Well this took a while! As this post is coming months after returning from 3 more amazing weeks spent in Italy this summer, it will be a bit short on description. But, I do have some pictures! There were food and wine highlights all around this summer. Here is a list of the best sips from my time in Cortona and Milano.
1981 Il Colle Brunello di Montalcino Riserva
- enjoyed two bottles of this incredibly traditional Brunello in celebration of my anniversary, even though Mary was back home in Kansas. The wine was still filled with dark fruits, and flavors of pepper, tobacco, and mushrooms lingered in the mouth. It was especially fun to share this wine with a table of mostly students! Only 3 out of 11 people were actually older than the wine! This was a wonderful of-menu find at Taverna Pane e Vino, pulled out from the back just for me. Love that place!
2000 Bartolo Mascarello Barolo
- another incredible wine found on the list at Taverna Pane e Vino, and priced in a way that I just couldn't pass it up. Mascarello produces what is possibly my favorite barolo (at the very least one of my top 3). I have experienced only a few vintages, but this includes the 1957 which was inspiring. Mary and I visited the cantina several years ago, and the wine is just filled with so much tradition and passion. 2000 is an incredible vintage, and to me is drinking so beautifully now. Filled with perfumes of lavender, this wine just rocks. Also enjoyed sharing this with a number of students, watching their eyes roll back in their heads as they enjoyed their glasses.
Castello di Bossi Wine Dinner
- the fantastic Enoteca Molesini hosts amazing wine dinners in Cortona each week at different restaurants around town. This was the first time I have been able to attend one, and it was sensational. As I was flying solo this time, I got placed at the table of people without family/spouses, etc - meaning I sat with a group of Australian guys on holiday and also, Marco and Paolo (the enoteca owners) and Stefano - the winemaker for Castello di Bossi and Ranieri. I think I got a pretty good table! Plus - the dinner was at Pozzo Antico, one of my favorite spots in Cortona. The wines:
1997 Corbaia
- this was a treat that came to our table because of the wine maker and wine shop guys. A delicious Super-Tuscan (Sangiovese/Cab Sauv) that was young and powerful despite nearly 20 years in bottle.
2001 Girolamo
- this Super-Tuscan is 100% Merlot and is an example of why I think Italy does the best Merlot outside of Pomerol (and when you factor in price it has to be considered the best for the $). Usually found younger in retail stores, this wine needs the time and age to really express, and 15 years seems about right!
2013 Castello di Bossi Chianti Classico
- a simply DELICIOUS traditional chianti classico made in Castelnuovo Berardenga - my favorite chianti classico region. The winery sits adjacent to Castell'in Villa with each property's hills meeting on the valley floor. Love this wine.
2012 Castello di Bossi Chianti Classico Riserva
- I was not as big a fan of the riserva, although it was still delicious. The riserva is aged a bit in barriques, producing a bit more of the oak/wood flavors and tannins than I tend to dig in my favorite wines. It was a very tasteful version of this style, though, and was a big hit with most in the room
Salvioni - 2012, 2013, 2014 from botte
For the past 4 summers now, I have enjoyed the opportunity to visit the SMALL (one room) cellar of the Salvioni family for a tasting from barrel with Alessia Salvioni. This year, I was privileged to taste the 2012, 2013, and 2014 vintages, each at different times in their evolution. This was the 3rd time I have been able to taste the 2012 in this way, and it has been an amazing process to watch it evolve into the monster brunello it will be when released. Masculine and powerful, the 2012 is going to be one to watch. The 2013 was elegant and filled with incredible structure. A different kind of monster is brewing there - a beautiful one! 2014 is much lighter. They aren't sure if they will make brunello yet for this vintage. I love this place!
Conti Costanti Brunello di Montalcino (2011)
Conti Costanti Brunello di Montalcino Riserva (2007)
Conti Costanti Brunello di Montalcino Riserva (2004)
Conti Costanti Rosso di Montalcino (2013)
- Costanti was a new visit for me, and I got to enjoy two trips to the estate. I chose Costanti as one of the wineries for the Cortona Sessions wine tour and was invited to visit in advance of the group for a private tour and tasting to see what it was all about. This gave me two opportunities to taste these incredible wines. The base brunello was tremendous. A traditional wine with all of the typical notes found in good brunello: a bit of cherry, chocolate, and nice roundness. Though young, the 2011 Brunello was awesome and can be enjoyed or saved for years to come. The Riservas lived on another planet. They were truly tremendous! The 2004 in particular was almost haunting. An incredible chocolate, rosemary, and caramel combination with soft, elegant tannins. The 2007 was also brilliant, but the '04 just knocked it out of the park. Costanti produces one of the best Rosso di Montalcino bottlings I've ever had. It was unique for its incredible freshness and lightness. Made with tremendous care, this was a real highlight and I was so lucky to be given two bottles by the folks at Costanti which were enjoyed to their fullest during concerts back in Cortona!
Terralsole
- Our annual trip to Terralsole winery as the 2nd stop on our wine tour is always an incredible experience for all. They prepare a beautiful meal for our group of some 35 people, and are so incredibly generous in the tasting room. We enjoyed the 2006 Solista (100% Syrah), 2006 Pasticcio (Cab Franc/Merlot/Sangiovese), 2006 Coldoro (100% Merlot), 2009 Rosso di Montalcino, 2006 and 2010 Brunello and possibly some others that I have forgotten because of so many on the menu that day! Their wines are in a fruit-forward style, and are very powerful. Real crowd pleasers to everyone on the tour. And such a beautiful group of people giving us the experience.
2010 Tignanello
- Yup. Tignanello. One of my all-time favorites and a wine I had not had for several years. I had a bottle of this on my last night in Italy at a fantastic little restaurant in Milano (Stendhal). It is just a perfect wine every time. I love it.
2008 Poggio Antico Brunello di Montalcino
- Poggio Antico's normale bottling is one of my go-to brunellos. The 1995 is still one of my favorites I have ever had. We shared a few bottles of this at Osteria del Teatro in Cortona amongst the Sessions faculty. It was a perfect sharing brunello. Easy to drink, lots of character, but, because 2008 is a simple vintage, it was a wine that just felt perfect for the evening. I actually love 2008 for that reason. Not going to age for decades, but just great to drink. Ready to party.
The Rosso di Montalcino Collection
- Most of the dinner gatherings had us ordering nice bottles of rosso or chianti classico as the wine for the meal rather than spending on brunello or others. The highlights were: Valdicava 2013, Casanova di Neri 2013, Cerbaiona 2013.
The Wine List (ratings on 10 point scale; "+" indicates will improve over time)
1981 Il Colle Brunello di Montalcino Riserva
2000 Bartolo Mascarello Barolo
1997 Corbaia
2001 Girolamo
2013 Castello di Bossi Chianti Classico
2012 Castello di Bossi Chianti Classico Riserva
2012 Salvioni (from barrel)
2011 Conti Costanti Brunello di Montalcino
2004 Conti Costanti Brunello di Montalcino Riserva
2007 Conti Costanti Brunello di Montalcino Riserva
2013 Conti Costanti Rossi di Montalcino
2010 Tignanello
2008 Poggio Antico Brunello di Montalcino
9
9+
7
6
6
5
9+
7+
9+
7
6
8+
6