A new Super Tuscan is born

2008 Monteverro (Capalbio, Maremma/Italy)

Cuvée blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot.
First vintage from very young wines (planted between 2004 and 2006).
Deep luminous ruby-black. Big, fleshy, thick.
Open on the nose showing mineral spicyness, concentrated dark fruit and subtle oak.
Very powerful on the palate. The delicious, juicy fruit - reminiscent of blackberries and currants - is embedded in velvety, chocolaty tannins.
Subtle hints of cedar and tobacco. Ethereal freshness (eucalyptus, herbs). Low (too low?) acidity.
Good concentration and long on the finish. Medium depth and overall complexity. The wood is very well integrated, but the high alcohol content is noticeable in the aftertaste. In the current phase it appears to be dominated by Merlot.
This really impressive wine is obviously the product of a very rigorous selection of the best fruits harvested.
If I could choose I'd combine its fantastic fruit with more freshness/acidity and less alcohol. - My personal rating: 93-95/100.

Cheers,
Rainer

A new Super-Tuscan, goody. The philosophical gap between Tuscany and the rest of Italy doesn't seem to be going away.

A new Super-Tuscan, goody. The philosophical gap between Tuscany and the rest of Italy doesn't seem to be going away.

Oliver, which common Italian philosophy shared outside of Tuscany are you talking about?

Rainer,

I apologise for the tone of my original post, too snarky.

My sense is that most Italians have decided that indigenous varieties and traditional wine types are the way of the future, rather than competing with Bordeaux or Barossa (I am referring to the last 5-10 years or so). My bias is obvious: perhaps I'm just finding what I'm looking for.

Tuscany, on the other hand, seems to still be pretty wedded to the use of exotic varieties and international wine styles.

You might be right Oliver, but I think the Tuscans should be given credit when due. Almost everyone knows what Chainti is. As far as establishing “brand recognition” no one has done it better than Tuscany. Besides I believe other wine regions (even those outside of Italy) might have followed their lead in using the so-called “international” varieties in creating their own versions of a “Super Wine”

Salute

Chianti has been the best-known Italian red wine type for years, true, but in my view they compromised its individuality some years ago by allowing international varieties in the blend. Sangiovese is very transparent to other flavors such as Cabernet or new wood. Brunello by contrast tried to do the same thing without getting the law changed first, causing a scandal...

In my admittedly biased view the rest of Italy is passing Tuscan wine by. Which is not to say that a few producers don't still make distinctive and remarkable wine: Castell'in Villa, Montevertine, certain traditional Brunellos...