REPORT FROM TENUTA FANTI: Brunellos and Olive Oils
The Date and Time: Tuesday October 25, 2022 2PM - 4PM
The Event: Tasting Tenuta Fanti wines with Export Manager Irene Dal Canto
The Venue: Blue Door Wine Shop 1010 Bloor Street west
The Target Audience: sommeliers, media, private clients
The Availability/Catalogue: all wines are available by the case through the agency Le Sommelier, or as single bottles through Blue Door. Olive oils are through Blue Door as well.
The Quote/Background: There was one white wine, four reds, one Vin Santo, Grappa, and three Extra Virgin olive oils. Fanti began at the beginning of the 18th century, and it is currently in conversion to organic. In addition to 52 hectares of vineyards there are 8,500 olive trees. All prices below are retail.
The Wines: I did not taste the Grappa di Brunello Riserva, half-litre gift box, $99.
**** BEST -- Four Stars (91+ in Quality/Price Rating terms):
-Soralisa Sant'Antimo Bianco DOC 2021 $31 (bright, fruity blend of equal parts of vermentino and viognier, with a dollop of both malvasia toscana and trebbiano toscano, from 10-30-year old vines, fermented and stored on lees in stainless, minerals, good finish). Quality/Price rating is 91 points by Dean Tudor of Gothic Epicures.
-Brunello di Montalcino Vallocchio DOCG 2015 $89 – not made every year
(five oldest vineyards of the estate, aged two years in French tonneaux and Slavonian oak vat, expect dried meat, tar, tobacco, dried strawberries, spices, ripe and chewy). My fave, and only six dollars more than the 2017 Brunello below. Quality/Price rating is 96 points by Dean Tudor of Gothic Epicures.
-Brunello di Montalcino DOCG 2017 $83 (made from 20 – 30 year-old vines, fermented similar to the Vallocchio, aged in bottle for 18 months prior to release, expect red cherries, plums, walnuts, ripe fruit). Quality/Price rating is 93 points by Dean Tudor of Gothic Epicures.
-Vin Santo Sant'Antimo DOC 2014 $74 375-ml bottle – (40% trebbiano toscano, 40% malvasia toscana, 20% colombano from 30-year old vines, slow ferment in caratelli small oak barrels, 5 years aging, about 1200 half-bottles every vintage. Golden brown, syrupy, tones of butterscotch and caramel, dried fruit, roasted nuts, and caramelized orange peel. Complex). Quality/Price rating is 93 points by Dean Tudor of Gothic Epicures.
***1/2 BETTER -- Three and a Half Stars (88 – 90 in Quality/Price Rating terms):
-Rosso di Montalcino DOC 2020 $33 (full, ripe, red fruit, generous, made from 15-20-year old vines aged in oak one year and then bottle for seven months. Some rusticity which will soften with aging). Quality/Price rating is 90 points by Dean Tudor of Gothic Epicures.
-Poggio Torto IGT Toscana Rosso 2020 $24 (blend of sangiovese, merlot, cabernet sauvignon, and syrah, young vines, fermented in stainless, aged in oak, much black raspberry and cherry fruit in the "supertuscan" range, needs time). Quality/Price rating is 89 points by Dean Tudor of Gothic Epicures.
Olive Oils:
-Extra Virgin Olive Oil Olivastra 2021 $40 500ml (100% olivastra seggianese from 200 year old trees at 650 meters, very fruity, slightly sweet but intense). Best of the three.
-Extra Virgin Olive Oil Moraiolo 2020 $35 500 ml (100% all moraiolo olives, some green notes leading to a balance between bitter and spicy).
-Extra Virgin Olive Oil Blend 2021 $20 500 ml (blend of correggiolo, leccino and olivastra olives, from 15-200 year old trees, intensely fruity with light green tones).
The Food: salumi board with three meats and three cheeses plus grapes.
The Downside: it was a stand up affair, and my knees got tired, so I had to sit down for awhile.
The Upside: good wines, easily available, and good location for Blue Door (between Dufferin and Ossington subway stations).
The Contact Person: orders@lesommelier.com or irene@tenutafanti.it
The Event's Marketing Effectiveness and Execution (numerical grade): 88.
The Date and Time: Tuesday October 25, 2022 2PM - 4PM
The Event: Tasting Tenuta Fanti wines with Export Manager Irene Dal Canto
The Venue: Blue Door Wine Shop 1010 Bloor Street west
The Target Audience: sommeliers, media, private clients
The Availability/Catalogue: all wines are available by the case through the agency Le Sommelier, or as single bottles through Blue Door. Olive oils are through Blue Door as well.
The Quote/Background: There was one white wine, four reds, one Vin Santo, Grappa, and three Extra Virgin olive oils. Fanti began at the beginning of the 18th century, and it is currently in conversion to organic. In addition to 52 hectares of vineyards there are 8,500 olive trees. All prices below are retail.
The Wines: I did not taste the Grappa di Brunello Riserva, half-litre gift box, $99.
**** BEST -- Four Stars (91+ in Quality/Price Rating terms):
-Soralisa Sant'Antimo Bianco DOC 2021 $31 (bright, fruity blend of equal parts of vermentino and viognier, with a dollop of both malvasia toscana and trebbiano toscano, from 10-30-year old vines, fermented and stored on lees in stainless, minerals, good finish). Quality/Price rating is 91 points by Dean Tudor of Gothic Epicures.
-Brunello di Montalcino Vallocchio DOCG 2015 $89 – not made every year
(five oldest vineyards of the estate, aged two years in French tonneaux and Slavonian oak vat, expect dried meat, tar, tobacco, dried strawberries, spices, ripe and chewy). My fave, and only six dollars more than the 2017 Brunello below. Quality/Price rating is 96 points by Dean Tudor of Gothic Epicures.
-Brunello di Montalcino DOCG 2017 $83 (made from 20 – 30 year-old vines, fermented similar to the Vallocchio, aged in bottle for 18 months prior to release, expect red cherries, plums, walnuts, ripe fruit). Quality/Price rating is 93 points by Dean Tudor of Gothic Epicures.
-Vin Santo Sant'Antimo DOC 2014 $74 375-ml bottle – (40% trebbiano toscano, 40% malvasia toscana, 20% colombano from 30-year old vines, slow ferment in caratelli small oak barrels, 5 years aging, about 1200 half-bottles every vintage. Golden brown, syrupy, tones of butterscotch and caramel, dried fruit, roasted nuts, and caramelized orange peel. Complex). Quality/Price rating is 93 points by Dean Tudor of Gothic Epicures.
***1/2 BETTER -- Three and a Half Stars (88 – 90 in Quality/Price Rating terms):
-Rosso di Montalcino DOC 2020 $33 (full, ripe, red fruit, generous, made from 15-20-year old vines aged in oak one year and then bottle for seven months. Some rusticity which will soften with aging). Quality/Price rating is 90 points by Dean Tudor of Gothic Epicures.
-Poggio Torto IGT Toscana Rosso 2020 $24 (blend of sangiovese, merlot, cabernet sauvignon, and syrah, young vines, fermented in stainless, aged in oak, much black raspberry and cherry fruit in the "supertuscan" range, needs time). Quality/Price rating is 89 points by Dean Tudor of Gothic Epicures.
Olive Oils:
-Extra Virgin Olive Oil Olivastra 2021 $40 500ml (100% olivastra seggianese from 200 year old trees at 650 meters, very fruity, slightly sweet but intense). Best of the three.
-Extra Virgin Olive Oil Moraiolo 2020 $35 500 ml (100% all moraiolo olives, some green notes leading to a balance between bitter and spicy).
-Extra Virgin Olive Oil Blend 2021 $20 500 ml (blend of correggiolo, leccino and olivastra olives, from 15-200 year old trees, intensely fruity with light green tones).
The Food: salumi board with three meats and three cheeses plus grapes.
The Downside: it was a stand up affair, and my knees got tired, so I had to sit down for awhile.
The Upside: good wines, easily available, and good location for Blue Door (between Dufferin and Ossington subway stations).
The Contact Person: orders@lesommelier.com or irene@tenutafanti.it
The Event's Marketing Effectiveness and Execution (numerical grade): 88.
Dean Tudor, Prof Emeritus T'karonto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson) School of Journalism
Treasurer of Wine Writers' Circle of Canada http://www.deantudor.comhttp://gothicepicures.blogspot.com
https://twitter.com/gothicepicures
No comments:
Post a Comment