Happy Hour Wine Tasting Featuring Tuscan Wines

A census taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice chianti.
Hannibal Lecter  - Silence of the Lambs

We have a few great Italian wine tastings coming up when I hit a subject we hit it hard and we have an incredible collection of Tuscan wines in the store right now so I figured it is time for a Tuscan wine Happy Hour on Thursday May 9th.

Most wine lovers have tried Chianti, from the simple wines that resemble Pinot Noir in color to some of Italy's greatest wines, Chianti probably differs in style more than any other DOCG wine from Tuscany.  My favorite examples of Chianti, Chianti Classico and Chianti Classico Riserva are Sangiovese 100% varietal wines but tradition is blending in Chianti so many wines from this part of Tuscany are blends today. 

The best-known wines in Tuscany that contain the Sangiovese varietal are the wines of Montalcino known as Brunello di Montalcino, these must be 100% Sangiovese by DOCG law.  That is what separates Brunello from the other DOCG’s for red in Tuscany, the others can blend.    

This happy hour belly up to the bar style event will feature all of the DOCG wines of Tuscany beginning with the only white DOCG in Tuscany Vernaccia di San Gimignano.  Will the crowd favorite for the red be Chianti, Chianti Classico, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, Morellino di Scansano or the most coveted by collectors Brunello di Montalcino.  This tasting is a study in Sangiovese from Tuscan and we have several vintage examples on the table tonight as well.  

The fee for this tasting is $95 + tax, for reservations call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com. 

HAPPY HOUR WINE TASTING FEATURING TUSCAN WINES
Thursday, May 9, 2024
6:00 PM

2020 MORMORAIA SUAVIS, VERNACCIA DI SAN GIMIGNANO DOCG, ITALY
Price: $19.75                     Your Price: $17.38

A pretty nose of white flowers with ripe fruit sensations, apple and dried fruit, sweet almonds with a touch of vanilla, good and balanced structure, smooth, warm, persistent, harmonic with a pleasurable sweet toasted almond aftertaste.

2019 MONSANTO CHIANTI CLASSICO RISERVA DOCG
Price: $30.25                     Your Price: $26.62                           Quantity in Stock: 43

Fresh earth, tar, porcini and fine herbs on the nose with notes of black cherry, lots of Tuscan terroir here. Smooth with a nice backbone of ripe round tannins and bright fresh acidity turning a bit dry on the finish with a nice sweetness to the fruit but has nice fruit and balanced acidity keeping things fresh through the finish. Finish 45+ Excellent

1997 TERRENO CHIANTI CLASSICO RISERVA DOCG
Price: $65.00                     Your Price: $57.20

A blend of 90% Sangiovese, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Canaiolo, made by the same consulting enologist that works with Fontodi and Felsina, Franco Bernabei. This wine is fully mature with notes of red cherry fruit, dried tobacco spice and fresh earth, truffle mushroom like notes with dried meat and herbs, nice complexity and development on the nose. Smooth as silk on the tongue with light red berry fruit and silky smooth tannins this is a real crowd pleaser with fully resolve3d tannins and wonderful freshness and balanced acidity. Finish 35 Excellent

1988 BADIA A COLTIBUONO CHIANTI CLASSICO RISERVA DOCG
Price: $120.00                   Sale Price: $95.00                Quantity in Stock: 39

This true classic is the first wine bottled at Badia a Coltibuono in modern times, beginning in the 1950s.  It represents the estate's history and a significant part of the history of Chianti. Like the annata (the non-riserva version), this wine uses a traditional blend of Sangiovese and complementary varieties. But to ensure that only the very best is bottled as Riserva, at each step in its production the utmost care is taken to achieve excellence, beginning with a careful choice of the best grapes in the best vineyards, manual sorting at the winery, long maceration on the skins, and a second selection of only the best lots after the first year of cask aging. The resulting wine is complex, deep, nuanced, and extremely long lived. It transcends the freshness and complexity of the annata, showing how power and elegance can live together and develop for decades.

2018 AVIGNONESI VINO NOBILE DI MONTEPULCIANO DOCG
Price: $25.00     Your Price: $22.00           Quantity in Stock: 65
The Avignonesi Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is a selection of Sangiovese from all of our vineyards in Montepulciano, creating a multifaceted wine that is a true expression of the terroir.

2021 POGGIO ARGENTIERA 'BELLAMARSILIA' MORELLINO DI SCANSANO DOCG
Price: $23.50                     Your Price: $20.68                           Quantity in Stock: 12
(90 points) The PoggioargentierA 2021 Morellino di Scansano Bellamarsilia is 100% Sangiovese sourced from hillside vineyards and some of the best clusters from lower-elevation vineyards. The wine offers good richness and concentration with black cherry and plum. Stefano Frascolla and his son Giovanni tell me that this darker quality is specific to the hillside fruit. This site is slightly cooler, and harvest is always a bit later here as a result. This is another great value. (ML) Inner quote mark (6/2023) Wine Advocate

2022 VALDICAVA ROSSO DI MONTALCINO DOC
Price: $52.50                     Your Price: $46.20                Quantity in Stock: 68
The nose has notes of black cherry, balsamic and a slight hint of mushroom. Aromas of eucalyptus tea leaves and violets can be picked up as well. The palate is bone dry with medium acidity. The tannins are soft and well integrated in the wine. At first sip this wine might seem a bit austere but the more it breathes the more refined it becomes with a silky and elegant finish on the pallet. Very approachable and ready to drink.

2018 VERBENA BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO DOCG
Price: $49.50                     Your Price: $43.56                Quantity in Stock: 39
Its origins begin with the Sangiovese Grosso, a robust and generous grape type whose attributes are expressed best with time - longer periods of aging in oak vats and refinement in bottle. Brunello di Montalcino has a distinctive intense ruby color, tending to garnet with age, and notable scents of rich fruit and spices. On the palate the taste is uniquely characteristic to Montalcino.

2016 SAN FILIPPO BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO LE LUCERE DOCG
Price: $124.00                   Your Price: $109.12
(94+ Points)This special selection of fruit from San Filippo is characterized by more intensity and concentration compared to the estate's classic Brunello. In this vintage, I also discovered a greater level of Sangiovese purity and direction, thanks to tight berry tones, dusty mineral, spice and balsam herb. To the palate, the 2016 Brunello di Montalcino le Lucére delivers succulent fruit and even a touch of sweetness, all powered by tannins, clearly driven by both the oak and the fruit itself. This wine ages in a combination of barrique, tonneau and botte grande for two years.  -Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

2007 CASTELLO ROMITORIO RISERVA BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO DOCG
Price: $150.00                   Your Price: $132.00
(93+ Points) ~~The estate’s 2007 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva is striking. Dark plums, cherries, mocha, licorice, cloves and sweet French oak notes blossom in the glass. Rich, voluptuous and beautifully balanced, the 2007 impresses for its layered personality, volume and depth. In 2007, the Riserva is all about harmony. Ideally, the wine is best cellared for another year or two, and it should have no problem aging nicely for at least a handful of years after that. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2022.   ~~eRobertParker.com #207, Jun 2013

Menu
Reggiano Parmesan and Prosciutto di Parma
Arancini Di Riso
Roasted Eggplant Caponata on Crostini
Italian Panin with Pepperoni, Pepperoncini, Ham, and Provolone
Tuscan White Bean Soup Shooter with Mini Meatball

The fee for this tasting is $95 + tax, for reservations call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com.