La Massa Toscana

2006
Red Tuscan
Italy

Full-bodied, dry, with dark cherry, oak and herb flavors and a nice finish.

My brother is home - YAY! Life is good. He brought (8) wonderful reds to try: (4) Italian, (2) French, (2) Californian. We tried (1) bottle of the La Massa Toscana last night, but we didn't have it with the right meal (we had a honey baked ham and sweet potatoes - a bottle of Mom's Red Diamond Cab however, accompanied the ham surprisingly well). I am holding off on giving the Toscana a proper review until this evening. It's home-made pizza night and I've got some wonderful crushed tomatoes and freeze-dried oregano that I'm going to "sauce up". I've got the first batch of dough in process. We're going to make FOUR apizzas and taste test the Toscana again, plus we are decanting a Monsanto Chianti Classico.

Right now we are off for a STEEP hike in the rain - got to work up our appetites - for food, wine and a warm fire! :)

Update:
The Toscana was good, but not a great accompaniment to plain cheese pizza. It went much better with our "adult" pizza of fresh mozzarella, sauteed mushrooms and red pepper, and grilled Italian red and green pepper chicken sausage. It was also good all on its own.

I actually enjoyed the Montsano Chianti Classico ( separate review) much more with the pizza, and also with aged Quebec cheddar and Kashi whole grain crackers.

Wine Spectator rating of 93

8.0 out of 10
$24 / 750 ml. bottle
14% alc. by vol.

Monte Antico Sangiovese Blend

2004
85% Sangiovese, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon,
5% Merlot
Tuscany, Italy


I will drink again.


I really enjoyed this wine for the price. It was awesome with a fresh garlic, black olive, ricotta, chicken and spinach pizza. I did not enjoy it as much on it's own - so I recommend it with food (pasta, cheese, or pizza). With flavors of oak and slight vanilla, this full-bodied wine tasted also of cherries. There was a slight finish, but it dissipated too quickly.


I have had a couple of decent Sangiovese wines now. I am looking forward to trying many more different Italian wines.

Am I still breathing;
Does my heart still beat?
I feel I'm suffocating
While everyone watches
Ah! There it is
My heart, pounding in my ears
My blood pulsates
My head pounds, with every beat
I've been reduced to deletion








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

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.