San Claudio II Vino Nobile Di Montepulciano 2015

Tuscan reds are among the most popular wines in the world but I have not drank so much from the region of Montepulciano in Tuscany. The wine San Claudio II Vino Nobile Di Montepulciano is from the producer Del Giusto Cantina. The Cantina Del Giusto is a small size farm situated near the foot of Montepulciano in the area of Acquaviva. it is run by the Del Giusto family, now into their fourh generation of winegrowers in Montepulciano.

Their wine Sand Claudio II is a Vino Nobile Montepulciano 2015. SAN CLAUDIO II comes from the name of the old farm built in 1958, once utilized for winemaking and ageing cellar, where today the precious old instruments used for wine making are conserved. The grapes used are 85% Sangiovese (Prugnolo Gentile), 10% Canaiolo Nero, 5% Mammolo.  The wine is stored 6 months in stainless steel containers, 24 months in large casks of Slavonian oak, 8 months in the bottle before being sold.

The taste is of red cherry, red currant and some leather. A complex wine which are very good. This is a wine that is good to drink today but can be stored a couple of years longer.

Lunadoro Pagliareto Vino Nobile di Montepulciano 2016

Montepulciano in Tuscany is a place that I just drove by and never had the time to stop and visit unfortunately when I visited Tuscany last time. Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is a red wine with a Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita status produced in the vineyards surrounding the town of Montepulciano, Italy. The wine is made primarily from the Sangiovese grape varietal (known locally as Prugnolo gentile) (minimum 70%), blended with Canaiolo Nero (10%–20%) and small amounts of other local varieties such as Mammolo. The wine is aged for 2 years (at least 1 year in oak barrels). Three years if it is a riserva category.

 Lunadoro is a wine producer in Montepulciano and the vineyards is situated in Valiano. Their wine Lunadoro Pagliareto Vino Nobile di Montepulciano 2016 is made from 100% Sangiovese grapes and has an ABV of 14,5%. The wine is stored in oak barrels for 24 months before being bottled. The barrels used are French oak barriques.

In the nose I get a lot of red fruits.The taste of cherry, black currants, oak and some leather with pepper at the end. In the beginning quite closed as it need some air to open up. But after some time in the glass the taste is integrated and quite complex. Quite a strong wine which will benefit from a couple of more years of ageing before drinking. A very good wine now for me but with a couple of years more in the bottle it would be an excellent wine.