I have a friend there now on a cycling trip. He has asked if there are any wines worth seeking out to ship back to the U.S. The criteria being that the wines are great and generally not widely available here in the U.S. He enjoys the typical 3 B’s. I thought it might be good to focus on the 2010 vintage.
Any ideas would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.
My advice would be to visit a local enoteca, for example:
Vanni has a very wide ranging cellar including some well-aged wines. Plenty of choice.
Vanni also had quite an assortment of old bottlings of malt whisky (old meaning bottled a long time ago). Haven’t been in a number of years; does the storefront glass still have a bottle penetrating it?
I’ve visited the afore-mentioned Tenuta Valgiano, a mere 20-minute drive north from Lucca, and I don’t quite recall them offering anything that’s pure Sangiovese. Reds have merlot and/or syrah mixed in. They farm bio-dynamic, or organic, and found their wines quite modern to my taste. They have a beautiful villa with excellent views of the Lucchessi countryside. Plus, the tasting was well conducted, relaxing and educational.
Thanks for the correction, Ramon. I have just checked on CT and the last vintage of their pure Sangiovese “Scasso dei Cesari” seems to date back to 2002.
Agree with Valgiano comments above and that’s the only Lucchese wine I recall from a few days spent in Lucca. I like the stuff and have some in the cellar. Should be able to source these on the east coast however.
I’m in Lucca, as I type this…Enoteca Vanni is a wonderful shop. I told myself after shipping 4 cases from Piedmont that I was done. However, the selection of great wines at reasonable prices was more than I could resist. I regret not saving more money before this trip. B. Mascarello Barolo €85, 2013 Poggio di Sotto Rosso €55, and many more gems. I probably should have bought some of the aged wines…but the prices on the recent vintages where so good…it was too tough to pass up. This is a must-stop if you’re near Lucca and love wine.
Is Vanni the shop with the big cellar? It’s been 15 years since I was there, but there was a place a few streets north of the Piazza San Michele that had vaulted rooms mostly below ground (though pretty warm in the summer) with oodles of ancient wines, mainly Tuscan.
Hi John
From memory you walk through a modest sized front room of the shop, and at the end a small few steps down takes you to a long cellar, open plan with a dividing wall. It’s a few years ago, so it’s easy to mis-remember.
regards
Ian
Sounds like the place I’m thinking of, though I recall several rooms in the cellar.
Yes, there are several rooms - it’s that one.
They have a marble vat of rectangular form in the cellar, which they say goes back to Roman times.
I was in there several times – in July and August – and it was not that cool, so I was always a bit wary of buying older bottles.
John,
Good feedback on the summer temps. Maybe it’s not below ground enough. Sounds like there may be a temp-swing that’s not good for the wines. It makes me glad that I didn’t buy any of the older wines…while I was down there the humidity was off the charts…I think I came out with a fine mist on my forehead. I was able to source some fun wines I couldn’t find in Piedmont though.