TN: 1985 San Giusto a Rentennano Percarlo Toscana IGT (Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT)

WINE TALK
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  • 1985 San Giusto a Rentennano Percarlo Toscana IGT - Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT (9/19/2013)
    Hand-labeled on the back as #3,606 of 4,077. Cork soaked 95% of the way up, but seal was intact. Pop and pour. Extremely youthful–was this a library release? I drink a lot of old Tuscans, and this is the most vigorous one I’ve ever had. Translucent dark ruby; cloudy with big pieces of floating sediment. Textbook Sangiovese typicity: red cherry, smoke, earth, and a little balsamic on the nose. Very acidic, leaving the wine a bit angular–the fruit isn’t quite sweet enough to balance out the sourness for me. Extremely zesty on the tongue, with a tingling sensation that comes across as almost carbonated. Plenty of tannin left, though it’s far from abrasive. Still on the way up. 90 points for now, but greater things ahead. Would probably have benefited from a decant.

Posted from CellarTracker

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A very rare wine! Only had it once and it was absolutely stunning, we had it blind together with Sassicaia 85 and Cheval Blanc 85 and it was the best of them all

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Great vintage. I doubt library. 1985 Solaia was nearly perfect for me.

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Wow… surprised that this is so youthful! I have two bottles of the 2006 and they will probably need a long time to come around [wow.gif]

Thanks for the note

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Wow. I’ve had 85 Cheval Blanc and thought it was light years ahead of this. 85 Sass is out of my price range. I don’t think storage/provenance was an issue here since the bottle was so youthful. Maybe it just didn’t get enough air? Though by the end it had been sitting in the glass for at least 90 minutes. I didn’t like this as much as, say, 1985 Monsanto il Poggio CCR…

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That was such a great wine in it’s day but I think it’s best days are behind it. The core of fruit amply covered the vibrant acids when I finished my last bottle, which was in about 2007. I had the 1986 along side of it at that time and that sounds like your note above. Try the 1990 if you can, for me that’s at peak right now and rivals the 85 in quality.

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Wow what a treasure! Sorry to hear that it didn’t deliver the real goods and I will try to drink my 2006’s a bit earlier than at age 28 then [cheers.gif]

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I actually didn’t know this was so sought-after, though I was struck by the oh-so-tiny production once I saw the hand-numbered bottle and read online that it was the first commercial vintage. I pretty much buy every 1985/88/90 Tuscan I can find from good producers, and just saw this bottle in a Benchmark email for under $150. I’ll hunt for the '90–it’s interesting that you suggest this was too old rather than too young.

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Had this years ago next to the 1988 Sassicaia and it blew the Sassicaia away. It had all the ineffable characteristics of a truly great wine.

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Dan, my father and i had quite a few super Tuscans from the 70s and 80s and Percarlo was one of his favorites along with Pergole Torte, Tignanello, and one or two others. I would have decanted this one …historically it has always improved with some air.

As for the 1885 Sassicaia we were lucky enough to get six bottles on pre arrival…an incredible wine and the last bottle was one we shared with family at a NJ BYOB in 1999 back a year or so before he passed away. Memorable for so many reasons.

Cheers, Bob

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you got 1885 Sassicaia on pre-arrival… from Rudy or? [wink.gif] [highfive.gif]

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Yes…i may be old but im slow too! 1985 of course…we drank the 1885 a way long time ago;)