Wine Focus for February: Sangiovese and Open That Bottle!

[Robin Garr]

We have a topic and a half for us this month!

First, we’ll spend the month seeking the joys of Sangiovese, the great red grape of Chianti that also earns acclaim through Tuscany and beyond. Sangiovese is even grown in terroirs as diverse as California and Australia, although in my experience it fares best in its native soil, whether included in traditional blends or vinified on its own. Feel free to bring whatever Sangiovese you’ve got this month as we taste, compare, and look for great wines and great QPR.

Also, in honor of “Open That Bottle Night,” which falls formally on February 27 this year, we’ll devote the entire month to the idea of picking a cherished bottle that’s been gathering dust on the shelf in order to enjoy it ... tonight.

Open That Bottle Night, created in 2000 by Wall Street Journal “Tastings” columnists Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher, is dedicated to making sure that those bottles of fine wine put away for a special occasion, are used and enjoyed. Usually set on the last Saturday in February, it is an annual occasion that aims to motivate people to reconnect with each other over a bottle, and create good memories with friends and family.

Throughout the month, and especially on Saturday, Feb. 27, if you choose to Open That Bottle, please take a note and tell us about it here.

I'm in the Cape this month and of the 8,000 wines listed and reviewed in the 2016 edition of Platter, just 13 are Sangiovese....

And since all the wines I'm drinking here are, of necessity, ones I'll be buying here I'm out of the 'drink up forgotten bottles' category.

So I'll keep an eye out for a local Sangiovese...

Originally, I sought and friended Mr. Robin Garr because I work in the wine industry trade and wanted to develop my wine knowledge using social media. Little did I know I'd be "liking" the majority of his posts that had nothing to do with wine! Life is funny like that.

PURE suggestion if you're even able to get your hands on it: https://fiveoclocksomewhere.com.au/prod ... angiovese/

From the page: " This is such a great wine, aromas of dried provincial herbs like sage and rosemary jump from the glass. The palate is “pretty and joyous” yet dark and serious with a lick of liquorice on the finish that makes you want to keep coming back. I’m not sure I can claim to have made this wine but I certainly “willed it’’ to be just as it is and I’m definitely having another crack next year. Cases made: 153.

I hope it's alright to promote certain wines - if not, I will understand that this gets taken down! However, as Robin said earlier in his post, this grape is even grown in Australia where the heat and soil add a much more fruity and herbaceous pull to the aroma and a lingering finish that screams for another sip.

Looking forward to getting involved in this page and learning more about the vino I veritas

[David M. Bueker]

Welcome Tommy. Good to have you join us.

Regarding the wine, "promoting" is really only an issue if you have a commercial interest in the wine and post specifically to push it and not contribute to the discussion. Your post is more informative than that, so I (as one of the moderators) see no problem.

[Robin Garr]

Hey, Tommy. let me echo both David's welcome and his reassurance. Glad you found your way over here, and I hope you won't be a stranger now that you've settled down with a glass!

I notice you stopped asking for input from the forumites regarding topics for Wine Focus. I guess our opinions don't matter any more.

[Robin Garr]

I notice you stopped asking for input from the forumites regarding topics for Wine Focus. I guess our opinions don't matter any more.

Howie, your opinions matter! Please let me know - or let the whole forum know - if you have a great idea! What we did wan't intended as dismissive at all. We (David, really, with some advice) took a look at what we had done over the past few years, some nominations that you and others had made in the past, and decided to put together a tentative calendar so we won't have to run around at the end of the month. The problem with that is that sometimes under pressure we make decisions that don't work out very well. And the reason not to list it on the forum, frankly, is not to be secretive but so it won't be set in stone if better ideas come up. For instance, if Howie has one.

I hope this is clear. No offense intended, your input is still welcome, but just trying to keep things smooth for admin and avoid a month's-end rush.

I notice you stopped asking for input from the forumites regarding topics for Wine Focus. I guess our opinions don't matter any more.

I too echo this opinion.

I notice you stopped asking for input from the forumites regarding topics for Wine Focus. I guess our opinions don't matter any more.

I too echo this opinion.

Ditto.

[Robin Garr]

I too echo this opinion.

Did you read my reply to Howie's post?

[Robin Garr]

Ditto.

Did you read my reply to Howie's post?

I thought you might feel the same way Tim . Over the years I have spent good bucks buying wines specifically for the Focus theme. Not going to bother anymore.

Yes, we all read the reply Robin. Big mistake my friend.

[Robin Garr]

Sorry you feel that way, Bob. You're welcome in each month's Focus, of course, and, as I told Howie, you are most welcome to offer suggestions. I hope you'll continue to enjoy Wine Focus in months when we choose something that interests you. I would never want anyone to spend "big bucks," though, for a wine they would otherwise not want to enjoy. That's just not what we're all about.

Thanks for the kind welcome! I'll be following along when I can, especially this month. Sangiovese is a lovely grape and being that the majority of my heritage is Italian, I guess I'll be having a lovely bit more of red sauce dishes this month!

CHEERS all!

Ditto.

Did you read my reply to Howie's post?

Yes, I did.

I found that the discussions on what to look at each month were part of the fun, which I will miss .

As for last month's Bordeaux blends and this month's Sangiovese, there is no need for me to go out and buy, so I can easily contribute.

[Robin Garr]

I found that the discussions on what to look at each month were part of the fun, which I will miss .

As for last month's Bordeaux blends and this month's Sangiovese, there is no need for me to go out and buy, so I can easily contribute.

Good news, Tim. I also can't emphasize too strongly that you are still welcome to toss out ideas for Focus - or to start an Open Mike, a concept we haven't done much lately. Nothing changes in terms of being eager to have suggestions from you guys. We're just trying to make for a little less frenzy in the Engine Room, that's all.

I found two Sangiovese of note at Christmas, the first was from John Matta at Castello Vicchiomaggio, the La Prima Chianti which was amazing. at the opposite end of the spectrum I saw a Jacob's Creek Sangiovese in Tesco for £2.75 a bottle! I couldn't believe my eyes and had to ask why they were allowed to sell this wine at an obvious below cost price. Needless to say i didn't buy any

[Robin Garr]

... I saw a Jacob's Creek Sangiovese in Tesco for £2.75 a bottle! I couldn't believe my eyes and had to ask why they were allowed to sell this wine at an obvious below cost price. Needless to say i didn't buy any

Thanks for the report, Kevin! I think your decision on the Tesco offering was prudent!

I’m in the Cape wine lands this month where Sangiovese is a very minor variety. Of the 900 producers listed in the 2016 Platter South African Wine Guide, only 12 are shown as making Sangiovese.

I called into Anura Vineyards (http://www.anura.co.za), near Paarl, to buy a bottle of their ‘LB Series’ Sangiovese 2013, (Wine of Origin Simonsberg-Paarl, abv 15%). It is one of the two highest rated Sangioveses in Platter, with 4 stars.

anura-lb-2013-front.jpg

This is an estate wine (i.e. grown, made, matured & bottled on the estate), only about 1,200 bottles are made each year. It comes in a heavy, statement ‘burgundy’ shaped bottle closed with cork*, and cost 160 Rand.

On first pour we remarked on how dense and opaque the wine was, J thought it was cloudy, but holding up the glass to the sunlight it was clear and bright where the light could penetrate.

On the nose were prunes (dried plums) and a bit of chocolate dust.

In the mouth it was full bodied, smooth with flavours of plum, raspberry and chocolate, and some acidity at the end. It didn’t have a long finish.

The wine opened up in the glass and would have benefited from being opened earlier or decanted.

Very enjoyable wine that left us wanting more.

*And topped with a thick rubbery wax capsule that was very infuriatingly difficult to remove and had to be completely taken off because the waiters friend corkscrew couldn’t get purchase on the side of the bottle with it on.

anura-lb-2013-back.jpg

This is a Tuscan classic made just outside the Chianti Classico boundary from 100% Sangiovese.

2000 Fattoria di Fèlsina Berardenga Fontalloro - Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT (2/9/2016)
Like a recent '97, this had sweeter fruit than is usual in Tuscan Sangiovese but in other respects differs from my TN on that vintage. Good dense colour with little bricking. Expressive nose of lively red fruit with some cherry, balsamic hints and a varnish like hint, perhaps volatility at a modest level, which adds bright complexity. The palate was medium/full bodied, classically shaped and replayed the aromas from the nose with some depth of fruit, underlying roundness, minerals, hints of forest floor, fresh acidity and enough remaining ripe tannic backbone. Very good.

Posted from CellarTracker

Antonio Arena 2010 Patrimonio "Morta Maio," Corsica (100% Nielluciù, which Jancis Robinson now identifies as Sangiovese, brought to Corsica by the Genoese in the 18th century, though I look forward to hearing if anyone here disagrees!). 13.5% ABV. Kermit Lynch. A pretty funky nose, hiding some black fruit and maybe a little rose; cleaner in the mouth, very much within my moderate barnyard tolerance, with quite a bit of tannin (though not terribly rough) wrapped around black cherry fruit. Nicely balanced, good concentration, mouth-watering, and I really appreciate the balance between "rusticity," as the retailer put it, and focused, clean fruit. $40.00, which is probably pricey enough to keep me from buying more, but either way I'm very happy to have tried it.

Boscarelli 2006 Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, $29
Superb. Deep and powerful, with black cherry, spice, mineral and dark earth aromas and flavors. Very structured with plenty of tannins, suggesting longer aging potential. Very textured but with some smoothness, too, and there is good acidity giving it some crispness. Well-balanced. No obvious oakiness. Terrific wine and an excellent match with a white bean and Italian sausage casserole.

[Robin Garr]

Querceto 2014 Chianti ($10.99)

Dark purple, almost black at the center, shading to a clear garnet edge. Impressions of fresh black cherries and a hint of dried cherry on the nose carry over intact in the flavor with palate-cleansing acidity and soft tannins, with an even-handed 12.5% alcohol. It's clean, balanced and fits the Chianti style; on the simple side, but elevated by its fresh fruit and good acidic balance. U.S. importer: Prestige Wine Imports Corp., NYC. (Feb. 11, 2016)

FOOD MATCH: A classic match with spaghetti with meatballs and mushrooms with garlic and Parmigiano Reggiano. Chianti goes well beyond the tomato-sauce stereotypes, though: Try it with rare char-grilled steaks or even quality burgers, or with sliced Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.

WHEN TO DRINK: Although it's not meant for long aging, its fruit and simple but elegant balance suggest that this very young wine may benefit from two to even five years stored on its side in a cool place.

VALUE: At $11 it's definitely worth buying a case. Wine-Searcher.com reports an average $12 retail price for all vintages of this good-value Chianti.

WEB LINK
Importer Prestige Wine Imports offers a fact sheet on the winery at this link. From there, click the "Wines" button for more details on all the Querceto wines including the Chianti.

You'll find The Querceto winery website and its fact sheet on the Chianti at the links, but note that they are in Italian only.

FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:
Find sources and compare prices for Querceto Chianti on Wine-Searcher.com. The importer also invites inquiries on where to buy its wines in the U.S. via info(at) prestigewineimports.com.

This is a stable mate at Fèlsina of the Fontalloro on which I posted about above. It is also 100% Sangiovese but this time the plot comes from within the Chianti Classico boundaries. The two bottles were quite different but I think that is mainly a vintage effect. 2000 tended towards the over-ripe and 1998 the reverse. Recent vintages for both retail at between €35 & 40 in N.Europe.

1998 Fattoria di Fèlsina Berardenga Chianti Classico Riserva Rancia - Italy, Tuscany, Chianti, Chianti Classico DOCG (2/13/2016)
Initially seeming quite acidic but it came into better balance after a mouthful of tournedos steak and revealed more subtleties as the bottle progressed. Still quite pristine red. Well developed nose of savoury character with red fruit, more red currant and plum than cherry, and hints of leather. Medium/full bodied palate with good depth of fruit, grainy minerals, nice matt texture, a little secondary development, lively tangy acidity and still a little tannic grip on the finish. Very good.

Posted from CellarTracker