| Country: | Italy |
| Region: | Tuscany |
| Winery: | Tenuta Vitanza |
| Grape Types: | Merlot Sangiovese |
| Vintage: | 2011 |
| Bottle Size: | 750 ml |
Familia Zuccardi 'Finca Piedra Infinita' Supercal is made from
Appellation: Finca Piedra Infinita, IG Paraje Altamira,Valle de Uco, Mendoze
Vinification: Manually selected grapes, filling of tanks by gravity. Fermentation with native yeasts in concrete vessels without epoxy. Aging in concrete vessels. The 2020 was a very particular vintage, characterized by limited yields and a high speed of maturity, which made it one of the fastest and most challenging on record.
In the search for the purest expression of the identity of Finca Piedra Infinita vineyard, we reached this small plot of 0.73 hectares. Located on its north-east side, it shows the typical facet of Paraje Altamira soil, with large gravels and granite stones covered with calcareous material at a depth of 50 cm.
Altitude: 3,609 feet above sea level
Soil Type: Short alluvial soil covered with calcareous materials
Alcohol: 14% Total Acidity: 5.6g/l
TASTING NOTES:
Color: Bright ruby color
Aroma: Dark berries, black olive tapenade, and iron
Flavor: Rich on the palate, with firm tanins
Review:
A very young, beautiful malbec that is still a bit reductive now. Fresh herbs, white pepper, violets, iron and some ripe black cherries to the nose. Full-bodied on the palate with plenty of powerful, fine tannins. Mineral and super fine-grained. Needs time. Better after 2026.
-James Suckling 98 Points
All older vintage wines have been purchased from a single collectors cellar. Pictures can be requested before shipment.
Antica Vigna Valpolicella Ripasso DOC Superiore is made from 50% Corvina, 45% Rondinella and 5% Merlot.
Ripasso Superiore DOC is an elegant and refined wine, showing a beautiful and intense ruby color. Spicy, with cherry hints and wild berries notes, it features great personality and complexity. In the palate it is rich, very fruity, elegant and still young but already very well-orchestrated, with the typical notes of wild berries that blend well with the complexity of the wine.
20% in steel· 80% in wood for 6 months of which 2/3 in American and French barriques, half of which are used for the second and third time 1/3 in large barrels
Aging:
Fermentation time: about 7/10 days the first and 15 days the second.
Fermentation: at a controlled temperature of 18/20° and second fermentation on the skins of Amarone at 18/20°C.
Vinification: soft crushing of destemmed grapes to obtain Valpolicella.
Drying: the grapes are not dried but vinified fresh.
Harvest: mid-September with manual harvesting of the grapes.
VINIFICATION AND AGENG:
Vineyard management: sustainable agriculture and great attention to natural cycles
Vine density: 4,000 to 5,400 vines per hectare
Vine planting year: from 1972 to 2009
Vineyard training system: guyot and pergola
Soil type: limestone
Exposure: south
Height: 350/400 meters asl
Geographical location: Tenuta di Mezzane, Tenuta di Cazzano di Tramigna
THE TERRITORY:
Pairs well with grilled and roasted meats, as well as cheese.
Bertani Valpolicella Ripasso Classico Superiore Catullo is made from 70% Corvina Veronese, 20% Corvinone, 10% Rondinella. Valpolicella Classica, Tenuta Novare Estate in Arbizzano di Negrar.
Wine of medium structure with elegant spicy notes of vanilla and chocolate accompanied by typical notes of cherry, sour cherry and white pepper. The palate offers the easy drinkability typical of Valpolicella and, at the same time, silky tannic structure and intense, prolonged aromatic persistence. The finish is fresh, soft and savory. A wine in the classic style, elegant, balanced, harmonious.
Review:
If I was forced to choose a number of wines that can steer the anachronistic Ripasso category into a brighter future, this would be among a very few. A mid-weighted, streamlined expression with just enough fruit on the bones. Think strawberries, lilacs, Asian plums, cloves and a hint of licorice. A noble, almost alpine bitterness lifts the finish. Brilliant. Drink or hold.
-James Suckling 95 Points
Cantina di Verona Valpolicella Ripasso Superiore Vallis Dei is made from 70% Corvina Veronese, 25% Rondinella, 5% Molinara
Color: intense red ruby
Nose: winey, fruity with hints of oak. Some spice and vanilla.
Mouth: It is well balanced with round tannins.
Yield: 10000 kg of grapes per hectar – after which the grapes are dried “appassimento”
Chateau Larroque Bordeaux Superieur Rouge is a blend of 51% Merlot and 49% Cabernet Sauvignon.
Nose : Red fruits, almond and hazelnut, with a faint vanilla aroma.
Mouth : The silky, velvety attack reveals a pleasant, concentrated and well structured wine. It offers a combination of fruits pastes’ flavors, licorice and toasted notes, and an elegant finish.
The 60-hectare vineyard was rapidly replanted and the château building, which dates from 1348, was restored.
Our family now produces three different-colored wines there: red, white and rosé.
Fermentation : Alcoholic fermentation in thermo-regulated stainless steel vats at around 26°C / 78°F then a gentle vatting for 3 weeks at 30°C / 86°F. Running off and pressing,separation of the press and free-run juice. Malolactic fermentation in thermo-regulated stainless steel vats at around 18°C / 64°F
- 2017 Decanter World Wine Awards Decanter 95 Points
Color : Dark garnet hue
Marie-Christine, the daughter of Henri Ducourt, purchased this prestigious left-bank property in 1979, which lies on the border of the Graves appellation.
Grown on loamy-clay soil.
Macération : Pre-fermentation cold maceration of 24 to 48 hours
Enjoy this wine with charcuterie, roasted meats, BBQ, cheeses.
Vitanza Quadrimendo 2011 is made from 50% Sangiovese Grosso, and 50% Merlot
This wine is flavorful and complex with a good backbone of acid and tannin.
Deep red ruby color. Intense aromas with characteristic peppery notes. Dry, tannic and powerful but with a smooth body.
Total aging time was 12 months in French oak, and 12 months bottle refinement.
The Tenuta Vitanza Estate
The story of Tenuta Vitanza begins in 1994, when Rosalba Vitanza and her soon-to-be husband, Guido Andretta, spent a romantic weekend in Montalcino.
Rosalba has a PhD in Philosophy, and was teaching at the University of Rome, La Sapienza branch. Guido Anderetta was working as an aerospace engineer, running his own consulting business based in the United Kingdom and the U.S.A.
In 1994, they united their efforts behind the purchase of Podere Rensione, a country home with two acres of vineyards. Their first vintage was 1995 and the couple received 93 points from the Wine Spectator. Today, they own 80 acres of vines (not all in production year), and have a long-term goal of 15,000 cases of production. Since 2002, the couple has been building a modern, gravity flow winery, computer controlled, and wi-fi connected, in the town of Torrenieri. The winery has 13 large stainless steel tanks, each signifying a specific vineyard area. Also, the winery has been designed with total traceability, meaning that each bottle is numbered. In the future, you will be able to access their website, punch in the bottle’s number, and receive the following information:
· bottle type
· cork used
· kind of aging & how much time
· vineyard location & exact parcel
· weather that particular vintage
The Tenuta Vitanza Vineyard
25.8 hectares in production now or 63 acres, broken down as follows:
Size Grape Wine Type
14.4 acres Sangiovese Brunello di Montalcino
3.0 acres Sangiovese Chianti, Colli Senesi
4.0 acres Sangiovese Orcia, DOC
1.4 acres Sangiovese Sant Antimo, DOC
3.0 acres Merlot for Quadrimendo & Chianti
25.8 hectares = 63.73 acres
Johann Michel Cornas Cuvee Jana is 100% Syrah.
Black raspberry aromas, licorice, sizzled bacon and smoke. Elegant and pure with depth and well-integrated tannins.
Jana is the name of Johann and Emmanuelle's daughter.
Manual harvest, selection of the grapes from the "Chaillot" parcel, full clusters, fermentation in tanks for 3 weeks, daily remontage and pigeage. Malolactic fermentation in oak barrels and aging on the lees for 12-18 months in barrels (new old barrels) The average age of the vines is 11 years. Yield: 25 hl/ha
Review:
"Dark purple. Highly perfumed, oak-spiced black and blue fruits, incense, vanilla and potpourri on the hugely perfumed nose, along with hints of licorice, smoked meat and mocha. Stains the palate with concentrated, spice-laced blueberry, cassis, cherry-vanilla and espresso flavors that turn sweeter as the wine opens up. Broad, polished tannins add shape to a strikingly long, smoke- and spice-driven finish that strongly echoes the floral and blue fruit notes. - Josh Raynolds"
- Antonio Galloni's Vinous (December 2022), 97 pts
Molly Dooker Carnival of Love is made from 100% Shiraz.
The Wine
Carnival of Love is Mollydooker's flagship McLaren Vale Shiraz — a bold, richly layered red that has become one of Australia's most sought-after Shiraz bottlings. Grown on the Gateway vineyard and matured in 100% new American oak, it pours a deep, saturated purple and opens with lifted aromas of raspberry, black cherry and a whisper of aniseed spice. The palate is generous and plush, brimming with dark and red fruit, mocha, coconut and plum, all framed by chocolate, sweet spice and the signature Mollydooker fruit weight that carries the wine without ever feeling heavy. Powerful yet remarkably fresh, it drinks beautifully now and will reward another decade in the cellar.
Serving Tip
Give it the famous "Mollydooker Shake": pour off a small splash, re-cap the bottle and gently tip it a few times to release the winemaking nitrogen. The wine opens up richer, softer and more expressive in the glass.
Winery Info
Mollydooker was founded in 2005 by husband-and-wife winemakers Sparky and Sarah Marquis in McLaren Vale, South Australia. "Mollydooker" is Australian slang for a left-hander — both Sparky and Sarah are left-handed — and that playful, against-the-grain spirit runs through everything they make. The Marquises built their name on a fruit-first philosophy they call Marquis Fruit Weight™: farming for intensely concentrated, perfectly ripe grapes and letting that fruit, rather than heavy oak or extraction, define the wine. From a standing start the winery rocketed to international fame and a devoted worldwide following, and today ranks among the most recognized names in Australian wine. Carnival of Love sits at the top of the Mollydooker range as the flagship expression of everything McLaren Vale Shiraz can be.
Review:
Notes of star anise, red licorice and sarsaparilla add a wonderfully spicy thread that complements the core of cherry, including dried and kirschlike flavors. The dense tannins show a firming side that’s reminiscent of strong, malty Assam black tea and unsweetened chocolate.
Wine Spectator 93 Points