Cellar Selection,  Italy,  Sangiovese

Cellar Selection

Brunello 2005 Castelgiocondo

Marchesi De’ Frescobaldi 2005 Brunello di Montalcino Tenuta Castelgiocondo

The history of the Frescobaldi family begins around the year 1000, during the same time period as the birth of the banking industry of Medieval Florence.  The Frescobaldi’s quickly became the absolute protagonists of political and economic life earning them the right to the title “Treasurers to the English Crown”.  The family’s start in wine production is documented at the beginning of the year 1300 at the historic estate of Tenuta di Castiglioni in Val di Pesa, southwest of Florence.  From the beginning, the family has demanded that their wines be of quality and that they reflect the uniqueness of their terroirs, and by the beginning of the 1400’s great Renaissance artists such as Donatello and Michelozzo, had become faithful clients.  A century later the Frescobaldi wines were served at the tables of the Papal Court and the English Court of Henry the Eighth.

Opening a bottle, which I let breathe for about an hour, the 100% Sangiovese wine, which was aged in oak for 2 years, I noticed an absolutely clear deep brilliant ruby red color when I finally poured a glass.  Aromas of ripe dark and red fruits with some sweet spice.  The palate revealed a full-bodied dry wine with medium acidity, smooth tannins and a slight warmth of alcohol present.  The ripe fruit flavors are complex yet not overpowering as a number of flavors emerge to a lingering pleasant finish.  This is Top Flight!  Grab a bottle and pair it with a rich bolognaise sauce over some wide pasta.  Yum!

Cheers!

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