Tags
antinori, Bisteca, Brunello di Montalcino, Castell'in Villa, chianti, Cortona, italy, Poliziano, Pozzo Antico, San Felice
Every summer, I get the great opportunity to spend about 3 weeks in Italy for the Cortona Sessions for New Music. The bulk of our time is spent in Cortona (of Under the Tuscan Sun fame), with some short trips out into the Tuscan countryside for various wine-tastings and such. In past years, we’ve taken a week and visited other areas (Piemonte, Burgandy, Provence), but this year, we just stayed put and relished a few days of rest and relaxation in Cortona. This adventure always becomes a food and wine mega-trip for us! This post is just about the wine we enjoyed in Cortona. I will post again about some of the amazing treats from our trips to Montalcino and Montepucliano. Here’s a summary of the highlights.
THE WINE
Usually we go overboard with our wine budget. This year, life did not permit that, but we were still able to really enjoy a lot of amazing Tuscan treats – some old friends, some new. The list:
2007 Antinori Badia a Passignano Chianti Classico Riserva (from magnum): This wine is an old friend. Badia a Passignano was the first winery Mary and I visited in Italy back in 2006, and we enjoyed an amazing Tuscan lunch and tasted through Antinori’s entire premium lineup. We got engaged over a bottle 1991 Badia, and had a 3L bottle of the 1999 to celebrate my performances in the American Pianists Association a few years ago. The 2007 was opened with a bunch of friends at one of Cortona’s best restaurants Osteria del Teatro to celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary. The wine was a bit closed, but as the food began coming, it opened up to reveal some lovely flavors of chocolate, soft leather, and cherries. Its bouquet kept growing throughout the meal, with aromas of herbs, subtle spice notes, and a hint of tobacco. The wine is still pretty immature and will improve a lot over the next few years. I’m always impressed by Badia’s ability to age. It is a tremendous 100% Sangiovese Chianti that will always be special to me.
2011 Valdicava Rosso di Montalcino: The 2011 Valdicava Rosso is a very interesting and special wine. Valdicava elected not to produce any Brunello from the 2011 vintage and instead, put all of their brunello grapes (including their riserva grapes) into the Rosso. In the states, the wine is already taking on mythic proportions and being sold for $40-$60 a bottle. In Cortona, it’s €17 – and it’s delicious. Still soft and inviting like a Rosso should be, it also possesses a depth, fullness and body that makes it so much more complex and compelling. It is probably the wine I most wish I’d have bought a few bottles of to bring home. I think it will be a unique Rosso with excellent aging potential.
2008 Antinori Pian’ delle Vigne Brunello di Montalcino: Again, back to Antinori. Forrest Pierce bought this to share with a table-full of folks who had just played a concert of his amazing music. Another wine with a lot of personal history, this bottle was great – not only for its quality, but for the company and place it was shared. We enjoyed it at our favorite Cortona restaurant, Pozzo Antico, the owners of which are simply the sweetest and kindest people ever. Pian’ delle Vigne is a modern brunello made extremely well. Very well-balanced between the light smokiness, chocolate, red fruit, and floral flavors. The 2008 is drinking very well already. Definitely not as much structure as the 2006 or 2007. For some at dinner, it was “the best wine I’ve ever had.” A really good brunello for sure!
2009 Castell’in Villa Chianti Classico: Casetll’in Villa is, without question, my favorite chianti classico. However, we had multiple bottles of the 2009 and it just came out flat. We’ve enjoyed the wine immensely at home, but somehow, it just didn’t sing. I never stop thinking about older vintages like the 2007, 2006, 2003, 1996, and of course, 1982 that I’ve enjoyed over the past few years. Perhaps the 2009 just needs a little time to settle, or perhaps we just got an off couple of bottles. Nevertheless, my love for this wine remains. I’ll be ordering more soon for the home cellar!
2009 San Felice Chianti Classico: This wine was surprising, tasty, and very inexpensive! It was a frequent order at Pozzo Antico. Very approachable with a nice balance of body and acidity. Went great with pici al fumo and grilled sausage!
2008 & 2009 Poliziano Rosso di Montalcino: We had this wine several times throughout our stay in Tuscany. It was a bit up and down. Sometimes, delicious and a great enhancer of the food; sometimes flat, watery, and light. In general, I would say it is a lovely wine, especially with pizza or lighter menu options. Lots of fruit flavors (cherry in particular). The 2009 is probably a better wine, but the ’08 was more consistent on this trip.
The Uncorked Pianist 