2004 Brancaia Il Blu Toscana IGT- Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT (3/31/2013)
So, I have been holding this for some time, and looking for the correct meal. Grilled rib eye with rosemary garlic roast potatoes? Check!
This was P-n-P over 3 hours consumed. The nose is red fruited, but the dominant feature here is smoke, like an islay scotch, which then moves on to a more vegetal tomato soup. Anyhow, on the palate the fruit wants to be the major player here, but the oak treatment just will not allow that to happen. While I appreciate the vanilla flavors from the wood, the wood tannins are still too huge and not integrated. There is an acerbic quality here that is also off-putting. Overall, this wine is obviously well made, with great new oak, and so New World in style. I just do not think it works here.
What’s it made of besides oak? Cabernet and Sangiovese? I have to admit, I’ve seen this wine in stores and pegged it as an overoaked modern wine just from the label. Semiotics at work.
Z, I forgot. The blend may be in my notes from Gambero Rosso, but this did NOT get 3 glasses. They were pouring 3 wines that day: a CCR and the Ilatraia (which I liked) The funny thing, places sell this wine for $75 and Bottle King in NJ was selling it for $35. Even there, Id pass.
I was just moving around some bottles in my cellar a few days ago and I looked at the back of a 2005 bottle of this. I seem to recall merlot, Sangiovese and Cabernet, with a high merlot component.
Here’s my note from GR on the 2008: “This is 50% Sangiovese, 45% Merlot and 5% Canernet that spends nearly two years in new barrique. And you can tell. The aroma is lost behind wet wood, spicy oak, and mocha. The problem is two fold as the vintage fruit doesn’t back up the wood treatment. This is a mess. Due Bicchieri. 83-85 points. Not Recommend.”
Looks like there’s a common theme on this wine. My take on the 2005 that I drank in 2010:
2005 Brancaia Il Blu, Toscana
Dark, inky violet in color. Label says 50% sangiovese, 45% merlot and 5% cabernet sauvignon. I liked the rustic, earthy and fresh-baked confection that came with my first whiff of the wine. Then, in the mouth, there was tart sangiovese acidity but with plenty of in-your-face big, full and sweet fruit. An international wine without a doubt. Not at all shy with showcasing its alcohol level of 14.5% abv. OTT adn AOTP. This was a Milli Vanilli in all its unabashed and shameless glory. C
I’ve only had this wine once, but the 2000 Brancaia Il Blu was great a little over a year ago. Modern and flashy, to be sure, but with enough balance that we all dug it. I don’t recall the oak being an issue, and I dislike too much oak.
