I’ve had this bottle sitting in my cellar for years. I’m not experienced in the arena of Super Tuscans- this is (was) the only one I own(ed). Not even sure why I bought this in the first place. WSPro has two listings for my location, one at $129 and another at $205, so it’s not cheap. The high price had me hanging onto it for…what? I don’t even know. But this recent thread inspired me to open it; Cellar full of wine and nothing to drink So glad I did! It turned out to be a beautiful wine and there’s no regrets. Here’s my TN from CellarTracker;
No time like the present. As others have commented, cork is in great shape. Dark ruby in the glass with just the slightest hint of browning at rim. Does not look 25 yrs old; this bottle has weathered the years magnificently.
Initially, the wine was a bit underwhelming. I tried a very small glass on PnP, thought it tastes closed down, and poured the rest into a decanter. Drank half the bottle over a couple hours with food, and it was…ok. Vaguely dark fruited with some damp earth, tobacco, a pleasant acidity in the mouth, but nothing special. Half the bottle stuck into the fridge, and this wine blossomed overnight!
Day 2: This is a serious wine! A wonderful aroma of delicate black cherries, both brandied and fresh, ripe blackberries, some warm citrus aromas, undergirded by cigar wrapper, pipe tobacco, and deep earthy notes. What nose! In the mouth: acidity is high, tannins are medium (they seem more pronounced on day 2 which is surprising), lots of cherry, earthy, mushroom, and tobacco flavors. To me, this tastes mostly like Bordeaux, but with a very high acidity level that focuses the whole wine very nicely. Maybe it’s the Sangiovese inclusion, idk.
So glad I saved half the bottle. The improvement overnight suggests this wine has a long way to go. If drinking soon, and the cork is in good shape, decant it for a while. Really nice.