Tuscany was the theme of this Christmas tasting at ViniVins, a small but selective importer run by Stefano and his son Silvio from a warehouse in Liège. Naturally the Sangiovese grape was prominent and it also figured in a supporting cast role in some interlopers from Puglia.
It was interesting to see quite different facets of this grape though it is hard to know how much to attribute to terroir differences versus producer style. The most mineral and austerely classy of these wines were those from the Chianti Classico area by Fèlsina and the Colli Senesi area by its Farnetella offshoot. The Poliziano wines from Montepulciano tended to be fruitier and more outwardly polished and the tendency was accentuated in the generous wines of their Lohsa offshoot in warmer Maremma. The Montalcino wines of Camigliano were generous with more exotic notes but seemed less classy than the wines of Fèlsina and Poliziano. Finally there was quite a lot of Sangiovese in most of the blends shown here from Puglia; all these except the one containing no Sangiovese showed a lot spicy exotic fruit and I am left wondering whether that is not a contribution of Sangiovese in its Puglia guise.
There were also two or three Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot dominated wines which showed very well though I didn’t think that they offered superior QPR or markedly distinctive character compared with Bordeaux of similar price.
The wines were served in several flights and I record them in the order in which they were served starting with the lighter bodied and moving on towards the more powerful though there were neither real feather weights nor blockbusters here thanks to the discernment of Stefano's choices.
Rosso di Montepulciano 2009 – Poliziano (€12), Sangiovese 80% & Merlot 20%, showed an attractively fruity nose with plum notes and a palate quite soft and supple on the entry but firming up with a nice Tuscan tang towards the finish; 15.5/20+ QPR.
Lucilla IGT Toscana 2009 – Farnetella (€11), Sangiovese 70%, CabSauv 15% & Merlot 15%, showed a quite mineral nose with some worrying cabbage notes which dispersed on swirl and the palate was round and nicely tangy with some firm (wood?) tannins needing a little time to integrate; 15.5/20 QPR.
Cortona In Violas 2007 – Poliziano (€24), Merlot 85% & CabSauv 15%. A first bottle whiffing of a cross between cheese and quinine was quickly replaced by one showing quite full and round plum aromas and fruit with lively acidity and tang keeping away any Merlot cloy; 15.5/20+.
Le Stanze IGT 2006 – Poliziano (€43), CabSauv 70% & Merlot 30% showed fleshy aromas laced with plum and the medium plus bodied palate was still quite firm and a touch closed with impressive substance and structure waiting to express itself fully; 16/20+ potentially.
Mandrone IGT Maremma 2008 – Lohsa (€27), CabSauv 80% and the rest PV, Alicante & Carignan, showed the Maremma generosity with sweeter fruit, leather touches, medium/full body, lively acidity and nice ivy notes; 16/20.
Morellino di Scansano 2009 – Lohsa (€13), Sangiovese 85% & Ciliegiolo 15%, had an outstandingly exuberant nose with notes of sweet plum and a generous and lively palate with a nice tang; 16/20+ QPR.
Chianti Classico 2008 – Fèlsina (€17), Sangiovese 100%, showed greater finesse than the previous with more savoury aromas of plum, cherry and minerals and a firmer, more austere yet expressive palate with tangy acidity, minerals, linear structure and length; 16.5/20++ QPR.
Vino nobile di Montepulciano 2008 – Poliziano (€20), Sangiovese 85% and the rest Canaiolo, Colorino & Merlot, showed floral aromas with candied touch and a polished palate with quite sweet fruit, minerals, lively acidity and Tuscan tang; 16/20++.
Rosso di Montalcino 2009 – Camigliano (€15), Sangiovese Grosso 100%, showed generous dark fruit aromas with orange peel tints and a quite full and more darkly coloured palate with decent structure but without the complexity and class of the previous; 15/20+.
Brunello di Montalcino 2006 – Camigliano (€33), Sangiovese Grosso 100%, was deeper and richer along the same lines as the Rosso without good acidity and structure and adding some spice and prune notes which some may not like; not up to the level of the Fèlsina CC nor the three following but a good 16/20.
Vino nobile di Montepulciano Asinone 25 anni 2007 – Poliziano (€37), Sangiovese 100%, was a bit subdued aromatically with rich and polished notes expressing themselves quietly. The palate was generous, mouth-filling and with impressive substance, still crisp acidity and marked tannins; there is unfinished business here and the basic VN 08 is more enjoyable now. However, based on recent bottles of 99 and 00, I am convinced that there is 17/20 + potential here.
Chianti Classico Riserva Rancia 2007 – Fèlsina (€36), Sangiovese 100%, was also subdued aromatically and still quite tight and closed but the substance was generous and classy, the structure built to last and the length built for elegance; potentially 17/20++ and Stefano thinks that it will open up sooner than some of the vintages from the 90s.
Fontalloro IGT Toscana 2007 – Fèlsina (€39), Sangiovese 100%, was more open and expressive now than the Rancia, showing sweeter fruit and already rich fruit and good structure with a nice Tuscan tang, but I wonder if it has as much potential as the Rancia; excellent though 17/20.
And now for the interloper from Puglia; Stefano was looking for a source of organic peeled tomatoes for his customers in the restaurant business and found this estate. He sampled their wines, also farmed organically, and was impressed by their exuberantly spicy fruit; so was I.
Azienda Agraria Paolo Petrilli – Puglia – Lucera Cacc’e Mitte
I’m not fully clear about the appellations of the following wines, which I name as they appear on Stefano’s tasting programme. The grape Nero di Troia is present in all these wines (100% in the last) and Sangiovese is present at 50% in the first and third and forms 30% of the second along with Montepulciano (the grape) and Bombino.
Fortuita Daunia Rosso 2008 (€9) immediately impressed by the exuberance of its exotically floral and spicy fruit backed up by some nice grip to complement food; 15/20++ QPR.
Agramente Cacc’e Mitte 2008 (€12) was quite similar with added refinement and backbone; 15.5/20.
Ferraù Cacc’e Mitte Daunia 2007 (€17) represented a further improvement in refinement, tangy acidity and structure while keeping most of the exuberance of spicy fruit; 16/20.
Il Guerro Daunia 2007 (€19). In spite of 100% Nero di Troia, this seemed more classical in flavour profile than the others with quite a lot of plum-like fruit and less spice and exotic flowers; 15.5/20=.
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