese, the wine had a rich mouth-feel and was quite full-bodied. The wine kept getting better with ensuing pours over the course of dinner. There’s a tinge of vegetable amidst a rustic structure that also showed some international style, this wine begged for bold-flavored foods.
Some googling revealed that La Pieve’s operation lies 8 kilometers (5 miles) from Montalcino and remains the smallest producer of Brunello/rosso in the region. B+ now, with potential for A- with bottle age.
2004 Paolo Bea Montefalco Rosso Riserva “Piparello”, Umbria
Deep violet and cloudy in appearance, with the un-mistakable earthy/agriculture/fresh meadow smell of the Umbrian countryside that had stuck with me since a most enjoyable visit to the area about a-year-and-a-half ago. The nose evolved over our 2 hour dinner and at some point showed fruit and some confection. High in acidity, the wine is most definitely very young, with mainly savory components, minerals, and lean fruit. Composed with mostly Sangiovese and Montepulciano di Abruzzo, there is also the customary 15% Sagrantino grape. The structure manifests the natural wine-making process that Paolo Bea advocates and practices, with its high acidity, cloudy appearance, and pure flavors. While the wine provided a relatively-high degree of palate-satisfaction, I hesitate to give a higher rating given what I think is the un-deserved high price range that this wine is available for. B
