Mark Gasbarro just hosted a wine tasting featuring the wines of Marchesi de’Frescobaldi. If you haven’t been to one of Mark’s tastings get out and try one. They are the best deal in town, as they are free and usually feature some pretty high end wines. This was a good one.
A well attended event
Even better, Vittorio Frescobaldi, the heir to the family winery, was in the house and pouring the wines. Where else can you meet people like this?
Vittorio brought eight wines with him, including two vintages of the Mormoreto Super Tuscan. There are some stellar wines in this lineup, but unfortunately they are not inexpensive. I definitely feel some are worth splurging on though. Here are the wines:
2011 Pomino Benefizio Riserva Chardonnay – this is quite good, with a nice balance. It exudes quality. It’s also a retail of $42.99. Very good wine.
2011 Tenuta Frescobaldi di Castiglioni – this Super Tuscan has Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and a bit of Sangiovese. I think it’s a good wine, not a blockbuster and checks in at $23.99.
2011 Nipozzano Vecchie Viti Chianti Riserva – this is excellent, old school Chianti. Made from 90% Sangiovese, with
bits of Malvasia nera, Colorino, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, it is lean, somewhat tannic with a lot of grip and layers of structured complexity. Absolutely made to drink with pasta and red sauce, or pizza. This I bought and brought home at the event discount. Regularly $35.99. Made from the oldest vines of the Castello di Nipozzano.
2012 Montesodi Toscana – 100% Sangiovese. I found this a bit harsh, with high tannin and acid. $42.99
2010 Castelgiocondo Brunello di Montalcino – this has a great body and cherry flavors. Still a bit tannic. A great 2010 Brunello to revisit in five or six years when it gets near its peak. We recently opened a 2004 vintage bottle of this and it is great juice. $79.99
2010 Lamaione – 100% Merlot, complex and layered. A great wine, just a baby and needs some
time but what a bottle. $89.99 and world class. Splurge wine for sure, but delicious and probably worth it.
2010 Mormoreto – for me this wine was a little off. I almost thought I got a tiny whiff of TCA, but that sort of blew off. It just didn’t come together for me.
2012 Mormoreto – now this was very nice, and had great berry aromas and flavors with a nice oak note. Deep and rich. Very good wine. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. $79.99
All in all this was a pretty impressive lineup. As mentioned, some of the Nipozzano was purchased to bring home. The Lamaione I would buy for a special occasion, it was clearly the wine of the evening. Of course I was picking up another $100ish bottle of Italian Merlot from Mark’s Taste for a Cause event held in September (read about that here), so two bottles in this price range wasn’t happening!
You really should go to some of these wine tastings and try some world class wine. There is a significant difference between an average $10 bottle and wines of this caliber. If only we could afford to drink them everyday.
A votre santé!
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