Beautiful fire-engine ruby, deep, smoky black cherry in the nose, gracefully sharp in the way it expresses ridiculously clean old-world nuances on a bright, modern slate. Herbal and acidic notes are clean and vibrant, subdued and un-funky–more dusty than anything–edging the crisp raspberry into a calculated orbit.
Equally subdued in the mouth: generous applications of pie-cherry combat overt ripeness–but in a way supremely delicious. This is not a California–OR Super-Tuscan–slathering of oak and concentration into all-too-current themes of blingy-ness, NOR is it an Italian wine mired in dank drudgery or battery-acid acidity. Rather, it exists to prove Toscano CAN produce wines not playing into your classic visions of Chianti. Rich and mouth-coating, the berry taut and poised, the structure presented in an almost playful–but prescient–way. At 3 it is still a baby–shy with potential massiveness lurking–and another decade or two of bottle-age will reward plentifully.
2018 POGGIO LA NOCE ‘Gigio’ Sangiovese/Colorino 90/10 Toscano IGT Italy 14.5
Stephen McConnell 