| Country: | Italy |
| Region: | Piemonte |
| Winery: | Toso |
| Grape Type: | Marsala Blend |
| Vintage: | NV |
| Bottle Size: | 900 ml |
Toso Asti Spumante is made with 100 percent Moscato d' Asti
Sweet, aromatic, fruity and floral sparkling wine, moderate in alcohol, with fine sparkle and long lasting perlage. Of yellow straw color, it is a fine and elegant wine, ideal to celebrate every joyful event.
Toso Asti Spumante is made from Moscato grapes grown on hills in the South of Piedmont An early picking insures a higher acidity and a more floral bouquet. The grapes are crushed immediately to avoid any oxidation which might detract from the wine's aromas. The grapes are gently crushed and the juice is settled, centrifuged and filtered. The purified musts are placed in stainless steel tanks and held at near freezing temperatures which blocks completely any fermentation. This enables the producers to draw batches of fresh must whenever they decide to bottle. The batch of must is then inoculated with special yeast and fermented in an autoclave to retain the naturally produced carbon dioxide. The fermentation is stopped by a rapid chilling when the wine reaches the desired ratio of alcohol (standardly 7%) to residual sugar ( 3-5% ). The wine is then filtered, bottled and, at Toso, immediately shipped to ensure the freshest product possible.
Fresh, a floral bouquet, a sweet, fruity taste, Excellent as aperitif, best enjoyed with fruit, dried pastries and desserts in general.
Toso Fragolino Rosso Spago is an aromatized drink made of wine and strawberry with fine and fruity flavors. Serve cool at 8 C. Excellent as an aperitif, with desserts as well as for cocktails or simply on its own.
Altesino Brunello di Montalcino Montosoli is made from 100 percent Sangiovese.
One of the most sought after wines from Montalcino, Montosoli is consistently a blockbuster red. Its intense ruby red color tends towards elegant garnet with age. On the nose, it shows a complex personality with a delicious blend of black cherry, raspberry, violet, licorice, vanilla and black pepper. Extremely enticing, opulent and elegant on the palate, with a warm, long-lasting finish, Montosoli is a wine for special occasions.
Pair this wine with beef bourguignon and stroganoff, lamb shank, and roasted rabbit.
Review:
A juicy and lightly austere young red with blackberry, cherry and bark character on both the nose and palate. It’s medium- to full-bodied with chewy tannins that soften at the end, but still make your mouth pucker. Give this two or three years to soften. Best after 2027.
-James Suckling 97 Points
Cassis, blackberry and cherry. White pepper, ground herbs and the strong floral perfume of crushed violets. Light and elegant, but structured with fresh acidity.
40% Whole bunch ferment in small open vats. 60% destemmed and fermented in a 5000 ltr wooden fermenter with gentle pigeage (punch down of the cap) throughout. Pressed in a traditonal wooden basket press and racked into a 3000 litre oak vat for 9 months.
"The 2017 Syrah comes from Elgin and Greyton and includes 40% whole-bunch fruit aged in 500- and 700-liter barrels (30% new). It has a gorgeous bouquet of raspberry, pomegranate, burning embers and crushed violet aromas that seem to give the olfactory senses a big hug. The palate is quite brilliantly balanced, the fine tannins framing vivid brambly red and black fruit laced with cracked black pepper, dessicated orange peel, clove and an undercurrent of garrigue that becomes more prominent on the persistent finish. A fabulous Syrah from proprietor and winemaker Samantha O’Keefe. - Neal Martin"
- Antonio Galloni's Vinous (November 2019), 95 pts
Lismore Estate Syrah is made from 100 percent Syrah.
A careful selection of the best of the vintage that exemplifies the extraordinary terroir of Lismore.
An exotic experience which shifts your mind to another place. Cassis, brambles and succulent cherry. White pepper, classic garrigue and the strong floral perfume of crushed violets. Light and elegant, but structured with a fresh acidity. To experience the best this wine has to offer, decanting is suggested.
The grapes were fermented 40% whole bunch in a 5000 litre wooden fermenter with gentle pigeage throughout. The process allowed for a long extraction period which lends to the fruit expression of this wine. The wine was left for a 30 day extended maceration on the skins and then pressed in a traditional baskets press. Matured in 500 litre barrels for 10 months (35% new). Time in the bottle will allow integration, the deepening of layers and full expression of the fruit.
Review:
Bursting with purple flowers and savory, spicy notes, the 2022 Estate Reserve Syrah was made with 50% whole-cluster fruit, offering a crunchy, red-fruited nose that pops with delightful tertiary expressions of turned earth and pencil lead. Light to medium-bodied and with 12% alcohol, the wine compresses slightly to show an earthy, graphite edge on the palate while slightly stemmy notes sway with fine-grained tannins across the mid-palate. Flavors of potpourri with spiced cherry skin somersault with red and purple flower essences before finishing with hints of pink peppercorn over the elegant and elongated finish. Just under 5,000 bottles were produced after the wine spent 11 months in 25% new oak barrels.
-Wine Advocate 96 Points
Toso Marsala Fine is a noble wine made according to the ancient craft with high quality grapes coming from the western vine producing area of Sicily. Amber colored wine with rich and harmonious flavors.
Grape Variety: Grillo, Inzolia, Catarratto Serve at room temperature.
Suitable for any occasion, can be enjoyed anytime during the day with dried pastries or on its own.
The Toso Estate
This one century old winery is now one of the most modern facilities in Italy, combining tradition with modern vinification techniques. The property measures 38, 000 square meters, of which 10,500 are dedicated to the vinification, the bottling and storing areas.
An early picking insures a higher acidity and a more floral bouquet. The grapes are crushed immediately to avoid any oxidation which might detract from the wine's aromas. The grapes are gently crushed and the juice is settled, centrifuged and filtered. The purified musts are placed in stainless steel tanks and held at near freezing temperatures which blocks completely any fermentation. This enables the producers to draw batches of fresh must whenever they decide to bottle. The batch of must is then inoculated with special yeast and fermented in an autoclave to retain the naturally produced carbon dioxide. The fermentation is stopped by a rapid chilling when the wine reaches the desired ratio of alcohol (standardly 7%) to residual sugar ( 3-5% ). The wine is then filtered, bottled and immediately shipped to ensure the freshest product possible.
Intense mahogany. Deep aroma of dried fruits (raisins, figs) bouquet subtle notes of chocolate and coffee. Smooth and velvety in the mouth with a long after taste.
To be served with desserts, at room temperature or slightly chilled, delicious poured over ice cream.
Review:
"Violet color. Aromas and flavors of mashed raisins and prunes and chocolate nuts with a bright, sweet medium-full body and a subtle, long fig paste, mincemeat pie, and baklava finish with no oak. A rich and toothsome PX Sherry with great length and depth."
- Tastings, 2018 World Wine Championships, 93 pts - "EXCEPTIONAL"
Bright dark color, balanced acidity and sweetness. Taste of cinnamon, vanilla, liquorice and clay. Pleasant finish with bitter herbs.
In 1904 Cherubino Valsangiacomo produced the first vermouth bottle, afther 100 years, the fifth generation of the Valsangiacomo familly STILL making it with the ancestral formula devised by Benedetto Valsangiacomo.
Red Vermouth, flavored fortified white wine base, together with aromatic mediterranean herbs such as fennel, chamomille and tyme, sweeted with sugar, and grape must caramel.
Ideal as an aperitif, on the rocks with an orange slice. Also very good with cured and pickled products.
Dark mahogany. Aromas of dried fruits, oak and raising notes. Smooth, well balanced, rich and complex with a long after taste.
To be served on its own at room temperature, chilled from the fridge or over ice 'on the rocks'. Also a superb way to accompany desserts, pastries and cured cheeses.
Carmo Vinhos Madeira Malmsey 10 Yr is richest style of Madeira. With a deep amber color, this intense wine has a complex flavor of walnuts, dried fruits, coffee and caramel. Full body hiding the acidity and a very long finish. An excellent accompaniment to coffee.
Toso Fragolino Rosso Spago is an aromatized drink made of wine and strawberry with fine and fruity flavors. Serve cool at 8 C. Excellent as an aperitif, with desserts as well as for cocktails or simply on its own.
Ferren Chardonnay Sonoma Coast is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
The Sonoma Coast bottling is a blend of barrels from Ferren's single vineyard offerings; Lancel Creek, Silver Eagle, Volpert, and Frei Road Vineyards. The wine is always somewhat more approachable early in its life as less new oak is used in the blend. Pure and translucent fruit is the hallmark of this cuvée. Citrus, quince, sea spray, and minerals are buoyed by refreshing acidity and a seamless finish.
Review:
"Love the salted butter, sliced cooked apple and oyster shell character. Hints of uncooked pie crust. Medium- to full-bodied. So much subtle and intense flavor with some nuttiness. Drink now or hold.”
- - James Suckling (February 17th 2024), 97 pts
Holocene Sidereal Pinot Noir is made from 100 percent Pinot Noir.
The word sidereal means relating to the stars, particularly when measuring time or astronomical events. Which is weird for an earthly delight of a wine that makes time stand still while you attempt to decipher a vast array of aromas ranging from blackcap raspberries and cherry blossoms to wet slate and moon dust. Blackberries rule on the palate, with Assam tea, bay leaf and black pepper flavors easing along a lithe and nimble mouthfeel. Sidereal is also balance personified