Vanessa

9.2

Tonight, we’re sipping a delicious Poggio Antico Brunello di Montalcino DOCG (2012).

The vineyards of Poggio Antico are situated on some of Montalcino’s highest hills (>1,500 ft elevation), overlooking the beautiful, sun-soaked landscape of Tuscany.

In a warm climate, high altitude sites like this benefit from a comparatively lower air temperature, greater diurnal range (warm days, cool nights), and enhanced solar intensity, particularly when vines are planted on hillsides, angled towards the sun.

These conditions (among others) are important for quality winemaking, for example, the intense sunshine promotes grape ripening (sugar accumulation; development of flavors, tannins, color), while the cooling influences help retain acidity and more delicate aromas in the grapes; they also enable a longer ripening period overall, setting the stage for a well-balanced, concentrated wine.

It was interesting to learn that Poggio Antico vinifies and matures its Sangiovese according to detailed soil units, leveraging what it calls a “geological symphony,” as a significant part of the terroir expression. It later blends (or “harmonizes”) these units with the aim of creating balance and complexity.

As a Brunello di Montalcino DOCG, this wine must be 100% Sangiovese and could not be released from Poggio for at least 5 years from the harvest, during which time it aged for at least 2 years in oak. Poggio exceeded these legal minimums by aging this wine for 4 years, including 3 years in traditional Slavonian oak barrels and one year in bottle.

We paired this wine with a homemade Bolognese. The spices of the sauce lent symmetry to the spice (nutmeg, clove) notes in the wine, which didn’t compete, but, rather, complemented each other. Also, the fat in the ground sirloin (along with the salty parmesan and decade+ of maturing) helped smooth the high tannins of the Sangiovese, enhancing our palates’ experience of other delicious dimensions.

It was molto bene! Cheers! — a year ago

with Deked1

Michael Meyer

9.2

Grilling some excellent pork chops on a beautiful warm San Diego evening, and my pairing instincts took me to an aged St-I. This from arguably the best Oregon vintage of the 2000’s, it represents perhaps the most Burgundian effort by Mr Vlossak during his “tenure” working the hallowed Seven Springs vineyard. Savory, smoky, brambly, with moderate acidity and tannins, an undertone of grilled herbs, brilliant restrained red fruit, and a hint of brett to round it out. Wine outshined the chop, but all goodness. — 5 years ago

Brad Jensen

9.0

Bold notes of plum, ground pepper leathery notes with dusty, mouth drying tannins and a medium to heavy body, this was really a good blend for the smokehouse at the resort. — 3 years ago

with Tiva

Kapyrick Wine

9.0

v18. Very nice. Soft white pepper and smashed black cherry nose. Rich black cherry and blackberry fruit. Smooth, tight, cola, mocha , soft leather and ground pepper finish. Lot of words , but well balanced! — 3 years ago

Jay Wyper

9.2

A nice middle ground between oak and steel finish. Not overly fruity but the Chardonnay fruit is there. Smooth finish with a little butter. Great with food. — 4 years ago

GHol

8.9

In first on QF1. Lots of citrus flavour which works well in the cabin of an aircraft. Would like to try again at ground level to check the real taste. Very enjoyable. Would certainly consider buying but might wait for a better vintage. — 5 years ago

Jeroen Koenen

9.2

Mature colour, brownish at the rim and deep dark red in the core.
Baking spices, ground coffee, figs, earth, tomatoleaf and balsamic notes. Soft and well balanced mouthfeel, very nice and harmonious. Actually better than the 99 at the moment. Perfect for my lasagne bolognese. — 3 years ago

Sherry

9.1

Rainy day, brownies and Adelsheim pinot noir — 3 years ago

with jeff

Cindy Chiu

9.0

Sharp but smooths out as you drink it. — 4 years ago

Tracy Hall

9.2

Love this! No decant (imho it doesn’t need it). This is everything you want. Balanced fruit and acid. Served with bbq ribeye (the rub with brown sugar and ground coffee is what brought these together). Second night sautéed chicken with rosemary and a pesto pasta was also perfect. Love this! SS — 4 years ago