L'Chaim - To The 4 King's Of Italian Red's!
I hope and wish that 2007 will be the Best Year ever for all of us. L'Chaim! As a friend and/or subscriber to this blog you can look forward to about 260 insides into the good life this year. Hopefully you find them helpful and interesting. We shall start the new year with the top of the Italian Red's. I recently had a discussion with a new Gourmet Brother about the top picks amongst the Italian stellar Red's. Without wasting anymore time lets get right too it. Here are my 4 top picks amongst the Italian Red's. You need to try all of these before you can make up your mind about the best Italian Red's:
There is a breed of wines that come out of the Tuscany. They are know as the Super-Tuscans which is a mixed-bag category that includes wines made from nontraditional blends of Sangiovese with added Cabernet or Merlot. Amongst these Super-Tuscans there is one name that stands out - the Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia. To me this is the King of all Italian Red's. In the 1985 update of his "Wine Companion", Hugh Johnson wrote that Sassicaia was "an eccentric wine that may prove the most influential of all in the future shape of Tuscan wine growing". Johnson could not have been more correct, for this wine, possibly the prototype of all Super-Tuscans has become one of the benchmarks for measuring the quality of all Italian wines. From the time the wine was first released for sale in 1968 until 1994, Sassicaia, which is made largely from Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc grapes (generally in a proportion of 85% and 15% respectively), was forced by outmoded Italian law to label itself as vino da tavola, the lowest of all wine categorization. Due largely to the efforts of the Marchese Niccolo Incisa della Rochetta who produces the wine and his cousins Ludovico and Piero Antinori, the law was changed in 1994 and the wine now has its own appellation. Sassicaias continues show an intensity and concentration with balance that ensures that they will go on for a long time to come. Red currants dominate the fruits and those are set off nicely by spicy oak, vanilla and earthy-herbal aromas and flavors. On the long and intense finish look for generous hints of mint and anise. My favorites years are the 1985 and the 1998. Both vintages are nothing short of sensational!
Often heralded as the twin brother of the Sassicaia, Tignanello is clearly the number two Super-Tuscan and in my books also the number two overall of the Italian Red's. This is the first Super Tuscan single-vineyard 'hybrid' that was introduced by Antinori some 32 years ago. It is a blend of 80% Sangiovese, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc. The vineyard itself is hundreds of years old and was producing single-vineyard Chianti Classico for decades before the non-traditional varietals were introduced. Medium ruby. Slight clearing towards the rim. Tons of sediment. Warm nose of red and black forest fruit. Mouthfilling and luxurious on the palate. Mature fruity flavors with excellent winyness. The Sangiovese grape is very evident of course but this wine has so much more to it than any Chianti I have ever tasted. Simply delicious! My favorite vintage is the 1990!
Tenuta dell'Ornellaia, Bolgheri Ornellaia is the number three Super-Tuscan and also the number three of the Italian Red's over all. A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, this full bodied wine is little short of magnificent. Full bodied and loaded with black cherry, chocolate and oak flavors that open, seemingly without end in the mouth. Elegant and sumptuous, these wines will develop nicely in the bottle for many years to come. I have a very special place for this beautiful wine. The Ornellaia is must for anybody out there. My favorite vintage is the 1997!
Robert Parker once said about the Solaia's that "if a first-growth Pauillac were made in Tuscany, this would be it!" I can only second that statement. The Solaia can stand up to any Bordeaux at any time. That is how good this wine is. The Solaia's Marchesi Piero Antinori are generally dark ruby in color, with extremely ripe raisin and spice aromas. Full-bodied and very chewy, with loads of polished tannins and a long, long finish that's big and fruity. The solid, muscular 1997 Solaia is probably the greatest Solaia ever made!
There is a breed of wines that come out of the Tuscany. They are know as the Super-Tuscans which is a mixed-bag category that includes wines made from nontraditional blends of Sangiovese with added Cabernet or Merlot. Amongst these Super-Tuscans there is one name that stands out - the Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia. To me this is the King of all Italian Red's. In the 1985 update of his "Wine Companion", Hugh Johnson wrote that Sassicaia was "an eccentric wine that may prove the most influential of all in the future shape of Tuscan wine growing". Johnson could not have been more correct, for this wine, possibly the prototype of all Super-Tuscans has become one of the benchmarks for measuring the quality of all Italian wines. From the time the wine was first released for sale in 1968 until 1994, Sassicaia, which is made largely from Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc grapes (generally in a proportion of 85% and 15% respectively), was forced by outmoded Italian law to label itself as vino da tavola, the lowest of all wine categorization. Due largely to the efforts of the Marchese Niccolo Incisa della Rochetta who produces the wine and his cousins Ludovico and Piero Antinori, the law was changed in 1994 and the wine now has its own appellation. Sassicaias continues show an intensity and concentration with balance that ensures that they will go on for a long time to come. Red currants dominate the fruits and those are set off nicely by spicy oak, vanilla and earthy-herbal aromas and flavors. On the long and intense finish look for generous hints of mint and anise. My favorites years are the 1985 and the 1998. Both vintages are nothing short of sensational!
Often heralded as the twin brother of the Sassicaia, Tignanello is clearly the number two Super-Tuscan and in my books also the number two overall of the Italian Red's. This is the first Super Tuscan single-vineyard 'hybrid' that was introduced by Antinori some 32 years ago. It is a blend of 80% Sangiovese, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc. The vineyard itself is hundreds of years old and was producing single-vineyard Chianti Classico for decades before the non-traditional varietals were introduced. Medium ruby. Slight clearing towards the rim. Tons of sediment. Warm nose of red and black forest fruit. Mouthfilling and luxurious on the palate. Mature fruity flavors with excellent winyness. The Sangiovese grape is very evident of course but this wine has so much more to it than any Chianti I have ever tasted. Simply delicious! My favorite vintage is the 1990!
Tenuta dell'Ornellaia, Bolgheri Ornellaia is the number three Super-Tuscan and also the number three of the Italian Red's over all. A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, this full bodied wine is little short of magnificent. Full bodied and loaded with black cherry, chocolate and oak flavors that open, seemingly without end in the mouth. Elegant and sumptuous, these wines will develop nicely in the bottle for many years to come. I have a very special place for this beautiful wine. The Ornellaia is must for anybody out there. My favorite vintage is the 1997!
Robert Parker once said about the Solaia's that "if a first-growth Pauillac were made in Tuscany, this would be it!" I can only second that statement. The Solaia can stand up to any Bordeaux at any time. That is how good this wine is. The Solaia's Marchesi Piero Antinori are generally dark ruby in color, with extremely ripe raisin and spice aromas. Full-bodied and very chewy, with loads of polished tannins and a long, long finish that's big and fruity. The solid, muscular 1997 Solaia is probably the greatest Solaia ever made!
Labels: insider tip, spirits, the best of, wine
posted by ddb at 9:56 AM
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