Friday, January 9, 2015

Vinous 2014 Reviews by Antonio Galloni and Ian d'Agata


2013 Sangiovese "Carandelle" - 90p

Bright dark red.  Enticing aromas of strawberry, violet, licorice and flowers, complicated by a touch of menthol.  Dense, sweet and concentrated, displaying serious weight but also good refreshing acidity to its black cherry, fresh herb and licorice flavors.  Over the years, owner Lorenzo Zonin has successfully fashioned a very fruit-forward, supple sangiovese that is one of the most successful examples of this variety made anywhere on the Tuscan Coast. -- Ian D'Agata

2013 Sangiovese "Amaranto" - 89p

Good deep, bright red.  Less superripe and therefore more graceful on the nose than some past versions of this bottling, offering fresh scents of red cherry and flint.  Then thicker and richer in the mouth, but with sound balancing acidity lifting the plush mouthful of showy sangiovese fruit. Finishes with very good length. -- Ian D'Agata

2013 Sangiovese "Amaranto" - 87p

The 2013 Sangiovese Amaranto bursts from the glass with generous red fruit. Drink this forward, juicy Sangiovese over the next year or two. -- Antonio Galloni

2013 Sangiovese "Carandelle" - 90p

The estate's 2013 Sangiovese Carandelle is laced with dark red and blue fruit, flowers, spices, cedar and menthol. As always, the house style is very much built on fruit, but there is a level of freshness and energy here that is distinctive. Hints of Mediterranean herbs and wild flowers linger on the close. This gorgeous, mid-weight Sangiovese is one of the most distinctive wines of the Tuscan coast. -- Antonio Galloni

2012 Petit Verdot "Podere San Cristoforo" - 89p

Good full opaque ruby.  Black cherry, menthol, mint, minerals and a whiff of cocoa powder on the nose, plus only a hint of petit verdot’s signature black pepper and violet aromas.  Large-scaled and ripe, with a liqueur-like quality but also very good verve to the blackcurrant flavor.  The long finish features serious but seamless tannins. Only in Italy is petit verdot, which is best employed everywhere else in the world as a blending grape, used to make monovarietal wines or added in hefty doses to numerous blends. Podere San Criatoforo’s version is not just a very good wine but also the best example of monovarietal petit verdot made in Italy today, even if the young vines and hot microclimate haven’t yet allowed for much varietal distinction. -- Ian D'Agata

2012 Petit Verdot "Podere San Cristoforo" - 89p


Dark red cherries, plums, crushed rocks, flowers and mint are some of the many notes that emerge from the 2012 Petit Verdot. A weightless, gracious wine, the Petit Verdot is first and foremost a wine of the property. Varietal notes haven't yet really begun to show up in the estate's Petit Verdot. Nevertheless this is a highly appealing and attractive wine, especially if taken on its own terms. -- Antonio Galloni