Wine Focus for January: World Sangiovese, Tuscan reds

[Robin Garr]

The title says it all: We'll taste and talk about Sangiovese from anywhere in the world this month, and also zero in on all the reds of Tuscany, Sangiovese-based, full Sangiovese or non-traditional Super Tuscans and Baby Tuscans. Enjoy!

[David M. Bueker]

The 2010 Felsina Fontalloro was just delicious tonight. All red fruit and dusty herbs, it made a great dinner wine. Lots of depth, so I will be aging my other bottles for a few years.

I may be opening a Fontalloro from 2003 or 2007 during this month. I think sometime next week I will open a Brunello di Montalcino.

2010 Rosa dell Olmo, Barbaresco DOCG ($10.99 Trader Joe's, Alcohol level 13.5%). Not the best Barbaresco in the world, but well worth the price. It gives a nice ruby red to garnet color to the eye, violets and vanilla to the nose and up front, a pleasant balance with smooth tannin in the middle, and a lingering finish.

For us this is the perfect foil for a pasta meal. This time we matched it with Penne in Pesto and broiled Italian Sausages loaded with fennel. Yum!

I like this theme, Robin, and no one has to twist my arm to open a few bottles of Brunello.

You mentioned "Baby Tuscans". I am familiar with Super Tuscans but what is a Baby Tuscan?

You mentioned "Baby Tuscans". I am familiar with Super Tuscans but what is a Baby Tuscan?

Dave, not Robin but Baby Tuscan is a term folks use for IGT Tuscans that are aimed at a less expensive market. Things like Antinori Santa Cristina, Viticcio Bere, Monte Antico, etc. Crognolo is one of the in-betweens- maybe a teen Tuscan.

2010 Rosa dell Olmo, Barbaresco DOCG ($10.99 Trader Joe's, Alcohol level 13.5%). Not the best Barbaresco in the world, but well worth the price. It gives a nice ruby red to garnet color to the eye, violets and vanilla to the nose and up front, a pleasant balance with smooth tannin in the middle, and a lingering finish.

For us this is the perfect foil for a pasta meal. This time we matched it with Penne in Pesto and broiled Italian Sausages loaded with fennel. Yum!

Nice TN, Carl, but Tuscan or Sangiovese....?

Nice TN, Carl, but Tuscan or Sangiovese....?

Like Barolo, Barbaresco is made from Sangiovese.

[David M. Bueker]

Nice TN, Carl, but Tuscan or Sangiovese....?

Like Barolo, Barbaresco is made from Sangiovese.

No. Both are made from Nebbiolo in Piedmont, not Tuscany.

Nice TN, Carl, but Tuscan or Sangiovese....?

Like Barolo, Barbaresco is made from Sangiovese.

No. Both are made from Nebbiolo in Piedmont, not Tuscany.

Sorry, don't what I was thinking!

[David M. Bueker]

You were just enjoying the wine!

I plan to open a Brunello later this week. Suggestions for food pairings?

I plan to open a Brunello later this week. Suggestions for food pairings?

Grilled venison. A perfect match.

Okay. Other than grilled venison.

[Robin Garr]

Okay. Other than grilled venison.

JC, the usual companion to Brunello or other high-quality Sangiovese is beef. A good rare steak or roast beast. It's a match made in heaven.

If you or a guest prefer to avoid red meat, grilled chicken will work. If you want to keep it plant-based, something cheesy. Vegans are pretty much out of luck, although maybe something showing off deeply browned onions and red lentils might work.

Okay. Other than grilled venison.

JC, the usual companion to Brunello or other high-quality Sangiovese is beef. A good rare steak or roast beast. It's a match made in heaven.

If you or a guest prefer to avoid red meat, grilled chicken will work. If you want to keep it plant-based, something cheesy. Vegans are pretty much out of luck, although maybe something showing off deeply browned onions and red lentils might work.

The acidity in Sangiovese makes it a nice companion to tomato-based sauces or stews. There is a lot you could do there, meat or no meat. I love Sangiovese with pizza.

I have a Vino Nobile I am looking forward to opening this month, if I can ever get over this darn flu!

[Robin Garr]

The acidity in Sangiovese makes it a nice companion to tomato-based sauces or stews. There is a lot you could do there, meat or no meat. I love Sangiovese with pizza.

In principle I agree, Joy, and with a basic Chianti - which I love - I couldn't agree more. When I've got a Brunello on the table, though, I tend to move toward more upscale dinner choices, even though spaghetti with "gravy" or a pepperoni pizza would certainly work.

I have a Vino Nobile I am looking forward to opening this month, if I can ever get over this darn flu!

Get well soon!

[David M. Bueker]

I have never understood the need for "elevated" food with a great bottle of wine. If the match works have at it!

2010 Cantina del Grifone “1967” Toscana IGT, ($6.99 at Trader Joe’s, and 12.5% alcohol level). This wine is 85% Sangiovese, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 5% Syrah. It was absolutely delicious with our Wednesday night meal of Penne in Fresh Tomato Sauce and fennel loaded Italian Sausage. Yum!

I do eat meat but am not fond of venison. A steak sounds like a good choice and I will buy one today at the grocery store. Thanks for the suggestions.

(In reference to the above question on what to pair with a Brunello)

For a discussion of World Sangiovese and Tuscan reds, there isn't much non-Italian Sangiovese noted here. I invite you to check out the website of a small California producer. Villa Ragazzi Sangiovese was the first planted in Napa Valley in 1985 and is regularly described as "possibly the best made in CA/the U.S." http://www.villaragazziwine.com

will confess that I never heard of Villa Ragazzi and have never seen a review of their wines..I have been quite happy over the years with sangios from Unti and Seghesio, both well established Sonoma based wineries

[Robin Garr]

La Spinetta 2009 "Nero di Casanova" Toscana Sangiovese ($19.99)

Made by the respected Italian wine maker Giorgio Rivetti, this blend of 95% Sangiovese with 5% Colorino, a regional grape.It's blackish-purple in color, as the name "Nero" suggests, fading to garnet at the edge. Good Tuscan scent, black cherries and dried fruit, adds more than a whiff of warm spice. Flavors follow the nose, a big mouth full of black fruit shaped by firm, structural acidity and appropriate 13.5% alcohol. There's a touch of tannin, but it's resolving, not rough or harsh. Good food wine, well balanced and still showing good fruit. U.S. importer: Indigenous Selections LLC, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (Jan. 8, 2015)

FOOD MATCH: We resolved the red-meat or red sauce question in favor of pasta: Spaghetti with Italian-style sausage and garlicky tomato sauce; thin shavings from a block of Parmigiana-Reggiano made a delightful pairing for the second glass.

WHEN TO DRINK: You can certainly drink it now, but my impression is that a few more years in a good cellar would do it no harm. More recent vintages have already reached the market, and they should probably be held for a while.

VALUE: I got a good buy on this older bottle at $15, but I'd be delighted to pay an upper-teens price for a recent vintage. An $18 U.S. average reported on Wine-Searcher.com, but reported prices cover a surprising range from $15 to $24, so buyer, beware.
http://www.wine-searcher.com/find/la-sp ... g_site=WLP

WEB LINK:
Click for the winery's good, English-language account of its Casanova property in Tuscany:
http://www.la-spinetta.com/casanova.html
The importer's fact sheet on La Spinetta is here:
http://www.indigenousselections.com/laspinetta.html

FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:
Find vendors and check prices for La Spinetta 2009 "Nero di Casanova" on Wine-Searcher.com:
http://www.wine-searcher.com/find/la-sp ... g_site=WLP
For U.S. wine lovers, here's a clickable map of distributors by state:
http://www.indigenousselections.com/distribution.html

2007 POGGIO ANTICO ALTERO BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO. 13,5% abv. Four years of total aging--two in 500-liter French tonneaux and two in the bottle. Reddish-purple color; semi-opaque. Some pungency. Effusive aroma of dark cherry. On the palate the dark cherry again, some length and a tannic bite on the finish. On the second evening, the tannins seemed softer, more in the order of fuzzy tannins. The wine seemed less strident on the whole and I liked it better. It's probably better to cellar it for several more years or decant it a few hours before dinner if opening it in the near future. I didn't assign a CellarTracker rating because I don't have much experience with Brunellos and not much basis for comparison. I drank this with broiled steak and baked potato.