A gorgeous wine which thankfully has become easily available in the United States. And I don’t get bogged down in *winery stories* but this is a fun winery doing everything right. I’ve been fortunate to have been reviewing these wines for several years, and they are solid, thoughtfully, organically and low-interventionally made, never boring, always bright and crisp and delicious–with a nod to great ripe-balance and acidity. Quintessential food-wines–like ANYTHING from Italy SHOULD be.
Beautiful dark ruby in the glass, a nose restrained and tinged with delicate barnyard: but not enough to scream OLD WORLD at you. Everything about these wines plays Europe against New World wines in modern fashion. The fruit is a pie-cherry sort of lean directness, citrus zest and murky calm. Braised meat and brown butter provide the meaty roundness, but it is all rather slight in the face of the un-concentrated notion of this pure Sangio. Savory cassis, lanolin and bruised innertube float by, but really the stark berry and obvious acid are the key players. With considerable air, a bit of tertiary introduces itself, firmly planted on classic cellar-floor.
In the mouth, all your Sangiovese dreams come true. Nothing bogged down with Cab or Merlot here–and DEFINITELY not Chianti, just pure and bright raspberry sliding head-first into an acidic and tannic maelstrom. Here’s a true story: I used to hate Sangiovese. In my early years (before cars) I equated it entirely with Chianti and avoided it. Then I started buying smarter Sangio’s, and my life has never been better. This is one of those wines. So delicious. The grate and grip of structure makes you go back again and again to visit the fruit. Rich in all the right places, shrill in most others, it’s just DRINKING WINE, but one definitely designed for aging. Wine for the table. Let’s not discuss this wine, OK? The Italians wouldn’t like that. Just drink it and be happy and stop talking. This wine right here is EXACTLY what wine is supposed to be. Buy two cases of this wine and drink one per year. This wine has Bordeaux-like aging potential. It’s just built that way.
2016 POGGIO LA NOCE ‘Gigio’ Sangio/Colorino 90/10 Toscano IGT Italy 14.0
Stephen McConnell 