Four Sangiovese wines from Umbria and Tuscany

Time to catch up on some new vintages from some producers that I like.

First up is Lungarotti from Umbria in Italy. Their wine Rubesco is made from mostly Sangiovese grapes and some colorino grapes from the Torgiano area in Umbria. Compared to the 2015 and 2016 vintages  the 2018 vintage has more red berries and less black currant. A very good Sangiovese.

Antonellis Rosso di Montefalco is of the vintage 2012 and I have stored it for five years. The grapes used are 70% Sangiovese, 15% Sagrantino and 15% Montepulciano. In the taste I get a lot of red cherry and some sour cherry with black currants and some tannins. This red wine can handle several years of ageing very well. Still well structured and quite powerful.


For the next two wines we move from Umbria and travel to Tuscany. Forst up is the Cold D'Orcia 2018 Rosso di Montalcino. Made from 100% Sangiovese grapes. This is a quite a multifaceted wine.  Red cherry and red currants first on the taste followed by blask currants and tannins in the back. Quite a long aftertaste. A very good expression of a Rosso Di Montalcino.

Last up is the Chianti Classico wine from Terreno of the vintage 2017. It is made from Sangiovese grapes and a little Merlot grapes. In the taste I get red cherry, red currant and some violet. Some smooth tannins in the back. Better than the 2013 vintage.

 

Three red wines from Italy

The producer Mandrarossa in Sicily produces many different wines. One of them is Costadune, this is made of 100% Nero D'Avola. This grape is a grape that is completely red throughut, many red grapes only has a red skin. This grape is mostly grown in Sicily and has during the last years shown to produce good red wines and not just simple table wine. The Costadune wine is from 2017 and has the ABV 13,5%. The taste is of red currants, som red cherry with some spice and tannins and acidity. Goes down quite well and is a nice easy drinking wine.

Next red wine is the wine Rosso Di Montalcino from producer Col D'Orcia in Tuscany. It is made of 100% Sangiovese grapes. The vintage is 2016 and the ABV is 14%.  In the taste I get a big hit of sour cherry, some leather, black currant with tannins on the finish. A great food wine.

The last wine is a red wine from Valpolicella from producer Tenute Falezze. It is a Valpolicella Superiore wine from 2016. It contains the grapes Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella and Oseleta. This is a beautiful delicate red. Very elegant taste with cherry, licorice, with some viol and cassis. A wonderful Valpolicella.

Red wine from Cantina Lavis, Casisano and Rosset

This time I try three red wines from Alto Adige, Tuscany and Vallé d'Aoste. First up is the wine Lagrein from Cantina Lavis. It is made of 100% Lagrein grapes, the vintage is 2017 and the ABV is 13%. Very dark ruby colour. Almost an earthy red fruits smell. On the taste I get blueberries and some plum with some leather notes and viols. A very nice wine.

Next is a Rosso di Montalcino called Casisano from the producer Tommasi. The grape is Sangiovese, the vintage is 2015 and the ABV is 13%. Red fruit on the nose. In the taste black currant, cherries and some tannins. I get some mushrooms in the aftertaste. A nice complex rosso di Montalcino.

Last is a red wine from the small province of Valle d'Aosta from the producer Rosset. It is a wine made with 100% Cornalin grapes. The vintage is 2015 and the ABV is 12%. In the taste I get viols, red currants and some acidity. A nice Cornalin.

Cannonau and Sangiovese

Cannonau is a grape that is grown in Sardinia. It is also known as Grenache. It can give very strong wines. The producer Sella & Mosca is situated ner the town of Alghero in Sardinia. This company was founded maybe 130 years ago. They have a Cannonau di Sardegna Riserva from 2014 with and ABV of 14%. I don't get so much on the nose. The taste is quite strong with some hard tannins. I get some sour cherries, tobacco and spices. This will gain complexity with a few more years of ageing but is good today. Maybe not for people who don't like tannins.

From Tuscany and the town of Montalcino we have the producer Campogiovanni. I have tasted their Rosso di Montalcino from 2015. It consists of 100% Sangioveseand the ABV is 13%. I get red fuits on the nose. The taste is of black currant, red cherries and some smooth tannins. A very good wine.

From Montalcino to two new places, Montepulciano and Molise

Tody it is all M, red wine from Montalcino, Montepulciano and Molise.

First up is a red wine from Montalcino in Tuscany, it is the Villa al Cortile Rosso Di Montalcino from 2015 with an ABV of 13,5%. The bottle says the the grapes comes from the south and north slopes of the Montalcino territory. As usual the grapes are 100% Sangiovese Grosso. The taste is of red fruits, red cherries, soft tannins, some liquorice, and a good aftertaste. A good wine.

Next we move to the town of Montepulciano also in Tuscany. It is the wine Vino Nobile di Montepulciano from producer Poliziano, with the subname Viti nuove. The vintage is 2014 and the ABV is 13,5%. It is made of 85% Prugnolo Gentile and 15% of other grapes such as Colorino and Canaiolo. The Prugnolo Gentile is the name for Sangiovese in Montepulciano. The taste is very spice, some black peppars, black currants and some liquorice. There are some tannins lingering in the aftertaste. Also a good wine.

The last bottle is a red wine from the little known region Molise in Italy. It is called Biferno Rosso Riserva by producer Zengarello. This wine is of the vintage 2011 and the ABV is 14%. The wine is made of the grapes Agliancio and Montepulciano, not to be confused with the town Montepulciano. The taste is of black currants, tobacco and liquorice. The tannins are quite strong. This is a wine that will age very well and I would probably like it even more when it becomes older. A good wine today with some ageing potential.

Montalcino to Siciliy

Besides the Brunello di Montalcino there is also the wine Rosso di Montalcino produced in Montalcino. The winery Tenuta il Poggione is run by Leopoldo and Livia Francesi and they produce several different wines and two different Rosso di Montalcino. The one that I have tried is their Il Poggione from 2014. It consists of 100% of the grape Sangiovese and has an alcohol level of 14%. The colour is ruby as is normal from Sangiovese wines. It has a taste of red berries and some chocolate with soft tannins and it is a well structured wine. Very good. View from Montalcino below.

From the wine producer Musita I have tried several bottles before. The wine Regieterre Cattárratto I have tried their vintage 2013 before and no I have tasted the 2014 vintage. The 2014 is very fresh with a citrus taste and aromatic fruits. Still very good.

Two rosso di Montalcino

I have had the chance to try two Rosso Di Montalcino from 2013 by producers Col D'Orcia and Castelli Martinozzi. Rosso Di Montalcino is a wine made of 100% sangiovese grown in the same region as the Brunello Di Montalcino. However it only need one year of aging before being sold, compared to the brunellos the Rosso Di Montalcino is lighter and more fresh.

I tasted the Col D'Orcia when I were down on Montalcino and this time I had time I make tasting notes. The colour is like a lighter red ruby. The taste is very good, some tannins, black currants, black pepper and cacao. I like this wine.

The Rosso Di Montalcino from Castelli Martinozzi is a new experience. It also has a lighter red ruby colour. For this wine I feel some soft tannins, black currants but also some coffee notes. Also a very good wine.

In the future it will be fun to try these producers Brunellos also.

Some fine wines from Italy and France

Wine from France I usually don't drink so much of except the Alsace region. Alsace produces may good white wines. Domaine Rieflé produces several different white wines and the one I had the chance to try is their Gewurztraminer Bonheur Convivial from 2013 is made from 100% of Gewurztraminer. The taste is of Elderberries and is very aromatic. Very good.

Italy has many different grapes and wine regions. One that produces good white wine is the Verdicchio Dei Castelli Di Jesi. Fattoria San Lorenzo has a wine called Di Gini which is made of 100% Verdicchio. It has a taste of apples and some citrus. A sharp taste so not for everyone but I quite like it.

Bacio Della Luna is a prosecco from Italy. It has a good apple and citrus taste and is quite light. Your typical good prosecco.

When in Tucany I drove by Castello Banfi which is situated in a beautiful area of southern Tuscany. For the first time I had the chance to try their wine, namely a Rosso Di Montalcino from 2013. The taste is rich and of black currant and plums and many soft tannins. This wine could probably be stored for several years before drinking. Very good.

A visit to Montalcino

Montalcino, the hill town and commune in southern Tuscany. It is a very beautiful place situated at 550 meters height.

Montalcino is famous not for the architecture or churches but for one thing. The wine that is produced there especially the famous Brunello di Montalcino.

Walking around in Montalcino one sees that it is a famous wine region. It is easier to buy wine than coffee.There are wine stores everywhere. Quite fun to see all the different producers which I cannot find in Sweden.

Going to a restaurant in Montalcino is fun since they have so much wine there so it becomes very hard to choose. Some winelists are like a bible. Very thick and despite all the quality wine not at all expensive. In Montalcino I only drank their less famous wine called Rosso di Montalcino. This wine is also very good, not as heavy as the Brunello but still very good. I had the chance to try wine from different producers like Fattoi and Col Di Orcia.

Montalcino is a fun place to visit. Good food and wine. A town with good views and it is fun to walk in. The landscape around is beautiful and there are many chances to visit wine producers if one like. Nearby is also beautiful churches like Abbazia di Sant’Antimo.

A visit to the castle of Montalcino is also highly recommended.

Nearby is also many beautiful towns. One can just drive around randomly and find such beautiful places to visit.

Already looking forward to go back.