The front label says Pomino DOC, the back label says Toscana IGT, and given the blend—60 percent Sangiovese with the balance split between Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot—and the lack of DOC strip folderol, I’m going with IGT.
But it’s still from Pomino. This region splays across the margin of Tuscany and Emilia Romagna and is one of the four original appellations declared by Cosimo III de’Medici in 1716. Hence: old. Soils are galestro, and the vineyard rises to an altitude of 1,200 feet. These vines are only six years old, though, and the grapes were vinified in stainless, then moved to a mix of French oak cask and barriques.
The 2011 vintage is in a truly sweet spot. The color is light barn red with a tawny rim, and the body effuses cherries soaked in black tea, plus sweet black olives, rosemary, bay laurel, tanned hide. Exquisite notes of bottle age mingle with its shiny fruits, while chalky tannins make it a superlative food wine. It is also a superlative value.
14.5% abv | $20 (sample) Imported by Dalla Terra
