Toscana IGT, Italy
100% Sangiovese; 12.5% ABV
$5 at the San Pablo, CA store
After liking the 2007 Rubbia al Colle “Rabuccolo” very much, I was excited to see this Sangiovese from them, in a more “serious” bottle (stouter and heavier, with a deeper punt). However, the wine inside didn’t live up to my hopes.
From the first pour, I could see it was fairly translucent and lighter-bodied for a Sangiovese. It seemed to take about 90 minutes to air, showing slightly complex flavors of tangy, tart red cherry, a tinge of orange, and some aged complexity. Stronger acid makes it better with food. In my opinion, it’s okay but hardly great for $5; in fact, only drinkable. If you get it, don’t wait to drink it. It held up fine over the three hours we drank it, but it’s pretty close to being over the hill. Some may find it already so.
The Oakland store had some $20 bottles of Italian sparkling wine that were, I believe, from this same label. Anyone tried them?