Tag: rosso

IT’S ROSSO TIME: LISINI ROSSO DI MONTALCINO

As you have probably gathered if you have read enough of our rants, 2016 has been a generally very good vintage in Europe and ‘lights out’ in certain regions like Bordeaux and the southern Rhone.  Tuscany is one of those ‘lights out’ areas as our tastings have shown.  We have had spectacular Chiantis and the market is anxiously awaiting the big dogs from Piedmont, Bolgheri, etc.   As an adjunct to the highly anticipated Brunellos coming two years down the road, we have come across the most remarkable crop of Rosso di Montalcinos we can recall from the 2016 vintage, and they are here now.

Yeah, we are fully aware that we are fighting convention.  A lot of consumers don’t take Rossos seriously, like they are some unwanted stepchild or byproduct.  Believe what you want, we’ve had a number of Rossos in 2016 that are better than the Brunellos are most years, and ceretainly more appealing.

It is simply a function of the 2016 vintage.  In Tuscany, the reds have brighter profiles and more flesh, taking them quite literally to another level.  If you tried any of the Collosorbo Rosso 2016 we featured a while back, you already know what we are talking about.  Now our toughest decision is figuring out which ones to put one the floor out of the uncanny number of outstanding examples we have encountered.

Even being as picky as we are being, Lisini is definitely one of the stars.  Lisini is a highly regarded house in the first place, and has been for a long time.   But while the scribes rush to present their opinions on all of the top-line Brunellos, the Rossos are largely ignored.  In 2016 that would be  a mistake.  This wine has all the trappings of a big time Brunello with a rich, layered fruit core, emerging aromatics of confectionary cherry, mineral and anise, and well integrated, ripe tannins.  You literally couldn’t design them any better.

The texture is perhaps the most noticeable difference with the 2016 Rossos vis a vis other vintages of Rosso or even Brunello.  The wines are round and seamless from front to back, with surprisingly tender edges for their relative youth all as a function of this unique year where the wines are at once plush and light on their feet.  There are vineyards designated for Rosso at Lisini, all from the same missal material as the Brunello.  There can also be some declassified Brunello juice in the mix though, in such an exceptional vintage, we doubt much got selected out.

It’s not like the Lisini Rosso di Montalcino 2016 needed more.  It’s pretty loaded, though it will differ from the ‘big dog’ by virtue of its accessibility.  We’ve never tasted Rossos like these.  They are friendlier than the 2010s and fresher than the 2007s, and in our minds perform a couple of notches higher than either.  Given the sourcing and vintage, this is a very classy wine for the modest fare of $24.98.  The only issue is that some of your friends may not be suitably impressed by something that says ‘rosso’ on it, until they taste it that is.

COLLOSORBO ROSSO DI MONTALCINO 2016

There are many ways to approach wine.  You can buy at the top, or you can buy on the cheap.  There’s nothing wrong with either approach depending on one’s expectations.  For us, it is always about finding the best juice for the best price.  That sounds easy enough, but opportunities are not always there.  Pricing is, of course, the principal issue.  But getting the better wines greatly depends on vintages as well.  As we have maintained for years, finding the little wines from serious producers is always a higher percentage play as a rule.  But those elite producers obviously have greater upside potential on all of their wines when Nature cooperates.

Again, as we may have mentioned, there are few vintages in Tuscany that compare to 2016.  Chiantis?  A number of ‘best ever’ performances from a variety of producers.  Brunello? Folks will be anxiously awaiting the 2016s, but they are two years away.  We’ve have seen a number of thrilling ‘little’ wines from the ‘big boys’ in Bolgheri.    But poor little Rosso di Montacino, essentially declassified Brunello in many cases, is still pretty much under the radar.

In short, Nature smiled on Sangiovese in 2016 and we have come across some crazy good Rossos that perform well above their station.  Admittedly prices for Rossos can be all over the board. But given the vintage, one should take a good, hard look at the category.  The Collosorbo Rosso di Montalcino 2016 is one of those exciting finds by virtue of both price and performance.

While every Brunello producer’s Rosso story is a little different, this one doesn’t have a lot of twists and turns.  This wine comes from the same vineyards as the Brunello and is hand harvested into small baskets, pressed softly into temperature controlled stainless steel before a sojourn in Slavonian and French barrels for about a year.   That’s the way they do it all the time, but the results in 2016 reached new heights based on our experience with Collosorbo and we have had some pretty good runs with this bottling in the past (the 2010 comes to mind).

What’s the secret? No secret. Consistent producer, excellent harvest, not rocket science.  This is about fruit…pure, generous, rather ample Sangiovese fruit that wears its terroir for all to see yet can be appreciated simply for its outgoing, well-stuffed, rather gushing demeanor.  It plays dark cherry, some earth and anise in the mix, shows surprising size for a ‘simple’ Rosso and the flashes the kind of polish to suggest higher aspirations in this wine.  The Collosorbo Rosso 2016 played as nicely with a steak as with a plate of pasta because of its gregarious fruit core and bright flavors.  It was engaging from the first sip.

It got some pretty serious ink for a ‘little’ wine as well.  Monica Larner of Wine Advocate comments, “The 2016 Rosso di Montalcino opens to a bright ruby color with purple highlights. The wine is youthful and bright in personality with a full load of plump cherry and ripe blackberry. You also get hints of spice, crushed mineral and balsam herb to round off the bouquet. The mouth feel is rich, generous and nicely structured. This is an excellent value buy…90 points.”

James Suckling kicked it up a notch, “Offers more concentration on the nose with mostly notes of blackberry pie, plum cake and even some Christmas pudding. On the palate, the fruit is melded beautifully with chewy yet tight tannins and taut acidity. Great stuff for what it is. Drink now… 93 Points.”

This ‘best ever’ effort exceeds previous efforts for this series from a review perspective, but shares an important number with the 2010…the price.  Thanks to a variety of factors that worked in concert here, $19.98 will buy you a pretty spectacular bottle of Rosso that doesn’t play like your ordinary ‘second wine’.

An exceptional ‘go-to’ while it lasts.