Tenuta Sant' Antonio

A tasting in the Vinarte restaurant of Tenuta Sant'Antonio wines from Veneto, moderated by mr Armando Castagnedi, one of the 4 brothers, with the main focus on trade. A rather new winery, starting at 1995 but with the father being a grower selling the grapes in the local cooperative. The wines are imported by the restaurant.

• 2013 Tenuta Sant'Antonio Scaia Garganega Chardonnay 88 Points

  Italy, Trevenezie

  This vintage was a Garganega & Chardonnay blend, grapes not volcanic soil.
  
  Clear bright yellow color.
  The nose is clean, showing medium intensity, vegetal notes, tomato leaves, green tropical fruits (quite Sauvignon Blanc like), fresh character but then again it's a 2013, bitter almond notes, youthful.
  The wine is off-dry (3.9g/l), medium body and intensity, medium alcohol (12.5%) and acidity, vegetal notes again, green but fresh character, peach and pear, nice concentration, minty freshness, refreshing if not with a few spikes here and there acidity, medium finish.
  Very good quality, drinking now but will hold. A nice refreshing white wine that could be from anywhere but surely enjoyed by everyone

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• 2013 Tenuta Sant'Antonio Télos / Il bianco

  Italy, Veneto, Veneto IGT

  This is a blend of Garganega (80%) and Chardonnay (20%), a wine without sulphites and batonnage once a week until spring.
  
  The wine is clear with bit darker color than Scaia.
  The nose is not particularly clean with medium intensity, at first it was difficult to find any characteristic due to dense profile but with time it opened and offered lime skin, sage, mint and ripe green apple, youthful to developing.
  The wine is off dry (4.5g/l), medium body and intensity, medium alcohol (12.50%) and medium acidity, there is a small amount of carbon dioxide which adds to the freshness and the mouthfeel but when gone it gives a heavier version of the wine, lime, ripe pear and pineapple, its quite interesting, minty again, with an underlying honey like sweetness.
  Very good quality, a wine to drink now.
  
  The downside of the wine was a small at first but then elevated as time passed presence of lactic bacteria notes. There was a yogurt/warm milk scent that coated the wine. I was tempted to mark it as flawed bottle but then informed that its the style of the label. I am not certain about this, it could just as well mean that the wine is flawed and not just the bottle. Its hard to think that this is what they were after but on the other hand I am not used to wines without sulphites. Everyone found the wine interesting and so did I but nobody made a negative remark about the dairy aspect of it which added to my confusion. Help anyone ???

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• 2011 Tenuta Sant'Antonio Soave Vecchie Vigne Monte Ceriani 89 Points

  Italy, Veneto, Soave

  This is a pure Garganega made from 30 years old vines, aged in french 500lt oak casks for 6 months, the casks are used 2-3 times.
  
  The wine shows a clear pale yellow color.
  The wine is clean, medium intensity, subtle oak influence with hazelnut at first, ripe pear and apple, there is an underlying freshness again but with an overall roundness and finesse, feels developing.
  The wine is off dry (3.3 g/l), medium body and intensity, medium alcohol (13.50%) and acidity, round in the palate, a thin oak layer, hazelnut, ripe fruits, love the texture, there is a crushed biscuit sweetness in it, refreshing acidity keeps it lively, medium finish.
  Very good quality, drinking now but will hold. 89+

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• 2012 Tenuta Sant'Antonio Scaia Paradiso Veneto IGT 86 Points

  Italy, Veneto, Veneto IGT

  This is made purely from young Corvina vines.
  
  The wine shows a clear pale red cherry color.
  The wine is clean in the nose with medium intensity, ripe red cherry, ripe strawberry, ripe redcurrant, light jammy notes with a touch of oak, dusty/earthy notes, nutmeg sweetness, lack real depth due to the age of vines probably but pleasant all the same, youthful. After some time in the glass it turns to tobacco/cigar box notes
  The wine feels dry-ish (3.9 g/l), medium body and intensity, medium alcohol (13%) and acidity, low to medium tannins, red fruit profile with cherry and currant, balanced but on the thin side, peppery with a few vegetal notes like tomato, medium finish.
  Very good quality, your typical everyday wine to have with food and a nice one to have by the glass, drink now

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• 2011 Tenuta Sant'Antonio Sponsà Veronese IGT 90 Points

  Italy, Veneto, Veronese IGT

  This is a blend of Corvina and Corvinone (50%), Rondinella (20%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (30%). This was probably the most interesting of the wines due to the fact that the Cabernet Sauvignon grapes were dried for 30 days in crate before pressing and then aged in French oak for 6 months. Then the final assemblage takes place.
  
  The wine shows a clear pale cherry color.
  The nose is clean, med/med+ intensity, a very interesting complexity with ripe red fruit, red fruit marmelade, nutmeg, cinnamon, there is also a mint/green bell pepper freshness aspect in it, wet earth, youthful to developing.
  The wine is off-dry (8 g/l), medium body and intensity, med alcohol (13.5%) but its more apparent, medium acidity, nice structure, ripe red currant and strawberry, black currant as well, balanced with nutmeg in the medium finish.
  Outstanding quality, drinking now but will hold.

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• 2012 Tenuta Sant'Antonio Ripasso della Valpolicella Superiore Monti Garbi 89 Points

  Italy, Veneto, Valpolicella, Ripasso della Valpolicella Superiore

  This is a blend of Corvina & Corvinone (70%), Rondinella (20%), Croatina and Oseleta (10%), malolactic, 15-16 motnhs in 500lt tonneux 30% new and 70% one year use.
  
  The wine has a clear pale ruby color.
  The nose is clean, medium intensity, feels dense and a bit cosed, thick black cherry and currant note, marmelade, wet earth, nutmeg, chocolate note, hint of oregano with a bit of alcohol as well, youthful.
  6 g/l which puts over the off dry scale, med/med+ body and med intenstiy, med alcohol (14%) and med acidity,tannins are med/med+ but well made and round, nice structure, offering complexity, balanced and not heavy, ripe small red and black fruit, there is a handful of black raisins and a tiny bitterness in the medium finish. Freshness overall
  Very good quality, drinking nicely but will hold.

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• 2010 Tenuta Sant'Antonio Amarone della Valpolicella Campo dei Gigli 90 Points

  Italy, Veneto, Valpolicella, Amarone della Valpolicella

  This is a blend of Corvina and Corvinone (70%), Rondinella (20%), Croatina (5%) and Oseleta (5%), 40year old vines, vinified in new open french oak 500lt tonneaux and aged for 3 years in new tonneaux.
  
  The wine is clear with a deep ruby red color.
  The wine needs time to open up, decented for 1-1.5hr before served in big round glass, it felt quite closed at first with a few rubbery notes, ripe red and black fruits at first, marmelade and sweet spices, black raisins, well balanced and youthful.
  The wine is dryish (3.9 g/l), med/med+ body and intensity, med+ acidity and high alcohol (16%) that oddly enough its well integrated, at first it felt more aggressive than the TElos Amarone tasted before but it makes sense as this is a more traditional style, its more linear and more accurately/strictly defined, palate copying the aromas, needs time to come together, medium finish.
  Outstanding quality, drinking now with a 2 hr decant or hold. Even with this more rustic version of the wine, one could feel the winery's goal to produce wines with a fresh and easy to drink character.
  
  Take the alcohol out and I love Amarone's aromas and flavors, so job well done with these 2.

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• 2010 Tenuta Sant'Antonio Amarone della Valpolicella TÉlos L'Amarone 91 Points

  Italy, Veneto, Valpolicella, Amarone della Valpolicella

  This an Amarone with no added sulphites, made from 70% Corvina, 20% Rondinella, 5% Croatina and 5% Oseleta, spent 16 months in 500lt new french oak casks.
  
  The wine is clear with a medium cherry red color.
  The nose is clean, with medium intensity, the character is rather light for an Amarone, there is red fruit freshness with cherries and currants, red cherry marmelade, liquer notes, ripe pomegranate, surprisingly fresh for an Amarone, complexity but without being dense, dried redcurrants and raisin, youthful.
  The wine is offdry (6g/l), med+ body and intensity, med acidity and high alcohol (15.5%) which is very well hidden and not noticeable at any moment, tannins are med+ round and nicely balanced, ripe red fruit with currants, raisins, ripe pomegranate while after some time and as the wine gets warmer you have the dried versions of the fruits, nutmeg in the med/med+ finish.
  Outstanding quality, drinking beautifully now but will hold.
  
  The grapes are harvested a bit earlier than normal to retain some more acidity. This is how one should be introduced to the Amarone style. I understand that there will be quite a few grandpa's objecting over this version but it's a good effort

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• 2006 Tenuta Sant'Antonio Chardonnay Colori d'Autunno Veneto IGT 92 Points

  Italy, Veneto, Veneto IGT

  A 10% of Garganesa is added in this sweet Chardonnay, fermented in new french oak 500lt tonneaux, aged for 3 years in new french oak 500lt tonneaux
  
  The wine has a clear, light orange/light mahogany color.
  The nose is clean, the intensity is med/med+, a nice sweet perfume of flowers, over ripe apricot and peach, orange peel marmelade, sultana, its not dense as in cloying but as the other wines it has a green olive freshness in it, underlying oak flavors, caramel, ripe fig, syrup, walnut and almond, developing.
  The wine is sweet (144.4g/l), med+ body and intensity, med alcohol (13.5%), med+/high acidity that is well integrated and actually keeps the wine vibrant without coming in the front, well balanced, espresso notes, sultana and fig, peach and apricot marmelade, nutmeg and mocca, walnut and almond in the finish with that strange green olive not coming again, med to med+ finish.
  Outstanding quality, drinking now but will hold.
  It will great with an espresso flavored dessert

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• NV Tenuta Sant'Antonio Campo dei Gigli Grappa di Amarone 92 Points

  Italy, Veneto, Veneto IGT

  This is made from the Amarone Campo dei Gigli "leftovers", skins, seeds and pulp. This is not made in the estate so not many things that mr Castagnedi could tell us. Aged for 8 months in various 300lt used casks, 5000 bottles made.
  
  This grappa has a clear honey color.
  The nose is clean, showing medium intensity, a fine and precise tea leaf aroma, sage, dry peach and apricot, really well integrated alcohol with some walnut at the end.
  This runs smoothly in the palate, it doesn't feel completely dry, medium body and intensity, 40% alcohol but not burning at all, the palate copies the nose with flavors of vanilla and hazelnut added, it had a medium finish.
  This is an an aged grappa of outstanding quality, easy to drink, a pastry maker or cook could easily use the tea leaf aspect of it, alcohol not apparent at all which means its great to offer this to a variety of people. A nice finish of this interesting tasting

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