Aged Italians Blind Tasting - Not the Tasters, the Wine!

An opportunity to taste several different vino rosso from around the country with Brunellos at the core. Wines had to have at least ten years of age and the "youngest" were 13 years old. Served blind in three flights of two wines. Accompanied with a charcuterie and cheese board. LM did a great job at wine wrassling and keeping the five tasters focused on the job at hand!

• 2009 Emidio Pepe Montepulciano d'Abruzzo 92 Points

  Italy, Abruzzi, Montepulciano d'Abruzzo

  Part of an Aged Italians blind tasting. DV decanted this for three hours prior to bringing to the tasting. It was served blind alongside the 2010 Sassicaia in the first flight. It was bright garnet with a tawny rim. We were all picking up aromas of olive, cherry, savoury mint and a bit of alcohol heat. In the mouth it continued the dried cherries, herbs and leather. It had a silky body with drying tannins and good acidity for a 16 yo vino. Had a minerality component to it. This turned out to be the "oldest" wine in the tasting but was actually still fresh and got better on later revisits.

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• 2010 Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia 93 Points

  Italy, Tuscany, Bolgheri, Bolgheri Sassicaia

  Part of an Aged Italians blind tasting. Double decanted almost two hours prior to tasting. Used a Durand on the very tight cork. Muted nose for the first 30-40 minutes. I was getting nervous thinking the wine was either suffering from severe reduction (oxygen starvation) or it was faulty (a touch of brett aromatics was not promising). Just prior to pouring back in the bottle for transport to the tasting I was pleasantly surprised to find that this beauty had woken up and was now offering a delightful nose of savoury dark red fruits. Served blind at the tasting I was immediately taken with how seamless the wine was in the glass. No watery rim, no brick orange in colour. It was a dark garnet with a brilliance on the surface. My notes were sweet ripe and advanced dark red fruits with cherry, leather, soy on the palate. Others captured dusty red fruit, violets, farm aromas, medicinal and cedar. Very good wine but we were expecting a rock star performance and instead we got an acoustic medley while the roadies transformed the stage. I think this wine was suffering from reduction at opening. Definitely decant for a couple of hours.

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• 2010 Altesino Brunello di Montalcino 92 Points

  Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino

  Part of an Aged Italians blind tasting. Decanted for at least an hour prior to the tasting. Served along side its bigger brother the 2010 Riserva. This was classic solid Brunello. Shiny ruby garnet. A basket of dried red fruits on the nose - cherry, cranberry, plum and a bit of leather, tar, tobacco and dried herbs. Medium plus body with elegant mature red fruit. Had a cherry tart complexity and some grilled meat component. Nice lingering finish. Definitely decant.

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• 2010 Altesino Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 94 Points

  Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino

  Part of an Aged Italians blind tasting. Decanted for at leat an hour prior to serving blind. Poured alongside its little brother the 2010 Brunello. This was an excellent contrast and one appreciated the care and attention that went into this Riserva. It had a eerily similar look in the glass but everything was amplified after that. It had a more complex nose with a one-two punch affect with the fruit upfront but then a chassis of savoury elements underneath. On the palate it had a bourbon-soaked cherry quality that was refreshed by persistent acid and superfine tannins. A very long finish. This was the enjoyment favourite at the table. A complete wine. Thanks DM for sharing this beauty. Defintely decant for both aeration and removing off the sediment.

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• 2013 San Polo Brunello di Montalcino 91 Points

  Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino

  Part of an Aged Italians blind tasting. Double decanted for ~1 hour. Light garnet with an orange-brown rim. Muted nose with a bit of barnyard at the front and some dusty berries at the back. The dusty fruit element carried through onto the tongue. Had a sundried tomato thing going as well. Still had grippy tannins on the medium finish. This wine really began to sing with fennel salami and creamy brie cheese. Good tradtional Brunello. Thanks RAR for sharing.

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• 2013 AR.PE.PE. Valtellina Superiore - Grumello Riserva Buon Consiglio 93 Points

  Italy, Lombardia, Valtellina, Valtellina Superiore - Grumello

  Part of an Aged Italians blind tasting. This was decanted for at least an hour prior to serving blind alongside a 2013 San Polo Brunello. Light garnet but with a brilliant shininess. The most complex bouquet of all the wines. It went from dried and stewed fruit (red and black) to leafy, salty, pickling spice, fruit blossoms and cigar box. Lovely seamless darker fruit melange on the palate. This is a wine for charcuterie and converation. CW thought he bought a Barolo but he was half right. This is made from Nebbiolo but its just made to the east of Piedmont in Lombardia but it had the Barolo exoskeleton. Everyone's favourite complexity wine.

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Not a bad vino in the mix. The Altesino Brunello Riserva was the standout and the Grumello from Lombardia was the complex discovery of the tasting. Thanks to D & L for hosting. Mille Grazie!