Tenuta, San Giorgio, ‘Ugolforte’, Brunello di Montalcino, 2016, Tuscany, Italy
This could be described as the typical Tuscan quality red wine. At £35 a bottle it’s not outrageously expensive either. What it is though is too young. At 6 years old it needs another 3 to 6 years in the bottle to develop further. There’s nice black fruit flavours and notes of oak, blueberry vanilla and some freshness but it’s all a little lacking. All it needs is time and this will be great
Castello del Trebbio, Congiura, Bianco Toscana, Tuscany, Italy
Its unusual for a Tuscan white to be made with Riesling but this wine from Castello del Trebbio gains when adding it to the Pinot Grigio and Chardonnay grapes.
It has a wonderful straw colour with a fresh mineral aromas and flavours with apple and pears and notes of almonds and peach. There’s some complexity to this dry white and it would be well paired with seafood. A decent wine but not fantasic.
made with 100% Sangiovese from Tuscany this red from Lunadoro is a pretty tannic and bold. Reasonable amount of red fruit, redcurrant and cherry and medium in body and finish, its well suited to a BBQ. Its easy drinking and not the big red you might think of from Tuscany.
At £15 a bottle is a bit overpriced. £10 or less is the right price for this, at £15 I would want more on all levels.
Lunadoro, Prugnanello, Rosso di Montepulciano, Tuscany, Italy
Tuscany chucks out hundreds of different great quality wines and a lot more good wines each year and this Poggio Badiola, Toscana is the latter. Its a blend of 70% Sangiovese, and 30% Merlot and it gives you aromas of black fruit such as blackberries, black cherries with spice and tobacco. These follow into the flavours but there’s also a toasty under tone in there I think. The finish a bit short and not quite as fully flavoured as I would like, even at £14 a bottle. This medium body, dry red is better with food, pizza, meat dishes or hard cheese.
Mazzei, Poggio Badiola, Toscana, 2015, Tuscany, Italy
Made with 3 different grapes, Trebbiano 40%, Malvasia 40%, Grechetto 20% this is not you average white wine people would buy, unless you go for Italian wine. Consumers often buy single varietal grape wine but there are some interesting wines out there. The first time you pour the wine the deep gold colour stands out. There are flora aromas and also ripe peach, the flavours are mineral, pear and citrus but the main elements that stands out is the length and high alcohol. 14% is high and you do notice it. This is a Tuscan white with quite a bit. To much for the cat!
Donna Patrizia – Buccia Nero from Tuscany