Light, clear, amber garnet in the glass. A most old-worldy nose emanating, something completely hung up on barnyard briar and lavish concentration even at thin appearances. The fruit a rather bruised version, put together with watery prune and nutty base-line while toeing an astonishing vermouth and dark chocolate patina for such a young wine. This is old-school Sangiovese at its finest: nothing bright or cherubic here, no lush cherry or even stellar acid–everything in the bouquet points toward classic red-checkered-tablecloth Italian fare: quite possibly drank from tumblers.
Tasting it exposes an almost Nebbiolo-esque watery lushness of round, thin fruit and brilliant acid around a chubby core. Quaffable, even. Cherry is tart and light, the black tea distinction pulling up the late-finish, injecting structural integrity to an otherwise lightly-fruited wine. Velvet-purse and smoky jackets engage the classicists: people who drink Chianti for Chianti’s sake, a rosso so in keeping with the category as to basically create the PLACEMARK for such wines. It’s gorgeous. It’s light and bubbly. The fruit perfectly placed in its watery involvement, the acid searing along cellar-floor ideals into something so infinitely DRINKABLE as to render New-World “drinkable” wines nearly worthless. The floral perfume continues long into the tannic finish, and you are left with one of the world’s most perfect Italian table wines.
2018 BIONDI-SANTI ‘Greppo’ Sangiovese Rosso Di Montalcino DOC 13.0
Stephen McConnell 