La Gioia Riecine 2004 Tuscany, Italy

La Gioia Riecine 2004
Tuscany, Italy


A hard to get wine, nevertheless, a great smooth blend of 90% Sangiovese and 10% Merlot.

This limited production made in both french and italian oak is rich and ripe in flavour and recommend if one can get a hold of it.

Its a bit pricey so its one to be saved for a special night.

Price U$ 75

Some decent Italians

Antano Montefalco Rosso, 2007

This was probably the most successful of the three bottles...
A hearty, organic Sagrantino/Sangiovese/Merlot cuvee from Umbria. Rustic, chunky, charming... cherry/plum and gentle, buttery oak bottle, nothing extraordinary, but very pleasant and solid. It will age well, I'd like to try it in a couple of years.

The Ten Bells, NYC $49
73 points











Cantina Rotaliana Teroldego, 2006

An easy drinking item from Alto Adige: medium body, ruby red, ambiguous red fruit and green apple acidity. I didn't like the Rioja style sweaty/lactic nose which took away from the experience. Over all, teroldego is an ancient and interesting Alpine variety worth checking out.

D.O.C Wine Bar, Brooklyn 39$
69 points











Taurasi Dei Feudi Di San Gregorio, 2005

I picked up this bottle in a supermarket in Rome (25 Euro) and was quite excited about trying Taurasi from Campania for the first time. What a disappointment: the perfectly fine Aglianico grape was totally overwhelmed by harsh, abrasive French(?) oak tannin. Some prune and fig managed to break through after a while. This wine is a victim of the global oak-till-you-drop trend:(
60 points

Bracco Chianti Classico Riserva 2004

This was a very balanced Chianti. Typically this wine can retail from anywhere between 30 and 40 dollars per bottle but at Warehouse Wines & Spirits in Manhattan it retailed for about 10. The store recommended opening the bottle two hours before being served. An interesting note on Chianti wines is that they must be produced in Tuscany and made up of at least 80% Sangiovese grapes in order to be called Chianti per Italian legislation set forward in the 70's. Another interesting note on this wine is that it belongs to Bracco Wines of Lorraine Bracco, the actress who plays the psychotherapist in the HBO series The Sopranos.

On the nose this wine had a hint of berries, vanilla and pepper. On the taste, with two hours of decanting, this was one of the most well balanced wines I have ever had. Granted I don't have too much experience with Chantis. It had faint tannins, a slight licorice taste mixed with berries. Medium body and medium red color, this wine will go well with pastas and salads.

Brunello Di Montalcino, Fattoria La Lecciaia 2003

This is how The Wine Spectator describes this bottle : "Raspberry, flowers and citrus fruits on the nose follow through to a full body, with lots of fruit. Almost jammy, but fresh and dense. Generous. Best after 2010. 9,000 cases made. 91 points".

Our bottle seemed to have none of the noble bouquet characteristics listed above, which means that either, for real, every bottle is different, or The Wine Spectator was drinking their stuff well after 2010:)

Brunello is a highly fetishized Toscan clone of Sangiovese isolated in the late 19 century by Clemente Santi. Indeed it is hard to find a Brunello that sucks, it is also hard to find a good one under $50.
2003 was not a stellar year for Brunellos, and that's why I found this bottle for $32 (BQE Liquors, Brooklyn).

Dark ruby color with amber tinge, full, oily body. Prune and a touch of banana on the nose.
Taste ways it was all prune, fig, some fennel, and a slightly dissappointing oak finish. I guess my expectations were a little too high, still an awesome treat. And definitely don't drink it with baked bronzino and spicy mussels.