Michele Satta 2005 Cavaliere (Super Tuscan)

Posted by Keith Wallace on Dec 5, 2012 in Wine Reviews | 0 comments

A voluptuous Sangiovese with a slight salinity that veers to black olive but pulls back into a beautiful layered expression of chocolate. A glass-staining beauty with plump blackberry and kirsch notes, and just a whiff of Cuban tobacco in the mid palate. One of the best Super Tuscans of the vintage.

Michele Satta’s vineyards are located in Castagneto,  just south of  the Tuscan town of Montepulciano.   The wines are fermented in open oak  barrels. Maceration of the fruit continues in the barrels for another twenty days, with the cap of the wine pushed down by hand several times a day. The end result is worth the effort. Robert Parker of the Wine Advocate gave this 92. Our original rating was a 91-93, but this wine has surpassed our expectations: it has aged wonderfully. We are increasing our rating to 94-95 (which translates to 5 stars at Epikur).

Available at Bacchus Selections.

About SUPER-TUSCANS

This term was coined in Italy in the 1980s for the Cabernet-boosted vini da tavola blends that were infinitely better and far more expensive than Tuscany’s traditional Sangiovese based wines.

Tenuta di Biserno 2006 Coronato, Bolgheri

Posted by Keith Wallace on Apr 2, 2012 in Wine Reviews | 0 comments

Olive and clove peek out of this lush glass staining Cabernet blend. A true super Tuscan, this has zero pretensions to terroir but a brilliant aptitude for deliciousness. A luxury bottling worth twice the price, if not three times.

Ruffino 2006 Modus

Posted by Keith Wallace on Jan 5, 2011 in Wine Reviews | 0 comments

What better wine to workout with than a Super Tuscan? This one, though still young, has enough depth to give pleasure now or 5 years on…when we’ll be benching 350-lbs each.

Luce Luce Luce!

Posted by Keith Wallace on Jan 4, 2011 in Wine Reviews | 0 comments

Yes, they’re back, just in time for the holiday season. (Or at least just in time for the lusciouser red-drinking season.) 2001, 2003, and 2004 are all bouncing around the system, and you’d have a hard time going wrong with any of them. They are, as always, well-made, eminently drinkable, and a heck of a lot of fun to follow as they evolve in the glass.

Enrico Santini

Posted by Keith Wallace on Dec 28, 2010 in Wine Reviews | 0 comments

Enrico Santini 2005 “Poggio Al Moro”, Bolgheri DOC, Toscana

See if this sounds familiar. Someone touts or perhaps even gives you a high priced Super Tuscan, maybe a bottle with a recognizable name. Or you’re at a big time tasting, stop at the table of one of those iconic producers for a sample, smile politely while looking for a place to spit, and walk away wondering why there was such buzz about that wine. Disappointment in a bottle…and at a hefty price for your dissatisfaction. Less than super wines at increasingly super dollars.

If you’re a fan of blends of Italian and international grapes there’s no need to cash in the Roth IRA to find quality wines. Maybe they don’t have the notoriety or “pedigree” (read that $$$), but they deliver a solid product at an excellent quality-price ratio.

Bolgheri has become Tuscany’s viticultural laboratory and along with the Maremma area is turning out estimable wines that are a change of pace from the traditional regional fare while at the same time retaining a sense of place. Wines that are obviously and joyously Italian.

Santini’s offering is equal parts Sangiovese, Cabernet and Merlot with a dash of Syrah. While the finished product is seamless there are discernable varietal traits throughout. Cherry and spice scents followed by red berries and foresty smells. Highly concentrated fruits in a savory, earthy package that picks up elements of tar and pine. A marriage of acidity and fine tannins that allows the juice to come to the forefront. This wine is still young but already showing a depth and balance that auger well for its ability to develop even further with some bottle age.