Mixed Case – Tuscan Treasures 2022

Tasting Notes

Our mixed cases of Tuscan wines are always popular. No great surprise as Tuscany has long held a reputation for producing some of the best wines in Italy. The challenge for consumers is to navigate the overwhelming selection of choices beyond those of Chianti, which gets the lion’s share of Tuscan coverage. In designing our latest mixed case, our aim is to introduce you to wines and appellations which might be off your wine radar. Today’s offering takes us to Maremma, Montalcino and Bolgheri.

This is a mixed case consisting of 6 x 750ml bottles; two bottles of each of the three wines.

The first two wines have loads in common and present a wonderful opportunity to compare and contrast wines using the same grape, Sangiovese, yet different clones grown in distinctive regions. The other is a Tuscan expression of Bordeaux Varietals.

La Togata – 2019 Rosso di Montalcino “Jacopus”

We start in the familiar medieval town of Montalcino, the birthplace of Brunello. The story of Rosso di Montalcino is best understood by discussing its merits alongside its older sibling, Brunello di Montalcino. Both are 100% Sangiovese and sourced from the appellation of Montalcino. Typically, younger vines are used to make Rosso rather than older vines from higher quality exposures found in the more expensive, prestigious Brunello. La Togata is a small, family run, exclusive winery that practices meticulous vineyard management and low intervention winemaking.

With just 10,000 bottles produced, this is a classic Rosso in structure with lively tannins on the palate. The wine is fresh with cherry fruit, black currant and some spices. The palate is well-structured with fresh red fruits, roses and peonies. There is firm acidity make this extremely versatile with foods.

Biondi Santi – 2018 Sassoalloro (Maremma)

Sassoalloro is also made with 100% Sangiovese and despite being planted further south in Maremma, it shares a lineage with wines from Montalcino. Sassoalloro uses the BBS11 Sangiovese clone, which is the original Brunello clone developed by Clemente Santi in the mid 19th Century. The Biondi Santi family is one of the most iconic wine producers in Italy and their estate in Maremma on the Etruscan coast showcases the beauty of Sangiovese grown in a warmer climate.

The wine has a brilliant ruby red colour with violet tones. The nose is fresh, with red cherry, dried herbs, floral notes of sweet violets, a mild oakiness with a balsamic spiciness coming through. The palate shows purity of fruit, layers of ripe, sour cherry, dried herbs, some pepper, with a long, lingering finish. This is a fine, savoury wine which is drinking well now but will reward patient cellaring, as the estate suggests it will age gracefully for 25 years.

I Tirreni – 2019 Beccaia (Bolgheri)

If you have not had the opportunity to taste wines from the region of Bolgheri then you are missing out on perhaps one of Italy’s greatest success stories! Compared to the greater Maremma area that surrounds it, Bolgheri’s wines express a distinctive style, based on its small size and unique terroir. The most recent vintages show an alluring mix of Bordeaux varietals combined with freshness, a mineral expression and an infusion of the local Mediterranean scrub and wild herbs that render the wines distinctly Bolgherian.

I Tirreni is owned by two wine innovators, enologist Tommaso Rindi and agronomist Samuele Falciani. This team have embraced the specific terrior of the region and employed modern methods to produce some of the most expressive wines in Bolgheri. Their vineyards comprise of 4.5 hectares located on the plain with north east – south west exposure about 1 km from the coast. This allows the grapes to ripen in the hot sun during the day yet retain acidity in the evening as the coastal influences cool the temperature.

The 2019 I Tirreni Beccaia Bolgheri DOC is an intense ruby red with great structure and body and shows the typical expression of the Bolgheri territory. Plunging the nose into the glass, the varietal notes of Cabernet Sauvignon such as blackberry, black cherry, spice and cigar box emerge enveloped by the red fruit and warmer notes of Merlot. Cabernet Franc adds elegance while a splash of Petit Verdot brings floral notes and black fruit aromas. This is a complex wine that can age beautifully