I drink them, Poliziano (Particularly the Asinone), and Dei. To me, they are more of a Chianti alternative and not Brunello although the line does get blurred.
RICHM, welcome!
I hear this a lot about VNdM. I have often read people speculating about whether the beautiful environment of the town of Montepulciano influenced people’s perception of the wines. My own theory, however, is that wine in general, but especially certain grapes (including Sangiovese), suffers to some extent in transit via the normal distribution process (whether due to some warm temps while waiting in shipping containers at port docks, waiting for customs inspections, etc., or maybe just a kind of “shipping shock” from lengthy shaking and rattling during transport). I find the same thing with Rosso di Montalcino. I rarely find them especially enjoyable in the US, but drinking them in Tuscany I am sometimes amazed at how balanced, elegant and ejoyable they can be…
In either event, I hope to visit the town at some point, and will hopefully have the same experience as others, enjoying the wine more and discovering new producers!!
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John, you are spot on. The last time in Tuscany I was with a friend drinking the Castello Banfi RdM and I told him this was the best Banfi RdM I ever had. He just responded, “everything tastes better in Italy.”
[ResizeableImage=][/ResizeableImage]John, you are spot on. The last time in Tuscany I was with a friend drinking the Castello Banfi RdM and I told him this was the best Banfi RdM I ever had. He just responded, “everything tastes better in Italy.”
Fo, can you corroborate the tre bicchieri/ AG 91 rating on the 09 poliziano normale? Usually only the asinone gets the 3 glasses rating. I’ve had 2 btls, one was 3 bicchieri, one was only a bicchieri-and-a-half, imo.
Steve, I had the 2009 Poliziano AT Gambero Rosso and thought it was every bit 3 glasses. It made me want to buy it. Once it was released, I did and the couple I’ve had only seemed like 2 glasses to me. I think I reviewed it on my site. I’d say 90 or 91 points is fair. It’s very good, but I don’t think it’s great. For $20 or so, it’s nice to have a few on hand.
Steve, I had the 2009 Poliziano AT Gambero Rosso and thought it was every bit 3 glasses. It made me want to buy it. Once it was released, I did and the couple I’ve had only seemed like 2 glasses to me. I think I reviewed it on my site. I’d say 90 or 91 points is fair. It’s very good, but I don’t think it’s great. For $20 or so, it’s nice to have a few on hand.
Hey Steve,
I liked it a bit more than I recalled. That’s what notes are for! Still, I’d say its not behaving like 3 glasses. But it’s semantics. Tuscan Vines: Poliziano Tre Biccheri
J
I’m not sure if this truly counts but I’ve been struggling through a 2018 Poliziano [Rosso di Montepulciano] for the last 3 days. This is 14% abv, with some iron/saddle notes in the early days, but ends up growing increasingly tart and unbalanced as time goes on. The color seems good, and in my region its widely available on the shelves, but there’s nothing here that would move me to go try the big brother. Sediment is light, fruit is leanish, texture is coarse. Supposedly a lot of merlot in the mix, which might help the visual appeal, but seems to entail other tradeoffs. Maybe a B- on my scorecard.