Castello di Ama
Riserva Montebuoni Chianti Classico Sangiovese Blend 2019
This didn't upload properly with my notes but I'm liking these Sangiovese's with a 4-5% blend of Merlot - it rounds them out and makes them more approachable because you can't pair with a wild boar ragout pasta every night of the week.
€65 Tourist resto price — 13 days ago
Jolie-Laide Wines
Fanucchi Wood Road Vineyard Trousseau Gris 2024
On initial approach I smell acetic acid - is this going to vinegar? It was just bottled.
I'm pretty shocked at the consistent high ratings of this wine- must be previous vintages. Not much great or even good to say about 2024 right now, I'll give it some time in the glass and see if anything develops.
Ok after looking like a twat aggressively swirling the glass hoping for magic to appear I smell some pleasant, albeit faint, underripe peach, fruit blossoms, cantaloupe rind and a little bit of cardamom/cinnamon if I really stick my nose in there.
On the pallette - phenolic bitterness, medium acids that aren't refreshing, maybe trousseau Gris is just not my vibe. I mean, it's not a bad wine, but it's not a good one either. — 21 days ago
Marchesi Antinori
Tenuta Guado al Tasso Bolgheri Vermentino 2024
Has Vermentino fallen out of favour with Italians and is being replaced by a taste for Chardonnay?
Maybe but I don't want to believe it yet.
On hot summer days there is not much more refreshing than a well chilled glass of Vermentino. Chilled is a must - it still has enough oomph in the nose to release its floral essence. Once it comes up to room temp it can be overwhelmingly perfumey IMHO. Good acid balance.
I'm pretty convinced that you can trust anything from Fontori to be a solid choice. — 8 days ago
Grignano
Sangiovese Rosato 2022
2022 Grignano Rosato. 100% Sangiovese.
€30 tourist resto price
The perfect crowd pleasing Sangiovese for 105 degree Tuscan summer days.
A simple nose of dry grass/straw and earth and dried strawberries.
Nice citrus style acids and flavors of tangerine and Lisbon lemon.
A real thirst quencher that will leave you buzzed after quaffing several chilled glasses of this 13%'er
Many bonus points for quaff-ability
On a side note I'm concerned about the lack of wine drinking I'm seeing by European tourists in Florentine restaurants- in the 90 minutes that the 4 of us downed 2 bottles of this wine I only saw 2 GLASSES of wine served to the 30 other seats. Not a good sign. — 13 days ago
Spiriti del Bosco
Vermut S. Spirito
Taste this and you will understand what Vermouth/Vermut/Vermutti used to be and why there were bars dedicated to the drink before it became the sad mixer of vodka and gin it is today.
I'm a sucker for back stories and the recipe for this one was found recently written down by another ancient vermouth producer Florence centuries ago. When the son of this distillery took over he decided to try to make it and what an amazing job he did. There are so many components and layers between the florals and bitters and perfect sweet/sour balance of this I need a lot more than one glass to sort it all out. Now I'm on the hunt for a bottle.
Some of the magical ingredients: calamus, holy thistle, juniper, iris and rhubarb — 8 days ago
Frescobaldi
Pomino Castello Pomino 2023
Sadly This is no longer Trebbiano and Malvasia. Now it's 90% Chard and 10 % Pinot Grigio.. The Frescobaldi house pulled out all of their Malvasia and Trebbiano due to climate change (and Pomino is among the highest altitude growing regions of Tuscany) - and replaced those vines with these more hardy and more boring varieties.
Interesting that they kept the same exact name and label, but I guess it's all still accurate?
This also very sadly means no more Vin Santo.
Times they are a changing. — 11 days ago
Domaine Bersan
Saint-Bris Sauvignon 2022
Even at refrigerator temperature the nose is flowing out of the rim of the glass. It reminds me of flowers that release their essence at night like Jasmine. You could sell this as an expensive perfume. It's one of those wines that I hesitate to drink because I know that what happens in my mouth can never match what I just smelled.
But it does hold its own on the tongue. It's not complex, even kind of 2 dimensional in the flavor profile but it's got a great acid quality, clean yet grassy finish, it's a real drinker- anyone could approach a glass of this and they will always say yes to more.
If this app has the option I would give the nose 9.6 and the taste an 8.9 so I'm landing in the middle.
Paired brilliantly with grilled salmon. — 18 days ago
Seth Masterson
The best Vermentino so far.
This one has the floral essences I've come to expect of Tuscan Vermentino but it also has an earthy depth mixed with a lemon custardness that I haven't seen until now. I've heard it described of other wines as 'sweet mushrooms'. That plus the smell of the sea.
On the pallette it's distinctly salty (unless that's the ocean air on my lips?) and has the most rounded, soft acids, but not flabby at all, taught and racy but with an elegant and refined edges. — 6 days ago