23
May
2022
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Category: On the Road with the Grape Guy
(March 2022) ... During the Vino Nobile portion of the Anteprime Toscana, I received an invitation to taste through the wines of Carpineto, not just their Vino Nobile, but other wines they make as well. Here are the wines that impressed.
2017 Brunello Di Montalcino
Nice elegance with lovely red fruit and spice - there's also a lovely juicy middle. (****)
2018 Vino Nobile Riserva
To start off with, this wine is pretty and pleasant, with plum and black cherry leading the charge. Good acid punch keeps a freshness alive, which is expected in these wines, and there's also a lovely long finish. (*** ½+)
2018 Chianti Classico Riserva
Silky entry with a nice dark fruit core. Leading the charge is black cherry, followed by licorice, mocha, leather and balsamic. (****+)
2015 Farnito Valcolomba (Merlot)
There's an earthy edge here, but It’s backed with a lovely dark fruit note that takes center stage mid-palate with blackberry, cassis and plum. What makes this wine so enticing is the juicy core. (****)
2019 Farnito Chardonnay 
This wine does not go through malo, thus keeping a crisp edge of acidity that shows up as lemon and green apple. There's an elegance here that's quite refreshing for an Italian Chardonnay, which too often feels over oaked and over manipulated. Nice job by Carpineto on this one. (****)
2015 Farnito Camponibbio
This red blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet and Merlot is silky smooth doling out mocha and coffee bean from the outset; then adding in plum and black cherry into the mix. Nice tannin structure and good intensity on the palate. (****)
2016 Farnito Cabernet Sauvignon
This beauty in the Farnito-line is from the "perfect" 2016 vintage. It's pure elegance in the glass, with notes of leather, chocolate, cherry, blackberry and even a hint of strawberry. The combination proves magical in the mouth. (**** ½)
20
May
2022
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Category: On the Road with the Grape Guy
(March 2022) ... This vertical tasting is the first of its kind, ever, and looked at Vin Santo from Boscarelli from 2002 to 2011 with some interesting changes in their process along the way.
The first Vin Santo created by Boscarelli was in 1988; they made 1000 bottles, it was called "Famille" and they deemed they would make one of these types of every 3 to 4 years (that dropped by the wayside). They also implemented wild fermentation in the making. There are no bottles of the 1998 wine left at the winery.
For our purposes, the 2002 / 2003 / 2004 / 2005 / 2007 were all classic Vin Santo wines made from all white grapes. The 2009 / 2010 / 2011 we're dubbed "Occhio di Pernice", translate to Eye of Partridge, because they had a slightly pink color. This was because they added red grapes into the blend. The reason: they were replanting the vineyard of Sangiovese and they had plenty of red grapes, but not enough white grapes. The good news is that in 2017 a new vineyard has been acquired, with enough white grapes within it they will have enough now to return the Vin Santo to on all white grape production.
The Wines...
2002 Famille
Brownish color, pruney on the nose, palate shows burnt caramel but with good acidity.
2003 Famille
Nice richness and thickness in the mouth; still lots of freshness. There are notes of grapefruit along with caramel and butterscotch.
2004 Famille
Here there seems to be a little VA kicking about and the palate comes across thinner and less concentrated.
2005 Famille
The acidity in the 2005 is quite prominent; butterscotch shows up, hints of mocha and even a slight caramelburnt-esque finish. Interesting and intriguing wine.
2007 Famille
Here it's the lack of acidity that’s most striking, in fact, I found it a touch cloying, but with some spice notes, but not enough to rescue it. I was a big fan.
2009 Famille, Occhio di Pernice
Thick, rich and opulent; the acidity seems to be lower, but not at the level of the 2007... The color is darker than the others, but there's also more complexity peeking through.
2010 Famille, Occhio di Pernice
Good acidity and concentration with notes of sweet fruit: apricot, caramel and even a coffee / latte note ... Has a lovely smooth entry to the mouth, but it's that finish that kicks it up a notch.
2011 Famille, Occhio di Pernice
This just released version is fresh and you can feel the acidity and even some tannins. Quite the complexity here, less caramel and more caramelized-fruits from the white and yellow spectrum ... There's even a note of fennel, making it very interesting and quite enjoyable.
