2000 Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, Il Macchione, Tuscany, Italy
Appearance: dark purple to black, clear rim.
Nose: dark black and red cherry fruit, pronounced but integrated new oak. Not really the savoury smells of other Sangioveses, but still characteristic of the grape (those savoury aromas can be due to oxidation anyway).
Palate: good fruit, lovely structure, excellent chewy tannins and lively not tart acidity (we think the older-style Italian reds tend to have tarter acidity and grainier tannins, depending on varieties and provenance). High in alcohol, but balanced throughout. Excellent length.
Conclusion: clearly modern-style Vino Nobile di Montepulciano (not to be confused with Montepulciano d’Abruzzo from the Marches region which really is made from the Montepulciano grape!). But not an agressively modernist wine. In other words, there’s good Sangiovese character here and some delicate wine-making. One to watch.
Rating: 18.5/20
