Serendipitous Wine Focus ('20 Caparsa CC)

Last week found Jean, myself and our son traveling to Milan for a scientific conference. Because Jean and Andy had never been to Italy, we tacked onto it a family vacation to Venice and Florence. As a result, we landed in an AirBNB in Florence that was situated in between Il Duomo and the Piazza della Signoria. Our first night, we gathered supplies and cooked a simple meal at home. To accompany it, I'd picked up a bottle of the 2020 Az. Ag. Caparsa Chianti Classico which proved to be a lithe and supple expression of Sangiovese with totally smooth tannins, perfect balance and a sense of lightness on the palate that I rarely find in CC. Even at 13.5% ABV it gave an impression of restraint and elegance. At 3:30 am Jean and Andy were awakened by loud crashing sounds outside, which proved to be the erection of pedestrian barricades. As we breakfasted the next morning, we saw the crowds assembled outside of the barricades to await the Grand Départ that precedes the official start of the Tour de France. From our rooftop terrace, we had a birds-eye view of the bikers as the various teams filed through en route to the start at the velodrome, a totally serendipitous benefit to our visit.