TNs; 10 stellar Super Tuscans incl. Masseto, Redagaffi, Valdacava +champs and white Burg

Toward the end of dinner, I overheard one of our group passionately state “I love Italian wines”. The other 6 of us just nodded our heads and revisited our wine glasses.

On this evening, our dinner group dined at Pane e Vino, a long time favorite and one of the top Italians restaurants in our area.

We had a theme of Super Tuscan wines and with a little help from some other fermented friends, this was another one of those stellar dinners we share about every 2 weeks. The wines:

NV LOUIS CHALVON GRANDE RESERVE- I bought this on a lark having seen it in an email solicitation and after reading the description and noting the under $25 price, I concluded it was worth a risk; it turns out to be well worth the risk as this has a lot of good things to rave about; it has good acidity, a medium to full body, a bountiful of citrus and stone fruit notes with a touch of saline; this is a little more on the bold side making a statement; it definitely served to prepare our palates for the all that followed; best when served chilled.

NV VRANKEN DIAMANT BRUT- I immediately recognized the glass bottle as one I`d held many times, but it was mostly the Demoiselle version and it had been a couple of years since the last one; that bottling had always shown real good and this brut was no exception; after the yellow gold color denoting some age, the nose is redolent of toasty butterscotch and minerals which continued on and was joined by rich and buttery golden apple and pear; with a creamy texture, it tasted more like a sparkling yummy Meursault.

2007 DOMAINE LEFLAIVE CHAVOILLON PULIGNY MONTRACHET- 1er cru; wondrous juice herein; this is the bomb with its perfect balance, silky smooth mouthfeel and layered tasty fruit and length; there`s so much finesse and integrity and it simply a marvelous white Burg of the highest esteem.

1st flight of 3:

2009 BRANCAIA ILITRAIA MAREMMA- 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Sangiovese, 10% Petit Verdot; the nose gives the immediate impression of something real good to come and it delivers; there`s loads of spicy chocolate flavored fresh dark fruit which moves on in to the mid palate with significant black currant blending in; it has beautiful balance and is really soft and easy albeit in a medium + body; very enjoyable and if I heard the price around $35 correctly, a great QPR.

2009 TENUTA di TRINORO le CUPOLE- another amazing treat; this one graces us with aromatics of milk chocolate, cola, talc and obvious gardenia flower coming in at the end and infusing with ripe black cherry/ berry and plum; all of these treasures continue on all the way through augmented by just the right touch of spice and a hit of tar; it`s full bodied, thick and creamy, balanced and beautiful; seamless; power and finesse abounds; 40% Cabernet Franc, 30% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Petit Verdot; another great QPR.

2009 PETROLO GALATRONA- after having a lot of this wine from different vintages, I`m inclined to agree with some in our group who hail this as a “baby Masseto”; for sure, it is really good Merlot; true to other versions, this is full throttle, in your face serious and yet comes along with grace and elegance; there was an unusual dry finish perhaps denoting some tannic structure still needing to soften, but everything prior is worth the experience; with time and patience, this just kept on opening up and giving up layers of pleasure with a vibrant dark fruit profile to match the youthful deep dark purple color. A strong candidate for decanting. What a flight!

2nd flight of 3:

2004 VALDACAVA BRUNELLO di MONTALCINO- I first had this wine a few weeks ago and loved it so much, I sought more and scored; this one had a nose of anise, ginger, cedar, cigar box and spicy black cherry, but by mid palate, the fruit profile becomes more on the wild and racy side, a good thing in this case; it`s complex and nicely structured and has a long ways to go before maturity although showing so extraordinarily now.

2010 SAFFREDI FATTORIA LE PUPILLE MAREMMA- blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Alicante; I kept going back for the nose since it was so inviting; talc and cedar first show up followed by black cherry, cranberry and black currant; it morphs into a beautiful expression of joy and pleasure; its soft, silky smooth and long. Love it!

2010 ANTINORI GUADO al TASSO SUPERIORE BOLGEHRI- as it turns out, this was my least favorite wine of the night and it was good; in the nose, there was some nice spicy dark chocolate covered black fruit with fresh brewed coffee which moved on, but was joined by a heavy hit of tannins and in the mouth, the fruit was tart and zingy; it had only decent length, but it`s clear, this wine needs time to evolve and I expect it to shine years down the road.

3rd flight of 3:

2011 PETROLO GALATRONA- served blind after an 1 hour decant; my impressions: inky dark color exuding youth, the nose had some funk which blew off also confirming a pup not ready to be a big dog yet; licorice and heavily extracted black cherry abounds with nice spice accents; full bodied, intense and loading up for integration; seemingly some buttery notes also not melded in; I have no idea as to the fruit ID and once it was revealed, I was shocked to find this is another Galatrona [all Merlot]; the youngest I`ve ever had and now I know to get this and hold on to it for a few years.

2003 TUA RITA REDIGAFFI - I`m salivating in anticipation of what this will give [as well as the next wine]; the aromatics reveal mint flavored spicy ripe black cherry/ berry which carry on and serve to delight to no end, thankfully; this is so complex with depth and incredible length; it has power and brilliance and all of the stuffing to give it exuberant vitality for the long run; 100% Merlot. 100% class.

2005 TENUTA dellORNELLAIA MASSETO- decanted for 11/2 hours; Ive been such a fan of this wine over the years, I have to be careful not to project more than what Im experiencing through my 5 senses; in this case, its the KIND and I dont care how glorified I make it, its the real deal; layers and layers of spicy chocolate black fruit unfold while being delivered in a soft and smooth texture all the way to the back end; it`s rich, vibrant and long; stunning is the one word that comes to mind; 100% righteous Merlot.

I pause for a moment before our dessert wine to think, “ I love Italian wines”.

1995 AVIGNONESI VIN SANTO di MONTEPULCIANO- 14.5 %; 375 ml.; made from Trebbiano and Malvasia; OMG, I`ve never had a dessert wine that poured and looked like molasses; in fact, this poured so slowly, I had to monitor the drips to ensure I only got a little because it was readily evident, a little goes a long way; black inky thick and so sticky; my hand stuck to the bottle when passing it on; flavors include fig, toffee, vanilla, coffee, honey, maple and yes, molasses; WOW!

Should I repeat my love for Italian wines?

Cheers,
Blake
IMG_0448.JPG
IMG_0446.JPG
IMG_0447.JPG

more pics:
IMG_0449.JPG
IMG_0450.JPG
IMG_0444.JPG

Great notes and photos Blake!

My impressions . . .

sparklers . . .
NV Louis Chalvon Grande Reserve: really enjoyed this; effusive, complex and lively; very nice starter, especially for the price
NV Vranken Diamant Brut: have had these in my cellar for about 4 years and drank over a case and always enjoyed it; previous bottles showed more spry citrus character, whereas this bottle is starting to show some age with an up-front toasty character which has replaced the lively youthful citrus notes

manna . . .
2007 Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet Chavoillon: simply outstanding; could have drunk this all night; the nose effuses pineapple syrup, then tart acidity immediately attacks the palate which ultimately gives way to creamy lemon mousse and a touch of vanilla on the finish; ridiculous how good this is

reds . . .
2009 Brancaia Ilitraia: structured and chunky with rich black fruit, as well as eucalyptus notes and peppery nuance; finishes nicely with black licorice
2009 le Cupole: not my cuppa; seemed almost flabby following the Ilitraia; the most New World of the wines with vanilla on the nose and soft waxy fruit
2009 Galatrona: the group’s second WOTN; despite its youth, this is already well integrated and drinking beautifully now; from its peppery nose to its velvety mouth-feel, to the beautifully effusive dark fruit, to its long lingering finish, this was outstanding throughout

2004 Valdacava BdM: despite being 11 years old, this is still young and tight; sappy raspberry syrup immediately comes to mind, followed by dark cherries and leather; lots of life ahead for this beauty
2010 Saffredi Le Pupille: fragrant and expressive, this revels in its Italian-ness; silky smooth with red licorice and pine notes
2010 Guado al Tasso: the remains of a bottle that was opened 24 hours prior, yet it still showed pretty well; dark and concentrated with good structure; just a little rough around the edges

2011 Galatrona: the first word that came to mind was ‘polished’; super slick sweet youthful fruit; finishes with some grippy tannins; this has a long way to go before being able to best it older sibling the ’09 (if ever!)
2005 Masseto: wow; mine and the group’s WOTN; pure class; wildly effusive nose of creamy purple fruit and flowers; incredible heft and mouth-feel; manages to be elegant and silky yet at the same time unbelievably expressive, full of complex rich dark fruit, spices and black licorice
2003 Redigaffi: a delicious elixir of boysenberry\blackberry\black raspberry syrup with notes of charcoal and tar

dessert . . .
1995 Avignonesi Vin Santo: the best tasting motor oil I have ever had

Thanks for joining in Henry. Love your takes and way of expressing them. Motor oil is a perfect description for the Avignonesi.

Looks like a great lineup, but it seems to me that – in the main – it was Bordeaux varietals in those Italian wines…

You`re correct. There was not a lot of Sangiovese here, but there was some high class wines from Italy nonetheless.

I think, along with Frank Murray’s, Blake’s tasting notes are my favorite to read on here. Not only the quality of the notes and the fascinating array of wines he tries, but Blake strikes me as someone who is always trying to find things to love and to appreciate about wine, seeking out the positive in the whole spectrum of wine whether or not a given wine is exactly his favorite, rather than defining himself in opposition to what he doesn’t like or doesn’t approve of.

Anyway, much appreciation to Blake for his contributions to the board and for the example he sets with his outlook on wine. I know he doesn’t get the kind of response and reply count as some others because his style doesn’t lend itself to polarization and divisiveness, but I thought someone should acknowledge him anyway.

I think the caliber of wines is so high that it intimidates posters. Not many can chime in on Masseto.

Yes, but the real question is: did drinking the Masseto change your life.

Michael, the first time I drank Masseto, it did change my life and its never been the same since- only better. I can still remember the taste and feel I got and this was 20 some years ago. Every bottle since has been extra stellar. Im blessed to have friends, one in particular, who shares this wine generously and graciously.

Chris, I`m deeply grateful for your kind comments. I know I post threads that are quite detailed and therefore lengthy and way beyond the attention span of most of us. Quick reads they are not. They are just stories centered around passion.

You are correct, I attempt to live my life seeing the good and positive and learning lessons and that certainly carries over into the wine experience and notations. At the same time, I do recognize we all have different and ever changing palates and even at different times; so, the notes only reflect what I`m getting on that occasion for that wine in that ambience and with those food pairings.

Just my feeble attempt at jocularity. I ran a thread not too long ago asking if the tariff for the 2010 was worthwhile, in the the sense of it being a revelatory wine. Needless to say, the usual suspects took the bait.

I missed your thread, but just looked at the Wine Searchers lowest US price of $550 and thought about my answer. Id say yes, BUT.

Blake & H - great tasting and notes. I have many of these wines in my cellar and dream of the day I can try Masseto. It sounds incredible! Saffredi wines are also worth the tariff.

The Louis Chavlon Grand Reserve is back on Last Bottle at $22 bones.

Shannon, I support you in having Masseto.