Terrilogio

2004
Toscana
Italy

85% Sangiovese
10% Cabernet Sauvignon
5% Merlot

Will drink again.

A funny thing happened when I was looking for an appetizer that would accompany McManis Cabernet for my mother's B'Day dinner last week. The Guy and I have had McManis before and really liked it (see October reviews). He brought some home again a couple of weeks ago and I was reminded of what a really good value it is. So I thought I'd serve that as our before-dinner wine at my mom's dinner. I couldn't find anything on the internet that recommended an appetizer. Then, finally, a recommended pairing comes up and I'm relieved. It recommended Horseradish Cheddar with wheat crackers. I'm reading it and then I happened to notice the site - it was this one! So I took my own advice and we simply had cheddar and crackers.

So, last night I wanted to get another couple of bottles of McManis and went into my local wine shop. They only had the merlot. I have had the merlot and it's not nearly as good as the cab. So I passed. Then I came across the Italians and saw a "Super Tuscan" advertised. I decided to give it a try.

The bouquet was enticing the minute it was opened. There was a wonderful strong scent of black cherry and oak. The first mouthful seemed as though it would taste as good as it smelled. There was the oak and cherry up front, some heat, dryness and then a weakening. I was slightly disappointed, but enjoyed it anyway. It got MUCH tastier with an Italian Boule dipped in garlic and oregano olive oil.

"Super Tuscan" is the term used to describe any Tuscan red that doesn't follow regional traditional blending laws. They often use a combination of grapes which then makes them ineligible for DOC(G) classification under traditional rules. But this originally caused them to be labeled as "Vino da Tavola" (i.e. "table wine") which was considered the lowest of the low, even though some of these wines are the finest in the world. The recent formation of the Indicazione Geografica Tipica category (which represents a level of quality somewhere between Vino da Tavola and DOC[G]) has helped Super Tuscans regain their place in the wine world.

No nation is drunken where wine is cheap; and none sober, where the dearness of wine substitutes ardent spirits as the common beverage. It is, in truth, the only antidote to the bane of whiskey.

-Thomas Jefferson

8.0 out of 10
$10.99 / 750 ml. bottle
12.5% alc. by vol.