On Saturday I decided to treat myself to the 1999 Lamborghini Campoleone, with a delicious sausage calzone, and ND/USC in the background. In short, to my palate the wine was terrific, and a steal for the $50 or so I paid at Flickingers not long ago.
I am not generally such a fan of most of the Super Tuscans, as I find them frequently spoofed and often “internationalized”. In any event, the fill here was high, the cork perfect. The wine was a tad cloudy, but was rocking right out of the gate.
What most stood out to me about this wine were its Old World personality and its varietal correctness. By this I mean that in every encounter with the wine the taster is transported to Right Bank bdx – soft, velvety merlot. Yet there is also something distinctly Italian about the wine – ah, yes, the dark cherry and tar and generally sharper edges of sangiovese. These two grapes play off one another exquisitely in this wine.
The wine is spicy on the palate, lingering on the tongue for quite some time. Tannins have begun to resolve, but most likely have some time to go. In this taster’s view the wine is in the perfect spot.
There was little discernible “development” in the wine from uncorking through the next three hours. Normally I would save a glass, recork, and offer a post mortem…but the wife and kids were sleeping, the game was interesting, and life was pretty good. This was not the world’s most complex wine, but it was immensely enjoyable. And, for the money, irresistible. 93