working with wine 2016 seminar 1 - tuscany

First (of two) working with wine tastings for 2016. Tuscany specifically Chianti, Brunello, Montepulciano and Bolgheri. I've been out of the wine study loop since my WSET diploma and that gnawing buzz of anticipation and excitement when confronted by top producers and their wines was a comforting and old familiar sensation.

An interesting and enjoyable bracket. Wine two was a little anonymous though well made. The Nobile di Montepulciano was disappointing on the palate and, of the bracket, the Brunello di Montalcino was my wine of choice. With time it just seemed to blossom.

• 2010 Cantina Viticoltori Senesi Aretini Chianti Riserva

  Italy, Tuscany, Chianti

  Plain red cherry with a slight pinch at the top of the nose and hints of dusty warm courtyard…with more time more herbs and rhubarb notes. In the mouth the wine is juicy, but not sour, and wet. The cherry tends to the slightly medicinal on the palate underpinned by very slight white pepper. Medium length with fine, barely discernible tannins. Innocuous.

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• 2013 Campo di Sasso Insoglio del Cinghiale Toscana IGT

  Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT

  slightly overwhelming spice over black fruits, slight leather also, very slight herbaceous notes. Hints of plums that grow with time and are joined by coffee notes. In the mouth the wine is dense with medium plus intensity body, fleshy and broad, black fruit and spice complement drying and slightly course tannins. Medium length. Hmm.

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• 2012 La Braccesca (Antinori) Vino Nobile di Montepulciano

  Italy, Tuscany, Montepulciano, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano

  Medium plus intensity aromas of oak; caramel and cream, slight vanilla and sweet spice over almost jubey cherry, slight dusty notes with time a touch of herbaceousness and balsamic hints. In the mouth the medium plus acidity and medium plus drying tannins are the initial impression on the palate over cherry and slight tobacco and spice. Structure over fruit on the palate. Hmm

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• 2013 Pian Delle Vigne (Antinori) Rosso di Montalcino

  Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Rosso di Montalcino

  Muted but concentrated cherry and ripe sweet tobacco leaf as well as sweet spice and perfumed floral notes. In the mouth the tangy cherry fruit is joined by drying and mid and front of mouth tannins, long and beautifully balanced though it lacks a little complexity. nice.

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• 2011 Pian Delle Vigne (Antinori) Brunello di Montalcino

  Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino

  Medium plus intensity aromas of oak and concentrated spiced cherry with very slight oxidation. The oak lends cedar, vanilla there are also some herbal and almost citrus notes. On the palate there are very slight oxidation with plentiful oak, creamy and buttery, juicy almost zesty acidity, fine, silky but grippy tannins over a core of spiced cherry fruit. Travels long on the palate. needs to integrate the oak, for me and, thankfully, time in the glass supports this conclusion as it improves and integrates...

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It was lovely to compare two producers across three quality levels. The antinori wines are bit more 'oomphy' - extraction/maceration/oak - than the isole e olena wines. I don’t' think I particularly prefer one over the other but, if pushed into a corner, I'd probably (today only) go for the latter. having said that the entry level antinori is very good indeed. Bah...so much for making a firm decision...

• 2013 Antinori Chianti Classico Pèppoli Flawed

  Italy, Tuscany, Chianti, Chianti Classico DOCG

  Slightly oxidised, meat almost Bovril notes blow off with time to reveal polished and concentrated cherry and almost strawberry fruit and a touch of cork taint…Not enough to bother me but rejected by the group - mind you, I didn't try it. FLAW

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• 2013 Antinori Chianti Classico Pèppoli

  Italy, Tuscany, Chianti, Chianti Classico DOCG

  Aromas of polished and concentrated cherry and almost strawberry fruit. The medium fleshy acidity is integrated with the drying grippy tannins but there is a core of red fruit that persists beneath this. Long, balanced and exceedingly good.

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• 2013 Antinori Chianti Classico Marchese Antinori Riserva Tenuta Tignanello

  Italy, Tuscany, Chianti, Chianti Classico DOCG

  Muted and contained oak; caramel, vanilla, over perfumed and ripe cherry all grow in boldness with time in the glass and are joined by dusty crushed dried herbs and sweet spice. The herbs are more to the fore than the fruit here but there is still the tell-tale acidity and rim, drying but inherently fine textured tannic backbone. All carry and are joined by slightly herbaceous notes on the medium plus length finish

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• 2010 Antinori Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Badia a Passignano

  Italy, Tuscany, Chianti, Chianti Classico DOCG

  Medium minus intensity and slightly oxidised with white pepper spice, funky and tight with leather notes. With time and agitation more polished oak and cherry and spiced notes arise. Also some ripe vegetable and herbaceous notes and very slight dairy farm...In the mouth, again, it's very slightly oxidised with plentiful drying but fine textured tannins. The fruit is constrained and muted and this, and the juicy acidity, at this juncture, is a little lost beneath the tannins and the structure. it's a bit extractive and out of whack for me at the moment

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• 2013 Isole e Olena Chianti Classico

  Italy, Tuscany, Chianti, Chianti Classico DOCG

  Medium minus intensity aromas of sweaty leather and undergrowth, almost mushrooms and crushed bouquet garni. Cherry and strawberry plus almost juniper with agitation. In the mouth the wine is juicy, almost sour, with cherry and chalky, chewy and raspy tannins. Medium length. Hmm

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• 2011 Isole e Olena Cepparello Toscana IGT

  Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT

  Spiced, dense cherry and caramel oak on the nose. In the mouth though if's juicy, fleshy, with cherry flavours, drying but silky and palate tannins. Slight alcohol heat encroaches. A little simple but long and beautifully balance. Very pleasant. The oak is a still a little pointy which isn't an issue for me... and with time the oak integrates...perhaps a year in bottle and then good to go. Oh, this was under screwcap for the Australian (overseas?) market. Basically he bottles the stuff to go under cork 6 months earlier.

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• 2010 Isole e Olena Chianti Classico Gran Selezione

  Italy, Tuscany, Chianti, Chianti Classico DOCG

  Perfumed with cherry and cedar, slightly muted but beautifully contained and balanced. The oak is there but controlled. In the mouth it's all about the oak initially then spiced red and slight black cherry fruit and juicy acidity with plentiful tannins. Very long with non-intrusive alcohol warmth on the finish. there is an almost herbal tea note on the finish as well. Pleasant. Very pleasant in fact. restrained. at the end of the bracket this was the glass that was drained.

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Great bracket and an utter treat. For me these wines fall into three distinct groups: Youthful (13, 10), ready to drink (07, 05, 01) and mature (97). Though there is commonality vintage variation is also prevalent amongst them all. The wine making style is more extractive in the older wines but I don't think that is a particular issue. The nice thing for me is that if I was to buy any of these wines I now know how long I need to cellar them before I tuck in - 9-15 years! The 07, 05 and 01 were all very good for me and I managed to snaffle a quarter of a bottle of the 01 to take home which was a bit of bonus...

• 2013 Antinori Tignanello

  Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT

  Medium plus intensity concentrated, polished oak - vanilla and slight caramel, then ripe red and black cherry and black currant and berry. Very fruit forward and underpinned by spicy and floral notes. In the mouth the wine is all about juicy cherry underpinned by black currant, very zesty without being tart. tannins are concentrated on the front of eh palate and alcohol warmth encroaches on the long finish. Less breadth on the palate than I would like. Still a puppy.

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• 2010 Antinori Tignanello

  Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT

  Polished oak with a touch of toast then black currant and bramble over tobacco and red cherry as well as slight charcuterie with some sweet and peppery spice. Still quite young. In the mouth the wine is savoury, almost bitter cherry and savoury spice. Acids are more muted here and sightly lost beneath smooth but weight mid-palate tannins. touches of herbaceousness on the long finish and an almost mint coolness on the palate.

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• 2007 Antinori Tignanello

  Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT

  Slight oxidation, red cherry and spice, leather, brooding with freshly tilled earth and very slight forest floor - the beginnings of tertiary characteristics. On the palate again it is slightly oxidised with juicy cherry, leather, forest floor and earthy notes as well as a touch of herbaceousness, ridiculously long. The tannins are integrated the whole is melodious and mellifluous. Cracking stuff. The acidity joins on the finish and cleans things up as well. Wonderful.

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• 2005 Antinori Tignanello

  Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT

  Warm and welcoming, leather, slight oxidation, tiny touches of balsamic, dark fruits over spice and mushroom. Lovely nose. In the mouth the wine is juicy and fleshy, tiny touches of white pepper on the palate with beautifully integrated fruit and tannins with slight herbaceous notes joining spice on the long finish. Very nice and in a good place for me. Lovely in fact.

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• 2001 Antinori Tignanello

  Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT

  NOTE - lot of throw in the glass. Almost gun smoke with herbaceous notes, old book leather and brambly fruit and slightly creamy cherry as well as a certain biscuit quality. On the palate the fruit is riper and the acidity more contained here, tannins are very slightly gritty but integrated and the wine is balanced and long with spice and slightly bitter herbs on the finish. perhaps lacks a little complexity compared to the 05 & 07 but I'm clutching a bit to find anything wrong here. In fact with time in glass it gets better and better.

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• 1997 Antinori Tignanello

  Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT

  Medium minus intensity aromas that are muted and slightly musty, sour cherry, spice, leather, mushroom, forest floor and very slight oxidation. With more time the fruit steps out of the shadows. In the mouth its shockingly young with primary fruit, plentiful juiciness and tight tannins. Still a bit full on despite it's age. I can't imagine how unapproachable this must have been in it's youth. Hmm. the nose was exceedingly misleading.

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Hmm, though there are some very pleasant examples here I'd rather drink Bordeaux at this respective price point or, even, new world cab sav. Of the bracket the slightly worked ornellaia and the guado al tasso were the winners for me. Having said that they're all far too young for drinking now.
Oh, the Vin Santo was served at the end as a little treat...

• 2013 Tenuta dell'Ornellaia Bolgheri Superiore Ornellaia

  Italy, Tuscany, Bolgheri, Bolgheri Superiore

  on the nose there are aromas of cherry, cream, black currant spice and slight mint. Controlled oak offers slight caramel and cedar. In the mouth the wine is fresh and fleshy, blackcurrant and slight red cherry then the tannins join: they are mouth drying but bring some cream and some breadth to the palate. there is a touch of alcohol warmth here as well. Rather nice if not, for me, a little worked

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• 2013 Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia

  Italy, Tuscany, Bolgheri, Bolgheri Sassicaia

  Musty and corky - possible taint? Mint and leather, quite forward for it's age. With agitation it opens to black fruits and spice. In the mouth the wine is juicy and spicy with black fruits over grippy and chewy tannins - not taint here - but is forward with leathery notes. I don't think this is in the right space it should be.

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• 2012 Antinori Solaia

  Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT

  Almost reductive compared to the rest of the bracket. Quite closed, time required, more red than black fruit also touches of rhubarb and mint in fact with cream and oak notes. In the mouth the wine has tart acidity, peppery spice and plentiful drying, grippy, gritty tannins, compared to the other wins in the bracket it lacks generosity of fruit.

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• 2012 Tenuta Guado al Tasso (Antinori) Bolgheri Superiore

  Italy, Tuscany, Bolgheri, Bolgheri Superiore

  blackcurrant tending to beetroot over cream and vanilla. Slightly farty as well on the nose. In the mouth the wine is juicy with black currant fruit, sweet spice and liquorice. The tannins are grippy and drying the fruit persists below and carries long with some alcohol warmth. Very young but nice enough.

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• 2011 Ca' Marcanda (Gaja) Bolgheri Camarcanda

  Italy, Tuscany, Bolgheri

  Aromas of cream, toast over blackcurrant fruit and sweet spice. In the mouth there are flavours of cream and jubey sweet black fruits, drying tannins and plentiful oak with spice joining on the long finish. Still young and, for me, also a little anonymous though that may be my standard biased against right bank based blends...some of the time...well...today, specifically.

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• 2010 Isole e Olena Vin Santo del Chianti Classico

  Italy, Tuscany, Chianti, Vin Santo del Chianti Classico

  Woof! After all this red beast stuff this is a completely different kettle of fish slight oxidative with ripe apricot, raisins, figs & walnuts…more of the same on the palate with orange peel as well as the other fruit characters (I'm guessing a touch of botrytis). Off dry but still tangy and acidic but leather and biscuit notes join here on the long finish. Hmm it has a touch of madeira to it as well. yeah, it's quite nice.

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Another superb tasting from the negotiant chaps. As I mention in my bracket notes there are a lot of really nice wines here. Jeez, I think I could drop a casual grand or two and still feel underdone.