TN: Italian wine journey of a Bordeaux man

[sdr]

• 2004 Tenuta Guado al Tasso (Antinori) Bolgheri Superiore - Italy, Tuscany, Bolgheri, Bolgheri Superiore (1/10/2010)
  Rather impressive with a bit more bottle age. It's powerful, full throttle Cabernet Sauvignon that could easily be taken for a good California version with the oak completely in check. Really quite good but nothing Italian about it. (90 pts.)
• 2006 Fontodi Flaccianello della Pieve Colli della Toscana Centrale IGT - Italy, Tuscany, Colli della Toscana Centrale IGT (1/9/2010)
  I did this one for Greg blind and he guessed it was a Priorat. This new release is still showing a lot of new oak (vanilla and toast and creamy texture), so it's hard to see the sangiovese underneath. But based on the development of te 2004, I'm confident this vintage will be a great success as well. There's no doubt about the impressive concentration of black fruit, but it is somewhat anonymous at this early stage. (90 pts.)
• 2004 Fontodi Flaccianello della Pieve Colli della Toscana Centrale IGT - Italy, Tuscany, Colli della Toscana Centrale IGT (10/17/2009)
  This is excellent. One hundred percent sangiovese aged in Allier barrels for 16 - 18 months and first produced in 1981 according to the Fontodi website. So this is a Super Tuscan, not a Brunello, but so far, a wine I like better than Brunello. Very, very deep ruby, verging on black. Powerful nose includes black cherry and graphite. Very intense in the mouth and very tannic as well. Yet although "modern" in style and vinification, the varietal character is definitely there and it is not overtly oaky. Surely will become more interesting with time but even now with tomato sauce it works well. (91 pts.)
• 2001 Pieve Santa Restituta (Gaja) Brunello di Montalcino Sugarille - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino (10/15/2009)
  Taken on its own terms, this is very good wine. But any suggestion of sangiovese is, at least this early point in its evolution, totally hidden behing a giant wall of new oak. It tastes like a mixture of a vanilla and a chocolate milkshake. Obviously made in the international modern syle, but where's the soul? Is it just too young? I'll never know because I won't reload at this price point. (88 pts.)
• 2004 Valdicava Brunello di Montalcino - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino (9/26/2009)
  Very clearly in the modern style with lots of creamy new oak. Very full, very fruity, very well made, but - I couldn't get much sence of sangiovese, admittedly a grape with which I am not very familiar. This could have been any very good wine from Spain or California, for example. Perhaps it will become more distinctive as it ages; after all, it's only a 5 year old toddler. (89 pts.)
• 2004 Luce Luce della Vite Toscana IGT - Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT (7/25/2009)
  Very interesting wine and a nice foil to the '04 Guado al Tasso at Osterio del Teatro. Whereas the Guado was ferociously tannic and dominated by the cab sauv, this Luce was distinctly softer and seemingly almost all merlot, although that grape is only 40% of the blend, with the remainder being sangiovese. Approachable now; really quite pleasant, although not especially fragrant. I'm guessing te sangiovese added an elusive element of complexity the elevated this wine well above the the ordinary. (91 pts.)
• 2004 Tenuta Guado al Tasso (Antinori) Bolgheri Superiore - Italy, Tuscany, Bolgheri, Bolgheri Superiore (7/25/2009)
  Massive, inky; a real bruiser. Very, very tannic, but softened a bit after 10 hrs. in the decanter and a couple more in the glass. Oaky and totally dominated by the cabernet sauvignon, which makes up 50 % of the blend (40% merlot, 10% syrah). Well made and built to last, but nothing particularly Italian about it. I would have guessed Cal Cab blind I think. That said, it is a successful wine with the right food, such as the ossso bucco with tomato sauce we had that night. (91 pts.)
• 2005 Tenuta Guado al Tasso (Antinori) Bolgheri Superiore - Italy, Tuscany, Bolgheri, Bolgheri Superiore (7/11/2009)
  This is a very intense experience, from the deeply saturated color to the powerful tannic finsh. Obviously young and dominated by the cabernet sauvignon. Could it be "assisted" from some dark wine from the south like Cahors? Wait, this is Italian Super Tuscan and Syrah is both permitted and used. I quite like it for those occasions when intensity is called for, not subtlty or complexity. A few hours of air in the decanter actually softened it some, so it may become more civilized in the years to come, but I'm not complaining. (91 pts.)

[JCNorthway]

Stuart,

You are cutting your Italian-wine teeth on some pretty well thought of wines. I am definitely not a Brunello expert, but I have learned from others that there have developed two schools of winemakers there - the traditionalists and modernists. Also the estates on the south side of the village get riper fruit than those on other sides. My guess is that the ones you tasted could be from more modern producers, and may also have been riper and less structured. They are still quite young for Brunellos, and could easily seem disjointed at this point. I have not opened any of my limited 2001 collection. And a couple of months back I opened a 1997 that was still somewhat closed and tannic, even after a couple of hours in a decanter.

Jon

[stefan]

Last night at Veritas Wine & Bistro we drank a 2001 San Felippo Brunello that was not at all disjointed. While quite young, it had a good nose with some herbal notes, was well balanced in the mouth, and the finish was long. I wish I had more than one bottle of this in my own cellar. OTOH, Stuart, I will stay away from the two producers of the Brunellos you drank after reading your description.

stefan